Book Review: The Monk who sold his Ferrari

This one review was pending since a long time. I read this book quite sometime back. After that I read its “Counter” book “I bought the monk’s Ferrari” and just went ahead to write its review. But then there was a reason why I waited so long. Actually the review of this book should not ideally be on the blog, (why? You’ll find that out soon), but then you see I am so talkative that I just can’t stop ranting about everything I know.

First of all I rate the book five out of five for the point it makes. The protagonist Julian Mantle, who is a hotshot lawyer, is hugely successful professionally. A descends from reputed family background. A brave, intelligent and hard working lawyer who rarely looses a case, just collapses with heart seizure on one fine day. Reason? As Julian fought his way to the top, he started loosing out on personal front. The hectic hearings schedules and his drinking habits had severely taken a toll on his health.

By now you must have guessed it what follows. Yes Julian sells off all his belongings along with a Ferrari and goes on search of salvation to Himalayas. Julian also happens to be a lucky ones to make it the Shivanas (The holy adobe of great Indian Saints and not easily accessible to everyone). Till this part the story is narrated by his secretary. After sometime, Julian returns back from his journey to spread what he learnt.

The author makes much sense here as he talks about self improvement, self realization and goes on to give a must do for a better life. But then I was not able to make it to the end of the book. As I went ahead reading the book I kept getting a feeling that bug of ambition within me was getting starved by the thoughts imparted by the author. There is something that I am striving for, something that all Entrepreneurs are striving for and while you are into this pursuit someone comes and makes you believe that whatever you long for is worthless!!! How will you react to this? Once again the reaction depends on your determination.Once again I reiterate, the book is one of the best life improvement books available in market, but then be clear of your priorities before you get a copy for yourself. Cause the author’s persuasive style of writing is just irresistible.

Book Review: Who moved my cheese?

It’s been long since I wrote on Book reviews now. One reason being my inability to read new books now. The GMAT thing has just taken the better of me. Anyways I couldn’t resist this book as I was about to make a two hour journey to my sister’s place.

“Who moved my cheese?”, I heard the name of this book for the first time when the VP of a subunit from my organization cited the relevance of this book in today’s scenario. The book is two hours read, but serves as a life time guide. What makes it different is not the story, but the review and application of the main story in question. The book follows a very curious style of narration followed by friends who actually discuss the ways how they applied the story in their real life in different scenarios.

The book is about school friends’ reunion, where one of the friend actually goes ahead to narrate the story of “Who moved my cheese?” The story is about two mice Sniffy and Scurry and two little people “Hem” and “Haw”. These creatures lived in some sort of maze land having cheese stations. Every morning they would run around in the maze to find cheese, till one day when they found a cheese station with huge cheese reserve. All four of them were excited to find it and happily started feeding on it. However one fine day the cheese got over and they had nothing to eat. Sniffy and Scurry who had already sensed this much before, moved ahead into the dark maze to find the new cheese station. How ever Hem and Haw, being little people had complex thought, stayed back to cry over the loss. The story is about how Haw, later, went ahead to find his cheese.

The book has motivating and insightful points highlighted in separate pages (A thing worth going for). What makes the book even more beautiful is the discussion that follows. First of all, the friends decide the character they resembled the most in their real life and then they discuss how they propose to apply it in their real life. The application they discussed ranged from their current Business to how they propose to improve their married life with the help of this story.

To sum up, the book weighs much more than it looks like, but then how much one imbibes from it depends on whether you are Hem, Haw, Sniffy or Scurry!!!

Book Review : I Bought the Monk's Ferrari

After a huge success of "If God was a Banker", Ravi Subramanian has cooked another food for thought, "I bought the Monk's Ferrari". What amused me the most was the coincidence of me reading Robin Sharma's "Monk who sold his Ferrari" just a a couple of days before i came across this book. I knew one thing for sure, that even the author has gone through the book before writing his version of it, and that even he had got a blatant feeling of the fact that "To sold a Ferrari you need to have one", and thus began a story of how a young man dreams of a Ferrari and achieves it.
The book is divided into well organized sections. First to come is, the author's close brush off with his dream car. What comes next is the Ten Commandments for success (Owning a Ferrari).Finally the author talks about what a Ferrari actually is, (His perception of Ferrari). The book is quite engaging right from the first page where the author dedicates his book to all those for whom "Any car other than Ferrari is a shame". With first few chapters, the Author seamlessly breathes life into the masterpiece by FIAT Company. Then the ten commandants’ section leaves no aspect of being successful untouched. Though at times the reader feels like too much of pious thought to take, but then the author successfully avoids the pit by quoting right examples at right occasions. Rather, for all commandments, the author has plotted convincing examples which actually keep the readers bound to the book.

To sum up, what’s most convincing in the whole book is the methodology adopted by author, “Explain it by examples”. The methodology not only convinces you about the fact that success is achievable, but also helps you make role models for success, which I suppose is very important in today’s scenario. However I should point at a fact that the book fails to touch a larger crossection of Indian society, and that it skims through the society of elites… Notwithstanding, the book does well to lay down a general guideline for success. The ground work is off course up to you sir!!!

Book Review: The Alchemist

An account of an entrepreneurial journey of a young boy named “Santiago”. A boy who believes in his recurrent dreams, who knows how to read Omens, who has given up a cozy life of priests for being a shepherd and travel far and wide… The above description may sound as yet another story, written on achieving dreams, living up destiny and blah blah. But I’ll rate that thought of yours as a sheer misjudgment. The value enhancing effect of the book can't be expressed in words, and thus my blog gives you an incomplete picture on the whole story (which of course I am not going to say, lest i break out all the suspense in the story). But yes there are surely few things i would love to talk about, First one being the quote "When you want something, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it". You'll love to believe, that this is true. But as you go through the story, you'll find how seamlessly the author, Paulo Coelho successfully proves this to be a truth.
Next is the discussion of "Omens", which forms a decisive factor at many points in the story.
Finally what comes is the phrase "The whole universe speaks one language” what the author calls as "The Language of universe". I am yet to delve deeper into this one.

To sum up, I would say, that what makes the book outstanding is its ability to connect to our daily life and aspirations; to top it up Paulo Coelho is a legend, right??

Book Review : One Night at the call center

Book review:
One night at the call center!!!
Though the name may suggest that the book relates only to a class of people working in IT/ITES sector ; i bet there is much more to it!!!
The book is about a night in the life of 6 employees of a BPO company. Shyam who appears to be the lead character (is actually one) is potrayed as a loser waiting for destiny to get things right for him. Then there are other characters who relate and represent the indian youths and their aspirations. The book also highlights the flare of patriotism in toady's youth and the corporate culture (Only the dark side).

The differentiating feature of the book is authors Middle Class background which is reflected heavily in this book.The book also has chapters on Shyam's personal dating with Priyanka,(Which at times does get boring).

The humour in the book is amicable especially the line... "Men live in constant hope" was the best in book. Hey watch out for one more thing... The issue of faith in God. The book brings in light the most important issue that our generation has almost ignored.
I think this book is one of the best of its type... do go for it,
SIMPLY UNPUTDOWNABLE

Book Review: It happened in India, By kishore Biyani

To me it is more than mere inspiration. As an aspiring entrepreneur, the book comes to me as a cookbook for success (Though thats nearly imposssible!!!).
Yes i am talking about "It happened in india", A book by Kishore Biyani(KB), CEO of Future group (The pioneer of organised retail and as of now the largest retail chain in India). What makes that book extraordinary is the way the book connects to people of india.You get a first hand insight into how organized retail is to be carried out.
What was most amazing experience for me was realizing the fact that there is someone who knows us so well. Who understands us and our needs equally well. He is someone who knows where we are uncomfortable , what makes us feel alienated at some places… Yes he is a retailer!!! Your local retailer or any successful retail chain owner. The book gives us an insight how important a customer is to a retailer.
The book is primarily an autobiography where KB , a rebel during his childhood days , goes ahead to create a massive business of his own, breaking away from family business. He starts off selling stone wash fabrics and the rest was history!!! Today future group reaches almost every Indian with shops like Big Baazar, Central mall, pantaloon retail. But this empire was not built in a day.
That’s where I feel the book becomes inspiring, I mean the way KB talks about how he fought all odds to reach to the height. The book is no collection of pious thoughts, but a collection a real life struggle of a real man.
The book however may not taste well to all. Especially people looking for thrill (No movie story out here). The book however does well to tell you that in case you want a career in retail what are the do’s and don’ts. In case you want to be an entrepreneur what is a must quality required of you, and of course the book does well to tell you that how you can “Retain values and rewrite rules!!!”