Book #57 : Once upon the tracks of mumbai

R-cube project

R-cube is just a stupid fancy acronym of an idea to read, read and read all the books in my wishlist ( which is also evolving as we speak. ) More than anything else, it is just a fun way to keep track, find a reason to blog and keep the lazy bum in me motivated.

Book Review

Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra

The story is of a mildly autistic and schizophrenic youth, Babloo, who lives in his own sweet world near the railway tracks of Mumbai. He feels alone because nobody in his family understands him. Nobody wants to be friends with him. No one listens to him. Except Vandana, a beautiful girl who like him stays in the Bandra railway colony.

All he wants is to impress her and one day tell her how he feels about her. His family hardly notices his aspirations, his feelings or his dreams. He struggles to find a sense of purpose in his life. And that is when fate introduces him to the Rail Man. Suddenly, his dull pointless life takes an exciting turn. He finds himself in midst of the ruthless Mumbai life and reality where his innocence gets him into a murky mess. Can he find his way out of it ? Will he get his love ? This forms the basic premise of the novel.

It is a debut novel by the author Rishi Vohra ( www.rishivohra.com ), one of the many newcomers in the Indian publishing scene. Ever since Chetan Bhagat revolutionized the Indian fiction market with easy-to-read stories having an Indian setting and costing less than 200 rupees, there have been many new talents jumping into writing and many young readers looking for such entertaining reads. Rishi's book fits this space perfectly and he himself has all the makings of a good writer.

Now about the book. Let me first get to the strengths first. The storyline is very interesting and the author manages to get the first impression from the slick title and cover. So, that's a big plus. The pace is well maintained throughout the book and I can see that the author has "potential" to build up the setting for a perfect scene. His words are simple and the book is an easy read. The whole love story will connect to the youth especially to the readers from Mumbai.

Weaknesses. The writing is average in most places and I felt the author has missed on the giving an excellent story its desired impact. Although the pace is maintained, the chapters fail to pique your interest about what is going to happen next. This I think is the biggest issue with the book.

On the whole, the book won't bore you but it won't make you go on and read it in one shot either. It is not the next blockbuster book but the author clearly has potential. And the book may be a step towards making of the next blockbuster.

Final verdict : 3/5
A good casual read. A tad above average.

Keep living. Keep rocking.

Sports. Because there is more to you.

Back in those times when I was a school kid, I was almost completely academic in my interests - a jerk in sports, you could say. My interests never left books and may be a bit of music. I could never understand the purpose of sports unless one would want to make a career out of it, which in India is an extremely risky proposition. I could never understand that if sports is only to enjoy and pass time then why play in leagues or competitions ? I did learn karate at that time, but that was without knowing its purpose and just to feel good about having some kind of a non-academic hobby. 

My school didn't help either. A sports period was considered more like a break out of routine lectures in school. We had a few matches but that was mostly for kids who were already into sports - either because they were interested in it or as in most cases, because it gave them an excuse to skip studies. 

So, sports never took importance in my scheme of things. I saw it only as a way to pass time or kill boredom. My company of friends never helped. The hard competition to fight for survival in entrance exams, college admissions and other academic pursuits didn't help either. The fact that many who took sports seriously, struggled to make good of their careers went as a further proof of my belief.

I was wrong. Yes, almost outrageously out of place. And I learnt that when I ran my first half marathon without any real practice. I ran out of curiosity and not for sports, of course. I thought I could never complete it and it was just for fun. But when the race began and it was time to quit, I pushed a little more. I made my mind to go one more kilometer or at least 100 meters more. I thought I'll exhaust myself and might die of over-exertion. I thought I don't have it in me to complete it. For sure, 21 kms of running was no joke. I had a hundred reasons not to complete and I swear no one could ever say I was wrong. Except, myself. I knew if I quit, I'll be failing in my eyes. I knew it was now or never. And that pushed me to my limits. Pushed me further than I ever thought I could. And for those 2 hours and 43 mins, I only had one goal in my life - to complete the race. It was as if nothing else mattered. Like no one mattered. I completed the race that day. And that day changed my life forever. I started believing that anything is possible, if you keep pushing. Take one step at a time and do your best in that step. That's all that matters, one step. And that's what sport does to you.

They teach you life skills. Something much more important than a physics experiment or a computer assignment. It teaches you to compete, to believe in yourself and give your best. It tells you to fight for it if you think you deserve it. You learn not to give up when the everything is going against you. You learn to perform in pressure situations when that one shot is going to be the difference between winning and losing. You learn to accept failures and appreciate your opponent's good performance. And that's how winners are made. That's how life is to be lived.

With computers, PSPs, iPads and others gadgets, the next gen has even more reasons to not sweat it out in the sun. More children are now spending their vacations inside the comfort of their home and gadgets. And with a system where kids are encouraged to spend all the available time studying and going to coaching class X, Y & Z; it is clear why sports is going further down in priority. 

Now, I didn't have anyone to correct me on this when I was a kid. But if you are like me having a feeling that sports is just a pass time, I hope I have given you at least some food for thought....

I leave with you some of my favorite sports' motivational videos. Some from movies, some otherwise.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmurxfN-o9k

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUAvvNyjeNQ

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPLxQD4akQ

Keep living. Keep rocking.

Book #56 : Business Sutra - A very Indian approach to Management

R-cube project

R-cube is just a stupid fancy acronym of an idea to read, read and read all the books in my wishlist ( which is also evolving as we speak. ) More than anything else, it is just a fun way to keep track, find a reason to blog and keep the lazy bum in me motivated.

Book Review

Business Sutra by Devdutt Pattnaik

I have been an admirer of Devdutt Pattnaik ever since I watched his TED speech many years ago. Always interested in knowing more about Hindu mythology, I realised this man could help me understand it. I started following his write ups on and off. Bought many of his books, read a few. He did have something unique to say about mythology. And I liked what he said. So, when this book came up for review I couldn't wait but register for it.

About the book

To begin with, the book talks about the Indian way of working and doing business. The author suggests that we need not shy away from this way of working or try to fit every thing we do in the western template of business management. Indian way is unique and there is a need to understand it and its inherent beauty. And for this, he takes the help of mythology.

Overview

Let me put this clearly first. The book is not an easy read for most of us including me. And I say this for a couple of reasons.

First, it talks about a subject that most of us rarely discuss - mythology. Trying to make sense of our myths is rarely a priority for our generation. So, it is difficult to keep the reader interested.

Second, it is treading on a very difficult path of trying to break our current notion of faith and God by explaining the symbolism hidden in Hindu culture. This is difficult because the author is making us see a whole new aspect of our culture, and it is hard to fathom for the uninitiated.

Third, what the author is trying to tell us is that we can actually relate our day-to-day issues/behaviour in life to our ancient stories. The stories are still relevant today - the context has changed but the fundamental human nature has not. After each story in mythology he points to a current hypothetical situation which is similar. This is good and very interesting. But I couldn't understand the logical next step. Meaning, ok I understand that the stories are still relevant and it is good that you pointed them out. Now what ? Do they provide us with some solutions ? I wasn't able to get a clear answer. It tells us about human nature and ethical/moral dilemmas we face in our daily life but it doesn't really provide a way out - at least in most cases. May be author's idea was only to point the co-relation and not give solutions. But I feel, it will make the reader feel lost. It is like getting close to a Eureka moment and then falling flat.

So, for me this is where the book fails in a major way.

Strengths

Author's knowledge of the Hindu mythology is exceptional. ( Hindu here doesn't refer to Hindu religion but Hindustan i.e. myths that originated from Indian subcontinent. Author tells us that the religion was never called Hindu until the British termed it that way). So Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism together form the Hindu mythology.

The initial chapters where he juxtaposes the Western, Indian and Chinese beliefs is an extremely interesting read. The stories enchant you. I felt like sitting beside my grandma again.

Weak points

If the purpose of the book was only to tell us that the mythical stories are still relevant today - the book succeeds. If there was anything more to the book's purpose, it fails. Because the reader just won't get it.

As I said, he does a good work of fitting ancient stories in current context, in Indian style of doing business. But fails in trying to tell us how knowledge of mythology can make us work better. Yes, there is an Indian way of working. We do "jugaad". And it might have its roots in mythology. Accepted. Now what ? Can mythology help me be better - personally or professionally ? I couldn't find a clear answer.

Conclusion

The book is ground breaking because it brings Mythology and Business Management together and tries to make sense. The book successfully co-relates many aspects of the two. But it fails to make any further progress. That is where I felt let down.

Final verdict : 3/5.

An interesting read but not an easy one. Don't expect much, read with an open mind and you'll not be disappointed.

Keep living. Keep rocking.

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