Go Kiss The World

-By Subroto Bagchi
My Rating-****

They say we learn from our mistakes and it is indeed the lessons learnt from these mistakes that makes all the difference! Here's a book not just a professional but every individual must read...from humble beginnings to a successful entrepreneur, Mr. Bagchi tells his tale in a simple yet interesting manner giving the reader insights about what is expected of a professional, high performer, entrepreneur etc.

Mr.Bagchi, in his book, describes his journey right from his childhood in the small towns of Orissa to working as a clerk in a Govt office; from working for Wipro to founding Mindtree; the challenge of setting up a project from scratch in the States during his stint in Wipro; his experience working with Azim Premji, founder of Wipro etc. At the end of each chapter, through his experiences, he shares his thoughts which has got something for each one of us! Just to get the feel of what this book has to offer, what follows is a teaser of sorts, which I think, should be convincing enough for you to pick this book :)

Excerpts-

We do not realize how lucky we are to be able to get up in the morning and go some place where work awaits us. (..when he talks about retirement saying, it's our work that keeps us going and without it, there wouldn't be any meaning to life)

You are your deep driving desire,
As is your desire, so is your will,
As is your will, so is your act,
As is your act, so is your destiny!

Your frustration is the difference between your ambition and your capability. Either improve your capability or lower your ambition (Wow!! Love it!!)

The Secret

-By Rhonda Byrne
My Rating-*****

Rich Dad Poor Dad

-By Robert Kiyosaki
My Rating-***

So how many of us have financial intelligence and how do we put it to use? Yes, this is the premise Rich Dad Poor Dad is based upon. Earning money is not that big a deal according to the author but making money work for you is. The underlying idea of the book is to show you how to invest money intelligently; however, keeping the concept a tad too hazy!

Robert and his friend, Mike didn't have the kind of childhood normal kids have. They had different things going on in their young minds...the boys wanted to experiment with the ways of earning money and in this quest of theirs, it's Mike's dad (whom the author calls Rich Dad) who guides them. So this Rich Dad (who is a businessman) is someone who thinks out of the box so as to use his money to earn more for him and the poor dad on the other hand is Robert's real dad who believes in playing it safe no matter what and thus ends up being broke. Our conventional education system, we all know, doesn't impart financial literacy and that's the reason the author disapproves of the system. Nevertheless, he says that we all need to go to school but then it's pointless if we aren't being given the financial knowledge.

He narrates his childhood experience about all that he's learnt from Rich Dad and how what he's today is courtesy his rich dad. While reading the book, you want to agree with him yet there is something I believe that holds you back which goes to show that it isn't that convincing after all. Inspiring? Yes it is and if one really takes up investing seriously, this book can at least serve as a primer.

I thought it would be a great idea to share some interesting thoughts this book offers:-

• Life is the best teacher of all. Most of the time, life does not talk to you. It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying "Wake up. There's something I want you to learn."
• Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word 'emotion' stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions and use your mind and emotions in your favour, not against yourself.
• Workers work hard enough to not be fired, and owners pay just enough so that workers won't quit.

I can safely say this book is worth a read!

34 Bubblegums and Candies

-By Preeti Shenoy
My Rating-*****

So here's a collection of 34 real life incidents which the author calls candies and bubblegums. The good ones are like eating a candy and the ones that make you think and rethink correspond to chewing a gum. Neat! As far as the language is concerned, it's simply awesome...there are times when you burst out laughing thanks to her brilliant use of words. Given that she is an avid blogger, the final product does seem to be worth its salt. Then let's take a look at what is in store for us readers.

Right from chapter one, the author narrates incidents from her life which feature people close to her including her dad, her doting husband, her adorable kids, friends etc. These little stories may seem trivial yet they are sweet in their own special way :) I like the honest efforts she has put in to tell us what life is all about! There's a chapter dedicated to "What Women Want" and believe me, it's completely hilarious...followed by a retort from her husband which is funnier to say the least!

There's this prayer which she mentions after her stint in learning a two-wheeler. Here goes:-

"Oh God, grant me the courage to accept the things I can't change, to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference!" I really swear by this prayer!!

All in all, the book is a good mix of humour, honesty and innocence....a light read that leaves you with a positive feeling! Recipe for perfect five stars :)

What's This India Business

-By Paul Davies

My Rating-**

This book is all about offshoring, outsourcing & the global services revolution, putting India into perspective. It talks about India's importance when it comes to the offshoring business & how India is a key player in the Service industry. Sure, but the author, who claims he's in love with the country, describes India in such a way that you feel like he's mocking at it...not nine but maybe seven times out of ten you do get the feeling that he ridicules India, although in a very subtle way :(

He begins with describing what is core to your business & thus what you should outsource & what you shouldn't. He lists the parameters based on which you can decide if you need to go for outsourcing or not. Neat! What follows is the India story...starting with airport hassles, the traffic, the shanties etc...basically everything that puts India in a bad light! Indians, more often than not, tend to delay meetings as they don't really value time, is what the author feels which according to me isn't entirely true. He is prompt enough to mention the cattle that you see on Indian roads. Having said that, I would add that the author has maintained the humour element throughout the content, for instance he calls IST - Indian "Stretchable" Time but for most part, his remarks get caustic.

In the last part, Paul Davies emphasizes on the corporate aspects such as making the right decision for the parent company, tips to formulate a business plan, avoiding risks, the legal issues involved in an Indian contract and a few other issues which are a part of any outsourcing process to India or abroad. Alrighty...and finally somehow the book ends! Phew! Honestly, I didn't quite enjoy reading it so all I can say is use your discretion!! :)

Questions Are The Answers

-By Allan Pease
My Rating-***

A book on Network Marketing in which Allan Pease throws light on the techniques one needs to use in order to be successful in the network marketing business. Don't you think that the title of the book is quite thought provoking? I mean it doesn't just apply to the world of network marketing...look around, think about the things happening to you, things happening in your life and you'll realize you are left with just one statement which is "Questions are the answers"! How often do we look at matters objectively and arrive at a rational conclusion? Well not always & that's the reason we end up feeling depressed, sad, dejected and the list of synonyms is endless...

I know the book strictly talks about network marketing as a business & has no philosophical connotations whatsoever but I just love the title along with the way Allan has put forth the idea of driving people into joining your business in the form of his "Primary Motivating Factor" principle. And you are like 'yeah, questions are the answers indeed'! Now you ought to read the book to find that out! Further, he goes on to say that when you are conversing with your prospect regarding joining the network marketing business, you gotta make it seem like it is entirely "his/her" idea to jump on the bandwagon & not yours and that does hit bull's eye!!

Allan stresses a lot on body language in the latter half of the book. Things like 'how little things make so much difference & actually drive the results', 'how facial expressions count & are different for males and females', 'how you should acknowledge these expressions & proceed accordingly in your conversation' find a mention along with great illustrations.

All in all, a decent book to give you some insights into what goes behind getting people to say yes to you & get what you want when you are into mutli level marketing. I'm not even remotely associated with this field and yet I found the book quite good...there's something in it for everyone & the best part is it's hardly 95 pages so you know it's a piece of cake :P

Joker In The Pack

-By Ritesh Sharma, Neeraj Pahlajani
My Rating-****

Finally, the star count (read four stars) is up and how! Anyway, I read this book about two months back and believe it or not, unlike most slow paced novels, this one's got things happening as you keep turning pages. Ritesh & Neeraj, both IIM grads have kept the story simple yet stylish. It's a first person narrative with the character named Shekhar Verma as the protagonist. So, we have Shekhar, a middle class student who grows up in the post liberalization era...spends his childhood playing gully cricket and a host of other games, watching Doordarshan (no prizes for guessing...Doordarshan was more like a Hobson's choice in those times!), not exactly serious about academics...yet manages to come through with flying colours in all his major exams. Speaking of exams, ever wondered about the curiosity levels of our relatives, even distant relatives, neighbours and the like when it comes to our academics? It's their favourite topic right and we hate that, don't we?! Needless to say, statements like "How are studies going?", "Science & Maths are tough right?", "Board exams are high pressure!" don't come as a surprise. And the authors, by calling these folks as "Extras", have veritably shown the presence of these people in almost everyone's lives. The above dialogues feature in the book along with this customary one-liner, as the authors call it.."Is ek saal mehnat kar lo, life ban jaayegi!" I'm sure we all have heard that like a zillion times haha!!

Moving on, Shekhar talks about his journey from an average college in Delhi to the glorious IIM-B...life, for him, is a roller coaster ride thereafter...the story's got everything from hostels, mess, seniors to GPAs, GDs, PIs, internships, day zeros n day ones of placement drives etc etc. He describes the gruelling schedules, late nights, parties that become part of his life. In the bargain, he also makes some real friends. In the end, he lands up working for one of the most coveted companies...saying, at 22, Shekhar Verma had finally arrived.

In short, the book is a perfect melange of satire, fun, apprehensions, love, heartbreak, pain, anxiety, triumph. Also, the humour is very much intact across the book...so you end up enjoying every bit of it. Definitely, worth reading :)

A New Religion? H+

-By Edward de Bono
My Rating-**

Now this one's the third review in a row with a two star rating...not that I can help! Either I'm hard to please or I have been picking not-so-right books/ movies haha! Anyway, so this book talks about a new religion altogether called H+ (aitch plus) which signifies human, happiness, humour, help, hope and health. According to the author, our happiness primarily lies in our achievements and our achievements are based on our actions. That's the reason why de Bono stresses on our actions. I really liked the first half of the book...saving my comments on the second half for the last paragraph :D

Here's a listing of some incredibly beautiful lines from the book:-

• Happiness is not just the absence of pain and suffering
• Humour is a key lubricant of life
• If you are capable of being healthy, it seems careless not to try to be healthy. So, a concern for health is a basic to H+ as a concern for happiness.

Thought- provoking! He also mentions that humour allows us to switch perceptions and see things in a different way...that kinda helps you figure out what the book is all about. Fair enough...however; the second half of the book takes a different turn and the author introduces "pons" (short for "positive sins")...something positive that we should do on a daily basis which I quite agree with but this is all that makes up the second half...and things like you can form groups and discuss your pons and stuff like that...in an ideal situation that's possible but situations are far from ideal na...besides, why form groups for pons in the first place?! I'm not saying this particular part would not find any takers.....just that I got bored while reading it. Surprisingly, in spite of that, it's worth a read!

Dabawalas

-By Shrinivas Pandit

My Rating-**

A catchy title appeals to us very easily and that's exactly what happened to me while browsing the shelves of my office library when I caught sight of "Dabawalas"...it's a daunting task for me to read really big fat thick books but this book was anything but that and I knew I was taking this book home! So here's the review:-

Shrinivas Pandit, through his account with Raghunath Medge (R) & Ganganath Talekar (G) who are at the helm of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association, gives you some insights about how the dabawalas operate. The conversation with the folks is quite engaging but only to some extent I would say...it drags later. It's an inspiring story, no doubt but somehow I feel that the book could have been more informative and elaborate about the business. Having said that, what needs a special mention is that there's a "take-aways" section at the end of each chapter subdivided into two categories-Current Practice & Current Opportunities. This essentially puts forth the underlying concepts of business, gathered from the conversations with R & G.

But as I said earlier, the author has been very economical with the nitty gritties of the business model. The book basically talks about values needed for doing business and in case you are looking for the operational details of the business, you are in for a disappointment. Workaround? Well, a simple google search on dabawalas would do you a world of good. Click here!

Marley & Me

~Starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston
My Rating - **

So here's a movie based on John Grogan's Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog . Don't know about the book but the movie is anything but interesting. Anyway, here's the story if I may call it that...

John (Owen Wilson) & Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan, golden-fleeced journalists, adopt a yellow Lab that John names Marley. Marley happens to be so obnoxious that he earns the moniker of the world's worst dog. Right from the start of the movie, Marley causes mayhem wherever he goes. He's got the habit of ruining whatever he sets his eyes on...the sofa, carpet, answering machine etc etc...the list goes on. John thinks of enrolling him in a training school but the whole idea of training school goes haywire when Marley proves to the trainer and the spectators alike that he's just indocile! The scene where the poor trainer has to bear the brunt is funny!
As days pass by, Mrs. Grogan delivers a baby....fast forward...baby no.2...again fast forward and finally baby no.3...she quits her job (thanks to the chaos and stress due to 3 babies n a Marley)...add to it a tiff between John and Jenny which is quite obvious given the circumstances... Jenny gets so upset that she asks John to abandon Marley. John takes Marley to his friend's place only to realize that life without Marley is incomplete. Even Jenny feels the same. That brings Marley back into their lives.
All's well until Marley is found to be suffering from a stomach ailment to which he succumbs later. And that's the end of the movie :O :O :O

Honestly, I kept searching for a story while watching the movie...pet lovers might be able to relate to the movie in a better way but hey, what about people like us? The start is good but then clearly, the movie drags...In short, you wouldn't lose a thing if you don't watch this movie...n I guess that's indicative of how the movie is!!