The topic is very dear to everybody's heart. But, in short it's just a single sentence hardworking people who have exploited their environment properly made it to the successful list. Having a high IQ or having great schooling and all can definitely add to that but does not guarantee success. The difference in every successful person against others of his time are pretty small but as they exploit their environment to their advantage well the difference keeps mounting and they stand out as outliers.
A great book but in the end it will make you feel smart people who understood and exploited their environment well could be successful. Their upbringing added a lot to that.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Mahashweta - Sudha Murthy (2005)
An excellent story on how leukoderma can kill hopes of a beautiful girl and shatter her life. Leukoderma, though a non-communicable disease nor hereditary is still social taboo in India. Particularly, for girls it can ruin prospects of their getting married. Overall theme is nice and it really brings out an important social issue less talked about in the Indian context. May be we do not see as many leukoderma cases as much as we see more communicable skin diseases like leprosy which though curable is still a bigger stigma in the Indian context.
Like every Sudha Murthy story, the book moves fast. Good wins over evil and there is a sense of poetic justice delivered with the girl getting a moral victory of sorts when her husband who had abandoned her earlier comes back to her but she decides to turn him down.
Overall the plot is good. The message is delivered and if someone gets a reason to live by reading this book as described in the postscript why not. But do not expect too much of an intellectual food in the book. Still a good read for a couple of hours or for a flight.
Like every Sudha Murthy story, the book moves fast. Good wins over evil and there is a sense of poetic justice delivered with the girl getting a moral victory of sorts when her husband who had abandoned her earlier comes back to her but she decides to turn him down.
Overall the plot is good. The message is delivered and if someone gets a reason to live by reading this book as described in the postscript why not. But do not expect too much of an intellectual food in the book. Still a good read for a couple of hours or for a flight.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
The High Performance Entrepreneur - Subroto Bagchi
An excellent book that provides the insights into Dos and Donts of an Indian IT start up experience. At places I find it looks mostly like a course material on entrepreneurship and not much like maverick side of IT venture. It talks of Mindtree which is started by a set of strong managers of Indian IT industry and not by a group of technology experts who came up with a half baked but solid technology and wanted to make a big impact out of it. I think the definite maturity shown by the founders of Mindtree is commendable but madness of making mess of decisions as part of the start up development culture cannot be entirely ruled out.
Overall an interesting book. A bit like an elder brother giving advice to young entrepreneurs on dos and donts of entrepreneurship. But worthwhile reading.
Overall an interesting book. A bit like an elder brother giving advice to young entrepreneurs on dos and donts of entrepreneurship. But worthwhile reading.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
The Three Mistakes of My Life - Chetan Bhagat (2008)
Reading this book on business, cricket and religion, made me feel the author is truly running out of steam. With the same kind of plots like Five Point Someone or one night at call center, taking some current affairs around Ahmedabad a story was stringed. But you will find little or no true need to drag cricket to it. Somewhere it may make you feel that the author has tried to write a pre-defined plot. Or may be having a bollywood movie under the belt has made him write the next movie plot.
With all the great writing style the author has, as a book it's not worth the time. Avoid if you are not reading it just because you have nothing better to read.
With all the great writing style the author has, as a book it's not worth the time. Avoid if you are not reading it just because you have nothing better to read.
Go Kiss the World - Subroto Bagchi (2008)
Starting from very humble beginning making to founding president of one of the most respected companies of India is definitely an interesting story to read. I felt honored as particularly being from a state which has so less number of icons to read about someone who has achieved so much definitely was quite heartening. As much as I liked it as a story, I also felt there are pages of unsaid realities which the book has probably missed.
I see some big flaws in most autobiographies. They are always read only after someone achieves a level where it's difficult to question his judgment. For example, I got a feeling the management style of the set of individuals were so relationship oriented that for them to work in another management system or a transaction based MNC set up was hard to achieve.
Secondly, in the book Subroto has described at several places the fact that no one should consider the book as a person from very limited resources or person poor living conditions making it big. Rather it's from a person making big from simple beginnings. In fact, knowing and living in Orissa for all my childhood, I will say Subroto was probably one of the well to do families of Orissa in some sense. One of the brothers in the civil services, parents in judicial services has significant status in Orissa. A state where private sector was unheard of 15 years back and still countable job opportunity in private sector; public sector and govt are the largest employers in the state. Managing a family of 6 members with one income is never easy and most importantly a state like Orissa never even had the avenues to spend as much. I remember there used to be no more than five restaurants in whole of Bhubaneswar 20 year's back for a family outing unless you had enough to splurge in a star hotel. This is all about simple living as Subroto has rightly described in his book.
Like all the autobiographies I would say take as much as you can take from it. If somethings do not align to your viewpoint ignore. For example, I found the last parts of the book quite rhetoric where author tried to describe his management style and life philosophy. But it's understandable considering as an active professional and business icon people look upto him for some such tips. More over the negative emotions will typically be ignored in an autobiography due to obvious reasons. No one will ever know the relationship of the founders of Mindtree with the Wipro management nor what did Subroto achieved or could not at Lucent Bell labs.
But as a writer Subroto is a remarkable story teller. An unputdownable book and written in absolutely simple language yet very appealing.
I see some big flaws in most autobiographies. They are always read only after someone achieves a level where it's difficult to question his judgment. For example, I got a feeling the management style of the set of individuals were so relationship oriented that for them to work in another management system or a transaction based MNC set up was hard to achieve.
Secondly, in the book Subroto has described at several places the fact that no one should consider the book as a person from very limited resources or person poor living conditions making it big. Rather it's from a person making big from simple beginnings. In fact, knowing and living in Orissa for all my childhood, I will say Subroto was probably one of the well to do families of Orissa in some sense. One of the brothers in the civil services, parents in judicial services has significant status in Orissa. A state where private sector was unheard of 15 years back and still countable job opportunity in private sector; public sector and govt are the largest employers in the state. Managing a family of 6 members with one income is never easy and most importantly a state like Orissa never even had the avenues to spend as much. I remember there used to be no more than five restaurants in whole of Bhubaneswar 20 year's back for a family outing unless you had enough to splurge in a star hotel. This is all about simple living as Subroto has rightly described in his book.
Like all the autobiographies I would say take as much as you can take from it. If somethings do not align to your viewpoint ignore. For example, I found the last parts of the book quite rhetoric where author tried to describe his management style and life philosophy. But it's understandable considering as an active professional and business icon people look upto him for some such tips. More over the negative emotions will typically be ignored in an autobiography due to obvious reasons. No one will ever know the relationship of the founders of Mindtree with the Wipro management nor what did Subroto achieved or could not at Lucent Bell labs.
But as a writer Subroto is a remarkable story teller. An unputdownable book and written in absolutely simple language yet very appealing.
The White Tiger - Arabind Adiga (2008)
It's always hard to review books which has been awarded or acclaimed by critics. The problem with such books is, it has appealed a good number of intellectual minds to be able to provide any negative commentary.
However, to me "The White Tiger" looked like just another novel. Not something that will need any special recognition. From rickshaw puller's son destined to work as a laborer to reach to the levels of a budding entrepreneur definitely adds the "Slumdog Millionaire" element to it. I sometimes find it repulsive when authors compare various country's political and social plight in front of foreign nationals. Addressing the whole of Indian issues to the Chinese premier definitely brought out a negative element in the book. In the whole India Shining era some shortcuts to success has become reality but to claim that it exposes the underbelly of the IT boom in the sillicon city of India is a gross overstatement made by some critics.
Should one read the book?
The writing style is impeccable. The book can be read in just one sitting. You will find it a quasi-Slumdog Millionaire in some sense.
However, to me "The White Tiger" looked like just another novel. Not something that will need any special recognition. From rickshaw puller's son destined to work as a laborer to reach to the levels of a budding entrepreneur definitely adds the "Slumdog Millionaire" element to it. I sometimes find it repulsive when authors compare various country's political and social plight in front of foreign nationals. Addressing the whole of Indian issues to the Chinese premier definitely brought out a negative element in the book. In the whole India Shining era some shortcuts to success has become reality but to claim that it exposes the underbelly of the IT boom in the sillicon city of India is a gross overstatement made by some critics.
Should one read the book?
The writing style is impeccable. The book can be read in just one sitting. You will find it a quasi-Slumdog Millionaire in some sense.
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