Shoes of the Dead..

If there has to be one word to describe this piece of literature it is 'Captivating'. I cannot thank Blogadda enough to present me this opportunity to review this book. The genre is a refreshing change from all the rom-coms the new age Indian authors are coming up with. The way the details are presented in such an articulate fashion would make even the best in the business proud! 

The story of a farmer, who succumbs to the pressures of life, crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, and finds death to be the easier way out. As fate would have it, the powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow.

Gangiri, the farmer's brother, who fights for justice to his brother’s widow is the main protagonist of the story, while Keyur Kashinath, The antagonist of the Democratic Party.

The tone of the book is highly empathetic and it seems to have a heart of its own. The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.

One of the lines which struck me was "Where booked enjoyed better air conditioning than half of country's population" "Where family of dead farmer owned land, compensation was denied, so that family is forced to sell off land, where they had no land, compensation was granted so that debt could be repaid in cash".

The cover of the book and the sepia adds to the grave tone which is very well complemented with the narration. This sort of humane rendition to the characters and the storyline makes the narration effective and easy to understand. The dilemmas associated with pride and poverty are very well-sketched. The dilemmas faced by committees and the discomfort faced by people are also nicely done. This is a piece that will make you amble through the corridors of power and politics of India along with a perfect portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers forcing them to commit suicide.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Signing Off,

Nirvaan

A very Indian approach to management- Business Sutra

Every time I read a book, I try to find, what is different in it, and what the author must have thought before penning it down. As a Management student, business obviously excites me. We have been taught the principles of Management, which precisely are the ones derived from the practices and experiences of the western nation. Seldom do we see someone coming out with an Indian Approach to Management. There might be a Kishore Biyani who comes out with a “It happened in India” but that is not very frequent. In this book, the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group, and a veteran of over twenty five books and 400 articles on Indian Mythology comes up with something which was so long not thought of. Business Sutra by Devdutt Pattanaik is a masterpiece on business as it brings together the two most powerful things of our country – mythology and business (of course after cricket and Bollywood). Very rarely you come across a book on business which is so beautifully written that you remain in awe long after you have finished reading it. We might have had ‘As is belief, so is behavior, so is business. This is business sutra, a very Indian approach to management.’ We have always believed that the very base of our society has been made up on the various beliefs and myths from the Vedas and the other religious scriptures. However, to imagine the base of business being set on this is something one would have never imagined. Although I have heard tremendous things about his previous works, but this is his first book that I have gone through one, and trust me now I am going to go through all his previous works as well. True to its name the book begins with giving us a primer on comparison between the deep-seated beliefs of Indian (Jain, Buddhist and Hindu) and Western mythology that are derived from Greek and Biblical roots, and the two complimenting Chinese belief systems. You lean why the western managers have a high regard for order, while we in India are not worried with all the chaos around us. In Business Sutra Devdutt Pattanaik takes you on a mythological journey using symbols, stories and rituals to relate to how we look at doing business and how it is different from what western beliefs teach us. In fact the use of images and symbols to depict things and make business sense out of it was impeccable. He depicted things in a way I had never seen before, which compelled me to finish the book in one sitting. He questions the way of management we follow. In fact it is one of the basic premises of this book. Our approach of management is completely derived from the western approach to business, whereas the culture here, in India is quite complex and diverse than the west. How is it supposed to work effectively here? No doubt, the western approach is delivering numbers and goals but how do we justify it as the most optimal way of doing business in India or actually the many India’s that we have within our geographical boundaries?

About the Author

Devdutt Pattanaik has written over twenty five books and 400 articles on Indian mythology for everyone from adults to children. Since 2007 he has been explaining the relationship between mythology and management through his column in the Economic Times; the talk he gave at the TED India conference in 2009; and the show Business Sutra which ran successfully on CNBC-TV18 in 2012, besides numerous other lectures at Indian Universities and management institutes. 

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

 

Complaint letter to CCD which was compensated with an awesome cake!

Yes, This was the 'historic' letter which got us a free Cake from Cafe Coffee Day;). True that we were exasperated because of all the reasons mentioned below, but their prompt reply and good customer service did make up for it. In recent days, quite a few people have asked me about the letter and here I have put it, so that anyone whose "feeling has actually been hurt" can take a cue from the letter and go forward. This one was written by Shalabh who has written down many more after this..:P, For the rest you need to directly contact him;)

Dear Sir/Madam

This is a complaint relating to the CCD outlet at the City Center, Gwalior.

I have been visiting this outlet regularly for the past two years. But the last few visits were very objectionable.

1.       In November I ordered King sized Cappucino, the quantity being served was somewhat less than what it used to be. On being asked they replied that then it was King sized. But Yesterday (5-1-2011) when I ordered Grand Cappucino, coffee was being served in the very same cup.

2.       At New Year we were denied the use of Discount coupons on account of less sales and the pressure to meet the target sales.

3.       The price of King sized Cappucino listed in the menu was Rs. 57 but in the bill it was charged as Rs. 62. Fortunately I cross checked, though they were ready to deduct the extra. I cannot imagine when billing being automated how such a blunder can be made.

4.       Also no milk was served with Black Coffee. On asking the reason for it, they just said that “People generally prefer it without milk”. Definitely a lame excuse, I guess.

5.       Yesterday (5-1-2011) the black fantasy was also horrible. It was all melted and the quantity was also less what it used to be. On asking the reason they said “This time the Chocolate fantasy is very soft, so it is melted”. I believe CCD is known for serving quality products ranging from cookies, pizza to coffee.

6.       Also the discount coupon was again denied saying that it has already been scanned (used).

7.       Also the service at the very same outlet is not at all equivalent to what I have experienced at CCD in other cities like Kolkata, New Delhi, Indore, Jaipur.

8.       Moreover the presentation is also not at all at par with the other outlets of CCD. We were not served Café Mocha and Black Coffee in the same Cups as shown.

9.       On asked for drinking water they straight away said “it’s not offered here and you will have to buy mineral water”, whereas in every other outlet normal water is available and once we refused to buy the mineral water they brought in the normal water.

This is just a complaint by a loyal customer of CCD expecting some effective response. Definitely my feeling has been hurt by having such awful experiences in the past few visits. I feel I am not getting the actual value for money for the quality and ambience usually expected of a CCD outlet. I want you to take immediate and effective steps ASAP. Hoping for a positive reply and co operation from your side, being a multi continental Café House. 

Regards                                                                                                    

The Daily Travellers!

Traveling to office every morning covering a stretch of almost 15 kms in about 1.5 hrs does give me enough time to do a lot of  worthless work and guess I am mastering that art pretty nicely;) In the last couple of months I have been locomoting,I have figured out the different categories of people who travel by bus. I am sure the ones who frequent local train and metro trains can also relate to it.

The Radio Listeners: They form a major chunk of the population. They will have ear buds plugged in and they don't give a damn as to what the world is up to. They will never remove them, and still are able to hear each and every thing directed at them. They simply cannot travel without it and it remains plugged into their ears till the time they occupy their office seats.

The Intellectuals: They are generally the ones on the wrong side of their Forties,and they will always carry a newspaper or a book along. They will be one of the first to occupy the seat in the bus, will make themselves comfortable and make it a point to read the material in the entire stretch of the journey. 

The Social Media Addicts: These are the ones in their teens and twenties and will be engaged in their smart phones as soon as they board the bus. Usually the last ones to board the bus and they occupy a corner in the transport. You can often find them laughing and smiling with their eyes fixed on their cell phones while you wonder something's wrong with them!

The Boyfriend/Girlfriend type: If they are on a call throughout the journey, and you aren't able to listen what he/she is talking, though you are seated next to him/her, you can be safely put them in this category.

The Workaholics: Here are the ways to identify the workaholics. Either they will be busy talking on a phone loudly giving or taking instructions about what is to be done next, or they will be catching up a quick nap or finishing off their breakfast/lunch/dinner, because they have a long day at work and cannot afford to while away their precious time in the less important and petty worldly affairs.

The All in One type: They will be the ones who will have the ear phones plugged in, eyes on their mobile screen, taking calls in between and would also be carrying some reading material with them, which does come out of their bag, but usually remains closed!

The Gang of Girls/Boys: They will usually be on their way to the college, tuition or way back home. They will all be carrying notebooks in their hand and you can hear them bitching about others, talking about the latest movies, the latest addition to their wardrobe and often bringing in each others mothers and sisters in the midst of the conversation (usually in case of boys) oblivious to the fact that they are in a public transport.

The Exceptions: If you do not fall in the above types, then I am afraid you are an exception, and you can have all the time in the world to testify the above classification.

P.S: Do let me know which category you fall in.

Signing Off,
Nirvaan

Barfi!..class apart!

Picture Shuru...Ho gayi Picture Shuru

Picture me aaju baju walo ka khayal rakhna,

Picture me saamne ki kursi pe na pao rakhna

Picture me mobile aur bachhe dono off rakhna

Picture Shuru...Picture Shuru! 

The movie took off with the above notice, and certainly brought smiles to the faces of audience, which they kept wearing till the end. Very rarely, do you see a movie, which ends with an applause, a round of cheer by almost everyone present (Not the, Sunny Deol or Salman Khan types). Barfi!, for one, is a part of that privileged genre. Yes, he is deaf and dumb, she is autistic, but the equation they share is unparalleled. Already enough has been said and written about the classic roles essayed by versatile Ranbir, gutsy Priyanka and beautiful Ileana (I loved her Bong Bahu look!), and of course the vision of craft master Anurag Basu (Yes, the same guy who made Kites), but I can't help writing even more. There are moments which leave you smiling, which leaves your eyes moist, but in the end this movie makes you happy!How a person riddled with so many troubles manages to stay happy and give away his signature smile even in the worst of circumstances, makes you forget your miseries. I know, it might sound a bit cheesy, but yes, that's the effect it has!

They deserve all the accolades and the appreciation they are getting, and the audience are loving it. What I hope is, this movie goes on to be a mega hit, just like the Singhams' and Ek Tha Tigers' and the BodyGuards',(in fact it deserves to be much bigger than those), but as I write this I know this is not going to be. If it does, it will certainly motivate the directors, and more importantly the producers to invest in such scripts, the 'hatke' one's, not the so called mainstream cinema. Although there has been a lot of such films making waves (along with money) in the recent past, the likes of Kahaani, Vicky Donor, Wasseypur topping the list.

Succinctly I would say this is impeccable cinema, completely Hollywood material. (May be I am overrating it, but then that's what I feel!)Barfi might give away some traces of Charlie Chaplin, Mr. Beans, or Raj Kapoor but then what matters is, it's simplicity and silence subtly manages to tickle you and touch 'that' corner in your heart!

P.S: Darjeeling is my favorite hill station, and the Chhau Dance sequence was terrific. And yes, I hoped to see the 'Fatafati' number in the end, but alas!