The Book "Wings of Fire" is the autobiography of "The Missile Man of India", Mr. A P J Abdul Kalam, also the 11th President of the Republic of India from 2002 - 2007. A fast moving and a lucidly written book, which can lend itself to be made into a movie; it traces the life of Mr. Kalam from his cradle till the end of 20th century. (i.e. before he became the President of India)
The book lays great emphasis on the professional life of Mr. Kalam and chronicles his journey as he gets cherry-picked for one plum assignment after another, on the basis of his sheer hard work, devotion and the work ethics displayed by him. The work ethics, which merit a special mention, are worth emulating and in my personal opinion should be made a must read for all professionals - private or government. For instance, he speaks about how individual contributions when aggregated over several team members and contributions of teams when aggregated throughout organizations, culminates into the contributions of a nation state. Meaning that the economy and ethical underpinnings of a country ultimately depend on the work contributions and ethics of each individual citizen - sentiments very similar to what is preached in The Bhagwat Gita i.e. ensure your personal effort and the rest will follow.
Despite his humble beginnings, Mr. Kalam was a curious child, who had the ability to learn from his environment as much as from the text books, which he could ill afford in the early days of his life. Moving from scholarship to scholarship, the early chapters of the book trace his brilliant academic travails as he impresses his teachers with not only his technical capabilities but also with the honesty of his efforts. One of his eureka moments was when his college professor (aeronautics department) invites him, during the annual class photograph, to share the seat next to all the professors instead of sitting with the students - a recognition and an honor which spoke of his popularity with his teachers!
While starting his career even though Mr. Kalam narrowly missed out on becoming an Indian Air Force fighter pilot, but he realized his dreams of being associated with the aircrafts by inventing the first indigenously developed hovercraft for the Indian military. Though the project was later shelved but Mr. Kalam continued his tryst with the airborne vehicles through his stints at DRDO, ISRO and DRDL, of which he was the first Director. The high points of his career were the launching of SLV 3 (Space Launch Vehicle) and the success of India's IGMDP (Integrated Missile Development Programme), aimed at making India among the select few nations, to have its own indigenously developed Missile Systems for all the three forces of the defence establishment.
All in all the book is a page turner which arouses in all Indians a patriotic fervor, felt and shared equivocally by Mr. Kalam with Indians from all walks of life. A devout muslim, Mr. Kalam was none-the-less well versed with the Bhagwat Gita and the Bible. His interest in poetry is very easily discernible through a generous lacing of the book with short poems and couplets, which precisely emphasize the emotions Mr. Kalam is trying to convey. All these factors and more, make this book a delight to read and is my recommendation for all Indians to read at some point.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Book Review: "Touching Distance - The Great Indian MBA Dream" by Shiva Prakash
The book touches upon a very relevant topic especially from the perspective of a modern Indian youth or the modern generation - that of the "MBA Dream". Even today there really seems to be only two major career choices in India. The first being the Civil Services (government sector career) and other being the Management Graduation (private sector career). Every person in any other job aspires to one of these two, if not as a career option but as an education option. The book explores the life of 'Shiva Prakash' as he transforms from being a Techie (Technically qualified professional) working in an IT firm in Bangalore to becoming a Management Graduate in the One year that he spends at ISB (Indian School of Business) and subsequently returning back to his old firm.
The book is highly detailed and sometimes graphic about ISB and the experiences that management graduates generally go through most b-schools. To someone like I, who is a fellow alumnus of ISB (having passed out the year after Shiva), it becomes a riveting nostalgic read, as I get an opportunity to relieve myself of memories of the unforgettable year spent at ISB. But to someone from another b-school or other educational institutions, the book could sound a tad tedious.
In the book, Shiva narrates his own emotions and experiences as he discovers the different facets of working in a group under time pressure, his realizations about his own limitations and also his strengths, his small victories on the football field and elsewhere, his infatuations and the state of suspended helplessness, his expectations from an MBA program and subsequent reality checks, the struggles on the job front post MBA and subsequent compromises and other similar stories. All these and more make this book a riveting read for most MBA graduates, as they will be able to relate to some aspect or the other, as narrated in the book by Shiva.
On the funnier side, Shiva also takes the readers through the lives and idiosyncrasies of his two quad mates (Captain and Ranga), who lead a very atypical life compared to most b-school students - they were very clear about their own priorities (which were quite different from academics), they were relaxed most times (i.e. not in a rat race) and they were self assured about their future, even as they continued to enjoy the journey of their lives through the annals of a b-school.
The book also talks about the inability of the Indian industry's leaders to recognize the value addition that management education can provide to a person and so an inability to utilize that talent appropriately, thus losing a competitive edge to their competitors who are unable to employ management graduates.
All-in-all the book is a decent read and worth giving a flip through. It would also be interesting for those contemplating an MBA program in the near future since the book highlights several shattered expectations from a management program.
The book is highly detailed and sometimes graphic about ISB and the experiences that management graduates generally go through most b-schools. To someone like I, who is a fellow alumnus of ISB (having passed out the year after Shiva), it becomes a riveting nostalgic read, as I get an opportunity to relieve myself of memories of the unforgettable year spent at ISB. But to someone from another b-school or other educational institutions, the book could sound a tad tedious.
In the book, Shiva narrates his own emotions and experiences as he discovers the different facets of working in a group under time pressure, his realizations about his own limitations and also his strengths, his small victories on the football field and elsewhere, his infatuations and the state of suspended helplessness, his expectations from an MBA program and subsequent reality checks, the struggles on the job front post MBA and subsequent compromises and other similar stories. All these and more make this book a riveting read for most MBA graduates, as they will be able to relate to some aspect or the other, as narrated in the book by Shiva.
On the funnier side, Shiva also takes the readers through the lives and idiosyncrasies of his two quad mates (Captain and Ranga), who lead a very atypical life compared to most b-school students - they were very clear about their own priorities (which were quite different from academics), they were relaxed most times (i.e. not in a rat race) and they were self assured about their future, even as they continued to enjoy the journey of their lives through the annals of a b-school.
The book also talks about the inability of the Indian industry's leaders to recognize the value addition that management education can provide to a person and so an inability to utilize that talent appropriately, thus losing a competitive edge to their competitors who are unable to employ management graduates.
All-in-all the book is a decent read and worth giving a flip through. It would also be interesting for those contemplating an MBA program in the near future since the book highlights several shattered expectations from a management program.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Book Review: "Two States" by Chetan Bhagat
The book "Two States" is a fast read about Chetan's courtship with his wife, where he ends up courting his South Indian in-laws and convinces them to let him wed their only daughter to a North Indian Punjabi boy. The book clearly brings to fore the prominent two governing aspects of the Indian ethos. One is the strong regionalism which divides the otherwise unified India. The other is the rigid caste system which predominates the thinking of even educated Indians, even to this date!
Chetan being from the same alma-mater and the same hostel where I had stayed during my IIT Delhi days, strikes a familiar cord, when he mentions to his would-be girlfriend and subsequently his wife, that the reasons for so many IITians hitting on her was that they had not yet "discovered" the art of wooing girls. Students at IIT come from varied backgrounds from all four corners of India, being the Top 1% of the students from across the country, who could make it through the World's toughest and the most competitive test of a person's intellect and technical knowledge of science. Only 40% of students make it through IIT in their first attempt and the rest in multiple attempts. The rigor of studies required ill affords most to have an active social life. Within IIT too the environment is cut-throat. No wonder that most students learn the softer interaction skills with the fairer sex only in their later years.
Coming back to the book, Chetan has once again written a riveting and a fast paced book, taking the reader through his days at Ahmedabad when he managed to meet the prettiest girl at campus and wooed her using his vast experience with women. His writing style is lucid, funny and easy to comprehend. The book will appeal to both North and South Indians since it touches upon the common idiosyncrasies of each region and which are typically the butt of many-a-jokes in either regions.
In the book Chetan opts for a career in the same city as his in-laws and narrates his story of how he goes to great lengths to convert his future in-laws to come to start liking him. The point where he helps his father-in-law loose his inhibitions of drinking in front of others and also of promoting his own achievements at his office, is the most poignant moment in his endeavor. The icing on the cake though is when he manages to convert his mother-in-law from a grumpy old housewife to a stage music artiste.
The only negative which I found in the book was slight exaggeration of facts and situations but I think it was very much within the limits of literary freedom which any author is allowed to indulge, in order to make his book an appealing read.
The plot itself moves like a movie, where there are highs and lows in the author's endeavors to win the two families to like the kids and each others. The point where Chetan mends his dead relationship with his father, gives a glimpse of a typical father-son relationship in many a Indian families.
Overall, a page turner and certainly worth reading once, though not multiple times. A good book to pick when travelling by train or plane or when one has some time at hand to read a leisure book or two.
Chetan being from the same alma-mater and the same hostel where I had stayed during my IIT Delhi days, strikes a familiar cord, when he mentions to his would-be girlfriend and subsequently his wife, that the reasons for so many IITians hitting on her was that they had not yet "discovered" the art of wooing girls. Students at IIT come from varied backgrounds from all four corners of India, being the Top 1% of the students from across the country, who could make it through the World's toughest and the most competitive test of a person's intellect and technical knowledge of science. Only 40% of students make it through IIT in their first attempt and the rest in multiple attempts. The rigor of studies required ill affords most to have an active social life. Within IIT too the environment is cut-throat. No wonder that most students learn the softer interaction skills with the fairer sex only in their later years.
Coming back to the book, Chetan has once again written a riveting and a fast paced book, taking the reader through his days at Ahmedabad when he managed to meet the prettiest girl at campus and wooed her using his vast experience with women. His writing style is lucid, funny and easy to comprehend. The book will appeal to both North and South Indians since it touches upon the common idiosyncrasies of each region and which are typically the butt of many-a-jokes in either regions.
In the book Chetan opts for a career in the same city as his in-laws and narrates his story of how he goes to great lengths to convert his future in-laws to come to start liking him. The point where he helps his father-in-law loose his inhibitions of drinking in front of others and also of promoting his own achievements at his office, is the most poignant moment in his endeavor. The icing on the cake though is when he manages to convert his mother-in-law from a grumpy old housewife to a stage music artiste.
The only negative which I found in the book was slight exaggeration of facts and situations but I think it was very much within the limits of literary freedom which any author is allowed to indulge, in order to make his book an appealing read.
The plot itself moves like a movie, where there are highs and lows in the author's endeavors to win the two families to like the kids and each others. The point where Chetan mends his dead relationship with his father, gives a glimpse of a typical father-son relationship in many a Indian families.
Overall, a page turner and certainly worth reading once, though not multiple times. A good book to pick when travelling by train or plane or when one has some time at hand to read a leisure book or two.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Net Photo Album of Trip To Chikmangalur
Hi,
Find the link to photographs taken during the trip to Chikmangalur.
Note: You would require a Flash Player to see these snaps.
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on "Multicolor Ring" at the bottom right.
Step 2: Click on link saying "Album:Trip To Chikmangalur".
Step 3: Click on button "Slideshow" on Left Top of the Page.
Step 4: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks) at Bottom of Page.
Step 5: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward and Backward Keys)
Step 6: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Find the link to photographs taken during the trip to Chikmangalur.
Note: You would require a Flash Player to see these snaps.
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on "Multicolor Ring" at the bottom right.
Step 2: Click on link saying "Album:Trip To Chikmangalur".
Step 3: Click on button "Slideshow" on Left Top of the Page.
Step 4: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks) at Bottom of Page.
Step 5: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward and Backward Keys)
Step 6: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Net Photo Album of Trip To Kerala
Hi,
Find the link to photographs taken during my trip to Kerala.
Photographs of my trip to Kerala:
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Find the link to photographs taken during my trip to Kerala.
Photographs of my trip to Kerala:
 |
| Trip To Kerala |
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Book Review: "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Malcolm Gates
"How Starbucks Saved My Life" is a Biography of Malcolm Gates, who was an Executive Vice President at the renowned advertisement firm, JWT for more than 30 years, before being shown the door at the age of 63, in order to make way for a younger and more aggressive generation.
In the book, Gates talks about his hollow, full-of-oneself and pompous existence typically observed in the filthy rich of America, who have no clue about the realities of life and its struggles, being faced at every moment, by the majority of ordinary citizens. He goes on to acknowledge the role of his new job as a Barista at Starbucks and the benevolent help of his African American Lady Boss, Crystal, to re-discover the basic joys of life such as experiencing the joys of growing up along with your child or bringing a smile to people's daily drudge routine life through small gestures of gratitude and respect to everyone or in understanding the real meaning of dignity of labor by becoming the best "Toilet Cleaner" or in re-affirming the belief in oneself that age is no bar for working hard and creating a niche for oneself.
The book is a fast read which is packed with several small instances which illustrate through examples, how Gates while working as the Barista, gave up his pre-conceived notions about several aspects of his past life and re-learnt new and joyful ways of giving and receiving love and respect from those around him - the colleagues, who were in their twenties, his boss in her thirties and the various customers of Starbucks, from various hues of society, across different age groups.
An engaging read especially for those of us who lead a cocooned life and are not aware of struggles of daily life of ordinary citizens. The book is written in easy prose and is instantly appealing to the rich of America. For those from the non-developed nations, the concepts discussed might sound a tad obvious, but they score bang on for the privileged Americans since the concepts come straight from Gates, who had been in their shoes and after losing his job and life, had regained both back through his new humble job at the Starbucks.
In the book, Gates talks about his hollow, full-of-oneself and pompous existence typically observed in the filthy rich of America, who have no clue about the realities of life and its struggles, being faced at every moment, by the majority of ordinary citizens. He goes on to acknowledge the role of his new job as a Barista at Starbucks and the benevolent help of his African American Lady Boss, Crystal, to re-discover the basic joys of life such as experiencing the joys of growing up along with your child or bringing a smile to people's daily drudge routine life through small gestures of gratitude and respect to everyone or in understanding the real meaning of dignity of labor by becoming the best "Toilet Cleaner" or in re-affirming the belief in oneself that age is no bar for working hard and creating a niche for oneself.
The book is a fast read which is packed with several small instances which illustrate through examples, how Gates while working as the Barista, gave up his pre-conceived notions about several aspects of his past life and re-learnt new and joyful ways of giving and receiving love and respect from those around him - the colleagues, who were in their twenties, his boss in her thirties and the various customers of Starbucks, from various hues of society, across different age groups.
An engaging read especially for those of us who lead a cocooned life and are not aware of struggles of daily life of ordinary citizens. The book is written in easy prose and is instantly appealing to the rich of America. For those from the non-developed nations, the concepts discussed might sound a tad obvious, but they score bang on for the privileged Americans since the concepts come straight from Gates, who had been in their shoes and after losing his job and life, had regained both back through his new humble job at the Starbucks.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
"Autobiography of a Yogi" by Swami Paramhansa Yogananda
Probably one of the most insightful and the best book ever read by me on spirituality was the "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Swami Paramhansa Yogananda. Its lucid description and introduction of the spiritual aspects of our life, in form of several contiguous short story-like autobiography of Swami Paramhansa Yogananda can only be best described by actually reading this book. The practices like Kriya Yoga can of course only be done rather than read to experience the path to Moksha. A highly recommended read for everyone, even those who are not spiritually inclined or think it is poh-poh, if only to catch a glimpse of sometimes magical world of our spiritual and mental powers within our own grasp, as shared in this book. Do not get me wrong - This is not a children's book on magic but does describe several feats which would appear magical but are achievable even by you and I, provided we are willing to go through the rigors required for acquiring those supernatural powers. Mind reading, Levitating, Fasting indefinitely, etc. are some of the few displayed powers of human beings described in the book along with a few examples of sages and yogis who practice those. But all-in-all, the book provides a very logic framework for people in this World to relate to Spiritualism and a path to help adopt it, without the need to do any idol worship or follow any archaic customs, but simply through self discipline and practice of certain techniques.
The following link gives access to the free online edition of the book:
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/index.html
The link to the book review of this great masterpiece:
http://www.sandeepweb.com/2007/08/22/book-review-autobiography-of-a-yogi/
I agree with Sandeep in the very first few lines when he says that "Reviewing the book is like insulting it...".
The following link gives access to the free online edition of the book:
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/index.html
The link to the book review of this great masterpiece:
http://www.sandeepweb.com/2007/08/22/book-review-autobiography-of-a-yogi/
I agree with Sandeep in the very first few lines when he says that "Reviewing the book is like insulting it...".
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