Oswald Pereira, who was a journalist for most of his working life, spending more than three decades in the profession, has always had a creative streak in him. Before he joined journalism, he had written two novels, which were rejected by publishers.

After quitting journalism in the late nineties years before he was due for retirement, he set up his own image management consultancy with a thriving practice, giving his clients front page coverage in mainline newspapers.

Most of his clients were from the IT industry. When the dotcom sector boomed, Oswald’s consultancy, Infomark India, prospered. But when the dotcom bubble burst, Oswald’s consultancy, too, went on the downswing.

That was the time when instead of wallowing in the downturn in business, Oswald rekindled his creative talents and began writing novels. Today he is the author of eight books, including six novels and two non-fiction titles. He also writes extensively on spiritual subjects. What follows is an overview of his work.

BOOKS

CRIME PATROL: THE MOST THRILLING STORIES

This book gives you a ringside view of some of the most dangerous crimes: Ajay Devgn

Spine-chilling stories that delve deep into the workings of the criminal mind, and superbly dissect the anatomy of crime.

A cop lusts after a young woman; the daughter of a rapist is oblivious to her father’s crimes; a pregnant woman finds her anger spiralling out of control; a bunch of rich businessmen stake all their wealth and end up getting killed most brutally—these and other stories bring Annup Sonii’s high-octane narration, and Oswald Pereira’s excellent research and writing to the pages of this book. Crime Never Pays—as Crime Patrol warns us over and over—but it does make for nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat reading.

THE NEWSROOM MAFIA

India’s first novel on the media-mafia-government nexus

When supercop, Donald Fernandez declares an all-out war against the invincible Don, Narayan Swamy, he fights back with a formidable Mafia – a private army of armed thugs and a motley gang of corrupt police officers, backed by powerful politicians.

What follows is a battle of raw power, sleaze, wits and dirty tactics by both the law breakers and the law enforcers blurring boundaries between good and evil. To save his skin, the Don fires his most lethal weapon, The Newsroom Mafia. In this novel, veteran-journalist-turned-novelist, Oswald Pereira provides an insider’s view of the growing culture of planted news and reveals the fine line between fact and fiction in the newsroom. A racy, compelling crime thriller, The Newsroom Mafia captures the unholy alliance between the fourth estate, the underworld and the government.

CHADDI BUDDIES

A tender story of love, friendship and brotherhood

Hill Mansion wasn’t really a mansion; it was just a ramshackle hut on a small hill. But for Robert Pereira, it was better than any place he had seen in his village Golvada. His chaddi buddies Anand and Baloo lived there with their elder brother Dattya – his hero and the village cricket team captain. Robert had named their hut, ‘Hill Mansion’, moved by love for his buddies. It didn’t matter to him that they were the sons of a domestic help.

Robert loved Hill Mansion more than his own modern house, because the poor but strong residents of Hill Mansion had given him the courage to live and fight, bestowing on him the pet name Samson. On the other hand, his siblings and village bullies made fun of his clumsiness and weakness, and nicknamed him Pondya – an indolent, feeble fellow.

Will Robert be able to fight the village bullies and erase the shameful Pondya tag to his name? Will his love for his buddies stand the test of time and social barriers as he grows up? Chaddi Buddies is a tender story of friendship, love and brotherhood, loosely based on the author’s childhood, which will kindle sweet memories as you read on.

REVENGE OF THE NAKED PRINCESS

India’s first novel on forced religious conversions

On a hot, humid morning in May 1545, a joint conversion brigade of the Portuguese King and thE Pope set out to spread Christ’s message of love and compassion, but they leave behind a deathly trail of murder and mayhem.

Armed with a monstrous cannon and scores of firearms, the brigade raids Princess Darshana Kamya Kathodi’s palace in Tana, carrying for her and her people the King’s inviolable conversion order … sealed by the Pope’s promise of a new heaven. The beautiful, 18-year-old tribal princess fights back with her ace archers’ poison arrows.

Revenge of the Naked Princess shows how brutal, forced conversions can blur the line between religion and carnage.

HOW TO CREATE MIRACLES IN OUR DAILY LIFE

A great collection of beautiful thoughts on the beautiful world: Sri M

How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life is a first-of-its-kind collection of essays by spiritual gurus and thought leaders on the themes of Love, Life, Living, Giving, Forgiveness, Faith, Compassion, Happiness, Bliss, Peace, Positivism, Karma and God and Us.

Written in simple crisp language, the tenor of the essays is positive and uplifting; the spiritual teachings are non-didactic and have been demystified. The book has an abundance of tips on practical spirituality that will help readers in day-to-day living.

THE KRISHNA-CHRIST CONNEXION

A mysterious spiritual fantasy, depicting the world as one big family

Screech…the sound echoes in space and reverberates in the high heavens above, as Lord Krishna applies sudden brakes to avert a head-on collision with Lord Jesus Christ. Both Gods are travelling to earth on important spiritual missions – Krishna to India and Christ to the US. It’s apparent that there’s a grave error in the timing of their itineraries, for the Gods always travel at different times.

But the two Gods are happy to meet. They hug and shed joyful tears, celebrating their divine connexion and their oneness – they both belong to one Supreme Being. In an epiphanic moment, Krishna and Christ decide to swap destinations and exchange roles – and so, slipping into each other’s shoes, Krishna travels to the US, and Christ to India. Will they succeed in propagating each other’s teachings and prove that they are one? Will Krishna spread Christ’s teachings as if they are his own? Will Christ speak like he is Krishna? In Oswald Pereira’s delightful spiritual fantasy, Krishna and Christ are not the archetypical solemn Gods, but are full of humour and fun. In The Krishna-Christ Connexion, you will discover that Godly business can be enjoyable.

GOLMAAL IN GOA

A fascinating, unconventional, fun-filled detective story on the drug mafia in Goa

The name Chris Brown spells ‘golmaal’ or deception! Who is Chris Brown really? Is he American or British? Why is he in Goa? Is he really there to just shoot a documentary film on the drug mafia in Goa as he claims? Why is the Goa Don Shantaram ‘Shaitan’ Prabhu, himself a drug kingpin, supporting him?

If Chris is making a drug documentary, wouldn’t that expose the Don’s own drug empire? Is Chris using the documentary as a cover-up to plan a terrorist attack on the state? Chris in his first meeting with the Don’s aide Yuvraj, vows to uproot paradisiacal Goa.

What prompts him to say that? Who does he work for? Inspector Simon Gomes of the Calangute Police station has been tailing Chris from the moment he enters Goa to find answers to these questions. And Chris’ Goa operation seems to have serious international ramifications. For the CIA, too, is on his trail. There appears to be British Intelligence surveillance as well.

Golmaal In Goa is not a conventional detective story. Surprisingly, it is also a fun-packed, light read, which will keep you laughing and at the edge of your seat.

ARMY GIRL STEALS CIVILIAN’S HEART

A sweet love story that breaks religious and regional barriers

Amrita Datta is petite and pretty, with large light brown eyes. But she calls herself an Army Girl, because of her army background. Her father and his two brothers were army officers, inspired by an uncle who almost became army general when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister. Marrying army officers is a tradition in both her father and mother’s side of the family.

Oscar Pereira, macho and handsome, is a reporter in the Mumbai edition of Newstimes, India’s largest newspaper. He comes from a family of staunch Christians. Delhi-based Amrita joins Newstimes as a trainee in Mumbai, as part of her one-year training programme. Busy with chasing front page stories, Oscar barely notices Amrita. Then when she has just twenty days left to return to Delhi, she is assigned to accompany Oscar to report on the Ganapati immersion at Chowpatty beach. But, both pay little attention to the event, because they suddenly discover love, although they have little in common – socially, culturally and religiously.