Saturday, December 26, 2015

Exclusive Review : The Bestseller She Wrote : Ravi Subramanian


Ravi , besides being an Ex- Citibanker or if I can say just a banker is an inspiration to many of us including fellow bankers like me . Not only in terms of what he has done and achieved but also 'the new' he continues to do everyday .

The team at BlogAdda continues to ensure I get the best of the books and share my thoughts and review them. 

An Insight in Karanz way about the book : The Bestseller She Wrote  which is also in line with Ravi's other books where once you start reading you have no option but to finish it since the story ,the characters keep you so much deep-dived that you have to read it back-back .






The plot revolves around a central theme on how dreams and aspirations can lead to success but anything in excess is always bad for oneself.  It beautifully strings together love , hatred , commitment ,betrayal , friendship , attraction and how at times you need to keep your cool and think not only about yourself but also your immediate circle of family or responsibilities. It also shares some lessons on the world of marketing .

It shares how a single decision can ruin an entire career and happy life and it also throws light that you should never be carried away by material things in life. 

Aditya ( the hero ,if I can call is the central character ) a banker and a writer who lives with his wife Maya and their son Aryan .  Maya , as a character has my backing for all she has done for Aditya and now Aryan and I kind of connect with her all through .

Shreya ( the starry eyed girl who wants to make it big in any which way ) is a IIM-B student who shared her strong views when Aditya comes to his alma matter for a speech. 

The story revolves how when you are at an influential position you can pull strings at your whims and fancy . Shreya gets hired at Aditya's firm and like it was destined Aditya's marriage starts to falls apart as he spends more time with Shreya than Maya and Aryan .

In this process, Shreya who wants to be 'big' ' bestselling'  author makes Aditya part of the process to review the manuscript and also goes all out in ensuring her book is a hot seller . 

The story is more intriguing when you read since I don't want to spoil your thinking time but it moves in unexpected ways all leading to some beautiful conclusions.  Does the marriage of Aditya survive  ?  Will Shreya become an author ?  Has Sanjay ( Aditya's friend done something wrong in hiring Maya ) ? Will Aditya realize his mistake , if any and correct it ? 

I personally liked how Ravi has linked real life people like : Anurag Kashyap & Nirav Sanghavi in the story and it makes it for so much more of depth .

Well , like many of readers know I too write a lot about relationships through this blog and believe me relationships are tough to handle and nurture . One wrong thing and it could bleed forever ...

Watch the video promo of the book here  and you can buy your copy from Amazon here 

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Backpacking the old baggage

Waking up in the morning is a big pain-point for most of us . I am no exception .  And with a backpack on your shoulders its not anywhere close to be fun .

Early Delhi winter morning as I was walking down the alley I saw small children , aged between 7-11 years all decked up in school uniforms with neatly done blazers and ties ( girls in skirts though ) and a good enough filled backpack and a water bottle around the neck  , usually leaning over to mommy dear and thinking why in the world is this happening to me. 

Early morning thoughts are also a time to reflect back upon how you as a person have come all this while.  I recollected my old school days when mom used to wake me up in the sweetest possible way , brush and bath and then dress me up . Waiting for the school bus to come I used to sleep on her lap mostly. And the school bag , it was heavy then also .

As time progressed , I went to college and the school bag became a refined version yet the mornings remain more or less same . Waking up late night to finish the engineering assignments and then trying hard to set 2 alarms and telling roommates and neighbors to wake me up on time , scenarios remained the same.  

Missing breakfast mostly and then entering into an early morning Engineering Drawing lecture or  System Analysis and Design session were the worse things to do in the mornings.  And then I used to think school was so much fun .

Further up in life when I entered the arena for my Masters it was a sea change . The backpack came along with the laptop and an extra carry-bag for presentations and notes started coming along .  Work and studies used to start post 1 am and then the market research and marketing management lectures started at 9 am . The breakfast usually was good though I hardly had it .  Engineering was better , right .

If you see in all these journeys there is a common thread . Besides me , the backpack .This is how we have become as humans . We carry old deeds , karmas and the old baggage as the youth of my generation calls ,  with us all through out . In my working corporate life the backpack is still there with more number of wires .




As I sat through the Chef's table for a Saturday brunch with Chef Veena’s signature Yum Namuang Salad made using Raw Mango , all the years gone by flashed . And all I could think was it was a fun time at those stages in life.

Could I have done it better ? Yes and may be no . But then who cares . The little kids from the porch were coming back from school all charged up to take the world head-on. 

Its good being a kid.

Like they say  :  “You really didn't see the sadness or the longing unless you already knew it was there. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Everyone had their disappointment and their baggage; only, some people carried it in their inside pockets and not on their backs.” 



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