Book Review

Mar, 2013

Glittering Nostalgia!

For majority of the people, the transition time of Indian independence was not filled with the glittering moments. The cunning British bureaucracy, which drove the mass spirit to ultimate low, could be hardly recalled in soft terms by those who vividly feel the trauma of past. However, a class devoid of similar feelings and those who were carrying the legacy of 'colonial hangover' had somehow genuine appreciation for the attributes of British rule, which were offering seclusion from 'dogs and Indians'!

Feb, 2013

A Forgotten Terrain!

Once Highway 39 was a footpath with a long past until the Naga Hills was occupied by the Britishers. In the further course, the endemic political conflicts made this historic route dominated by the cycle of violence. The wave of violence took off unusually, as neither the State agencies nor the countering armed groups were seen doing any rational exercises. Consequently, political turmoil substantiated at greater scale and later damaged the conventional social pattern of the adjoining regions, making Highway 39 a perfect synonymous of 'troublesome way'.

Health handbook - How To Return From The Hospital Alive

This booklet unravels the truth about stark medical facilities for majority of the people-in light manner; it also suggests ways and means to cure you without medication. The author of the book has practical inputs to offer, which he presents with wit and in easy delineation.

Dec, 2012

The Breaking-Down Momentum

Ruchir Sharma is possessed with both knowledge and narrative, which is not an ordinary blend. As an investment banker, he heads Emerging Market Equities and Global Macro at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, exposure he gained from his global career in high finance makes the strong foundation of his book -Breakout Nations. The major focus of his highly publicised book is on emerging economies and on the sliding developed world, but in patches book also looks on the issues related to business itself in straight terms.

Oct, 2012

The Flame of Enterprise

Aristocratic background can't make a flaming spirit saturated; Shahnaz Husain's exceptional entrepreneurial journey makes the belief firmly established. She made her business plans modestly and started her further deliberations with the help of family and close friends, though rose to the rank in no time with her consistent innovation in the business of cosmetology. She and her company deserve credit for pioneering Ayurvedic beauty treatments; today it's hardly surprising if the people from sixty countries are having reliance on her hundreds of beauty products. This could be inspiring for young entrepreneurs who have drive to thrive best in the segment of small and medium businesses with frugally available resources and frequent odds on the way.

SMEs : Broadening Marketing Canvas

The book 'Marketing Issues in SMEs: Cases from India' published by Pearson Education and authored by Dr. Neeraj Pandey, Assistant Professor (Marketing), NITIE, Mumbai and Gaganpreet Singh (Business Analyst, Viom Networks Limited) captures actual marketing dilemma situations being faced by SMEs in India. It also covers operational and strategic marketing scenarios/issues, the SMEs face while they were expanding, diversifying, scaling up, promoting innovation, pricing products & services, undertaking new product development, handling sales problem or negotiating with bigger organization to which they were marketing their products as vendors; apart from special marketing decision making situations.

Sep, 2012

Understanding SME Needs and Wants

SMEs are the engine of growth in India. This guidebook presents some of the obvious and many untouched aspects of SMEs and makes an essential read for all enterprising enthusiasts. In the business world, today, SMEs have secured a formidable place. Despite the remarkable contribution of SMEs to the national economy, this sector has remained marginalized from the government and its agencies.

Aug, 2012

Time to Think!

Book Review: Non-fiction/ Time to start thinking: America and the spectre of decline by Edward Luce, Hachette/Little Brown , 292 pp; Rs. 699 (Hardback)

Jul, 2012

Editor's First Draft

Book Review: Non-fiction/Memoir, Lucknow Boy by Vinod Mehta, Penguin, 325 pp; Rs. 499 (Hardback)

How to go about credit and debt recovery in slowdown phase?

A new book warns that in the wake of the recent global financial crisis and slowdown, the risks of businesses resulting from bad debt and ineffective credit controls are greater than ever before.

Retrospecting India's IT High Rise

Book Review: Non-fiction/The Coalition of Competitors by Kiran Karnik, Collins Business, 187 pp; Rs. 399 (Hardback)

Jun, 2012

The big Bihar story

The Bihar movement headed by Jay Prakash Narayan accomplished the rise of a new political generation that was based on socialistic ideals. Unfortunately, its immediate beneficiaries, notably Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan proved the complete antithesis of those hatched idealism by great socialists in 1970's. Nitish Kumar, third important pillar of JP Movement remained the glimmering hope of blend, which constituted through the real politic and rational idealism. He parted the way with the bunch of cruel jokers pretending as people's custodian in 1994; in the course of time, Lalu Yadav's rustic antics kept deteriorating to the bawdy bottomline and Bihar started to known as the derivative point of whole mess on earth. When Nitish succeeded to dethrone the family rule of Lalu in 2005, he had sworn as the Chief Minister of almost a bankrupt state. In last six years, Bihar has significantly risen, and all its fundamentals are sound enough now with the quality improvements in governance, law&order, infrastructure etc. This biography of Nitish Kumar by Arun Sinha, a veteran journalist and close friend of him introspects well the politics of Bihar in last four decades and how lastly the turnaround took place in the land, was consistently in bad shape for long!

May, 2012

Deviant Lines

I have read many books on the financial crisis including of Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big to Fail, Michael Lewis's The Big Short and Hank Paulson's On the Brink besides being in consistent touch with numerous papers written on the concerned theme by scholars from the nook and crannies of the world. But in most impartial opinion, will rate Raghuram G. Rajan's Fault Lines as the best ever written book not only on ongoing financial crisis but also over the behavioural macroeconomic policies.

Mar, 2012

Jobs, was up to the Mark? Book Review: Biography/Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Hachette India/2011, 630 pp; Rs799 (Hardback)

In late 1970's, an ordinary garage of his father was chosen by Steve and cofounder Wozoniak as the birthplace of APPLE. Idea of name was not generated from the namesake fruit, with Steve remained faithful throughout life but from APPLE Corp, for which, he had to fight a long battle which he succeeded to command at last.

Feb, 2012

The TCS Decoded: Book Review: Non-Fiction/ Memoir

Book Review: Non-Fiction/ Memoir The TCS Story by S. Ramadorai, Penguin/2011, 287 pp; Rs. 699 (Hardback) The humble admittance of S. Ramadorai for being less expressive and an unplanned writer augurs well. Like an efficient professional and unintended writer, he keeps progressing with neutrality in the initial pages of his autobiography, The TCS Story. Henceforth, the narration drives in rhythm once the TCS story enters in his present cognition. When someone's occupation started routing the fore, things take place in different resolution. The author is himself one of the catalysts of India's new economy and could easily relate his own progress across the ladder with the changing developmental landscape of this nation. His rise or TATA's rise simply reminds the progress, India has made over the years. But neither this book, nor any other inserted views from outside would falsify, that the progress of nation is below the potential? TATA is a big brand or even more than only a brand tag, it's the height of India's entrepreneurial drive. India's largest business conglomerates' suo moto, “leadership with trust” is justified throughout its long existence in the diverse domains. The nationalist legacy of the two great business leaders, Jamshetjee Tata and J.R.D Tata's has still not come to a halt in the TATA group. Much before the philanthropy stuck western world, first as fashion and later as profitable holy business, founder of TATA used to return the two third of his earnings to the nation. Number of the institutions made by TATA i.e. TIFR, TISS, IISc or the city of Jamshedpur simply reminds the essentiality and scope of sustainable business in longer course. Mr. Ramadorai, as the founding member of TCS has lived those ideals and that's easily evident through his honest conviction in writing and undoubtedly through his professional ethics, which have been shaping this company very well in decades.

Jan, 2012

The War of Water: Water - Asia's New Battleground by Brahma Chellaney

Water in field of serious diplomacy is a new arrival. As part of many international disputes, including west Asia, water holds an inescapable centrality. Though in proper intellectual debates, mostly the concerned issues have been harshly marginalized. Brahma Chellaney, a strategist of repute with deep concern for flawed water management has come out with a very sensible work. He has succeeded in presenting the centre as China and periphery as south Asian nations while leading the debate on water issues that largely shapes the international relations of these participants.

Lost American dreams! That Used To Be Us: What Went Wrong With America - And How It Can Come Back (Hardback)

World is still not noticing the fading shine of U.S, this is being realised and expressed only through the growing anxiety of insecure future among the masses and policy makers of U.S. In its idea and shape, this book seems a prolonging exercise of similar mental state, in which Barack Obama saw Bangalore as “buffalo” and Indian youth amazingly competitive over the lazy generation of his own country. He feared, new generation lacks the very strong “U.S exceptionalism” that once made this nation a dreaming land full with unprecedented potential. In the last six years, since Thomas Friedman had written the bestselling book “The world is flat”, one and half recession (one complete, other is in progress…) and two ultra damaging wars has badly trembled the strong core of nation-materialism. If co-author, Michael Mandelbaum is a man with academic temperament, Friedman stands opposite with his natural flamboyance that has been shaping over the years his hyperbole views in New York Times columns. Though, as a sensitive man, he could sense the shrinking confidence of his countryman for plethora of innovation which is good for nothing and is in process to endanger the leadership edge of U.S at major global platform. So, the book looks over the issues of concern without falling in the trap of popular sensationalism which earlier was the case with Friedman. Honest revelations of ground realities are the basic things that readers would enjoy throughout the book but only with patient mind and their own labour in decoding casual intents of the authors!