The product of several years of research, The Penguin Book of Hindu Names is a comprehensive  compilation of Hindu names in current use. The meaning of each of the approximately 20,000 names in the volume is extensively discussed and information on sources and usage is also provided.

The book is cross-referenced to make it easier to use. The aim of the work is twofold: to serve as a practical guide for parents choosing a name for their offspring; and to provide a precise and in-depth sourcebook for scholars, pundits and lay readers who would like to know what familiar (and not so familiar) Hindu names actually mean. "Good, serious, authoritative research well presented.- Sunday observer.