TEN RALLIES by PASQUIN

Author: Pasquin
Rating: ***

"Teacher doesn't like you reading this, bro. Don't blame me if they knock this book right out of your hand." ... This is how the book begins. Well!

Throughout the book, the momentum continues. At each moment you are forced to rethink your decision to read on. The CoreAmerica concept, the main problem around which the book revolves, never really gets a clear picture, all you understand is that there is a father who forces his son to take part in this CoreAmerica event, whatever it is, and the son has to obey, though unwillingly. There he is bowled over by a girl and takes his decisions as per what she wants, more than what he thinks he wants, then they fight and the girl plans a revenge, she has the political support and though in the end one team was a clear winner, both teams are declared losers. How very sad!

Then there is the end. The wild end. The sadness is only so long as you are reading the book. Once the dish is over and all that remains is the lingering taste in the mouth, or maybe its smell on your fingers, that you realize that there was indeed something in there. Something that was beyond the obvious storyline. Some moral. Some lessons of life. Some food for thought. Some smiles. Something nice.

It is a really refreshing twist to the tale how from having been cheated by a mother, by the beloved, by the government and by your school, how you can collect your pieces, move ahead and yes, be successful! When life throws lemons at you, master your lemonade making skills, for, it might just turn out to be your kingmaker.

Other things that characterize the book includes, larger than life friendship, that too when one of the friends is blind; the description of a nerd, Candida's candid nature, wooing a girl and spending nights out in the truck with her, days when you go without electricity as you can't pay your bills, and loads of beer!

And then there is the touching revelation, “If I knew you were this interesting,” your dad says with some sass, "I'd have sold the TV and just watched you.”

A good read. Go ahead.

Interview with Mayank Jain

Here we present an interview with Mr. Mayank Jain, the author of 'Stop Me If You Can - An IIM Grad's Tryst with Sales' (Reviewed Here). He shares his views about his book and how it came into being, his views on a real life Rohit Salaria, his favourite books and much more. For some real interesting next few minutes, read ahead ...

ZR: Did you always have this story in mind, or did some real situation inspire you to come up with this beautiful storyline?
MJ: To tell you very frankly, I don’t think I had the story in mind for a long time. So, this is what I generally used to do since, um, my MBA days at IIM Calcutta I guess – whenever I came across a funny situation I would make a note of it.

Now when I embarked upon my career in sales, I started writing a blog which was a lot of my previous and current experiences exaggerated to the hilt. I wasn’t really writing to evoke responses from people but just for the kicks. But I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who came back to me and told me that they were liking what I was writing. Some even proposed that I write a book. That was where the turning point was. And that is precisely when I decided to make a book out of my writings. I started nurturing the character Rohit Salaria and the story started taking shape. I pulled the blog down, and focused on making it a full fledged novel. Then the toiling part came. And finally I’m glad to see the final product and am decently happy with the numerous positive responses that I have received till date.

ZR: How much time did the whole process take - from inception of the idea to the final product in hand?

MJ: Well, honestly it was a lengthy process. I would be lying if I said it was an easy job completed quickly and without any pain. So, like I said, I got the idea of writing a book after my experiences with the blog. Putting together the first draft took me around 10 months after that. And then began the strenuous exercise of posting to publishers, which lasted about an year. Then there was editing, final editing and proof reading – all of which require a lot of time and energy. So, all in all it took around two years for the whole process to complete. And there were obviously a lot of times in between when I doubted my capabilities and questioned myself on whether the book would ever see the light of day. It’s a huge amount of satisfaction to see the final product on the shelves. One thing I would say to all first time authors-in-the-making is that while writing and while on the lookout for publishers, keeping yourself motivated is very, very important. It is very natural to start feeling demotivated and losing focus. But then if you have your eyes set on the goal, sooner or later, you should be there.

ZR: In real life, do you believe a Rohit Salaria - like personality would be equally successful? In your opinion, is it wise to be a Rohit Salaria?

MJ: (laughs) To even think of a real life Rohit Salaria is quite amusing. If you have read the book you will know what I am talking about. Very simply put he is impossible. With nerves of steel and a Bond-like attitude, he knows no limits.

But then having a real life Rohit Salaria would be a very interesting concept. I don’t know how successful that guy would be, but I can tell you he would be someone who would be very, very visible in his organization. And being visible is not all that bad no. Challenging bosses, devising strategic plans to woo a girl or launching marketing campaigns based totally on gut feeling, ah, it would be exciting to meet such a guy in a real-world setup. In fact, I had joked in one of my previous interviews that I would gift all my money and property to him, the day I stumble upon the real-life Rohit Salaria.

I strongly recommend joining the FB community at http://www.facebook.com/StopMeIfYouCan.IIMSalesman

to get a flavour of Rohit Salaria and his antics which make him so special.

ZR: What, according to you, are the greatest works in contemporary fiction till date?  Do you also believe that the best of contemporary fiction is yet to come -or- is Rohit Salaria the answer to this question?

MJ: All works of P.G. Wodehouse and his characters – Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, Aunt Agatha et al are right up there for me. Then I think there is something about Catch 22 and Yossarin that keeps you glued to the book.

And to answer your question of Rohit Salaria being the best work of contemporary fiction (laughs). I would love to think that this be the case. With his super attitude and insurmountable spirit, and the fact that he is already striking a chord with a generation of corporates, why not?

ZR: Who is your all time favourite author? Which are your favourite books?

MJ: Like I said, I like P.G. Wodehouse a lot, and I don’t think anyone comes close. I am a big fan of his flowery language and English humour. His Jeeves collection is something I relish a lot.

ZR: As an author, where do you see yourself and your book 5 years down the line?

MJ: I don’t really think I have thought hard on either of these lines. I don’t know where I would be – would I have written another book, two more books, three more books or maybe none after the first one in five years time. Will I be a hit phenomenon or would I have drowned with time? I don’t know. And honestly, I think I should only be focusing on my work, working hard and letting the other things fall in place. Also, right now I also have a regular job and I totally enjoy going to work, and my work. And I intend to do well there too.

ZR: Nowadays, a lot of people are turning into authors, even when they are qualified for other things, and are doing a remarkable job. Do you believe this is because everyone has a great story to tell and a unique way of telling it, that makes them noteworthy or are there some other reasons for this?

MJ: So you need to thank one person big time for this – Chetan Bhagat – for opening the floodgates of writing/authoring in India. I think people who have tales to tell were always there. And now with more and more opportunities available, anyone who dreams to be an author has more avenues than ever before to be one.

As for myself, I was very confident that a Salaria-like character could melt the stoniest of hearts and bring laughter and smiles to those who have ever been in a corporate environment. Or those who have ever wooed a girl. Or those who have ever had a boss. Or those who have ever been in teams. (laughs)

ZR: Are you planning to come up with another book anytime soon? Would it also have a prodigious IIM grad as its protagonist? Would it also be masala packed and  humour laced?

MJ: Well, as of now, I haven’t thought of anything concrete. There are a few ideas, but let’s see. Right now I want to focus on “Stop Me If You Can!!” Rest, I leave it to time.


Thanks Mr. Jain!! We wish you all the very best for all your future ventures and look forward to reading, enjoying and reviewing many more books of yours.

:)

STOP ME IF YOU CAN - An IIM Grad's tryst with sales

Author: Mayank Jain

Publication: Alchemy Publishers

Price: INR 175

A young man graduates from IIM-C, one of the premier most MBA institutes of India, and lands a job of a Sales Management Trainee at ABC, a leading FMCG company. Lakhs of people can only dream of being in a similar position.

A dream stage is set and now it is expected that this person will also grow up to be one among the rest. Slowly, he would also become what most of the other people like him eventually become - ordinary people, only that they have a supposedly extra-ordinary educational qualification. But not Rohit Salaria, our hero. He would set the stage on fire instead. He is sure that the world has never seen and shall never see another Rohit Salaria.

Our over-enthusiastic and supernaturally talented hero gives his bosses (far too many for such a short span of time) the time of their lives till he finally ends up in a situation where he has pratically lost his job as well as the love of his life.

It is interesting how he eventually makes things go the right way, though it would have been a lot better had the story ended in a different way.

Being a management student myself, it is easy to analyse the thoughts of a fresh management graduate. To think of oneself as a God personified - best manager ever, to apply the principles of management and to think of them as the supreme guidelines - yes, an incredibly typical 'B-school grad' mindset.

There are a lot of interesting characters that are introduced at different places in the book - Priya, Loser, Sucker, Barua, Boro, the three bosses and so many more. All appear like different colours deliberately and wonderfully scattered to dipict variety and prevent the story from losing itself.

Through the story, one thing is evident. The very fact that not working up the ladder the right way is not easy and is full of uncertainties, even though it might just somehow, bring success. Also, self-belief and confidence are the tools that help in growth and with the help of these, any thing can be achieved, at least it did in the world of Rohit Salaria!

The best thing about this book is that it is not very far from reality and is really easy to understand and relates to the situations actually faced by companies, and fresh B-school graduates, as well!

Indeed a humour packed, racy and exuberant peek into the corporate world drama, one can't just overlook. A must read for all, especially young management students, executives and employees of the corporate world!

Kalila and Dimna by Ramsay Wood

Title: Kalila and Dimna: Fables of Conflict and Intrigue

Author: Ramsay Wood

Publications: Madina Publishing

Illustrator: G M Whitworth

A sequel of Kalila and Dimna: The Pancatantra Retold - Book One (reviewed here), this book picks up from where the wise Dr. Bidpai had decided to halt his storytelling at the close of the previous book.

Though majorly a continuation of the previous book, a few changes have been introduced here, which include the fact that King Dabschelim now has three children who have been told about the amazing treasure and who are also to be the beneficiaries of the knowledge. Mimosa, rather interrupt-me-not (Mimosa is also the other name for touch-me-not plant) sister of Dr. Bidpai and a superb storyteller herself, enters and takes us through most parts of the story.

An amazing amalgamation of fables of personified stupid donkeys, of henpecked crocodiles, of wise, revengeful and storyteller monkeys, of normal people turned greedy, of wise idiots, and many more, the collection of stories presents an eye-opening insight into the feelings and thoughts of living creatures, both evil and gentle.

The stories, though meant to somehow relate to the rules of the conduct appropriate to the kings, give us, those far from the blue blooded races, a lot of meanings and moral lessons in ways both expressed and implied.  A micro list of the lessons I learnt includes: If we wish for something stupid and against the laws of nature, we are inviting our own doom. Exceptional greed leads to our own destruction. Blindly following the others, with putting in little logic could be tragic. A safe and strategically maintained distance and even friendship between enemies could be mutually beneficial .. and many more. How so many stories have be connected and put together as a single big story makes the work truly remarkable. 

Through the story, Mimosa comes across as a better storyteller than even Bidpai. The book completes the wise advise being given to the king, he gets his royal illustrators, calligraphers to put the stories together for us, the future generations.

To sum up: A wonderful book. An enjoyable read. An enriching experience.

Reminiscence: Harry Potter Week - 12-18 August, 2012

Image source: Internet

P.S. Strange things happen.

The Sri Krishna Connect

Having heard the stories of Sri Krishna as well as Ron had heard the 'Tales of Beedle and Bard', I can say that I am pretty well conversant with the basic life story of Sri Krishna.

Over the years, the more I delve deeper into the realms of the Harry Potter stories, the more likeness I find between the lives of Sri Krishna and Harry Potter. Extremely strangely so, but it seems truer the more I see it.

Both these heroes had problems synonymous to their names and since infancy they had had troubles. Both had faced what many many elders haven't or hadn't - DEATH... and that too, many a times. There had been prophecies intertwining the fates of these heroes and their biggest nemesis, long before they were old enough to understand it or, as in Sri Krishna's case, even before he was born.

Neither was brought up by his biological parents. The parents in both cases had to suffer at the hands of a tyrant who actually meant to harm their sons. Voldemort in case of Harry and Kansa in case of Sri Krishna. The most famous part of the lives of both our heros is when they worked and fought for the benefit of the good and to vanquish the bad. Friendship, was what both valued above other things. Just as Harry can be considered helpless and ineffective without Hermione and Ron, the Sri Krishna story lacks a significant portion without Sri Radha, the Gopikas and of course, Sri Sudama.

The biggest difference between the personalities is that Sri Krishna, being the almighty, did not suffer from all that ails the mortals.

It is time for a Goodbye

As we come to a close of the long, successful and happy Harry Potter week, as we lift ourselves over the thick beautiful clouds of the fantasy world, as we come out from the cupboard below the staircase, to face the real world once again, may this experience give us immense happiness to continue our lives. This week has been thoroughly enjoyable and the Hindi words go .. chirasmarneeya, avismarneeya. 

My heartfelt gratitude to all the little kids, members, zealous followers of Zealot Readers who contributed to make this event a grand one with over 65 blog posts and ounces of exuberance. 

Hoping that these fond memories stay with all of us for a long time to come...

Vaishali Sethi

:)

Diary: First day at Quidditch

Dear Diary

Today was my first day at Quidditch. I learnt it quickly. It seemed as if I have flown on a broomstick before. I came so naturally. Bad Draco Malfoy stole Neville's remembrall, so I got angry, mounted my broomstick and got flying. We were not supposed to fly till Madam Hooch made us to do the same. Professor McGonagall saw me and took me to Oliver Wood. I thought she would put me in a detention. But she gave me the post of seeker in the house quidditch team instead. I am so so happy that I would now play for my house.

The most exciting part was that I got a brand new broomstick - a nimbus two thousand. I am so happy today.

Harry

..........

By: Vidhi Sethi, 10 years.

Diary: Harry's first day at school

Dear Diary,

Today was my first day at my new school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the morning the Dursleys left me at the Kings Cross Station but I did not know how to reach Platform Nine and three quarters. There I met a large family and they showed me the way. 

I saw the red Hogwarts express. I met many children there like Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and many more. Some were already in their new Hogwarts robes. 

As we reached the schoolcastle, there was Hagrid waiting. He told us the way. We were taken to a big hall and I met Professor McGonagall. We were to be sorted into four houses, Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. I was so nervous. I have never been so nervous. I thought they would ask us to perform some magic and I do not even know one. But ther was a hat which we needed to wear and it would sort us into the houses. Magic, after all. I did not want to be in Slytherin. I pleaded with the sorting hat and it gave me Gryffindor with Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ron's three brothers. 

I am so happy and relieved.

Harry

..........

By: Vidhi Sethi, 10 years

Points 2 Ponder

Diary: 31 July, 1991

Dear Diary,

Today is my eleventh birthday. We are not at Privet Drive but somewhere else, some place Uncle Vernon thought would be very safe and somewhere those letters addressed to me which somehow know where I am, shall not find me. 

There was a loud noise and the door broke open. It actually 'broke' open. A huge man, calling himself Hagrid entered. I met Hagrid for the first time and he told me something that the Dursleys never told me. I AM A WIZARD AND I CAN DO MAGIC. Now I will not study in that old silly muggle school with that Dudley boy, but rather at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am sure it is all true as that big man Hagrid magically gave Dudley a tail when he was eating my birthday cake. I would be studying magic. I am so happy. I am angry also. Neither Aunt Petunia or Uncle told me about all this. They also told me that mum and dad died in a car crash, but they were actually killed by magic. Hagrid told me all this. I am sure, I will soon come to know much more about my parents.

But now my life will change. I will go back to my world. My parents world. The happy world.

Harry

..............

By: Vidhi Sethi, 10 years

Sirius Black (character in Harry Potter series)

Points 2 Ponder

Points 2 Ponder

Points 2 Ponder

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Book Review by Vaishali Sethi:

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” This is the opening line of not just this book but rather the welcome note to a whole new world. A truly ‘magical’ world. If one enters this, he/she cannot leave without a ‘scar’ or a ‘dark mark’ on the heart (both in the positive).

The book opens with strange things happening in London, strange people celebrating and a couple of quaint looking men along with a lady who could transform into a cat, leaving a baby on somebody’s doorstep.

As the baby, named Harry Potter, grows up amidst atrocities by his aunt and her little family (the Dursley's), numerous strange events keep happening around him. He can turn his teacher’s wig blue, talk to snakes and so on, until one day, a half giant, Hagrid turns up to tell Harry that he is actually a wizard and that he must attend the school for magical education. Harry is also told about his past, something which the Dursley’s had always kept quiet about.

As Harry begins school, a whole new world lies ahead. Harry and the readers alike discover new friends, new foes and most appropriately new challenges. He discovers that he is immensely famous as he is the only one who has ever survived the killing curse, that too at the age of 1.

He along with his classmates and friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger accidently discover a 12 foot mountain troll in one of the forbidden areas of the school and thus set out to unearth the mystery behind it. Troubles await them, but they are brave.

They get into deeper trouble. Hermione with her superb magical skills, Ron with his prowess at magical chess, and Harry with his wit and instincts are able to reach the crux of the mystery when meets Lord Voldemort, the evil one who killed his (Harry’s) parents and in attempting to kill him had given him a scar instead and somehow lost his own body. Do read the wonderful book to find out what happened next?

This book makes the base for all further Harry Potter books. Most of the character introduced here move up to the next books. Here Harry actually comes out of his cupboard and embraces a whole new world, his world. His companionships with Ron, Hermione, Neville and so on, which find their buds here, shall go on to become some of the best known flowers in the world of literature.

The best aspect about the book is the innocence in the writing style and also the characters. Even little children are able to read, understand and enjoy the book. The mesmerizing, powerful and gripping storyline makes sure that there can hardly be any criticism of the book.

When I first read this book, I was sad that it only had six more parts to it. I am sure, even if it has 60 sequels, we could do with more. A most definite must read for one and all. Enjoy!! 

Points 2 Ponder

HARRY POTTER WEEK BEGINS

AS PROMISED, WE BRING TO YOU THE HARRY POTTER WEEK, STARTING TODAY!!

KEEP CHECKING OUT THIS SPACE FOR SOME OF THE BEST FANTASY MOMENTS OF YOUR LIVES!!

Image Courtesy : Indiebound