Richard Branson: Losing my Virginty

It was like eons ago that Kuldeep had suggested me to read this book, but somehow I never read it for years and then finally found the time to sit back , put up my legs and enjoy a good ride through Richard's life. The title might put off people, but its just that a title to grab your attention and have high recall and as the author himself says he always whats to be a bit cheeky when it comes to giving names;)

The journey begins rather just a decade ago with a balloon trip, and attempt to fly across the world that I and probably others will also faintly recall. The in-depth detail, imminent dangers and just trying to relive the journey hooked me on to the book. It isn't surprising that the author knows how to get you hooked on is it;). I believe this is what separates what Virgin has always done and still does today. It has its own personality, driven by its founder, of fun, cheekiness a bit rebellious but all in control. No challenge is too hard and there is always an itch to be different and deliver different products/services.

Quite surprising to know that Richard was dyslexic and isn't really a connoisseur of music , but was someone who saw an opportunity and just went ahead with it. I believe the lesson to be driven home is it be committed to one's idea and put it in the best work possible, seems an often heard cliche' but then you have such an inspiring example to substantiate.

One of the few mistakes to learn from, never try to take a short cut to success , however short and however risk less it may seem. No blots any where please.

There are very good reasons why reading the book now actually makes sense to me rather than during graduation.
It probably helps in understanding the difficulty in deciding to sell off something you have created and grown for decades in this case Virgin Music and after all that have the guts and gumption to start of and make head way in an altogether diverse industry- The Virgin Airlines.

What probably is not talked about much in the book but clearly stands out is the power of the Virgin brand. Reading this book would at-least make budding entrepreneurs think twice before naming their ventures cause after the brand is built and you wish to diverse utilizing its brand power, it might just be too late:)

Looking at the personality of the protagonist , he is someone who keeps challenging himself , a first rate jugadu inssan who always believes that nothing is beyond his reach and instead of the arrogance that most people display with that belief, he actually accepts plurality and has a clear openness to all sorts of people and solutions.

Things to take away from the book:
1.) Start off on your idea, start small and stay put no matter what.
2.) No shortcuts however tempting it might be.
3.) Enjoy and Explore life.
4.) Keep challenging yourself.
5.) If there is a system it can always be bettered.
6.) Blue Ocean baby!!

The Immortals of Meluha

I had read a lot about this book, great publicity and when I saw it on the bestsellers list had to check it out . Glad I did because I had a jolly good time reading it.

The book aims to be human version of the Shiva story, pegging the lord himself to be just another human with a twist that his karma makes him into a Lord worth worshiping. Whether this attempt had to made is a question I leave to the serious theists, I for one welcome the attempt for the purely creative exercise it requires. The most challenging tasks would have been to connect the personalities and events as stated by the scriptures and fit it into the current setting. What I enjoyed most was trying to figure out the inspirations the author used make the book come alive.

So then, at the start we have the tribal leader Shiva fighting off enemies from encroaching onto the Manasarovar Lake and from there the journey to uncovering the truth about his destiny is a fascinating story. There is the Harry Potter-esque self-fulfilling prophecy which is the crux of the book, the humanization of Shiva has been handled very carefully with the friendly jibes, the pain of inaction, the meandering self-doubts as well as the rash decisions made when the emotions run high. The caste system has been debated and book proposes the ideal system our generation would agree to, in theory. Then there is the age old saga of good versus evil with the twist of recognizing who is evil and who is good cause its always the winner who writes history.

The writing overall is amateurish , given the fact that its the author's first book it still delivers.Just maybe the oft repeated good vs. evil could have been toned down.
What impressed me was the finer details of the journey , the security and the battle plans that were provided ,this not only shows the effort but also gathers the readers involvement.
On the authenticity part, I gave up judging it when I was still half way through, especially when modern day hindi is used liberally given the fact that the story is set in 1900 B.C and even the jokes used are from 21st century A.D:). The book bases itself on the fact that everybody is god and delivers that message to a certain extent.The ending though in suspended animation which would be fit for a TV episode, but has been applied to a book just leaves me cursing the author:)

All in all an awesome book to chill out with this summer. (if you do not take the mash-up of mythology seriously:))

Ratings:4/5
Genre: Indian Fiction