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Technology is changing at a super-fast pace, it goes on to prove that the only thing that is constant in life is change. I still recollect my early days in a technology services company where we used mainframes, COBOL, and other such technologies that now seem alien to many of us 🙂 Cloud technology, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and many such trending technologies did not even exist back then. Yes, I am referring to the year 2002-2003. Hop on to my LinkedIn to get a glimpse of how things on the technological front have changed, for good 🙂

Fast-forward now, the burgeoning product industry has completely taken over yesteryears growing IT services industry. As per reports,  the global AI market, which was valued at around $93.5 billion in 2021, is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 38.1 percent from 2022 to 2030. The fast-changing technology trends are a signal to enterprises, entrepreneurs, as well as job seekers that you either evolve with time or perish!

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This is the basic premise on which Techproof Me: The Art of Mastering Ever-changing Technology by A. Siddharth Pai is built. The emergence of no-code [or low-code] has lowered the barrier to entry into technology. Non-technical founders can also make a mark in the technology industry; all they need is someone who can shape their idea into a viable product. Leading investors also resonate with the same thoughts, which is why it is imperative for organizations and individuals to keep up with the changing technological trends.

About A. Siddarth Pai

A. Siddarth Pai is the co-founder of Siana Capital and VC fund manager for deep-science and deep-technology startups that have social impact. He has close to three decades of experience working in US and Europe. He moved back to India in 2002. He has led some of the most innovative technology-sourcing transactions and advised & completed over $20 billion in transaction value. You can find out more about A. Siddarth Pai from his LinkedIn profile.

Detailed Review

It is a known fact that you need not learn to code in order to make it big in the technology industry. There are a number of successful examples that prove the earlier point. With the lowered barrier to entry, it becomes important for businesses and individuals to unlearn, learn, and re-learn things that matter in the field of technology. Remember, no one talks about COBOL, mainframes, and other such ailing technologies anymore 🙁

It is all about the Cloud, DevOps, AI, ML, Metaverse, and other such areas that are shaping the future of technology. Digital technologies have become an indispensable part of every business, irrespective of whether you own a Mom & Pop store or you own a large technology-led business. The disruption that has been caused by the growing spread of digital technologies has forced a lot of businesses to undergo positive changes 🙂 Siddarth Pai has witnessed these changes, and this book narrates every bit of it; from his own lens!

The book is divided into three distinct sections that are further divided into chapters. Each section has 5 chapters. The best part about every chapter is that Siddarth delves into the technology and business processes in a manner that can be well-understood even by the non-technical audience. Every chapter comprises of hacks that can be applied in your business in order to become technologically resilient. Since I also come with close to 18 years of experience, I could co-relate with the thoughts that are narrated by the author.

As per the author, individuals in the technology business must play either of the roles listed in SOLE [Soldier, Founder, Leader, and Empath]. Of all the chapters, my personal favorite is Chapter 7: How A Business Process Based On Old Thought Made Its Way Into The Tech Revolution. This is where the author talks a lot about the gig economy and how it has opened up opportunities for individuals from different walks of life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this particular chapter since I am also a product of the growing gig economy 🙂 The author has cited super-meaningful examples of Uber, Lyft, Dunzo, Swiggy, and more in this particular chapter. Believe it or not, each one of us is a part of the gig economy; either as a user/consumer or a contributor.

The author has also deep-dived into the changing landscape of new-age marketplaces, AI, GPT-3 [Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3], deep learning, Blockchain, etc.

Closing Thoughts

The learnings from every chapter can be used to further tech-proof your business. In case you are a working professional, the learnings from the book will help you in navigating the ever-changing tides in the world of technology. Believe me, I have personally experienced the changes!

All in all, I liked the content and could resonate with every word written in it. It is a must-read for anyone that wants to stay super-relevant in this fast-changing and the rapidly-evolving world of technology…

 

 

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There are very few self-help books that take the reader through an introspective journey. Rarely, do we come across books that make you intensely involved in its journey [or story]! I had an opportunity to read the novel ‘Jasmine Builds On Shifting Sands‘ which walks you through Jasmine’s journey of success, augmented with a one-of-a-kind, e-micro learning experience.

As mentioned on the book’s cover, the story revolves around Jasmine Arya – the main protagonist, who has a dream of making it big as a successful model in the cut-throat world of fashion. The story of Jasmine is narrated by the spiritual Guru Ma Krishnanandgiri – the spiritual guru of the book’s author – Sanjay Desai.

About the Author

Sanjay Desai is a multi-faceted personality. He is an entrepreneur, an ex-banker, and an alumnus of IIM (Bangalore). He is also a Chartered Accountant. Through this book, Sanjay wants to enrich the readers by sharing a story that seamlessly traverses through the material and spiritual world. You can find more about Sanjay Desai from his LinkedIn profile.

Detailed Review

The central character of the story is Jasmine – a college topper and super-confident girl who joins the beauty industry by sheer luck. She has her share of ups & downs as she tries to set foot in an industry which is relatively new to her. The story is about how she overcomes her fears, agonies, negativities, etc. to make a mark in the industry.

Jasmine is a quick learner who keeps learning from her mistakes. At the end of the day, life is a journey where each one of us have to strive hard to achieve our goals. Did Jasmine climb the ladder of success all by herself? Definitely not! Jasmine had the fortune to learn from her mentors who were always by her side. They played a huge role in ensuring that she develops the mental strength to stay away from external influences so that she does not shy away from her dreams.

The struggles of Jasmine are very much similar to Priyanka Chopra’s struggle in the movie Fashion. Even with the similarities, you will still be intrigued to figure out what’s next in-store for Jasmine. After reaching the peak of popularity, Jasmine’s journey starts taking a U-turn and we start to see her spiral into a downfall. Does Jasmine bounce back? If so, how does she execute the turn-around?

At this point, she is fortunate to meet Bala – a photographer, who helps her stay grounded. He introduces Jasmine to spirituality, which eventually becomes an integral part of Jasmine’s lifestyle. The book has an excellent mix of Fashion and Spirituality, as the author has successfully managed to align the age-old spiritual practices [e.g. Yoga, Meditation, Introspection, etc.] with modern-day goal setting.

The book goes on to prove the importance of being humble even when your have tasted the sweet smell of success. Spirituality is the only gateway to remain calm and stay focussed in a world where we experience distractions from all possible mediums.

The language used in ‘Jasmine Builds On Shifting Sands’ is simple & easy to understand. The core focus is showcasing the importance of mentors, spirituality, and sheer focus to keep negativities at bay so that you can achieve your goals!

Closing Thoughts

‘Jasmine Builds On Shifting Sands‘ by Sanjay Desai is a breezy read that provides a lot of practical learnings, something that is rare to find in many self-help books. We loved the way micro-learning resources are created using QR-Code for chapters – How to manage Social Media distractions for success, Learn to decode failure with Jasmine, and How to manifest your dreams.

Once you scan the QR Code, you are directed to relevant sections on ConsciousLeap where you can take relevant courses to avoid the mistakes made by Jasmine. On the whole, I liked every part of the novel and the author’s unique strategy to engage readers through unique & free courses on ConsciousLeap takes the learnings to a whole new level!

You can purchase Jasmine Builds On Shifting Sands by Sanjay Desai by clicking on the link below:

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There is one thing which is common between startups such as Housing, Snapdeal, and FreeCharge. Jason Kothari, referred as business turnaround leader was the former CEO of Housing & FreeCharge and former CSIO [Chief Strategy and Investment Officer] of Snapdeal. He started his career as the co-founder and CEO of Valiant Entertainment, a US based superhero entertainment company.

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Majority of us know about the founders of these startups but not many might know that Jason Kothari played a pivotal role in the turnaround of these companies when they were facing the the most turbulent times. He is also the Executive Producer of the Bloodshot [Sony Pictures] starring Vin Diesel.

We had the opportunity to read the book Irrationally Passionate: My Turnaround from Rebel to Entrepreneur by Jason Kothari. The book reveals the inside story of how a rebel, train-wreck kid transformed himself into a successful young entrepreneur and business leader who became one of the top ten paid executives in India while in his 30s. Irrationally Passionate is a highly personal, authentic, open, and complete account of a young entrepreneur’s life.

About the Author

Jason Kothari went on to transform distressed internet icons Housing, FreeCharge, and Snapdeal, helping them save billions of dollars in value. He is also served as the advisor for giants like Softbank and real-estate developer Emaar which has invested billions of dollars in India. You can find more about Jason Kothari from his LinkedIn profile.

Detailed Review

Before I start off with the detailed review, one thing which I have to admit is that this book was in my bucket list since this blog has been a small [yet a crucial role] by interacting with startup founders about their startups. Coming back to the review, the book starts with Jason recollecting his childhood events where he tried his negotiation skills with a seller and managed to get a chess board for Rs. 30. This is what made Jason realize that he had the persistence and gut to turn things around in his favor.

He gets the first taste of entrepreneurship at the age of 19 where he is raising funds for a company named Valiant Entertainment which he has followed since his early years. The author also touches upon his childhood life in Hong Kong and later in the US.  There are interesting learnings from the game of baseball and how Jason went on the learn the sport, inspite of facing several hurdles. As mentioned, Functioning as a unit made him realize the importance of being a selfless player and putting the team first.

It also touches upon the passion that Jason Kothari had for entrepreneurship and how he hung on to his passion. He also talks about the importance of making mistakes and not repeating the same by taking valuable lessons from those mistakes. Te most interesting part of the book is the section where he talks about the turnaround of Valiant Entertainment from bankruptcy and bringing it back to life. This is when he was the college student at Wharton and arranged funds from family & friends. Few years later, he transformed Valiant entertainment into world’s third largest superhero entertainment company which was later sold for $1oo million.

We particularly liked the chapter titled Not every seed is meant to bloom a forest which talks about the transformation of Snapdeal to Snapdeal 2.0, the turn-around of events, interaction with Snapdeal investors, transformation of FreeCharge, and more. It is a must-read for anyone who is slightly interested in entrepreneurship and startups.

Few excerpts from the book:

Sometimes, the most important decision an entrepreneur makes is knowing when to pull the plug. You have to understand what a sunk cost is and not throw good money after bad. These decisions are often among the most agonizing the entrepreneur encounters. As a battle-hardened business-people, we have conditioned ourselves to never quit, never accept defeat.

That’s what so deceiving about disinvestments or the closing of business lines or geographies – what on the surface may appear to be a ‘loss’ may actually be the key that unlocks the door to strategic wins.

There is emphasis on the sale of FreeCharge for shaping up Snapdeal 2.0. There are chapters that highlight about his role in Housing.com where he took over as the CEO at a very rocky time. He cites the importance of focusing on important features when building a product and why entrepreneurs [and key executives] should take right product decisions when building a startup. He also speaks about the series of events and interactions that led to the closure of renting module in Housing so that there is concentrated focus on the buying-selling module. He took the decision even when employees and other executives were of the firm belief that renting module was key to the company.

We liked the writing style and the usage of simple language throughout the book. It is around 230 pages long and consists of 11 chapters in total. We specifically liked the sections where he talks about his career as a turn-around specialist in prominent Indian startups. As entrepreneurship is hard, he also talks about the importance of meditation in controlling emotions and reducing stress & anxiety.

Closing Thoughts

It would have been better if more details were added about how Jason Kothari dealt with decision differences with other leaders within the company, internal politics being played, and more. This would have been an icing on the cake for this otherwise wonderful read!

You can purchase Irrationally Passionate: My Turnaround from Rebel to Entrepreneur by Jason Kothari by clicking on the link below:

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What is one thing that comes to our minds when we refer the term banking? An immediate picture that we visualize is about customers lined up in different queues for getting their banking work done – a brick and mortar banking experience where long waits are normal to get queries sorted and numerous follow-ups and visits to the bank branches for document submission, etc. are regular features. The list can be endless but the picture being portrayed may not be relevant to the Banks of today since Digital Banking is changing the face of banking.

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Now  touch a button and you would come to know whether you are eligible to apply for a home-loan of ‘x’ amount or what should be your ideal investment approach to save taxes. Though there are some banks that like to reinvent the technological wheel, banks like HDFC Bank have pioneered to transform into a Digital Bank via partnerships, in-house innovations, and building products with a customer-centric approach. HDFC Bank is India’s largest private-sector bank and a bank that it too big to fail as per the Reserve Bank of India [RBI].

How did HDFC bank manage to transform itself from a Lifecycle bank to a Lifestyle bank?  How did the bank shape its digital journey? What are some of the innovations from the largest bank in India by market capitalization? If you are curious to know the behind the scene transformation story, you must grab a copy of HDFC Bank 2.0: From Dawn to Digital by renowned journalist Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

Aditya Puri, the MD of HDFC Bank also considered as Bachchan of Indian banking is one man who led this transform from forefront. He has been at the helm for 25 years; his journey in HDFC Bank started way back in 1994 when he joined as India’s Chief. The book captures the bank’s journey under the leadership of Aditya Puri. Tamal Bandyopadhyay combines his financial knowledge, eye for detail, and excellent storytelling style to create a vivid portrait of India’s most valuable bank and its path to the future.

The book is divided into three sections

  • The Digital Journey
  • The Flashback
  • The Puri Legacy

In the year 2015, dramatic changes were happening in the financial services sector due to simultaneous trends in technology, regulation, and markets. The rise of the smartphone, India’s unique ID system Aadhar, and payment innovations like Unified Payment’s Interface [UPI] were creating a branchless distribution channel. This was the time when the Reserve Bank of India [RBI] issued license to many new banks dedicated to payments to bring in fresh, technology-savvy competition. It is around the same time i.e. September 2014 when seeds of transformation were sowed in HDFC Bank. It was time to be disrupted or become a disruptor!

Aditya Puri had made a trip to the Silicon Valley, a year earlier in September 2014, to have a bird’s-eye view of the innovations and developments in the Valley. The idea was to gauge the kind of impact technology has on the finance and banking sector. The lesson learned was that the team at HDFC Bank had to roll-up their sleeves to lead the digital disruption in India. The top-guns in the bank were convinced that to shape the ideas at a lightning-fast speed, they had to act and execute like a startup.

They worked on a series of strategies to reduce the turn-around time involved in core banking systems like loan processing/approval, a recommendation of useful products based on customer’s profile, accelerated funds transfer, mobile banking, shopping, etc. Digitization would not only enhance the overall customer experience but it would also reduce the operating costs.

It is important to note that before leveraging digital technologies, HDFC Bank came up with the idea of ‘missed call banking’ in the year 2013. Though HDFC Bank was not the inventor of the technology, it was the first to implement it at scale!  The strategy ahead was to provide speed, use technology to do credit & risk management at scale, improve customer experience using Artificial Intelligence [AI] & Machine Learning [ML], leverage the power of Aadhar [eKYC, UPI, etc.] and other elements of the India Stack.

This led to the development of products like Chillr [money transfer over the phone using an App], EVA [Electronic Virtual Assistant]; a chatbot to handle queries from customers, migration from internal systems of record to platforms so that the bank can provide API [Application Programming Interface]. series of innovations enabled the bank to launch new products in the consumer banking & loans category for both urban & rural customers.

[L-R] Nandan Nilekani, Tamal Bandyopadhyay and Aditya Puri at the Bengaluru Launch

HDFC bank also came up with the idea of SmartBuy where everything [traveling, shopping, etc.] was available at one place. The bank did not charge a commission from their sellers since the intent was to increase the overall customer base and provide a gamut of services to its customers.

The book touches upon many such innovations, some of them were developed in-house and many were developed by partnering with start-ups & leading companies in banking & finance software. This might be of huge interest to entrepreneurs, management professionals, CEOs as well as engineers who want to execute things at scale. It also walks us through the leadership style of Aditya Puri, his customer engagement skills [even at a grassroots level], his Lucky-13 team  that built the bank and, finally, how a big organization [like HDFC Bank] can achieve wonders by becoming agile in changing the business environment.

The Flashback section also talks about the initial days of the formation of the bank, how Deepak Parekh hand-picked Aditya Puri for the important job, and more.

We had an opportunity to attend the launch event of the book in Bengaluru where the author, Aditya Puri, and Nandan Nilekani were present. Aditya Puri shed some light on his personal life as well and how he manages to have work-life balance even at his position. It was fun as well as insightful to attend the event. Along with the knowledge that we gained, we also got a signed copy of the book!

Have you read the book ‘HDFC Bank 2.0 – From Dawn to Digital‘; do leave your biggest learning from this immersive read.

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Technology and businesses are changing at a rapid pace and enterprises have to be more agile in accepting changes and challenges. Companies like Nokia and Kodak that were once considered torch-bearers in their respective businesses were outpaced by their competitors since they showed resistance in adapting to change. The same thinking is also applicable to managers, leaders, as well as employees in an organization. This is where ‘agile thinking’ or an ‘agile mindset’ can make a huge impact on the growth of any business/organization. One of the biggest challenges that enterprises are facing today is how to deal with disruptions arising from fast-paced change. This change is largely driven by technological innovation to the extent that it is forcing enterprises in every sector to put technology to the core [Tech@Core] of their business.

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The change is so disruptive and fast that no enterprise regardless of its age/size can take its survival for granted. Hence, enterprises modeled after ‘mechanistic systems’ will struggle to deal with fast-paced change. ‘Enterprise Agility’ is the solution that will enable enterprises to deal with the fast-changing environment, but more importantly, to leverage change for competitive advantage and customer delight. This is the basic premise of Sunil Mundra’s book ‘Enterprise Agility – Being Agile in a Changing World‘ that shows how an enterprise can address the above mentioned problems and thrive in a dynamic business environment. We earlier had a detailed interaction about Agile, his insights into Enterprise Agility, etc.; you can find more details here.

About the Author

Sunil Mundra is a Principal Consultant at ThoughtWorks with decades of consulting experience, working with some of the world’s largest enterprises. He has helped organizations tackle their most urgent business challenges and has worked with senior executives to shape and execute their roadmap for change. You can learn more about Sunil through his LinkedIn profile.

Enterprise Agility- Detailed Review

Before we deep-dive into the details of the book. It is very important to have a look at the sentiment of agility as mentioned in the Agile Manifesto – Agility is the ability to both create and respond to change in order to profit in a turbulent business environment. In order to understand agility, we can have a look at a scenario where ‘Your car is sent for servicing and neither Uber/Ola is available. Your end-goal is to reach the office‘. You either take the approach of car-pooling or use an altogether different transport system like the Bangalore metro to beat the traffic. This is where ‘Agile Thought-Process’ kicks in, where you have to come up with options, evaluate their pros and cons, and shortlist the best possible transport option [taking into account parameters like travel time, distance, cost, etc.]. This is a simple example of how an individual can deal with uncertainty, and the impact of ‘Agile Thinking’ becomes multiplied when organizations have to deal with change. This is where ‘Enterprise Agility’ by Sunil Mundra provides a step-by-step guide to facing and accepting uncertainty head-on. There are a lot of subtle comparisons in the book to drive interest and engagement. One such example is the comparison of ‘agility’ or ‘enterprise agility’ to the human body. Below is an excerpt from the book where the author draws that comparison

The approach of enterprise agility must be based on treating the enterprise like a living system, say a human body, rather than treating it like a machine, such as a car. When the machine slows down or breaks, the relevant part of the machine can be fixed or even replaced. However, if the overall health of a human being is not good, it can rarely be cured by just fixing a specific part or parts of the body.

Similar to the example mentioned above, the book talks about mechanisms to achieve optimal agility at the enterprise level, taking the key stakeholders – people, processes, organization structure, governance, technology, customers into consideration and how they can be enabled/leveraged to achieve enterprise agility. The book is partitioned into different sections as mentioned below

Let’s have a detailed look at each of these sections

Part 1 – This section examines the challenges of fast-paced change both from an opportunity and threat perspective. It also showcases how the capabilities underlying agility can help the enterprise to leverage change to its advantage.

Part 2 – This section examines the three foundation blocks of enterprise agility namely; modeling the enterprise of a living system, mindset, and culture and leadership. This section provides a lot of insights on how to migrate from a close-ended system to becoming a living system. It also sheds light on how leaders in an enterprise can maneuver the mindset and promote a culture of agility in the organization.

Part 3 – This section examines the critical components of an enterprise – organization, structure, process, people, technology, governance, customer, and patterns on how to unlock and enhance the agility of these components.

Part 4 – This section is helpful for managers and leaders who manage distributed teams and technology partners. It also shares insights on how to leverage them for enhancing enterprise agility.

Part 5 – The concluding part of the book provides a framework/action plan on how the learning can be implemented in the specific context of an enterprise.

The overall organization of the chapters in the book is uniform since it follows a common structure – Significance, Inhibitors to agility, Enablers of agility, and further references. The book provides detailed insights into Complex Adaptive Systems [CAS]

Complex Adaptive Systems are complex in that they are dynamic networks of interactions, and their relationships are not aggregations of the individual static entities, that is, the behavior of the ensemble is not predicted by the behavior of the components. They are adaptive in that the individual and collective behavior mutate and self-organize corresponding to the change-initiating micro-event or collection of events.

Some of the key characteristics of CAS are

  • Continuous evolution
  • Autonomous and self-organizing agents
  • Agent’s interactions influence system behavior
  • Agent’s behavior is driven by purpose
  • Variety as a source of strength

Agents are the change-makers in the CAS and CAS behavior is driven by inter-relationships, interaction, and inter-connectivity of the agents within a system and between a system and its environment. The table below highlights the summary of the implications for businesses, which are derived from the characteristics of a Complex Adaptive System [CAS]

Some of the key-takeaways from Sunil Mundra’s book ‘Enterprise Agility’ are

  • Drive agility-oriented change across the enterprise.
  • Understand why agility matters [more than ever] to modern enterprises.
  • Adopt and influence an Agile mindset in your teams and in your organization.
  • Understand the concept of a CAS and how to model enterprise and leadership behaviors on CAS characteristics to enhance enterprise agility.
  • Understand and convey the differences between Agile and True enterprise agility.
  • Create an enterprise-specific action plan to enhance agility.
  • Become a champion for enterprise agility.
  • Recognize the advantages and challenges of distributed teams, and how Agile ways of working can remedy the rough spots.
  • Enable and motivate your IT partners to adopt Agile ways of working.

Unlike other books on Agile and Agile Methodologies, Enterprise Agility by Sunil Mundra deep dives into the concepts of organizational agility with apt examples and well-developed framework for leaders. The author illustrates how to transition from Agile to agility at scale and sustain it to delight customers. The most interesting part about the book is that author Sunil Mundra has come up with learnings and examples based on his experience in delivery and consulting.

Target Audience

The book is apt for C-level executives, delivery managers, enterprise and leadership coaches, or any person who has influence in enabling change within an organization. The learnings from the book can be used by executives, irrespective of the size and scale of the organization.

You can buy ‘Enterprise Agility: Being Agile in a Changing World’ by Sunil Mundra from here.

Have you read ‘Enterprise Agility’?, please leave your key-learnings in the comments section…

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There are a lot of sayings about the awesome feeling called ‘Love’. Many say that marriages are made in heaven and there is only one happiness in this life – ‘to love and to be loved‘. This concept has been depicted in many Indian movies and it also brings a feel-good factor in the audience present in the theater. Many novels have also been written on the same theme and surprisingly, most of them portray frustrated love and the upheavals it causes in life. If you ask any of your friends or colleagues about their ideal life-partner, the first quality that most of them look in their partner is ‘loving & caring attitude’. Many times, that feeling of everlasting love dies with time and the reason should be introspected by ‘the couple who was once madly in love with each other’.

The point to ponder over here is ‘If love is such an overwhelming emotion in human society, then why it does not last?’. Why is humanity losing faith in the existence of true love? Why are people losing faith in the institution of marriage? These are some of the important questions that would come to your mind when you hear the word ‘True Love’.

As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of books that preach about love or showcase ‘rosy things’ about that amazing feeling, but sadly you cannot employ their learnings in real life since situations are completely different in reality. This is what prompted noted author Shubha Vilas to come up with a book that explores the idea of eternal love, love that withstands the test of time. Unlike other books in a similar genre that only depict fictional love stories, his book ‘Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship’ is a thought-provoking narrative that presents six attributes of relationships that can make your love story a phenomenon that lasts a lifetime.

Today we review the book Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship by the noted author Shubha Vilas. We have reviewed earlier books by Shubha Vilas namely Open Eyed Meditations, Ramayana: The Game of Life (Shattered Dreams), and Ramayana: The Game of Life (The rise of Sun Prince).

About the Author

Shubha Vilas holds a degree in engineering and law with a specialization in patent law. But in essence, he is an author, a motivational speaker, lifestyle coach, and a storyteller par excellence. You can find more about him here

Detailed Review

Since childhood, many of us have been listening to mythological stories like the Ramayana, Mahabharatha, etc. and characters & learnings are in someway etched in our minds. There are many characters in each of these series that are ‘ideal portrayal’ of real love. Like Shubha Vilas’ previous books where he utilized the medium of ‘mythology’ to come up with stories & learnings that can still be implemented in today’s era, the stories in this book is primarily derived from the Mahabharatha,  the Srimad Bhagavat, and the Kathasaritsagara. The book comprises of selected six stories that have nail-biting twists and turns with edge-of-the-chair adventures. These are the tales of adventure and intense love, love that tests the limits of patience in lovers who find their faith in unconditional trust, compassion, and forgiveness.

Nala and Damayanti, Krishna and Rukmini, Shakuntala and Dushyanta, Udayana and Vasavadatta, Satyavan and Savitri, Draupadi and the five Pandava brothers – these are the accounts we may have heard many a time but not had an opportunity to understand in such depth and detail, and with such empathy. These stories are narrated in a beautiful manner, which keeps the readers engaged & connected, even if you have no prior knowledge about mythology or the central characters mentioned in the book. The stories are written in a simple, yet artistic manner so that it strikes a chord with the audience. In case you already have prior knowledge about these mythological characters, the book would add a fresh perspective to your understanding. Each chapter/story in the book ends with a crisp write-up about the learnings from the same. This is a similar format followed in his other books and we are glad that Shubha Vilas has stuck to the same format 🙂

The title mentions 5.5 ways and not 6; the primary reason is that the sixth way is a half-truth, which can be twisted either way. Below is the list of chapters in the book

  1. Wheel of Fortune
  2. The Golden Letter
  3. A Silent Voice
  4. The Other before Oneself
  5. The Woman who Chose
  6. A Condition about Conditions

There are many one-liners in each chapter and each word in the one-liner conveys a lot of meaning that makes you ponder about love, life, and yourself. Some of the notable one-liners are below:

  • Just like birthmarks on your body reveal your identity, your values are birthmarks on the soul that reveal your character.
  • When you jump to conclusions, you land in the quicksand of confusion. Ask rather than bask in conclusions.
  • Love is planted by active care, rooted in trust, watered by words, nourished by struggles together, protected by commitment, decorated with fond memories and made to blossom with reciprocation.
  • When you don’t make choices, life will not give you options.
  • To accept reality one needs dignity and humility. Dignity to stand after a fall and humility to say, ‘I tried’.
  • Attachment and detachment are twins that look alike but have completely different natures.
  • The cost of love can only be paid by the currency of sacrifice.
  • A disturbed person is looking for hope, not advice.
  • The only thing that is predictable about the future is that it’s unpredictable.
  • Just as one ant in the ear of a huge elephant throws it off completely, sometimes a tiny defect in a human being, amongst oodles of good qualities, messes up his life completely.

It is these small factors that add a lot of punch in each story and this is what makes the book ‘Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship’ a read whose learnings can be incorporated in real-life. You can refer to these learnings when you are at a crucial & critical juncture of your love-life!

Closing Thoughts

Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship is a book that can be read again and again since it reveals many profound thoughts that can nurture a different aspect of your life. This is one thing that is true for any book written by Shubha Vilas.

You may ask that in an era when the institution of marriage itself is being questioned, does it make sense to read a book that talks about love stories of stable marriages from an ancient age? You can find out the reason by delving deep into this book. Combing powerful story-telling with deep philosophical truths, ‘Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship’ is a treasure trove of scriptural wisdom for the modern age.

You can purchase Perfect Love: 5.5 Ways to a Lasting Relationship by Shubha Vilas by clicking on the link below

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Each one of us would have encountered situations that would have acted as a complete life-changer. Some of them would have brought the best out of you, whereas some could have shattered your life. The impact of the incident or situation would be of higher magnitude in case it involves the family members.

However, what happens if you come to know about some of the mysteries surrounded in your life. Well, your life would go completely topsy-turvy once you realize the same. ‘I Owed You One‘ by Doctor Madhu Vajpayee is one such novel that involves various emotions that a person has to go through when he is put under testing circumstances.

Today we review the book ‘I Owed You One’, a heartwarming story of love, duty, and courage.

I Owed You One: Trailer

Dev Khanna has it all before a mysterious letter shakes the very foundation he has built his life on. With beliefs challenged, he decides to close the chapter once for all. I Owed You One is the story of promises, triumphs, defeat, and of holding on and letting go.

About the Author: Dr. Madhu Vajpayee

Dr. Madhu Vajpayee studied her MBBS from KGMU, Lucknow and MD from AIIMS, New Delhi. The writer in her was born somewhere in those hospital corridors where she spent the last two decades of her life. After writing several scientific papers and chapters in books, I Owed You One is her second journey in the literary world, the first being Seeking Redemption. When not creating stories, she enjoys traveling and reading.

I Owed You One: Detailed Review

The central character of the novel is Dev Khanna, a chemical engineer based out of Australia. Dev is happily married to his wife Radhika and has an adorable son named Neel. He is very well to do and his life is progressing at a steady pace when suddenly he receives a mysterious letter from his hometown in India. What is inside the letter and how this small piece of paper changes so many lives is what is answered in the novel I Owed You One. The letter results in a series events of self-realization which form the crux of the story.

Though Dev is very well to do, he has attained this stature by facing a lot of difficulties. He had a troubled childhood where his father used to constantly ignore his mother and did not have any emotional bonding with her. Due to such bad behavior, Dev Khanna never shared a good rapport with his father. Such events leave a mark in his mind and would never leave him even when he leaves India for settling in Australia. The passing away of his mother has a deep-rooted impact on him since she had always been his pillar of support.

After fighting so many odds, Dev still does well on the professional front but these haunting personal memories never left him. The mysterious letter from India just acts as a trigger and this is where the story goes into flashback. He goes back to India and this is where starts a journey filled with emotions, anger, anxiety, etc.

All the characters namely Dev Khanna, his wife Radhika, son Neel, including the supporting cast of Mr. Goyal who is Dev’s host in India, driver Shahid have been etched with perfection. The story is written in a subtle manner and each character plays a pivotal role in the novel. As the story progresses, you can feel for Dev Khanna and start realizing his feelings. There are a lot of interesting quotes or one-liners about Dev’s bonding with his mother, his love for India, friendship, etc. The best quote in the book is

Even Phenomenal amount of wealth doesn’t guarantee any security against unhappiness

The storytelling by Dr. Madhu is spot-on with characters entering and exiting scenes at the right time. At around 258 pages long, I Owed You One is a fascinating read and sends a very important message that irrespective of the amount of wealth a person owns, he cannot buy true happiness!

Closing Thoughts

I Owed You One is a must-read novel if you looking for an interesting story with path-defining characters. The story is etched in a very beautiful manner where relationships are given primary importance.

Overall Rating – 4.5/5

You can purchase I Owed You One by Dr. Madhu Vajpayee by clicking on the link below

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

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One common trait that you would find in any working professional is the urge to do something different in life. It is a general human tendency that you would never be completely satisfied with what you own and there is always craving for something more. In order to chase materialistic dreams, most of them over-work without realizing their interests and what they intend to do for the rest of their lives. Only after joining the corporate bandwagon, they realize their interests due to which you might come across many of them leaving the corporate world to pursue their dreams. It takes a lot of guts to leave a stable paying job to take up film-making, stand-up comedy, blogging, etc. since it involves a lot of risks but the entire journey would be memorable.

Image Source – The Big Switch

Unlike the older generation, youngsters have different career options and it is only a matter of doing a self-realization on how you can convert those dreams into reality. The millennial generation does not maintain work-life balance due to which you would see rising cases of stress, anxiety, insomnia as well as depression. They need to find that sweet spot in order to lead a happy life.

These are some of the topics that would connect with the current generation and forms the basic premise of The Big Switch: It’s never too late by John Thomas. The story revolves around Keith, a 24-year-old man who works in an MNC but his life is at crossroads as he needs to make important decisions in order to find true happiness.

The Big Switch: It’s never too late: Trailer

The central character of the book Keith is a 24-year-old software engineer working in an MNC named H&G, India. Life is going smoothly for him since he has a stable well-paying job, a loving girlfriend Maya but yet he has lost mojo in life. He is not happy and in the quest to find true happiness, a series events occur that completely change his life.

So, would Keith be able to restore the lost mojo and what happens to his personal life, would he be able to handle the stress that is associated with the change? These are some of the things that form the crux of the story in The Big Switch: It’s never too late

The Big Switch: It’s never too late: Detailed Review

The central character of the novel is Keith, a 24-year-old engineer who is leading a normal life and has a stable job in an MNC named H&G. He is talented, hardworking and ambitious by nature. He also has a beautiful girlfriend named Maya with whom he shares a very beautiful relation. But as it happens with each one of us, you have to go through some rough patches and the same thing happens with Keith as well. Also, there is a purpose that each one us needs to accomplish and many times, we shift the focus from our purpose, ambitions & join the rat-race.  Keith also goes through a similar dilemma since he is not truly happy, though he has all the things that a 24-year-old would aspire for.

You only learn when you fall and this is what happens with Keith as well. Due to some circumstances, his longtime girlfriend Maya breaks-up with him and his life enters into a lean phase. Keith is shaken and heart-broken but he takes up this challenge positively and tries to find his long-lost ‘happiness’. So, does he quit his well-paying job to pursue his dreams and makes the big switch or he continues living a mundane life. These are some of the important questions that are answered in his hard-hitting novel.

Any youngster would have to go through such phase where he needs to take important life decisions and this is why readers of the Big Switch can co-relate with the male protagonist. In life, you have to take calculated risks since there is no gain without pain. Along with the right career choices, you also need to make the right personal choices.

While reading the story, you can easily visualize the characters and the story is etched in your minds since it is told in a very subtle manner. The story-telling is simple yet hard-hitting since it makes readers reflect about their lives. Apart from Keith, Maya, there is one more female character who eventually becomes Keith’s lady luck since she truly loves and supports him. The editing is also good and narration is also very good. At around 300 pages long, ‘The Big Switch: It’s never too late’ is a breezy read and its learnings would be etched in your mind forever.

Closing Thoughts

The Big Switch: It’s never too late is a must-read novel especially for the youngsters who are always in dilemma on what they want to do with their lives. The central character Keith showcases all the right traits and fights hard to lead a happy life. There are a number of novels where the plot loses charm once more characters are introduced in the story but that is the case with John Thomas’s novel. The plot is gripping and as the story progresses, you learn life lessons from the situations that Keith faces. The novel is highly recommended!!

Overall Rating – 4.5/5

You can purchase The Big Switch: It’s never too late by John Thomas from here

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!