Setting up your God's Own Office!

Writer Sudha Murthy explains how guys in a metro like Bengaluru wants a stress free life but don’t want to leave the city fearing loss of pay and the amenities big cities provide. What if you can achieve both i.e get stress free life as well as get paid like the ones who work in metros?

I believe most of us dream of such a well balanced life. We are in the big cities only because there are not enough job opportunities in small towns in India. We want a simple yet fulfilling life – enjoy marvels of nature, get soaked in festive spirit of religious gatherings, attend family functions or see our small town transform. Now, you would have many guys talking at length about this. Have you come across anybody who actually tried working from his hometown relishing every bit of his stay without compromising on the earnings from a big city?

What is it about? James Joseph is a small town guy who like many other middle class Indians has followed the well tread path of earning a foreign degree and finding his place in the corporate world as a global executive. Now, he wants to come back to India. But not to India of big cities but to Bharath of small towns! How he accomplishes this dream without compromising on his earning potential and work life resonance is what the book is all about.

Planning: James has carefully planned his move back to India. First he lands up in Bangalore to make his next move to Aluva, a small town near Kochi, Kerala.

Hunt for Alexander's treasures in Indian subcontinent

If winning numerous battles to form one of the largest empires in the world was a big challenge then, bigger challenge was to manage the huge wealth acquired during the process. One of the most celebrated emperors of the world, Alexander the Great faced the same problem during his conquest of Indian subcontinent. K N Ganeshaiah's novel Chitadanta begins with this dilemma of the emperor. If Karisiriyana, Ganeshaiah's earlier novel focused on the history of south India, canvas here is bigger. It spans from the present Afghanistan to modern day Patna. The story even revolves around several kingdoms - Mauryas, Nandas, Kingdoms of Kalinga, Burma and Sri Lanka. 

Chitadanta Cover Page

Decoding the treasure map by making use of Buddhist, Mauryan and Greek symbols and riddles makes this book a fascinating read. In the process, the author busts few historical myths. You would definitely find the answers to the following questions in the book - Who are Ajivikas and Theravadis? What is the significance of Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at Kandy in Sri Lanka? Why did Buddhism almost vanish from the country of its origin, India? Though Buddha was against idol worship, how did his idol become the most recognizable symbol of Buddhism all over the world? Who are the people of Kalash community living in the present day Pakistan? Why did Chanakya make Amatya Rakshasa, a Nanda loyalist who was dead against the Mauryan empire, the minister of Chandragupta Maurya? What is the significance of the solar eclipse which occurred during Emperor Ashoka's reign? Why did the famed king Ashoka build a hell(naraka) in his kingdom? What was the reason behind Alexander building the city of Alexandria Bucephalous? What more, you have real life characters like Osama Bin Laden and Dalai Lama. I think these teasers are enough for the history enthusiast to venture into the amazing world of Chitadanta. 

Buy Chitadanta Here

India's Dan Brown and Mysteries of Vijayanagara Empire

Are you curious about the mysteries of wealthy and prosperous Vijayanagara Empire? Well, then you ought to read this novel. Karisiriyana is a work of fiction in Kannada. But not all the details in this book are fictitious. Vijayanagara Empire is regarded as one of the most powerful and wealthy kingdoms in Indian history. But then it is not clear where all the wealth in the form of precious stones, jewels which were said to be sold on the streets of Hampi, the illustrious capital city of Vijayanagara kingdom disappeared after the fall of the mighty empire. This book makes an effort to unravel the mystery.

How did Tirupati temple became the richest temple in the world? (Though this have to be corrected now as Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram set to overtake after it's riches were discovered in 2011. But the novel was written in 2009). Author K N Ganeshaiah crafts the story around various hidden clues to find out the lost treasure of forgotten empire.

Karisiriyana Cover Page

One exciting aspect of Ganeshaiah's novel is that he gives you references from historical texts as footnotes. Also, included are the relevant photographs from historical places. So, the reader is kept guessing as he fails to make distinction between fact and fiction, and that is what gives the reader a wonderful reading experience. In the process, one learns easy way to learn about Indian history rather than getting bogged down by boring historical text books.

The novel begins with references to two historical letters. Folklorist Nanjamma is found dead in her home at Nangli, which is on the way to Chittoor from Mulabagilu in National Highway number 4. ASI(Archaeological Survey of India) plans to build a garden in Hampi comprising of flora from Vijayanagara era. When they are digging the area for the soil testing, botanist Dr.Vasudev discovers diamonds there. Pooja is researching on secret financial tie-up between Vijayanagara kings and Tirupati temple. When she is in Tirumala hills as part of her research, CBI arrests her. In remote corner of Kashmir, Indian army takes Bhavana into custody who was studying life and ways of an exotic community. NRI Lakshmikanth Patel gets elected to the committee which monitors the preservation of World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO after fierce lobbying. Though you may think the above details are not related to each other, you eventually find how all these get interlinked in the novel. You will be amazed to find answers to the following questions too from Indian history - Where all the treasure disappeared after the fall of Vijayanagar Empire? Is there any cosmic geometric connection in planning the city of Hampi? How did Vijayanagar Kingdom become so prosperous? Why were silver/gold coins were called as varahas in Kannada/Telugu during that time? If Telugu is not the mother tongue of Sri Krishnadevaraya then what is it?

It would not be a surprise in the coming days, if K N Ganeshaiah earns the title - India's Dan Brown because of his research oriented historical novels. I am already reading his another historical novel - Chitadanta which has references from the times of Alexander, Emperor Ashoka and Theravada Buddhism.

Buy Karisiriyana Here:

All About Beladingala Baale

Beladingala Baale is one my favourite films. I was thinking of blogging about this movie for a long time. After I read the novel based on which the film is made, I had enough material to talk about the epochal movie.

The Movie: The movie is based on original Telugu novel - Vennelalo Aadapilla by Yandamoori Veerendranath. This was translated to Kannada by Vamshi as Beladingala Baale, which later was made into film. Incidentally, Vamshi also wrote dialogues for the movie or rather dialogues from the novel are adapted in the film without any modifications. Beladingala Baale literally means "lady in the moonlight". Story revolves around Revanth(played by Ananth Nag), a grandmaster who is set to find out the identity of his fan who calls him often and whom he refers to as beladingala baale. Beladingala Baale gives Revanth the clues to find her out. How Revanth accomplishes his task forms the gist of the movie.

Original Novel : I was looking for the novel in Kannada based on which the movie is made. Thanks to my friend Guru, I got hold of the book from an old books store. The novel was published in the year 1984. I also found out that the novel was serialized in Kannada magazine Sudha then.

More about Chess : If you are not devout follower of Chess, while reading the novel you will come to know many fascinating aspects about the game originated in India. One of the highlights of the movie is the blind fold chess game protagonist Revanth plays. Before this he is accused of hypnotizing his opponent. The book provides the background for this plot(In 1978, Anatoly Karpov was accused of hypnotizing his opponent Viktor Korchnoi in the game at Baguio in the Philippines). Also, if the game is extended to the next day, what ensures that the opponent does not get an overnight for thinking about his next move. One has to make 16 moves within an hour of his play else he will loose the game(with the time being counted by the stop clocks provided to both the players)

Working in Telephone Exchange : The book discusses about the problems women working at the telephone exchange had to face(though the scenarios here are from the 1980s) You will not find anything about this in the movie. Also, you will come to know about several terminologies used in the telephone sector, which now may have become obsolete.

I ate nothing for six ghante kaala : This is the clue provided to Revanth to find the telephone number of his secret fan and is used several times in the film. But the movie does not explain the logic behind this clue but you will find it in the Yandamoori's novel.

Mathematical Details : Many mathematical details in the novel are missing in the film. That is understandable as the film caters to variety of audience. Clue with which Revanth finds about the whereabouts of the mystery girl has its routes in Pythogoras theorem. Also, while finding her name, which is Ramya, Revanth uses his knowledge of permutations and combinations. You will come across such mathematical backgrounds for the puzzles posed by the mystery girl. Though at times, you feel like being a grand master Revanth could have solved the puzzles, we can give the creative liberty to the author.

Voice : Throughout the movie, though the heroine's face is not revealed, her voice echoes in the minds of the viewers. Guess who lended the voice? Manjula Gururaj - background singer of many popular Kannada film songs.

Miscellaneous : There is a scene involving a Marxist in the movie, which is used as an irony in the novel. Revanth's friend James, a cartoonist is an unusual character in the movie. Why he behaves the way he does has deeper psychological background in the novel. I am OK, You are OK - philosophy in the film is explained by American psychiatrist Thomas Anthony Harris in his 1969 book - I am OK, You're OK.

Hope you enjoy the post!

America America Screenplay Book Review

Books on screenplay of films are a rarity in Kannada. Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, successful director of Kannada films - America America, Nanna Preethiya Hudugi, Amrithadhare and Baa Nalle Madhuchandrake has come out with a book on his 1996 film - America America.

Foreward : Foreward for the book is writtern by popular Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind. Just like the character in the film Soorya, he expresses himself as an emotional guy who decided to stay in India when his friends left for US seeking better future. Before Nagathihalli tells his story of making the film, Ramesh lists down the incidents/experiences encountered during the making of the film. Surely, that is a reader's delight!

Screenplay : Screenplay of the film in this book not only contains the transcript but also other details like - why a particular location was chosen, what do some scenes symbolize and why were some dialogues written that way.

Book Review : The Red Carpet by Lavanya Sankaran

Background : I happened to read about this book - Red Carpet by Lavanya Sankaran when I was reading some travel book by Jet Airways while on a flight from Delhi to Bengaluru. It said it was a book of stories set in Bangalore involving characters from the city. It got me interested. Till then, I had ordered books online only through Flipkart.com. This time, I wanted to try a different site. Bengaluru's well known book house, Blossom has an online store. I ordered the book choosing the option of cash-on-delivery. Apart from trying a different site, another important aspect which made me choose Blossom was the discount on offer which was 20%. Flipkart was offering 10%. But the book did not arrive even after 2 weeks from Blossom and there was no reply to my mails asking the status. At last, I sent one more mail saying that I am cancelling the order; no reply to that also. Back to Flipkart - order delivered in 2 days!

The Monk As Man Book Review

We in India have heard, read about Swami Vivekananda and his genius since childhood. Have you ever wondered about - how was he as a person, what hardships he had to face in his life, the food he loved, did he face any health issues? If this part of Swamiji's life interests you then you need to read Shankar's book - The Monk As Man. Apart from these facts, I also found reasons why Swami Vivekananda was accepted wholeheartedly by the people in US and Europe. Many of them became his admirers and some disciples.

About the book : The Monk As Man - the unknown life of Swami Vivekananda explores the facts of Swamiji's life which are hitherto unknown to many readers. The book is divided into 5 chapters - A Monk and His Mother, Emperor, Monk and Cook in One, The Monk Who Loved Tea, Swamiji's Health and Thirty-nine Years, Five Months and Twenty-four Days. Mani Shankar Mukherjee better known as Shankar is a popular name in Bengal literature. Original book written in Bengali by him has sold over one lakh copies.

Family Feuds/Legal Battles : Narendranath Dutta(12 January 1863 - 4 July 1902) was born in a wealthy Bengali family. But as fate would have it, family lost everything in legal suits. Litigations involving his mother Bhubaneshwari Dasi and coparceners went on for several years(1880 to 1902) till Swamiji's last days. This was constant source of worry for Swami Vivekananda. This is a major aspect of his life covered in this book. Also, though Swamiji had renounced his familial ties he continued to support his family thus shouldering his responsibilities. 

Source of Inspiration : It would be surprising to know that Swami Vivekananda, who is well known for his eloquent speeches and powerful writing in English, scored only 47 out of 100 in English in entrance examination, 46 in First Arts Standard and 56 in Bachelor of Arts. This should serve as a great source of inspiration for those who get disheartened by their poor marks in examinations. At least they should realize that they have to face bigger examination called life.

Bengali Cuisine : If you are alien to Bengali cuisine, this book presents glimpses of the same. Reader is introduced to variety of Bengali dishes. Only downside here is that if you are unfamiliar of these dishes, then it is difficult to taste its flavour in this writing. One of Swami Vivekananda's favourite snack in Kachuri. But I could not make anything of this food inspite of its description given in English. You would be delighted to know that Swamiji was an excellent cook too. He used to cook for his disciples in India and abroad. Also, he used to experiment with Indian and western cuisines. This apart, his take on the type of food Indians should have to keep themselves fit and healthy keeps readers glued. After reading the chapter on food and Vivekananda, I felt  elated about my love and perfectionist outlook towards food!

Swami Vivekananda and Tea : From the book, we also come to know that Swami Vivekananda was a prominent advocate of tea! Did you know that there are 5 common words for tea in Sanskrit - shleshwari, girivit, shyamaparni, atandri and kamalarasa. When municipality authorities increased taxes on the math stating that it was Narendranath Dutta's private garden house with tea being frequently served, Swamiji sued Bally municipality and won the case! Swami Vivekananda's insight into the use of tea in different nations forms an interesting read. He was of the opinion that tea should be had without adding milk.

Health Issues : Many people conclude that Swami Vivekananda was healthy and fit looking at the Chicago style posters (based on photograph by Thomas Harrison). But do you know that he suffered from insomnia or trouble in getting sleep? He also suffered from indigestion, gastroenteritis and other stomach ailments. He had lost vision in his right eye due to diabetes. He consulted doctors following various forms of medicine both in India and abroad. In spite of these health complications, Swamiji relentlessly worked towards promoting Vedanta and building the Ramakrishna Mission. But there are references where he emphasizes that he had overworked.

Universal Love : One prominent thing I noticed in this book about Vivekananda was his acceptance and love towards everybody. When he went to US and England, he treated everyone as his own. He learnt their customs, followed them, respected their culture and never got chauvinistic about his Indian origin and culture. Also, he was very objective in his approach. If he has to condemn something, he would do so irrespective its origin. I think this impartial approach, objective sense and universal acceptance is what made Swami Vivekananda so popular in the west and why he is revered even today.

Touching Last Lines : Last chapter had a great impact on me. It describes the day of Swami Vivekananda's death. In someway, it summarizes the whole life of Swamiji. I will not say much about this as  I think it is best read on your own. But 2 things I would like to mention here.
1. Once Sister Nivedita was asked to explain the difference between Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, to which she answered that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is the symbol of all that India has thought about for the past 5,000 years and Swami Vivekananda is the symbol of all that India will think for the next 1,500 years. How true, isn't it?
2. In a very prescient letter to Josephine Macleod, Swami Vivekananda gladly awaits his death having completed his duties and mentions - 'Behind my work was ambition, behind my love was personality, behind my purity was fear, behind my guidance the thrust of power! Now they are vanishing, and I drift. I come! Mother, I come!'
Needless to say my respect towards Swami Vivekananda grew even more after reading this and especially after that last few lines!

Repetitiveness: One thing about the book which annoyed me is its repetitiveness. I mean few incidents getting mentioned again and again. Though this is inevitable in some cases for getting readers reminded of the background, other times you feel it is avoidable.

Financial Expert by R K Narayan

Financial Expert, a novel by well known writer R K Narayan is a good read. Like most of his novels, R K Narayan tells the story with homorous touch.

Plot: Story revolves around Margayya, who helps and advises poor villagers in getting loans from a Cooperative society. Before people getting loans allocated from the Cooperative society, he gives an advance amount for which he charges interest. These financial deeds are maintained in an accounts book by Margayya. Balu, Margayya's son is always upto some mischief. One fine day, in one of his playful acts, he dumps Margayya's accounts book into the gutter. Margayya is now unable to recover money from his clients as they insist on records in the accounts book. But Margayya earns wealth after various incidents like meeting up with Temple priest and Dr.Pal, a Socialogist. The events leading upto this is sure to tickle your funny bone. Dr.Pal is chiefly responsible for Margayya's success. Ironically, he along with Balu become responsible for Margayya's fall in the end.

Film Adaptation : There are few films which do justice to a popular book. This book's film adaptation in Kannada - Banker Margayya is one of those few. Though one cannot fully depict what the character is thinking in a film as in a book, I am sure even if you had read the book, you will equally enjoy the movie. Director T S Nagabharana has given attention to the details provided in the book, which makes you like the movie. With Lokesh, one of the finest actors in Kannada cinema, as Margayya you are in for a visual treat.

Yegdagella Aithe - A Spiritual Book by Belagere Krishna Shastri

Read this article in Kannada here.

'Yegdagella Aithe' in Kannada means 'Everything is there in Yoga'. Kannada book 'Yegdagella Aithe' by Belagere Krishna Shastri is a memoir of Shree Mukundooru Swamiji. As the author says Swamiji used to use this phrase, 'Yegdagella Aithe' more often in his talks, hence the name of the book.Belagere Krishna Shastri is witness to several miracles performed by Shree Mukundooru Swamiji. While reading the book you may face questions like 'What?', 'Whether it is real/possible?' Your logical mind, which is used to scientific explainations may refuse to accept the events described here. But, we having not seen such supernatural events does not mean that they are fake. Also, those phenomena for which we cannot give any scientific explaination just means those are the areas, which need to be explored. Even the author himself did not believe initially what people were saying about the miracles Swamiji performed. But if you keep your logical thinking aside and read Krishna Shastri's experiences as your own you will be amazed. In addition, there are instances in the book about how Swamiji used to explain ordinary people about spirituality using the language they understand better.

In 1949, Krishna Shastri came to Devanooru village in Kadur taluk of Chikmagalur district to work as a teacher. There he met Swamiji and his interactions with Swamiji is the content of the book. Mukundooru Swamiji, who never wanted publicity, also remained modest of his miracles. He acted as if he had not performed those at all. In the book, there are sayings, idioms in particular dialect of Kannada which is common to malnad and surrounding regions of Karnataka. So, if you are not from these places, you may find it new/difficult. But even then, this book is a good read for an amazing spiritual experience.

[Belagere Krishna Shastri now runs Shree Sharada Mandira Educational Institution in Belagere, Challakere taluk, Chitradurga District and is involved in social work. In 2004, Karnataka Government honoured him with Rajyotsava Award in recognition of his work.]

Hamsageethe - Tale of an Indian Classical Singer

TaRaSu or T R Subbarao is a big name in Kannada literature. His novels have been a big hit among Kannada readers and some of them have been made into films like - Aakasmika, Chandavalliya Thota, Gaali Maathu, Naagara Haavu, Benkiya Bale, Masanada Hoovu and Hamsa Geethe in Kannada. I recently read his novel Hamsa Geethe and was moved. Hamsa Geethe was made into Hindi Film, Basant Bahar as early as in 1956. It was made into a Kannada movie, Hamsa Geethe in 1975, by well known director G V Iyer with Anant Nag playing the lead role. Hamsa Geethe is the story of fictional character, Venkata Subbayya, depicted as a singer in the court of rulers of Chitradurga, the Nayakas.

Novel is in first person narration of the author himself, going in search of information pertaining to Bhairavi Venkata Subbayya. Initially, you will feel what was the need to bring present day scenarios into this historical fictional story. But then once you finish off reading the book, you will realize why it was done so. The novel is primarily about the life of Venkata Subbayya and there are references about the concepts of Classical music. But, even if you are not a fan of Carnatic/Hindusthani music, once you complete reading the work, you may want to listen to the Bhairavi Raaga.Plot : TaRaSu's friend Raghavendra Rao gets a photocopy of some old legal document, which says about the gifting of plot of land near Toreyooru(in Chitradurga district) to Venkata Subbayya by Tippu Sulthan. When Venkata Subbayya refuses to sing before Tippu and instead cuts off his tongue, Tippu is moved. As a mark of his respect towards the great singer, Tippu gifts the land to him. Curious to know more about the life of Venkata Subbayya, TaRasu starts off his journey to find details about the singer, contacting various people in and around Chitradurga like chief priest of Ekanaatheshwari Temple, drama artist Chinnappa etc.

Venkata Subbayya's childhood, his music competition with his own guru, Thirumalayya, his firm decision to not to sing in the court of Nayakas after a heart-rending incident, his search of guru once Thirumalayya departs, his hard work to become a great singer is well depicted and TaRaSu takes the readers to a different aesthetic level. In the end, episode of Tippu-Venkata Subbayya's face-off is touchy. Though the incidents in Venkata's life are not in chronological order in the novel, this does not alter the flow.

Advaitha philosophy(or non-duality) consolidated by Adi Shankaraachaarya is also briefly discussed in the novel. Paulo Coelho in his famous work, The Alchemist talks about similar school of thought. Also, there is a mention that before the times of Tyagaraja, Shyama Shastri and Muttu Swamy Dixit there was no differentiation of streams in Indian Classical music like Carnatic and Hindusthaani. Even now, TaRaSu asserts that though the names of the raagas are different in these streams, they are basically the same.

I had seen the Kannada movie Hamsa Geethe before reading the novel. Even then, I liked the novel more than the film. Also, having been to Chitradurga fort added a familiar feeling whenever the author described about the places in Chitradurga and I was thrilled.

If you get a chance to read this novel by TaRaSu, jump on it. I have no doubt in my mind to say that it is one of the best novels to have been written in Kannada.

You can now read the Kananda novel, Hamsageethe online here.

For Kannada version of this article, click here.

Thanks
Raveesh

one night @ the call center : Chetan's version

Chetan Bhagat’s choice of contemporary topics in his novels is well known and in his second novel, One Night @ The Call Center, he explores the world of call centers in India. If Five Point Someone dealt about college going youth, this is about the professional class.

Gist of the story : Five people working at a call center and their struggle on that one night is the subject of the novel. Chetan’s tells the story as first person account by one of the 5 characters, Shyam. Characters he has chosen covers the different personalities – Shyam, who considers himself as a loser latest loss being his girl friend Priyanaka, Vroom, who dislikes his job but has no other way out, Radhika, a housewife, all the time worried about her mother-in-law’s nuisances, Esha, who dreams of becoming model someday, Priyanka, who does not get along with her mother well and Military Uncle, who has left his family. Connexions, the firm where they work is downsizing. Adding on to this is the office politics and their own problems. Now they have to face it all. After being briefed about prospects being fired, these people go to a lounge to relieve them of their tensions and while returning from there in Qualis they meet with an accident and this is the time when they receive a call from ‘God’. How do they survive after this, how they prevent themselves from being thrown out of Connexions and how do they find solutions to their own problems are best read in the book itself! This whole story is depicted as being told to Chetan by a girl in a train in which they are travelling.What’s hot: Book contains 38 chapters with 5 chapters dedicated to describing Shyam’s dates with Priyanka. These five chapters present the romantic angle of the story telling how love blooms and end for Shyam and Priyanka, which makes an interesting read. In this novel Chetan also tells the general public’s perception about call center professionals. Also told are the nuisances of call center training like American way of pronouncing same English letter differently depending on its position in the words and 35=10 rule, which says a thirty five year old American’s brain and IQ is the same as ten year old Indian’s mind. Vroom’s disgusting remarks about the ruling class in India may be echoed in every other Indian youth. Also, his frustrations also directed towards annoying American callers. Shyam’s struggle in his job and he who always caught in his manager Bakshi’s management theories represent the plight of many corporate employees.

What’s not: In the end, there is one part of the story where the call center agents call their American customers and say their systems are being attacked by viruses. To see find out whether the system is attacked by virus or not they are told to type = rand(200,99) in a blank MSWord file and press Enter. If lots of text is generated in the MS word file, they say it is a virus. Coming from a technical background and knowing that it is a bug in MSWord, I found this hard to digest. But, I see by 35=10 rule, this would be enough to create fears in the minds of Americans as Chetan proclaims.

It is a good read for the people who are in IT/ITES/BPO industry, as it represents the scenarios and minds of the employees in these industries very well and people usually like the books which they can relate to themselves quickly. If you are in IT/ITES/BPO industry and have not read the novel till now, it is time for you to pick up your copy.

Regards
Raveesh

Buy One Night at The Call Center here

5 things I liked about 5 Point Someone

Chetan's first book was lately read by me in 2008, with the book being released way back in 2004. But the charm of the book is still not lost, even after 4 years of its first publication and it is still topping the best sellers list in India. So, I am not presenting the review of the book here, but things I liked about the book while reading, mostly drawing similarities between IITians and non-IITians. For the non-starters, Five Point Someone is a fictional work by Chetan Bhagat about 3 friends - Hari, Alok and Ryan in an IIT.

Our Language: Chetan speaks our language, language of youth which enables him to reach the majority of young indians through his writings. Though novel is set up in an IIT background, the scenarios depicted by him is pretty much similar to other engineering colleges in India, with most of the engineering under-graduates speaking the same lingo, as he has presented with over emphasis on some special 'key' words! Dreaded Viva: I think atleast some of us, engineering students, used to shiver and most of us used to develop a healthy fear during those lab exam days. That is one of the reasons for Hari, one of the 3 characters to feel uncomfortable during the grilling viva-voce and he goes to the extent of attending viva after having vodka to overcome the fear, only possible in novels! This fear among students is not without reason as in the case of other engineeing colleges, professors from rival colleges who come for lab viva try to settle scores by means of this dreaded tool and make life miserable for the students like Hari. But the question always remains as who started the trend first: the professors from this college who had gone to other colleges or is it other way! Atleast IIT guys should be lucky in this regard as these institutions are autonomous and vivas are conducted by in-house faculty only! Is it right to assume so?

Placement Scenario: Placement scenario is almost the same in decent engineering colleges as in IITs nowadays, with software companies knocking the door of every possible engineering college to hire talent, leave alone the higher pay packages IITians get. Here, the cutoff aggregate percentages are 60-70% as they vary from company to company. This aspect do worry students at the beginning of 6th semester. Aggregate percentage below this is as good as five pointer in IIT but unlike in IITs there is no relative grading of students! Also, as in the case of novel's characters, Alok and Hari, companies arriving for recruitement last, relax the eligibility criteria little bit.

Lots of Ryans! Characters like Ryan can be found in almost every second guy you meet in any engineering college bashing their own college and then the University for the same reasons as Ryan's like mugging up the portions, no original thinking etc etc. The 'novel' idea of Cooperate to Dominate extended here as well, as assignments if at all given carried little or no weightage and so, mass copying was common and semester projects, that was another story in itself! Well, Chetan indicates how it is important to make a balance between the usual routine stuff in the colleges and the original thinking.

Other than IITs: At the end of the novel, Chetan does not forget to mention that it is not only the IITs which produces quality engineers in India. This has been depicted as a speech made by Prof.Cherian, Head of the Department, Mechanical Engineering in Hari's dreams, which might indicate how this viewpoint is not yet fully accepted. Also, he stresses on the point that it is not the end of the world, if you dont get into IITs.

Regards
Raveesh

The 3 Mistakes of My Life : Book Review

New books of any best selling author is awaited eagerly by his readers. Chetan Bhagat is the same case. I had read the prologue of 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life', which had been given in his site www.chetanbhagat.com. After reading the prologue, I had the option to send the link of the just read stuff to 3 more people by giving their e-mail adresses to get the Ist chapter for reading. In other cases, it would have been the case of spamming but considering Chetan and his credibility, I proceeded and read the first chapter, got thrilled and on the following weekend bought the book from Landmark, Forum, Bangalore.

Chetan in his new book, has stuck with a story revolving around 3 friends much in the similar fashion as in his first book, Five Point Someone. But this time, the story is not from the corridors of prestigious IITs. As he says, it is from small towns like Ahmedabad. Anyway, I never thought Ahmedabad was a small town at all. As the book's synopsys says it is a book about 3 of India's passions - Cricket, Religion and Business, personified by the 3 characters - Ishaan, Omi and Govind. As in Five Point Someone, this story is told by one of the characters, Govind in first person.

Though Chetan starts off with Cricket, story line turns into religious aspects quickly. Chetan follows up the series of India v/s England and India v/s Australia in 2001 and shows up how these 3 guys react to the match results and this forms the core of the story but there is nothing extraordinary about that as you would have already heard or seen yourself the live analysis, aftermath of the cricket matches in regular households.On the other hand, I felt most of the times that he is presenting the same old stuff about religion, churned out most often by the media again and again, which shows up only one side of the story. I also saw little merit in tracing Gujarat's history from 2001 which comprises earthquake, religious clashes etc, as enough has been said and it has been the hot topic of discussion in the intellectual circles of the country. What is disappointing is the same perspective of the state from India's west, thrusted upon by the media is reiterated by the author. But Chetan has attempted to be different when one of his characters says about Chimpazees kissing after the fight among themselves akin to religious clashes and that dialogue among people is what is missing in India in these situations.

Cricket, a national time pass has also been seen from a businessman's point of view, which may be relatively new to the young readers. Businessman also sees religion in an agnostic point of view. The common glue which binds the 3 characters though they pursue different passions is cricket. Well, how can one forget the romantic part of the story, typical to Chetan's novels. Here too one of the characters falls in love with a girl and events which lead to this is presented in almost similar way in Five Point Someone. But Chetan here conveys some serious stuff yet jokingly.

Happy ending is any author would love to provide to his readers after all the trauma and Chetan follows the tradition here too but with some sacrifices. One liners like his first novel are witty and worth 2nd read. All in all, it is not a must read but can be useful if you can take the real jist out of the full write up.

Regards
Raveesh

Buy Three Mistakes of My Life here