The Asocial Networking by Dhiraj Kumar is nothing but a BIG over-reaction on the impact of social networking (specifically Facebook) on our lives. It does make some pertinent points about the facade people put by showing an alternate ‘online’ life to others but goes overboard in the analysis and infuses a spirit of outlandishness that in the end harms the book far more you can think off.

It is interesting and ironical to see ourselves socializing with the help of gadgets when we could actually step forward and socialize with the person standing next to us. For the benefit of those who exhibit their social lives online, this book offers little tricks of the trade to master the art of networking and garner tangible gains in the real world. On the other hand, the author discusses our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, which are often reflected in the way we socialize on the web.

However, the extreme or negative side of the social networking is written with heavy-hand and does not presents a balanced approach to counter the positives. For instance, the author constantly harps about the fact that putting a status message of ‘DND’ on Gtalk reeks of hypocrisy and double standards. Because if you are so busy, why would you be online? But at the same time, author does not take into account that being online have also to do with professional work or an emergency issue.

I was particularly offended at various points in the book where the author judges people around him with disdain and contempt. At one point in the narrative, he even classify bisexuals as extreme perverts and voyeurs who venture out in night on social networking and prey on people. Such kind of factually incorrect, close-thinking and morally reprehensible thoughts should have been censored in the first place if there was a good editor working on this book.

Even the extremely implausible clause of Facebook getting extinct or less exciting in few years in nothing but a statement made without any solid evidence. Anyone who follows these social networking websites knows that these companies earn revenues through advertising and marketing of various companies, brands and products. To view them mere as dating or sex-mating sites is doing a grave injustice to their whole existence and as a tool of usefulness in our daily lives.

Having said that, the author does make some key observations about Facebook in our existence – people wasting time playing Zynga games, low productivity and less concentration at workplaces, too many diversions in the name of updating status and answering wall posts and my personal favourite – sexual discrimination against men on these websites. These are well thought off points which shows depth with which things are researched. I particularly liked the concept about FIPRA – Facebook International People Rating Agency, something which you may think in the future coming into action to compare people. The clause of displaying your Facebook profile at the time of an interview for a psychoanalysis assessment is a possibility which may not be far off.

In the end, the book is articulated with some well-researched points and keenly observed thoughts. I just wished it was more balanced to enjoy it even further. If you can deal or be comfortable reading ONLY negative impact of Facebook, this book may be a treat for you.

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A job cannot be mistaken for one’s life purpose. A purpose is something you would do even if you didn’t get paid for it. A job is a necessity. A purpose is your own drive for contribution. A job is something you do, even if you do not want to do it. A Purpose is something which you do because you want to do it.

Above lines from Priya Kumar’s ‘The Perfect World’ encapsulates briefly how one should view job and purpose of your life, in turn distinguishing between personal and professional life but still making most of both of them. This is the story of Niki Sanders, who while still struggling to find meaning and purpose in life, is approached with an offer to be part of a planet called ‘The Perfect world’.

She is living an ordinary life laden with fear-loaded dreams, demanding relationships, a dissatisfying job, a bitter attitude and ever eluding aspirations. In a desperate attempt to seek clarity, courage and confidence, she unwittingly leads herself into meeting with two evolved souls from across the universe. These superior souls belong to “The Perfect World” and with them Niki embarks on the most thrilling adventure of her life; an adventure into infinite possibilities and self discovery.

This part self-help book, part magic realism fiction takes you on a journey into the universe but also on a parallel journey within. Sprinkled with wisdom, the story urges you towards choices of power, passion and purpose in your daily actions leading towards spiritual awareness and spiritual greatness. The writing was crisp, editing tight and even though it is over 300 pages old, it rarely drags on.

I am not a great fan of self-help literature but once in a while comes a book which makes you change your outlook towards this genre. It provides nuanced writing, is interspersed with magic realism to keep the narrative interesting with anecdotes. Read it when you feel low in life and you will enjoy it even more!

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The Suicide Banker is the story of a young banker whose employers believe in the motto of turning conventional wisdom upside down. Against the backdrop of financial boom and subsequent meltdown during the first decade of this century. Sumit becomes an unfortunate witness, active participant and ill-fated victim in the affairs of Ind-Credit Bank. Over the course of life-altering events, the once blue-eyed boy is slowly but surely sucked into the dark abyss of financial world his dreams collapsing one by one in a heap, taking a heavy toll on his personal and professional life. Will he be able to survive?

Same in the spirit as Ravi Subramanian’s Banking trilogy, the book moves at a brisk pace and we are introduced to a range of characters from all the hierarchical levels in the bank. The mystery seems interesting to start with and you genuinely feel sympathetic towards the rigmarole of Sumit’s life. The language is crisp and there are quirky one-liners thrown in within the finance context. Even in personal relationships, there is a sincerity in Sumit’s relationship with a junior colleague but at some point in the narrative, that plot-point is conveniently side-tracked and loses momentum. Such kind of road-blocks make this book a difficult read after the initial momentum.

Problem is, there are very little nuances here, everything is sanitized and things get extremely preachy in the narrative. The author writes with a heavy hand, underlining every single point it makes while telling this story, leaving almost nothing to subtlety. As a result, the book is too long and rambles on and on when clearly a reader has run out of patience. If you’re unfamiliar with finance jargon, much of this book is going to sound like Greek to you. It could have been gritty and realistic, but it goes for a more populist tone instead. The conflict seems too simplistic in the end, and you’re pretty much bored for much of the second half. The personal life description of the main protagonist is too detailed specially including those scenes where his wife is hosting a TV show and invoking responses from audience. Almost 10 pages could have been simply edited out because it hardly makes a difference to the main narrative.

I am going with 2.5/5 for Puneet Gupta’s ‘The Suicide Banker’. It is not a bad book by any means; it is just too long, too preachy and too many characters sounding similar in the end analysis. A little restraint and light hand would have done this book a lot of good. Read it if you are from finance background, you may feel different about it.

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The theft of the precious mineral stone, the cavansite, from The Crystal Museum of Minerals has left everyone puzzled, more so because the modus operandi of the theft has uncanny similarities with an international bestseller, The Cavansite Conspiracy by Chris Carver. While the police and the curator of the museum are on the hunt, a spiritual group in Bangkok too is interested in acquiring it by any means.

Meanwhile, Koyal Karnik, a lecturer in communication studies working in Hamburg, Germany, arrives in Pune to attend her friend Jasrajs wedding. Little does she know that she will not only be implicated in the theft of the cavansite, but that her friend will be murdered, and she will be forced to become a fugitive on the run. The only person she can trust is her ex-boyfriend Neel, with whom she takes off on a journey of mystery and love from India to Hamburg, then to the Isle of Sylt and finally, a London television studio. But can she really trust anybody? And what is the connection between Jasraj and the cavansite? What is Jasrajs fiance hiding? Finally, who is Chris Carver and what is his role in the mystery?

It is fast-paced and thrilling and keeps you glued most of the time in the narrative. The twist in the end was unpredictable and it is highly unlikely many readers will be able to guess it before the climax. The story moves around various countries and a gamut of plot points which will keep you glued. I particularly liked the sensitive treatment with which the problem of left handed people in India is dealt with. Considering at one point of life, i seriously thought myself to be ambidextrous, i was able to relate to the dilemmas and social restrictions that come on the way.

The romance between the couple is fun to read and extremely relatable. Both of them have a back story to fall on and are constantly throwing repartee which make their conversations spicy and juicy. The only time the book slips up is when the author infuses a Bollywoodish feel to the narrative by concentrating too much into the romance between Koyal and Neel. Right under the nose of a death threat and conspiration to frame her, the couple play games on ice-dunes and make the romantic sparks flew. What was sorely missing was a song to be picturized on the couple in the Isle of Sylt! This acts as a deterrent to the pace of the story and intermittently takes away the focus from the murder mystery, diffusing a juveliness which is hard to fathom. But one should look beyond these nitpicking for an extremely rewarding read.

I am going with generous (3+0.5) = 3.5/5 for Manjiri Prabhu’s ‘The Cavansite Conspiracy’. Barring a few glitches in the end and a sagging middle portion, it is a tight thriller which delivers what it promises. It starts briskly and will keep you engaged most of the time. I recommend you make time to read it.

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Harbart Sarkar, sole proprietor of a business that brings messages from the dead to their near and dear ones left behind on earth, is found dead in his room after a night of drinking with local young men. He has killed himself. Why? Was it a threat to his business which brought him money, respect, a standing in the family, more clients and fame? Or was it a different ghost from his shadow life, where he was constantly haunted by his own unfulfilled dreams and delusions? And as the explosive events following his suicide reveal, as in his life, Harbart remains a mystery in death.

Based on Nabarun Bhattacharya’s eponymous Sahitya Academy award-winning novel Herbert (1997), this translation by Arunava Sinha is a challenge to the rational mind. Herbert, who grows up on the charity of his relatives, is made out to be a good-for-nothing dimwit, thereby denied a normal life. He is an orphaned member of a crumbling household, who eventually becomes a metaphor of the collapsing city. He finds himself as someone who talks to the dead, is accused as charlatan by the Rationalists’ Society, and the harmless do-gooder commits suicide. The multiplicity and the polyphony of the narrative is the most difficult matter to grapple with as it constantly moves from the comfort of a known world to the realm of the unknown. Despite a large sense of skepticism at work, when Herbert is dubbed an impostor, it is heartbreaking.

Literary translations are always difficult to do with as you not only have to recreate the milieu, but keep the basic essence of characters and the story intact. It is important to understand the story within the cultural context and make sure those regional touches are not lost in the translation. All this majorly remains in place, with elements of dark humour, sarcasm and wit present throughout the narrative. However, there are clunky transitions in the book where poems appear and at many places, where there are conversations between the characters. All this leaves you a bit unsatisfied with the final product.

I am going with 3/5 for Arunava Sinha’s translation of Harbart. It is a difficult read in a few places, but in the end keeps you glued for a major portion. Read it because it is different, set in a unique time period/milieu and makes you hooked up with the intriguing central character. In the end, it is an almost rewarding read.

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Unusual people are ordinary people who strive hard to do extraordinary things. They are sensitive to nuances, look to provide lateral solutions, dare to think out of the box, and often end up changing the rules of the game. The book mixes both the traditional and modern outlook for bringing changes in our lives by providing a sharp, concise way of dealing with tough situations.

T.G.C. Prasad presents the views and experiences of sixty-five individuals, from well-known names like Mike Lawrie, Azim Premji and Mother Teresa to a chef, a masseuse and a service boy, with whom he has had meaningful interactions and who have inspired him. He includes people from a broad professional spectrum; CEOs, doctors, the director general of police, realtors, an attorney, a chartered accountant; a consultant and a sports coach are among those who make his list. Singling out a dominant factor from each person’s story, he outlines the journeys these people undertook and the behaviours they exhibited, and shows how these links up to the results they achieved.

The book has been divided into six themes all dealing with lessons that one must learn from the business world. The author has given a number of examples in each of themes as each chapter talks about one of the individuals he met or worked with. The stories that have been jotted down are interesting and the book provides the dos and the don’ts while in it or planning to go in it!

The author does not fall into the trap where most non-fiction authors generally delve into; telling long boring corporate stories. Instead, the length of each chapter is kept to a minimum, crisply edited and does not hammer a view on the readers to the point of boredom. Essentially entrepreneurial in nature, the narrative even enjoys showing the human side of a few individuals. I particularly enjoyed the stories from the lower strata of society, they somehow makes more impact and are deftly dealt by the author.

Unusual People Do Things Differently is full of pithy everyday management lessons and offers valuable insights to everyone who aspires to grow manage and lead. Read the book in short bursts, looking for that kick-start to be inspired in your own field. Go for it!

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There is an inherent pleasure to read a book with little expectations and be pleasantly surprised with it. Prey by the Ganges by Hemant Kumar maintains a consistent tone over the course of nearly 400 pages and provides a tight thriller that is hard to put down. It helps that the author is sure-footed with the milieu the story has panned itself and brings an ensemble of engrossing characters that are difficult to get out of your mind even after finishing the book.

Set in 1948, during one night on the bank of Ganges, Vaidya Shambhu along with his servant, Hariya, are waiting for his friend, Ravi, who to had gone to Janak Ganj to trade with Thakur Suraj Singh. Shambhu, helplessly, watches his friend getting beaten to death. When the bandits leave Ravi on the brink of death, Shambhu brings the dead body, washes it and buries it. Intrigued to find the reason of his death, he starts a journey to Janaj Ganj to take on the evil Thakur, Gajanan. Both the Thakurs are competitors and are loggerheads with each other. What follows is a fascinating story about dealing with these two characters and a blood-curling heist for an exclusive diamond.

From the word go, with the nerve-wrecking description of killing of Ravi, the author barge in the point that it is not going to be an easy read. Over the course of the narrative, we are introduced to an eclectic mix of characters – the psychopath among Thakur’s men, the nubile girl having immense sexual prowess, the well-knitted thakurain, the lusty babe whose piece both the gangs want and many more. All these characters interwoven seamlessly within the narrative brings about a roller-coaster ride that will engage and enthrall you no ends.

The book flirts with such themes as the compromises of village politics, the price that must be paid for integrity, and the loss of innocence. Even these revelations aren’t of an earth-shattering magnitude, and the book feels naive for presenting them as such. But despite its shortcomings, the book works as a tight thriller that sustains dramatic tension throughout. The only time it falters is when all the blood-curling and abusive scenes starts to appear repetitively, almost sequentially making you feel like skipping the pages and get on the climactic deal.

I am going with 3.5/5 for Hemant Kumar’s debut novel, ‘Prey by the Ganges’. It is written with love, care and affection albeit portraying emotions of lust, revenge and power. A fresh voice on the Indian fiction circuit, which needs to be loved, nurtured and protected to provide us even better work in the future. Go ahead and get absorbed in a world of gory details, highly recommended!

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Welcome to the world of sorrows, tension and pressure the typical office, where employees come, do their jobs just for the money and dash back to their homes. The office here is an engineering firm which is in the process of making its mark in the world. This story revolves around two main characters working for this corporation – Zahir Pathan and Khushi Patil – and their struggle to prove themselves as worthy employees.

Work, work and work!

Well, a wave of relief is brought by Zahir. He travels into his yesteryear’s in college giving Khushi a glimpse of what he experienced during his nourishing days. Phase one begins with his five college friends, including Zahir, who are invited forcibly by one of their not-so-friendly-friend to his ancestral home where they created havoc but managed to survive the wrath of his parents. These five have an insatiable hunger for creating problems. Amidst the roller coaster ride, Zahir manages to find love in a lissom girl called Rashmi, his college friend, which unfortunately ends up disastrously. What is the reason? Will they reunite or does life has a different plot ready for them? And where does Khushi fit in?

The story begins in a typical corporate set-up with a stereotypical boss and subdued colleagues. Boss erupts, colleagues listen. The conversational format is unconventional but other incidents interspersed within the narrative are not seamless and leaves a lot to be desired. There are couple of incidents of the college days which engages the readers but are soon frittered away as none of them are strong enough to be sustained. It becomes a typical cross-religion/cultural love story which eventually makes very little impact. It gets minimum footage in the narrative and that too only towards the end.

I am going writh 2/5 for Trupthi Guttal and Zeeshan Farooqui’s ‘Chaliezz’. It starts promisingly but soon becomes a mis-mash of a love story, corporate politics and college adventures, none of them strong enough to make an impact. Read it if you must.

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FBI Special Agent Kirk Ingram’s life is torn apart when his family is brutally murdered before his eyes. Devastated physically and psychologically, he vows to destroy organized crime in all forms. Across the globe, an international trade house brings terrorist activities and organized crime together in a deadly nexus that threatens to bring the world-order to the point of anarchy. And only one man stands in the way of global terror and paranoia-one man seeking redemption, and waging a personal battle against the demons of his past…

Haunted by Douglas Misquita is a breath of fresh air in the Indian fiction. Treating the book like a lurid thriller, the author goes for an audacious tone and a brisk pace, grabbing your attention from the very word go. The action scenes have a vivid description and brings you straight to the center of the action. Even though the fact that some scenes ‘inspired’ from the Mission Impossible, The Bourne Identity and Die Hard series is difficult to ignore, the book keeps you on tenterhooks and provides a tight thriller which is difficult to put down. My favourite scene is the one action scene which happens underwater and is well written to capture the essence of the narrative.

There are new characters introduced on every 10-15 pages and if you are not attentive, there is a good chance you may miss a few of them. It is not a bad idea to read this book in fewer sittings to enjoy it to the maximum potential. These characters is the emotional core and the reason the book remains grounded even when the plot occasionally teeters on the brink of sheer cheesiness is because of the quirky, witty conversations amidst crazy things going on all around them.

The book flirts with terrorism, suicide bombers, killings, police politics and revenge drama. Even though these revelations aren’t of an earth-shattering magnitude, and the book feels naive for presenting them as such. But despite its shortcomings, the book works as a brisk thriller that sustains dramatic tension throughout. The book runs out of steam in the middle portions where the actions scenes are abundant, but brings in a fatigue factor. Couple of sub-plots involving the various FBI agents are unnecessarily stretched and could have been better edited better.

But these are mere nitpicking’s in an otherwise engaging, engrossing action pack adventure. Despite not much novelty on a plot-level, it works big time with a brisk pace, crispy editing and tight screenplay. I am going with 3.5/5 for Douglas Misquita’s ‘Haunted’. Read it if you are a fan of this genre, You will remain haunted a long time after you have finished the book.

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Achet, the lead protagonist hails from a small town. Having excelled at whatever the world threw at him, he is set to climb the tallest corporate ladders around. But he doesn’t know what he wants from life. Both, his desire to explore life and his work take him to Singapore. And thus begins the journey of self-discovery. Despite the hectic schedule at work he finds the time to cynically size up those around him, experiment with drugs, lie for cheap thrills, display a complete disregard for professional ethics, almost commits career-suicide and a cold-blooded murder. Is there salvation for Achet? If so, is the price too high?

Resident Dormitus is a polarizing book. There is so much to like in this young adult fiction, but still it fails to keep the momentum going. During the middle portions of the book, the screenplay goes in circles without achieving anything. The book is so caught up in being self-congratulatory that it doesn’t even realize where it has been slipping up. It inflicts seriously and sincerely on each of the characters but when all of them are portrayed as lazy, inactive and obsessed with booze, babes and drugs; it all becomes repetitive and to a point boring.

However, the author delves into small nuggets of life that is all so endearing. Read how Achet decides to explore the personalities of people sending official mails by observing the title and font colour. Or that scene in which a funny situation turns poignant when his friend decides to reveal about his childhood and a brooding, silent father. Even the portions when he gets drunk first time and has passed out is hilarious and keep you in spirits.

But all this does not quite fit in the scheme of things coherently. There are snake-like plot movements which do not work in taking the story forward. All the inactivity of Achet and his group of friends are likeable to start with but when the constant references of going to pubs, drinking heavily, finding girls and reflecting on their past misadventures, it all soon become all so familiar and predictable. The triggers which come off as twists in lives of the protagonist are abrupt and contrived, not investing enough in the metamorphosis for each of them.

I am going with a heavy-hearted 2.5/5 for Vikas Rathi’s ‘Resident Dormitus’. It is a book you want to desperately like because it brings those subtle nuances so effortlessly. Unfortunately, it cannot rise above its flawed script and become a sum of all its parts. Still not a bad Sunday read as it will make you think about yourself and for those moments when you have doubted your own abilities. Otherwise it is a clunky book which takes itself far too seriously for its own good. It flys, but never soars. It swells, but never bursts.

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Author: Sabarna Roy

Pentacles comprises one long story and four short poems. The work provides an interesting, yet intellectually stimulating, stories for the discerning reader. The long story is the best portion of this book, while the short poems even though competent just fill up the pages.

New Life is a long story written from the perspective of a successful adult whose mother had deserted the family for another man. The teenage angst and the scars it has left behind on the psyche of the protagonist are subtly reflected in the character. The different elements and characters of the story are interwoven to produce an intense and compelling story of an adult haunted by the trauma of being deserted by his mother. The work is interspersed with thought-provoking views on issues like love and socio-economic conditions in India. Even though the portions where the author provide his own version have clunky transitions with the main story and divert away your attention from the main story, the story as a whole stand tall because of a sensitive portrayal and inherent sincerity attached to it.

The traditional rhyme and metre dominated poems are on love, loss and longing. Unshackled by the bonds of rhyme and metre, author’s free verses evoke the stark reality of urban life, hitting you straight in the guts. The use of everyday urban imagery adds to the appeal of the compositions. The concrete prison of urban life and the unfulfilled desire to escape to a simple life is aptly brought out in The Tower. The free verses sketch out their life story with its attendant pathos, poignancy and logic. Even though i am not a great fan of poetry, but was able to relate to most of these poems because of the ease with which the author has written them in an almost routine conversations form.

I am going with 2.5/5 for Sabarna Roy’s ‘Pentacles’. Short, sweet and will leave you more or less satisfied with this variety of literature pieces string together. A quick night read after work is how i perceive this book.

The Incredible Banker is a story set in ‘Greater Boston Global Bank’ (GB2), an American Bank struggling to grow in India. It’s business is usual – until one day the CEO for the bank, Ronald McCain is quickly summoned out of his morning meeting to the RBI headquarters to meet the Governor. On his arrival, the Governor reprimanded Ronald McCain catching him totally off guard. How could something as catastrophic transpire in an organization considered to be the ultimate in banking? Ronald has no answers and numerous questions to answer.

On an another plot point, when the CBI lands up at Deepak Sarups doors trailing the scent of a the same scandal, Ronald decides to distance the bank leaving Deepak, a senior executive, to fight his own battles. Will Karan, Deepak’s one time adversary and now a Journo, bail him out? Will Savitha, his girlfriend, stand by him? And will his family; the CBI and more importantly the country believe what he says? With the media and CBI in hot pursuit, Ronald can’t help but wonder what his fate has in store for him an intriguing tale of love, politics, unbridled aggression and money laundering.

The story in itself is intrigue and complex, and with a brisk pace it provides a worthy weekend reading. The attention to detail about the banking operations is commendable and the author brings in interesting plot points ranging from Naxalities of Chattisgarh to the top management predicament about retail operations of the bank in Singapore. There are characters introduced in every 20-30 pages which introduces to an array of diverse personalities from the hierarchy of retail banking. I particularly liked the character of the CEO, Ronald who is probably etched with utmost sincerity and provides bouts of anxiety, success and anguish throughout the book. Some of the characters are under-developed (For instance the wife of a corporate head in the bank totally unaware of an extra-marital affair of his husband ); but still things move at such a hefty pace, you won’t probably notice these things. The language is simple and even though banking jargon are used abundantly, you won’t feel like suffocated in a boring corporate strategy meeting.

The only glitch i found in the book was the length, which could have been shorter by around 40 odd pages. There are long portions of back stabbing and corporate politics, reoccurring so many times in the book that it takes sucks away from the fun you are having while reading the main story. Ultimately, the author paints all the characters in broad strokes with grey shades, giving readers very little chance to feel sympathetic towards any of the them. No doubt, there are ample incidents of served imaginings telling us how cut-throat the competition is in banks where you are as good as the last target you have achieved. But how much of these corrupt measures you can take in one single book? It goes overboard while portraying the office politics and at times, stalls momentum of an other otherwise brisk narrative.

I am going with 3/5 for Ravi Subramanian’s ‘The Incredible Banker’. I quite disliked the author’s only non-fiction attempt, ‘I bought the Monk’s Ferrari’. In an email conversation, he was candid enough to admit that he want to stick to fiction genre for a while even when his only non-fiction book had sold 60k+ copies. I believe every author should try different, but ultimately find his forte. Ravi, with his latest attempt takes a right step in that direction. For all other readers out there, go ahead and get engrossed in the world of banking and politics therein.

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