Battles Are Forever

Merry Christmas everyone. What an eventful year it has been. I guess the special thing about 2010 is that representatives of the 5 most powerful nations in the world have visited India. But I guess this year will also be remembered for all the Corruption Scandals. We also had a few Mega Sporting Events[ FIFA World Cup, CWG and Asian Games], and India has managed to deliver on all fronts.

As for me personally, I have got the first MBA interview call of my life, from IIFT. But that is left for another day.

Lets end this year with a Happy Post:

Am listing down the names of 10 books which I read in 2010, which really impressed me and made me sit up and think.



So here are the names of the books, the author, and the category. In no particular order:




1) India After Gandhi, By Ramachandra Guha- History/Non-Fiction. Deals with the history of India in the year range 1948-2007. Very well written. In one word- Unputdownable.

2) Simply Fly : A Deccan Story, By Captain Gopinath.- Autobiography. Deals with the life history of Captain Gopinath, founder of Deccan Airlines. A Must read for all budding entrepreneurs.

3) A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson- Science. Deals with, erm, everything. Basically a book which tries to explain the mystery of life and planet Earth. Deals with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, Mathematics, Paleontology, etc. Has interesting anecdotes on scientists. Written in a layman’s language. Easily one of the best books I have ever read, it’s an award winner[Amongst Top 25 books of the decade]. If you miss this one, you have missed a lot.

4) Serious Men, By Manu Joseph – Fiction. I have not yet finished this novel, but considering that it’s the winner of the Hindu Literary awards 2010, its definitely a must read. It’s a light novel. No complications.

5) Connect the Dots, By Rashmi Bansal- Non-Fiction. Story of 20 entrepreneurs who launched their ventures without possessing an MBA degree. Highly inspiring book.

6) Goal, By E. Goldratt- Management. One of the all time best selling Management novels, Goal is simply a must read for all aspiring managers. Written in such a way that even a school student will understand the principles behind throughput, inventory and operational expenses.

7) Buyology by Martin Lindstrom, -Marketing. This is a superb book which combines the aspect of marketing with psychological behavior of customers.

8) Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell- Non-Fiction. Great book which deals with the question- ‘Why some people are famous and most are ordinary?’

9) Why Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson- Self Help. Tells us on accepting change and moving on in life. More than a million copies in print. Enough said!

10) The Google Story, by David A. Vise- Non-Fiction/Biography. Deals with the rise and rise of the one of the World’s Biggest companies- Google.

Apart from the ones I have mentioned, there are other good books too. Like Gladwells The Tipping Point, What the Dog Saw, Blink. Am currently reading The Discovery of India, by Jawarhal Nehru which is also an interesting read. Next I shall cover The Idea of Justice by Amartya Sen, and will continue with the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Jason Bourne series by Eric Van Lustbader, and The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. Lots of reading to do.

Wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year in advance.

Well, I happened to visit the City Center Mall in Kolkata last week, entirely by accident. Or you can say that it was a fortuitous visit. But this post is not about my visit. Rather it’s about one of the books which I picked up from a small book store called the Book Cellar. As you may have figured it out from the heading, the book is titled ‘Johnny Gone Down’ and its written by an amateur [is he really one?] author by the name of Karan Bajaj. Rings a bell? Maybe, if you have read an earlier novel by the name of ‘Keep off the Grass’[his only other major work, JGD being his second novel], or maybe if you are associated with Kraft Foods[for that is exactly where the author works]. The novel has already become a best-seller in the Indian market, and that forced me [A Certified Bookworm] to find out why.

Finally, after avoiding and slithering in between inseparable couples who do not hesitate in performing PDA acts, I managed to find myself a cozy corner, and dug into the book[Obviously not literally]. Before I begin the book, let me say that Karan Bajaj is another of those Young-generation Indian authors writing in English, who have taken the world[or at least Indian youngsters] by storm. Yet another IIMian[From IIM Bangalore], his book obviously draws comparison with Chetan Bhagat’s works. Though both of their works are fast-paced, trendy pieces of prose, the similarity ends there. Bhagat is more interested in highlighting social and national problems whereas Bajaj tries to tell us just how badly things can go wrong if we choose the wrong path. Anyways, this isn’t a Bajaj Vs. Bhagat post, so I might as well begin the review before you click on some other hyperlink.

Quoting one line from the Back Page synopsis, just to give you a general idea: ‘An innocent vacation turned into an epic intercontinental journey that saw Nikhil become first a genocide survivor, then a Buddhist monk, a drug lord, a homeless accountant, a software mogul and a deadly game fighter.’ Sounds rather confusing, is it? A hotchpotch of events which apparently make little sense to the general reader. So we have a protagonist called Nikhil, who is also known by a stream of other names: Monk Namche, Coke Buddha, Nick and finally Johnny. He travels across various countries, meets not-so-harmless people and makes a mess of his life. What’s so great about this abstruse storyline, you may ask. Let us go a bit deeper into the story and try to find out.

If you consider the different events [The Book is divided into parts separating the main events] as individual occurrences then it might seem that they are describing different persons rather than the same lonely hero. But as one reaches the end of the book, he/she realizes that those events are all inter-connected, and form bits of a pattern, which might seem non-existent or quite subtle at first. But slowly the pieces begin to unravel themselves, and we are left gasping with awe. Such is the impact of this 311 page novel. It makes the life of a normal, common Indian man look like that of a Hollywood film flick. True, this book has its share of co-incidences and fancy outings, but then it’s a work of fiction after all, and we all know that Sugar and Spice makes a Fiction novel seem really nice.

But the best thing about this book is that it’s different. And largely original, though the author claims that he has been inspired by several movies, books and his own personal adventures while he breathed life into Nikhil Arya. For starters, how many heroes lose their hand within the first 100 pages of the novel? Okay, not many. Then, how many Buddhist monks[the actual ones and not Quacks in disguise] do you see in the Drug distribution business? Sounds weird? Wait, it gets even better. Why should a drug lord who is earning millions of dollars every year, leave everything, go to the USA and become a Homeless accountant who shares his place with drug addicts? Plus why does Nikhil suddenly dive into Software and end up as a Shooter who plays a deadly game which could end his life within seconds? Is he fed up of life or with himself? Does he blame himself for the pain he has caused to numerous other people including his wife, or is it the fault of the World which was too cruel on him. Or is it just another trick of God, where the entire Universe is just an illusion and the Universal Truth is that All Life is Dukha [suffering, as preached by Buddha]. The Ultimate Aim of life is Nirvana. Or is it indulging in material pleasures, wealth, drugs, casual sex, revolver duels, software codes and virtual lives? Nikhil has to find that out before it’s too late. Before he ends up hurting everybody who has ever been close to him. And the only place which can give him true redemption is the land of sages and spiritualism, India.

The story is mesmerizing; the pace is fast and the action plentiful. And that’s not the only reason why you should read this novel. It has its own share of tragedy [in fact lots of it] and also wicked humor, dark at times and inspiring at others. You will feel that you can closely relate yourself to Nikhil’s character, someone whose life has gone totally out of control, who wants to get out of this maze, but is unable to do so. One thing leads to the next, and he is unable to break free. He feels deserted, helpless and lost. He blames himself for taking the wrong decisions. But at the same time, life is not just about facing misfortunes. It is surviving in the midst of a crisis, and having the courage to move on. The best point that the author makes is that Kindness, just like corruption and sadism, is Universal. No matter where you go, whichever country you are at, there will always be someone to help you and guide you. That’s something which goes beyond the language and culture barrier. This point has been highlighted quite well. Moreover, the climax and the ending are very inspiring and motivational. There is suspense in every page. The reader is forced to keep reading till he completes the novel, it’s that addictive, and thrilling.

Will Johnny Make it? Or is he going down for good this time? But will even death give him renunciation? Read the book to find out. You may like the book or you may hate it, but you will definitely learn something new out of this novel. A lesson in life which is worth knowing. And if you are an aimless person, miserable with the way things have been going on with you, desiring change with hopeless pessimism, then you are surely going to love this book. Try to grasp the inner meaning of this novel, and you will enjoy it even more, rather than simply treating it as a work of fiction.

Karan Bajaj has done an excellent job, and the fact that he has visited all the places which he writes about in his book, makes the story feel even more authentic and crisp. And the best part is that the book costs just a paltry Rs. 99, definitely a steal for any book lover. If you still don’t feel that you should get this book, then maybe you can go and practice shooting with a revolver instead. A toy one of course, you do not want to spend your time in prison[like Nikhil did] do you?

First another sincere apology to all my blog readers- I managed to post just one entry in the past month[June]. Here are my excuses:

1. I am lazy
2. I had my sixth semester exams, which I messed up [except for the java exam].
3. My summer training has started, and I am traveling frequently to Kolkata and then back home every week.
4. The biggest culprit- My modem got damaged after suffering from a lightning discharge which got transmitted by the telephone wire. So I was left without a stable net connection, and rarely came online.
5. I am indolent, erm isn’t that the same as point 1? :-D

Anyways, to take a slight break, no serious topic this time. Will write short reviews on a few books [which I have read recently/am currently reading]. Would like to thank one of my best friends, Girish, for lending them to me.



1. The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju, by Kingshuk Nag[former Times of India editor].



This one is an excellent work compiled by Nag, and gives us a detailed insight into the Satyam Scandal. What were the things that actually went on in Satyam, even years before the news broke out. As the tag line says- ‘How did an IT czar run a $2 billion company to the ground?’ We get to know the entire life history of Raju, and also his family, and the other conspirators who were responsible for this nefarious act. Raju’s lust for acquiring land led to his downfall. Also included- Extensive coverage of Maytas Infra, a real estate company run by Raju’s son. Very highly recommended. Nag has a great writing style. I could not put the book down. I felt I was reading a comic book, and not a book on corporate chicanery.

My score- 8.5 out of 10.

Plus- Great highlights, factual, exhaustive
Minus- Nothing much really, maybe the author could have written a bit more.

2. What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell.




Those who are Gladwell followers will possibly have read this one too. This guy is a genius. Period. I have never in my life seen such an accomplished and versatile Non-fiction writer in my entire life. He used to write articles on Business, Medicine, law, etc for the New Yorker magazine[from which the articles in this book are taken] and is now writing books dealing with the intricacies of human behavior. Why do people do the things that they do? Gladwell has further increased my interest in psychology. This book is a collection of different articles which he has written in the past, after doing extensive research. His topics are quite diverse- Why is Heinz still the leader in the Ketchup market? What do hair dyes have to say about women independence? Why should we not hire people who are too-smart? What are the harmful effects of having too much information? What is the art of failure? How can we predict Dog patterns and avoid dog attacks? For what purpose was the birth-control pill invented? How can we hire the right candidate for our job? Who was responsible for the failure of Challenger space-shuttle? Are smart people over-rated?

I guess you got the idea. Go and get the book and unravel the Gladwell magic for yourself. I bet that you will be hooked. Do read his previous books as well if you haven’t already.

Final score- 9.5 out of 10 [sorry, but nothing’s perfect in this world]

Plus- Everything
Minus- Nothing. [Sorry, but am a bit biased towards Gladwell]

3. The High performance Entrepreneur, by Subroto Bagchi:




First of all, let me say that this book is not for everyone[at least that’s how I feel]. If you have no interest in entrepreneurship, the chance is that you may not like this book. Though the author has written it in a very reader friendly approach, and you should have no problem understanding the text. In short, it’s totally non-esoteric. However, I would recommend you skip this one if you have no interest in business, corporate life, etc. This book gives you an insight into setting up a business of your own, ie a profitable company in which you[along with your team-mates] are the boss and you have to make the rules. However, entrepreneurship is a very tricky business and out of every 100 start-ups, just a few are likely to succeed and make it big. This book will give you lots of tips on Do’s and Don’ts and things to keep in mind while setting up an entrepreneurial venture. I have not yet completed the book, but have found it simply amazing. Bagchi has a great and lucid writing style, and tells us a lot about his company, ie Mindtree. He says that the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur is resilience. For an aspiring entrepreneur like me, this book is almost like a Bible.

Rating- 9 out of 10.

Plus- Great guide-book for all budding entrepreneurs. Lots of comprehensive features about the intricacies of setting up a business from scratch.

Minus- Not really recommended for people who have no interest in business, entrepreneurship, etc.

Personal


Well, I am back at home, and all set for college to re-open. So, this is my first personal post. From now onwards, every personal post will be headed by a ‘personal’ keyword.

The topic is abstract all right. A few days ago, I walked into a famous, opulent bookstore. It showcased thousands of books, on various categories. Though books of similar categories were stacked together, surprisingly however the category itself was not mentioned anywhere. For example, the Engineering books should have an Engineering tag put up above or something like that. So it becomes a bit tough, to search a book, depending on a category. Nevertheless, as a reputed (okay, am bragging here) book hunter cum book worm, I started my search. 

I did not have any particular book in mind, at first. I had thought initially, that I would purchase a book related to my Computer Science subjects. But I soon gave up the idea. Next in my mind, the burning desire to purchase fiction grew once again. I saw ‘O Jerusalem’ by D. Lapierre and L. Collins. Was about to purchase it, but hesitated. Thought of searching some more first. 

Soon after, I came across a Japanese - English Dictionary. Was a cool thing, really. Especially because I love the language, and many things related to Japan. But the cost was 250 bucks. Should I really spend that much amount on it? And the book was rather small as well. I decided against it, especially since it was Japanese- English dictionary and NOT the other way around. Making it highly inconvenient for me. So I decided to move on.

Suddenly, a book title came to my mind. A book which I had thought of purchasing later, preferably from Kolkata, since its not available in my home town. The book was ‘Imagining India’, written by the ex-Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani. I searched and searched, but alas could not find it anywhere. Finally, I decided to ask a person employed there to help people locate books. But seeing the expression on his face, when I narrated the name of the book to him, was somewhat disappointing. He frowned as if I had mentioned a Greek word. Apparently, he had never heard of the book, but said that it would be available in a few days, on placing an order. My disappointment increased. I gave up hope.

I was just about to leave the shop, empty handed, but decided to give it one last shot. 
I moved to general non-fiction category. There were a few autobiographies, and biographies, including Benazir Bhutto, and Pervez Musharraf’s. Also, on a few other Indian personalities. And, sitting on its rack, on the absolute left, like a culprit hiding from the police, was the book I wanted. Imagine India indeed. I picked it up. Though quite fat, the book was not heavy. And it was the only book still covered in plastic. As if it was specially designed for me only.

The owner himself, looked flabbergasted after seeing the book I dropped in front of him. ‘When did this book arrive?’, he asked his assistant, as if such a book should never have been exposed to the general public. Anyways, I bought the book and left the shop. Am currently reading it, and I think I made the right decision in purchasing it. Anyways, will write a book review, after I finish it.

Hope you liked this post. Thanking you all readers as always.

Take care.