About the Book
The hero of Dark Diamond is Lord Shayista Khan, the Mughal Viceroy of Bengal, who in 1685, during Aurangzeb’s rule, was the most powerful man on Earth. Under Lord Khan’s governance, Bengal became the epicenter of commerce and culture a veritable treasure chest with greedy enemies: Maratha warriors, Arakan rajas, Hindu zamindars, fanatic Mullahs, a diabolical Pir with occult powers and the East India Company. Not only does Lord Khan have to keep them at bay but also he must neutralize the curse of the Kalinoor, the dark diamond sister of the famous Kohinoor that now adorns the British Crown.
About the Author
Shazia Omar is a founding member of two writing groups in Bangladesh - Writers Block and Pen Warriors. Shazia is a social psychologist. She grew up in Saudi Arabia and Canada and got her liberal arts degree from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA. Her first job was as an investment banker in Manhattan, at Lehman Brothers. One morning, she watched a plane fly into her office, watched burning people falling from the sky, and then watched the forces of fear and greed compete for the world. She survived 9/11 but this became a critical turning point in her life. After three years of traveling, visiting ashrams and learning yoga, she completed a Masters in Social Psychology at LSE, UK. Her thesis was on Representations of Happiness Amongst the Extreme Poor. Shazia then moved to Bangladesh and joined IFC, the private sector wing of the World Bank. Shazia is now CEO of a tech start up that provides digital solutions to improve the results of programs and companies that aim to serve the poorest. Shazia teaches Ashtanga yoga and power yogilates in Dhaka where she lives with her family.