Tag: Book Review

How Capitalism can help in tackling Climate Change?

There is ‘no conceivable possibility’ of overthrowing capitalism & managing the kind of social change that they are talking about within the time scale that’s necessary to solve the problem of climate change”- Noam Chomsky

While I was writing this blog while sitting in my room, a short drizzle on my window delighted me and my family. Bengaluru, where I live currently, received this little rain after 150 days of a dry spell and a severe water crisis. The situation was no less than an apocalypse. There is no doubt that we are moving towards a crisis of epic proportion. The sooner we realize and act, the better it is. Even a conversation about climate change has become too complex these days because everyone wants to find someone to blame; oh, it’s capitalism. It’s consumerism and the massive exploitation of natural resources. Not only this. Developing countries allege developed countries for their historical emissions, asking for climate justice and ‘right to development’. In the midst of all this, we are losing time to take action.

Reforming capitalism is the way forward

On that note, the book I am going to talk about today is quite interesting. The book ‘Climate Capitalism: Winning the Global Race to Zero Emissions’ by Akshat Rathi makes a lot of sense. Since we all know, it’s impossible to get out of the capitalism race as of now, so why don’t we act within the frame of capitalism? Or use capitalism to tackle the crisis of climate change. “Climate capitalism is about how we tackle climate change within the world’s dominant economic system and ensure that the wheels of progress don’t come to a halt or, worse, go in reverse,” adds Akshat in the book. The author substantiates the definition by showcasing various examples, case studies, and the global movement towards achieving net zero emissions.

The book is neatly divided into twelve chapters describing the idea and how people, technology, and politics can play an important role in addressing the problem of climate change. Through this framework and successful examples, the author showcases how climate solutions can be built while progressing the global priorities of economy, security, and welfare.

Though the ‘theory of climate change’ and realization about the increasing greenhouse effects happened in the 1960s, bringing everyone on board and taking concrete actions have still not been on the main agenda for many countries and important international institutions. Finally, in the year 2015, countries came together and signed the first-ever global treaty, i.e., the Paris Climate Agreement, to check the catastrophic impact of climate change.

Also, there is a stark realization among people as well as capitalists about the cost of inaction and the upcoming opportunity of a clean energy transition. As per the author, more and more people are working on solutions, more government policies are focused on putting policies in place to achieve emission targets, and more money is being mobilized to scale up these solutions.

People and Countries: A Crucial Role in Tackling Climate Change

China and India, the two countries, have leapfrogged the fossil fuel era and transitioned to a greener future by adopting technological innovation, creating policy frameworks, and capitalizing on international collaboration. Communist China has used capitalism to become a maker and buyer of electric cars and batteries. Their initial innovation and breakthroughs have given them a commanding lead on almost every green technology. India, being a developing country, has to strike a balance between economic growth and sustainability. Despite that, the kind of progress India has made in solar energy is not only remarkable but also an example for other developing countries.

People are always important, not only as consumers and adopters of new technologies but also as catalysts for new ideas, technologies, and funding. The author dedicates one whole chapter to talk about the role of Bill Gates and how his Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), the world’s largest philanthropic organisation, has emerged as a ray of hope for climate tech companies, researchers, and innovators working in the field of clean energy. He also played a crucial role in lobbying for the biggest US climate bill, which is also called the Inflation Reduction Act. Wan Gang, the former Minister of Science and Technology, is another person who played a crucial role in transforming China into an EV manufacturing hub, even ahead of its western competitors. His effort led to the establishment of the world’s largest battery manufacturer, CATL, which has global A-list car makers as clients.

Technology and Finance: Creating and Scaling New Ideas

Human ingenuity has no bounds. Human beings have come out of many crises and devised many innovative solutions in the past. Certainly, we can come up with new ideas, technologies, and solutions to tackle the climate crisis. They have come up with various new innovative technologies, from renewable power to green cement, electric cars to carbon capture, and many other emission reduction tools.

Mobilization of private capital has created opportunities for scaling up new ideas to tackle the problem of climate change. However, mobilization of climate finance has become a complex and controversial issue in current times due to developed countries’ reluctance to provide concessional finance to developing countries. Though there has been a lot of debate about the mobilization of climate finance, it has been estimated that only 2% of global GDP would be enough to make the carbon dioxide problem go away. Indeed, projections suggest that approximately USD 9 trillion will be required by 2030 to attain the 1.5-degree Celsius target.

Policy and Institutions: Establishing an Ecosystem

The International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the various government institutions transformed themselves to become relevant for the third energy transition the world is currently undergoing. The IEA has emerged as the chief negotiator among countries to come on board to take action to facilitate the clean energy transition and help each country achieve net-zero goals. The author showcases how private capital and government regulations can act in tandem through China’s success in electric cars, India’s solar revolution, the USA’s success in reversing climate damage in the oil industry, and Denmark’s experiments with wind energy.

Conclusion

Through this book, the author creates an optimistic narrative, arguing that it’s cheaper to save the world than destroy it. The good thing is that there is already a realization among people, from bureaucrats to billionaires, from capitalists to consumers, about the cost of inaction against climate change.

However, the author falls short of discussing the criticism of capitalism in aggravating the process of climate change and global warming, the narrative of greenwashing, and the idea of climate justice with a focus on developing countries and island countries, which are the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Adaptation strategies and behavioral changes have emerged as one of the most effective ways to deal with climate change. However, the focus is generally on the effect and not on the root cause. Climate capitalism can be one way of dealing with the problem of climate change. Humanity needs to find other ways, including adaptation strategies, behavioral and lifestyle changes, and adopting community practices, to tackle the problem of climate change.

What do you think about climate change, and what actions are you are taking to address the problem of climate change? Are you making any behavioral change to address the problem of global warming. If yes, please do share it in the comment box.

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How to get things right?

Checklists seem able to defend anyone, even the experienced against failure in many more tasks than we realized. They provide a kind of cognitive net. They catch mental flaws inherent in all of us-flaws of memory, attention and thoroughness.”

Excerpt from the Book

It’s been more than two years since I started making a to-do list every day. And I am still doing it. It not only helped me plan my day but also made me efficient. The question here is whether a simple to-do list would be really helpful in getting things right. The book I am going to discuss says so. In fact, I was a little skeptical, thinking that it’s more than obvious that a to-do list works; why would someone write a book on it? But this book really makes sense by taking the reader through the evolution of checklists.

To err is to be human. We have all heard this multiple times. In fact, it has been estimated that one of the greatest contributors to accidents is human error in any industry. Perrow found that, on average, 60–80 percent of accidents involve human error. Errors in some fields can be overlooked but not every profession can take the risk of even making a tiny error or overlooking the smallest step. Because a small error in the medical field will cost someone their life. In today’s newspaper, I saw this story where a woman was given blood from the wrong group, leading to the deterioration of her health. How grave is this error? There can never be any justification for it. A small error led to the failure of India’s Chandrayan-2 mission, as we all remember.

Do we know how we can make things right? Do we have the capability and capacity to make things right all the time? How do we deal with extreme complexity of the modern world? Why do we make small errors, and how can we avoid them? Is it possible to be 100% accurate?

Atul Gwanade, a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, suggests in his book titled ‘The Checklist Manifesto’ the simplest solution anyone can think of. A checklist can help us manage the extreme complexity of the modern world. A detailed checklist acts as protection against the failure of the human mind, memory, and attention. It increases the success rate. According to him, failure results not so much from ignorance (not knowing enough about what works) as from ineptitude (not properly applying what we know works). That’s where a simple checklist comes into picture.

So, the important question we need to ask here is : why should a common person be aware of this method of checklist? It’s because this is not only useful in the medical field but also in other activities that are sometimes mundane and repetitive but also crucial not to be overlooked. The author provides examples of checklist successes in other diverse fields, such as aviation, investment banking, skyscraper construction, and businesses of all kinds.

The author differentiates between good and bad checklists too.

The author mentions three characteristics that are part of the code of conduct of any profession, the expectation of selflessness, skill and trust-worthiness along with discipline. Discipline is the hardest to develop because human beings are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. And checklists can help inculcating discipline in the people, adds Gawande.

In the end, he also urges the users to keep refining these checklists to make them work as per changing circumstances and time.

In an age of unremitting technological complexity, where the most basic steps are too easy to overlook and where overlooking even one step can have irremediable consequences, something as primitive as writing down a to-do list to “get the stupid stuff right” can make a profound difference.

Do you create a checklist for anything in your personal or professional life? If yes, do let me know in the comment box. Also, if you liked reading this post and gained something from it, please buy me a coffee by clicking the link below:

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The Power of Influence!

How people’s innocent and careless statements or compliments actually have a huge influence on them. Sometimes it makes someone’s day. Other days, people feel miserable for months because of someone’s insensitive remarks. I remember this incident when one of my bosses told me that he doesn’t believe in working from home (WFH). He added that people don’t work when they are working from home. He said this in a lighter tone and with confidence as if his statement had no meaning or weight. However, he didn’t realise how much weight his every statement has on people working under him because of his power and position. By saying what he said, he invalidated all the work done by people from home.

The book “You have more influence than you think: How we underestimate our power of persuasion and why it matters” by Vanessa Bohns provides science-based strategies for observing the effect we have on others, reconsidering our fear of rejection, and understanding how we can use our influence. Vanessa is a professor of organizational behaviour at Cornell University.

The book talks about the idea of influence and persuasion and explains how the meaning of your words changes based on the context and power you hold in society. Have you ever noticed why an insensitive remark by a politician or leader creates so much furor? Because she or he holds more power than the common people in the country.

Influences have come to us from various directions and people. Our parents. Family. The schools we go to. The neighbors we have. The colleagues and friends we hang out with. The communities we are part of. The kind of books and newspapers we read and movies we watch. On similar lines, our actions, words, and many other things what we do, have a huge influence on other people. You don’t persuade people only when you are speaking to them or giving them some advice. You influence them through your actions, the kind of work you do, the clothes you wear, and the posts you share online, according to Vanessa in the book. However, since we lack awareness, we don’t understand the power of our influence.

However, many times we underestimate the power of our influence because people admire and follow you secretly rather than coming and telling you that they got influenced by you. They adopted something that you were doing. According to the author, the solution to this is to understand and get better at seeing, feeling, and experiencing our influence over others through better listening, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, adopting a third party perspective, and becoming a more effective questioner.

The most fascinating chapter in the book is about why it’s so hard to say no. Because deep down, we all want to be good to people. We want to avoid any kind of awkwardness. People feel good when they help others. However, as the author mentions, I agree with her that this awkwardness of saying no also leads to a lot of problems, such as the spread of misinformation and fake news, women agreeing to things that they don’t want to do, leading to sexual misconduct and rape.

I found the book quite fascinating because of the way the author has explained all the concepts with some examples. The book also answers those questions that make you overthink sometimes. Anyone who wants to improve their persuasion and leadership skills must read this book. People who are in leadership and managerial positions must read this book. Also, if you ever felt invisible or inarticulate, you must read this book because the chances are that you are not what you think. People see you and hear you!

Some insightful nuggets from the book are given below:

  • You are not as invisible as you think.
  • People do observe us-more than we realise.
  • People tend to like others with similar views.
  • Saying is believing effect.
  • We copy what we see.
  • People are persuaded by people they like.
  • People are cognitive misers.
  • We are inclined to believe what people tell us.
  • People shout when they think someone is not listening.
  • People do all sorts of things to avoid embarrassment.
  • A powerful person’s whisper sounds more like a shout.
  • Most people do care about other people-more than we tend to give them credit for.
  • The way to reach all of your goals is simply to ask.

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Public Policy matters!

The core objective of public policy should be the welfare of the citizens” – Excerpt from Anticipating the Unintended Newsletter

Before I review this important book on public policy, let me tell you an interesting story of my childhood and how the Indian state was all around me, similar to the childhood of Jaitley, one of the authors of this book. My childhood was spent in this government quarter located in a block of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh. My Amma (grandmother) was a government officer there for more than 20 years. The block is demarcated as an administrative unit under the government of India for the purpose of governance. I still have this fading memory of the event occurring twice in a year during my stay with my grandmother: once on Republic day and another on Independence day. 

So whenever Independence Day or Republic Day came, every employee prepared for it for many days before. They cleaned the whole place. Grasses were trimmed. Gutka stains were removed. Whitewashing was also done sometimes. All government officials wore their best clothes and reached the office on time (only these two days ) to participate in the function. I had no choice but to accompany Amma to these functions. She never said anything, but there was this unspoken rule for all kids to attend and participate in these functions and be present when officers were talking about the freedom struggle, contributions of leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Patel, Sarojini Naidu, etc. Interestingly, my mind was focused on the laddu and samosa, which were distributed at the end of the functions. That was the only incentive I used to attend these functions. Now that I look back, it feels like those speeches really made an impact on my life, so much so that I had one and only dream of being part of the Indian Civil Services. However, later in my life, I could understand the limitations of the State machinery and how it is also a creature of its circumstances and the people who are at the helm.

Public Policy seems like a subject for intellectuals and out of reach for people of other disciplines. Also, it can be a little boring for some, but the thing is that public policies are everywhere. What do you eat? Where did you study? Where are you working? Whom you are getting married to? Every decision and action are somehow interlinked with public policies, as the book adds: ‘context is king in public policy’.

The book, “Missing in Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy” by Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu Sanjay Jaitley tries to make Public Policy interesting by using relevant examples. Its clever interlinking of the policies of the Indian state with Bollywood’s songs and movies of various times makes it relatable for common people to understand the complicated concepts about the Indian state, market, and society. The idea of the book is to answer the question of why, what, and how the Indian state works. This book, along with another profound book, In Service of the Republic by Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah, should be included in the curriculum of every college running public policy courses in India. The best thing about the book written by Kotasthane and Jaitley is its reliability, simple language, and examples given from the Indian context to explain the concepts. The authors’ use of first-principle thinking and providing the context and historical reasons behind every concept have made it an easy read for a subject that is inter-disciplinary in nature.

The book is divided into three parts: Sarkaar (State), Bazaar (Market), and Samaj (Society). These three important forces play a crucial role in policy making, implementation, and execution. Each part has different chapters that deep dive on the roles of state, market, and society and their interplay among them. Kotasthane and Jaitley bust some myths about politics and public policy before diving into three parts of the book.

Indian State: Mai Baap Sarkar

Sadak, tum ab aayi ho gaon, Jab sara gaon shahar ja chuka hai”- Mahesh Punetha

This part focuses on educating the reader on why the Indian State is the way it is and what it does. The authors discuss the origins of the idea of the state in general and the ‘Indian State’ in particular. They both feel that thrusting the responsibility of social revolution on the state by the Constitution of India was a revolutionary step. However, it overburdened the state with responsibility for reforming society, which later turned the State into ‘mai baap sarkar’. 

The Indian state became a nanny state because of the huge expectations and responsibilities thrust upon it by the constitution and the citizens. As the authors rightly put it, “it miserably failed at the task it was supposed to be doing : upholding law and order, policing, and providing basic public services due to its thrust on social reform”.

According to Kotasthane and Jaitley, the Indian State is a Republic of No, instinctive, still socialist, and focuses more on symbolism than substance. Rightly so, we are good at banning things, getting outraged because of flying kisses, movie scenes, or songs, and still thinking that the private sector is exploitative when there is hard evidence showing that 1991 economic reforms and privatisation pulled many people out of poverty. The government of the day will tell you to change your DP to support the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Movement’ , when many other important things could have been done on this occasion. Some examples can be: don’t practice casteism, racism, sexism, etc., and some more practical ones like keeping your areas clean, helping others, or not using plastic, etc.

Bazaar (The Market)

This part talks about India’s economy and its interaction with markets and businesses. The Indian state and society both looked at the market with some suspicion because of historical reasons of colonial rule as well as the socialist ideas of our freedom fighters and early leaders. The market as well as the private sector have always been demonized until it reached a state of ‘hand to mouth’. At the brink of economic collapse, India went for economic reforms in 1991. Kotasthane and Jaitley argue for more economic growth to increase the economic pie since evidence suggests that every 1% GDP growth in India can take millions out of poverty. Economic growth is required to provide a dignified life for the people of this country.

It has many other useful concepts, such as the property rights system, opportunity cost neglect, cost-benefit analysis, marginal cost of public funds (MCPF), bans, and price controls by the state. The authors have thoroughly explained these concepts through examples from India. One such example is the problem of Delhi smog. You will be surprised to know that the government’s price signaling in terms of the minimum support price (MSP) for grains is one of the reasons why the capital city turns into a smog chamber every winter. If you are a student of policy or economics and find it difficult to understand economic jargon, you must read this section to get a better understanding of these concepts.

Samaj: Mere Angane Me Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai

This part delves into the challenges between the Indian state and society. Indian society was and has always been conservative and illiberal, considering all kinds of biases and discrimination practiced until today. Just read matrimonial ads published in any newspaper, and you will see how our society is still obsessed with caste, class, race, color, religion, and other factors that make them feel exclusive and superior. However, the Indian Constitution is a liberal document that talks about rights, freedom, and social justice. The friction was bound to happen and is still happening. The Indian state is ruled by the people who come from society, and they try their best to bend these rules, laws, and orders to practice societal norms and practices. They have always lived a double life: liberal while doing their job but conservative at home. This dichotomy changed after liberalisation because people were no longer dependent on the state for everything.

In this part, Kotasthane and Jaitley also discuss the so-called ‘population problem’. They are not hungry stomachs but enterprising brains. Poor governance rather than overpopulation is India’s biggest problem, according to the book. In the end, authors discuss narratives, development models, and finally the idea of India and how the discourse has shifted from finding the right solution for the overall development of the country to proving the other side wrong. However, the solution also lies in the people of India, its Constitution, and state, because India’s quest for destiny is still going strong. You, the reader, and the conscious citizens of this country are still determined to make this country a better place to live.

Happy Independence Day to all of you!

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You can’t do everything!

“It is even more liberating to reflect that everyone else is in the same boat, whether they are aware of it or not”

‘Jitna bhi try kar lo Bunny life me kuch na kuch to chutega hi. Toh jahan hai wahi ka maja lete hain‘ says Deepika Padukone in a dialogue from the movie #YJHD. That’s the crux of this book, ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals’ by Oliver Burkeman. The book starts with a very practical statement: In the long run, we’re all dead, which might feel offensive to many people. However, that’s the harsh truth of life. Being alive is just a matter of chance, and nothing is guaranteed. 

In fact, the author emphasizes that we have more or less four to five thousand weeks depending upon our health. We must live this finite life recognizing its frailty. We don’t need to rush because we can’t do and should not try to do everything. There is more to life than ticking all the boxes. You are this infinitesimal part of the universe that no one even cares about.   

Life on a conveyor belt 

Remember the childhood days when we were told that if you finish nursery, grade 1, 2…10th, 12th, graduation and post graduation, you will be in control of your life. The moment you complete these goals, the goal post changes. Now they will tell you to get married, have kids, build a house and buy a car. Things will be sorted for you in life. After that, there will be other experiences or goals to pursue. This was a never ending list. Wow. We also heard them. We followed this path without questioning our parents and guardians. We were running behind something which was never attainable. 

Productivity is a trap 

One of the most striking lines in the book is that ‘nobody in the history of humanity has ever achieved work-life balance’. The day will never arrive when you have everything in control. We live in the world of ‘existential overwhelm’ because the more we try to cover things, additional wonderful experiences will crop up for us to cover. The more efficient we become, the more people will expect of us. 

New technologies and machines never reduced the workload as someone rightly said, work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. As per the research findings, it was found that when housewives first got access to labour saving devices like washing machines & vacuum cleaners, the society’s standards of cleanliness simply rose. 

Distracted from distraction by distraction

Come to the real world of social media and distraction. According to the author, we don’t desire to take ownership of our lives and that is why we happily get swayed by social media. We want to numb ourselves emotionally by keeping ourselves busy and occupied. We have become impatient these days. Our attention span has decreased. It isn’t just because we don’t have time that we can’t focus on one thing. We ourselves want to be distracted so that we don’t think about those things that we cared about the most. All new devices and social media have distracted us from important matters. It has made us care about trivial things. 

Oliver Burkeman also talks about how social media has made us angry, less empathic, anxious or numb. The biggest problem and most discomforting thing about it is that we don’t want to face the reality of life and that’s why we choose to be away from it. 

Everything has become instrumental 

The most striking thing about today’s life is that everything has become so instrumental. And that’s the lament. We are doing everything to reach somewhere, achieve something and prepare for the future. Last month, my friends and I started a community meet-up at my house. Many people asked what you will achieve from it? What tangible results will you get? I seriously don’t know. I don’t expect to achieve anything by doing this. I just would like to listen to people’s stories. It’s like your hobbies should also become businesses. No one wants to relax. No one wants to chill for a while. In fact, spending time on vacation and having leisure has been commercialised. It has become a chore. It’s like you relax to work in the future. Even relationships with time have become instrumental. 

 The universe doesn’t care about you 

The reality is that the universe is totally indifferent to you and whatever is happening in your life. The moment you understand this, the burden you carry reduces. Not only the universe but also no one really cares about what we do with our lives except us. Rather than focusing on doing everything and trying to become this optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally invincible person, we need to focus on what’s possible in our short life span on this earth.

The most effective way to escape this constant race is to stop expecting things differently as the author points out in the book. Face the unpleasantness of this finite life. The more you try to control things, the more they slip through the cracks. You can’t control it and do everything. I know it’s easy to say, but difficult to implement. It is what it is. Don’t use the time, let time pass on you. The fact that you lack control, power, and the desire to get instant relief from all kinds of discomfort is something that you should accept. You trust the idea of patience. According to the author, there are three principles of patience. The first is to acknowledge the fact that life is a journey of navigating from one problem to another. The second principle is to embrace incrementalism. It’s like building a habit or making changes every day and waiting for it to turn into something better after a point of time. And the third principle is about doing something you like every single day without getting any validation and recognition. Just keep doing it.

What can you do to face the finitude of this life, according to the author? 

  1. Have patience
  2. Keep a done list
  3. Decide in advance what to fail at
  4. Maintain boundaries everywhere 
  5. Minimize your usage of social media
  6. Make your mundane activities interesting 
  7. Be curious about your relationships 
  8. Cultivate instantaneous generosity 
  9. Practice doing nothing and sitting in idleness 
  10. Consolidate what you care about

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Rethinking: The Joy of Being Wrong!

Image Credit: Clicked by me

“Progress is impossible without change and those who can not change their minds can not change anything”- George Bernard Shaw

Have you ever wondered why some of the most successful companies were later phased out of the market? BlackBerry and Kodak are two such companies that failed to rethink their strategies. The only reason was that the leadership at these companies could not innovate and change themselves in a rapidly changing world. Why did these leaders and people fail to re-think? Because leaders of these companies were trapped in the ‘overconfidence cycle’ where they were fuelled by pride, conviction, validation, and confirmation bias. However, some companies adopted the idea of rethinking and later became market leaders. These companies’ leaders were guided by intellectual humility, doubt, curiosity, and discovery. Apple is one such example that focuses on rethinking the cycle. Rethinking is a skill set and also a mindset. Rethinking encourages us to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving us well. Flexibility rather than consistency should drive one’s sense of self.

This book, ‘Think Again: The Power of Knowing That You Don’t Know‘ by Adam Grant is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. The book makes you rethink on an individual level, interpersonal level, and collective level. This book has the essence of ‘Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions‘ another powerful book written by Dan Ariely who argues that human beings are irrational beings and mental misers. Their minds cannot cope with the complexity of the world. We want a predictable world and cling to our identities.

The book is neatly divided into three parts. The first part focuses on individual rethinking. The second part talks about interpersonal rethinking and the third part discusses collective rethinking.

The author talks about updating one’s own views under individual rethinking. We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. As people when we think and talk, we adopt the mindsets of three different professionals: Preachers, Prosecutors, and Politicians. Preachers and Prosecutors already think they are right and try to give sermons/ arguments to prove their points. Politicians say what the audience wants to hear. They lobby and campaign to gather support for their ideas. Adam urges us to ‘think like a scientist’ and have an open mind.

Harnessing the benefits of doubt and embracing the joy of being wrong and dealing with armchair quarterback syndrome/imposter syndrome can help in calibrating one’s confidence. In many cases, people are suffering from the Dunning-Kruger Effect. They have been overconfident when they lack competence in their life. Confidence, competence, and humility are some of the things to be inculcated to lead a happy and successful life.

Adam believes confident humility is the key. It means having faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even address the right problem. One of the most intriguing concepts the author talks about is that one miniature dictator lives inside our heads. It protects our self-image by feeding us comforting lies and acts as a hindrance in the process of rethinking. Self-identity should be defined in terms of values and not opinions.

Engage with people and groups whose ideas differ from yours. Everyone knows more than you about something. The author encourages us to learn something new from each person we meet. We need to build a challenge network along with a support network. The challenge network will help in providing regular feedback and push for change. Dealing with conflict is necessary either in the workplace or in personal life. All problems are interpersonal relationship problems, mentioned in another book named ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’. Adam talks about two types of conflict: relationship conflict and task conflict. According to the author, it’s better to have a relationship conflict rather than a task conflict. Relationship conflict is unproductive for performance but task conflict leads to higher creativity and smarter choices.

Interpersonal rethinking focuses on changing other people’s behavior by asking questions and actively listening. According to the author, people should take the collaborative approach rather than the adversarial approach while persuading people in an argument. Adam mentions the concept of motivational interviewing which helps people to change their behavior and also leads them to self-discovery. Motivational interviewing involves three key techniques: asking open-ended questions, engaging in reflective listening, and affirming the person’s desire and ability to transform. Betty Bigombe’s successful effort in bringing Joseph Kony, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, to the conversation table is one of the finest examples of the art of influential listening.

Collective rethinking focuses on creating communities of lifelong learners and targets to change in society at a collective level. And it is possible when things are not seen through a binary lens. Things are not black and white always. Things are grey. Things are complex and people contain multitudes. Nuance is the key. As the author states it takes a variety of views to help people realise that they too contain multitudes.

Rethinking can happen in a learning culture whether it’s in a school, a workplace, a community, or in a relationship. In a learning culture, students are taught to question knowledge. Children need to understand the concept of revising their work multiple times and taking feedback from people. And most importantly people should stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up. One identity does not define the person. Every kid needs to explore multiple possibilities to flourish in their life. Learning cultures at workplaces display psychological safety under which a climate of respect, trust, and openness is developed. In this culture, people can raise concerns and suggestions without fear of reprisal.

Passions can be developed. We can rethink our careers again. The author has a very insightful perspective on happiness. According to the author, when people chase happiness, they become less happy in their lives. In fact, evidence suggests that putting a lot of importance on happiness leads to depression. According to the author, three factors ruin happiness. We start evaluating life instead of enjoying every moment. We spend too much time striving for peak happiness as opposed to focusing on the frequency of positive emotions. We also focus more on pleasure than the purpose of the activity. According to the author, the Eastern conception of happiness leads to better well-being than the Western conception of happiness. Eastern cultures prioritize social engagement over independent activities. As the author very rightly states ‘our happiness often depends more on what we do than where we are. It’s our actions-not the surroundings that bring us meaning and belonging’.

“If you don’t look back at yourself and think, ‘wow, how stupid I was a year ago, then you must not have learned much in the last year” -Ray Dalio (Bridgewater Founder)

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The story of Calvin and Hobbes!

Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson is a marvelous piece of creativity and imagination. It has many philosophical lessons in the mischievous conversation between Calvin and his imaginary tiger friend Hobbes. This comic strip makes you laugh, gives you insights about life and also discovers the beautiful relationships of friendship, growing up and the meaning of life. The special bond between Calvin and Hobbes makes it relatable for many of us. Calvin’s behaviour also reflects our inner child.

A fascinating part of the comic strip is its beautiful layout and hues of color. Bright yellow color, the picturesque landscape and Calvin and Hobbes’ expression makes you feel energized and smile while reading.

Ending this blog with some of the best lines by Calvin and Hobbes:

Jails are not an equaliser

“If you steal 1,000 rupees, the hawaldar will beat the shit out of you and lock you up in a dungeon with no bulb or ventilation. If you steal 55,000 crore rupees then you get to stay in a 40-foot cell which has four split units, internet, fax, mobile phones and a staff of ten to clean your shoes and cook your food ( in case it is not being delivered from Hyatt that particular day)-Incredible India! – Anca Verma (a high profile prisoner)

Prisons reflect the social realities of Indian society and it has been shown in one of the most insightful books on life behind prison walls, “Behind Bars: Prison Tales of India’s Most Famous” by Sunetra Choudhary. The book narrates the story of famous prisoners who were sent to jail for their misdeeds. Their influence allowed them to tell their stories without fear of consequences. It also tells the story of some innocent people who got entangled in this maze. The book humanizes the story of these prisoners and shows how even powerful people feel ashamed because they have to go to jail because they committed some crimes. The author not only tells the story of these prisoners but also the realities of living in these jails. What a challenge it is for poor people to survive in jails. How powerful and rich people misuse their wealth and power to live an entitled life even while serving a jail term. In this book, she writes about the following people: 

  1. Amar Singh: Everyone who follows Indian politics knows him. He was a power broker in Indian politics. He landed in jail because of his special quality of networking. He was sentenced under the ‘cash for vote scam’ which rocked the UPA government during the signing of the 123 agreement between India and the USA. 
  2. JP: He was the American Mallu whose life was turned upside down when he was arrested and sent to Tihar jail.
  3. Sushil Sharma: He is the famous tandoor murderer who not only shot his wife point blank but also disposed of her body in a tandoor. He was with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) at the time when this horrific incident happened. 
  4. Anca Verma: She was a high-profile prisoner with major political connections. She was arrested along with her husband Abhishek Verma. 
  5. Rehmana: She was sent to jail on her wedding day because she married Arif, a Pakistani from Abbottabad who is currently on death row for firing at Delhi’s Red Fort. 
  6. A Raja: He was the Telecom Minister and the face of the 2G scam which rocked the UPA II government and finally led to its defeat in the next General Elections. 
  7. YB: YB is a juvenile who was sent to jail for committing rape. He was later acquitted. 
  8. Peter Mukherjea: The former CEO of Star News was arrested for murdering his daughter Sheena Bora along with his wife and business partner Indrani Mukherjea. 
  9. Wahid Sheikh: He was an English teacher at the Maulana Anjuman-i-Islam Abdul Sattar Shoaib School. He was arrested by ATS for being a suspected SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) activist. He was tortured by decorated police officers. 
  10. Somnath Bharti: The infamous political leader from AAP who was sent to jail for domestic violence. According to his wife’s allegations, he used his pet dog Don to attack her when she was pregnant. 
  11. Khushi: She is a trans bar dancer who was gang-raped in police custody. What more to say when protectors themselves become the perpetrators.
  12. Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu Yadav): His life in jail was full of surprises. He fought the election from jail, became a notorious gangster, and also fell in love and got married. 
  13. Kobad Ghandy: A 69-year-old man who is accused of being a member of the banned organisation, CPI(Maoist). He is the only person who spent substantial time with Afzal Guru before his hanging. He wrote a detailed letter to the author of this book describing the events leading to Afzal’s execution. 

Anyone who is interested in the concept of state and violence must read this book. It shows how the rule of law is there to control poor and vulnerable people. Rich and powerful people can always get away with doing whatever they want to do in their lives.

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O Womaniya: Think before you leave

“The most common way people give their power is by thinking they don’t have any”

Alice Walker

“A feminist is someone who believes in social, political and economic equality of the sexes”.

It was easier to understand how discrimination against women exists in society than to realize how we ourselves undermine our own capabilities. Dealing with this self-awareness was more challenging than discrimination in general. I remember when I got my first job, from the first day itself, I was feeling guilty about not having enough time at home and not being able to manage the house better. This feeling was recurring when I moved from one job to another. I remember this one moment when I forced myself to come home early so that I could spend more time taking care of the home which was absurd. I could have spent this time networking with new people at the office or doing something else rather than unnecessarily worrying about my so-called responsibilities to take care of the house. I also skipped many office get-togethers, feeling that it would be a waste of time.

It was quite relatable and engaging to read Sheryl Sandberg’s book ‘Lean In: Women, Work and The Will to Lead’. Sheryl Sandberg served as the chief operating officer (COO) of Facebook for more than a decade. She raised her voice against the discriminatory practices at the company. She also founded two organisations called Lean In and Option B to help women achieve their ambitions and help companies build inclusive workplaces where women of all identities are supported and empowered.

Reading this book made me realise that what I used to feel is a universal feeling experienced by all women of the world. Talking to so many women colleagues made me understand that workplace discrimination is pervasive. Almost all the women accepted that they undermine their capabilities and fail to advocate for themselves. I have read many books that show systemic discrimination and stereotypes against women, but not every book discusses solutions to these problems. A majority of books dealt with the external obstacles that created hurdles in the path of women’s careers. However this book focuses on the “internal barriers” faced by women in their journey of career progression. Sheryl adds that these internal barriers hold us, women, back from looking for opportunities and dreaming big.   

That’s where the book shows the path through which women can take charge and grow in this discriminatory man dominated world. Many would not agree with it but it made sense to me. We need to come forward and take on the challenge of balancing work and home without feeling guilty about anything. According to the author, Lean In is a way to address the problem of lack of representation and discrimination against women at the workplace. It is totally acceptable that many institutional, political and policy changes are required to deal with the discrimination problem at a larger level. But we need to take the smaller steps. The author feels that we need to break free from that unknown fear and move forward.

She shows how despite having to face so much discrimination in the internal and external environment, women have to go extra miles to prove their capability and seriousness. Some of them are highlighted in the book:

  • Women have to prove themselves to a far greater extent than men have to do. 
  • Women hold themselves back. They lower their expectations of what they can achieve. They put themselves down before others can. They consistently underestimate themselves leading to this strong feeling of ‘imposter syndrome’. 
  • Women internalise the message that it’s wrong being outspoken, aggressive and more powerful than men. 
  • Women are discouraged to take risks and advocate for themselves. 
  • Women are disliked for not displaying the so called ‘appropriate behaviour’
  • Women are judged for doing it all when no one knows what’s going on in their mind and how they are constantly struggling and hustling to do everything imperfectly. 
  • Women suffer not only discrimination and sexual harassment but also everyday blatant & subtle sexism. 
  • Women are also looked down upon for managing everything and also made to feel guilty for not doing it perfectly.

The biggest take away of this book is that it makes the case for leaning in, for being ambitious in any pursuit. Though women are discouraged and disliked for being ambitious and taking risks, the author adds that career growth is mostly dependent upon taking risks and advocating for oneself. Because opportunities are rarely offered, they are seized. Women suffer from ‘tiara syndrome’ where they expect that if they keep doing their job well someone will notice them and place a tiara on their head.  However, it doesn’t happen like that in the real world. Women need to advocate for themselves when their efforts are not recognised. Sheryl adds that not only do we need to take risks, prioritise growth, challenge ourselves but also ask for promotions with a smile on our faces. According to her, there are no perfect opportunities, we need to learn the skill to make any opportunities fit for us. To have a successful career plan, she suggests adopting two concurrent goals: a long-term dream and an 18-month plan. 

The most insightful fact about this book is the idea of ‘Don’t leave before you leave’. Women don’t leave the workforce making one big decision but they make many small decisions and leave the workforce. One of the best examples she gives is about pregnancy. Generally all women start worrying about pregnancy long before even trying to conceive which hampers their career prospects. Sheryl feels that women should utilise the time to grow and lean in till the moment their child is not out of their womb. It made perfect sense to me. It’s like whatever time you got, you give your best shot, you work hard and achieve whatever you can so that when you come back after your pregnancy break you have a base on which you can restart your professional journey.

No one can have it all and whoever is claiming to have it all, is lying, says the author. The thing is that life is full of imperfections and flaws. It might look perfect to other people but it is never perfect. Women need to embrace the mess and keep going. Having a supportive partner can help in dealing with these things in a better way. It is a must for any working woman if she wants to excel in her professional life. If the partner shares responsibilities at home, it becomes easier for a woman to manage work and home both.

Very rightly she shares this whole idea of ‘fit in’ at the workplace. I can say this from my personal experience that people are appreciated for ‘fitting in’ and not for delivering good work. People were promoted and liked just because they were fitting in and they were sucking up to their bosses. Workplace bias is a reality. People are evaluated based on personal preferences. At the same time, the author feels that one must not inject gender into every conversation which makes people uncomfortable as well as brings a feeling that one is asking for special treatment. Rightly so, she shows how some women are also perpetrators of sexism because of internalised patriarchy and misogyny.

The only thing the book lacks is the idea to bring reform at a larger level through which every woman gets to understand all the biases and barriers they face internally. How can we bring systemic change to it? Until and  unless things are not changed at a larger level, it will take years and years of hard work and effort to achieve gender equality and empowerment.

I am grateful that a colleague of mine gifted me this book recently. It’s fascinating to read this book at this point in my life when I am trying to make my career bit by bit and  understand it from the perspective of a woman who worked in a male-dominated workplace. It feels so warm when women support each other which is not the general norm. Though it is not their fault because they also come from the same patriarchal environment.

Sheryl Sandberg is a brave woman who not only took various initiatives to change the system for the better but also showed a path to the upcoming generation. Her honest ordeal in the book makes it a must-read for all women out there. It will empower women to sit at the table, understand the myth of doing it all and why we should not leave before we actually leave the workplace.

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P. V. Narasimha Rao: Lion, Fox and Mouse

A prince….must imitate the fox and the lion. For the lion cannot protect himself from traps and the fox can not defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognise traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.” –Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, circa 1513 AD

“If Jawaharlal Nehru discovered India, it can reasonably be said that P. V. Narasimha Rao reinvented it”. 

Kapil Komireddi

It’s early morning in this sleepy village of UP. My hometown. Animals and human beings both are awake. Handpumps are surrounded by children and adults. Women of the house are hustling in the rasoi. Meals are being prepared. The smell of boiling rice has taken the whole house in her custody. Buffaloes and cows are waiting for their breakfast meal. The house is being cleaned and smeared with cow dung. One corner of the house is filled with this stoic silence. It is called ‘Dalan‘ where this old person is sitting on a cot wearing this bedag white kurta and dhoti. Black Ainak sitting on his nose like his old friend. Nothing can disturb him at this time. “Even pralaya can’t move you at this time”, a voice looms from the aangan. One kid fills the lota with water and runs towards the Dalan. She sees an old person holding Akhbar in his hand. A school headmaster whose day starts with reading newspapers.

And this old person was my Dadaji who influenced me to have a long-lasting relationship with newspapers. Newspaper reading and political discussion have always been part of Indian culture. Memorising the names of our political leaders and Bollywood actors mentioned in various newspapers was my favorite pastime. It is for this reason that I remember the name of P. V. Narasimha Rao. He was the first South Indian Prime Minister of India. We had a competition among our childhood friends to memorize the complete spelling of his name. I used to say his name out loud to my classmates and colony friends proudly. In those days, I had no idea he would change the course of Indian history.

Half Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India 

Vinay Sitapath’s well-researched book, “Half Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India,” tells the story of P.V. Narasimha Rao from a small village to New Delhi-the ultimate power center of India. The author narrates a balanced account of P. V. Narasimha Rao who was a tragic figure and one of the most misunderstood leaders of India despite his various achievements. The author humanises the story of Rao to showcase that he was after all a human being who was a creature of his circumstances. 

The author Vinay Sitapati is a political scientist who has worked as a journalist with the Indian Express. He is a lawyer by education. Interestingly, the subject of this book was also a lawyer by education. The book traces the journey of P. V. Narasimha Rao from his humble background starting from Vangara village located in Karimnagar district of then the State of Andhra Pradesh to become one of the most decisive Prime Ministers of India. The book dealt with the background happenings of the politics of that time. It gives a glimpse into the lives of politicians. What kind of stress and tension do they have to endure? How difficult is it to take everyone along? How difficult is it to bring everyone on the same page with respect to any policy issues? How did the political constraints shape the political reforms? How do interest groups create hurdles in implementing big bang reforms in the country? How does political management play such an active role in implementing policies?   

Reading this book was not only a pleasant experience but also an eye-opener. People generally don’t know about him because he was not a popular leader either among his party cadres or among the public. This is one Prime Minister of India, many people don’t even remember who had the political will and conviction to usher into the 1991 Economic Reforms that brought millions of Indians out of poverty.

The book answers many fundamental questions relevant to Indian politics with respect to the role of P. V. Narasimha Rao. What was Rao’s role in the liberalisation reforms? Have they transformed India for the better, or have they made the poor worse off? Why was he selected as prime minister? Did he secretly want the Babri mosque demolished? Why did Sonia Gandhi and Narasimha Rao fall out? How did he survive a hostile Parliament and party to last a full term in office? Are the corruption charges against him true? And is Narasimha Rao India’s most transformational leader since Jawaharlal Nehru? According to the author of this book, the central idea of this book is to understand how prime minister Narasimha Rao achieved so much despite having so little power. 

This book made me not only respect and admire P. V. Narsimha Rao but also like him as a person. Even after being a politician, he was not at all pretentious. 

Architect of Modern India

P. V. Narasimha Rao was a grassroots leader who rose to become the Prime Minister of India. He was instrumental in implementing the idea of economic liberalisation, reforming the Indian economy, opening India’s foreign policy, achieving nuclear deterrence, and most importantly running a minority government when he didn’t have the support of his party, lacked charisma and popular support as well.

When Rao became the Prime Minister, India as a country was standing at a crossroads. The Soviet Union collapsed. The country is reeling under a severe Balance of Payment crisis. Separatist violence against the States of Punjab, Kashmir, and Assam was threatening the integrity of India. He took it as a challenge and transformed India. Despite running a minority government, he not only completed a full five-year term but also successfully took India on a path of success. He was a true problem solver. Even during his stint as a Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, he proactively implemented a land reform policy. 

His push for economic reforms leading to the opening of the Indian economy has borne fruit for the country. His legacy is seen in terms of increasing per capita income, mobile phones in every hand, and also India’s success in terms of pulling millions out of poverty by implementing welfare schemes. Today, if we are able to use mobile phones, we should thank Rao. He addressed the separatist movement in Punjab, Kashmir, and North East. Due to the successful implementation of economic reforms, he could push for policies that led to the realization of the ‘welfare state’ in the country. 

This book not only shows the highs and the lows of his life and how he was like one of us. A normal human being who was affected by harsh criticism. The best thing about him was that he used to maintain a diary where he used to write everything whatever he felt. Fortunately, the writer of the book has had access to these writings which show what he was thinking? How things were affecting him? What was going through his mind when he was faced with difficult situations? 

Transformation in his ideologies from being a staunch socialist to a leader who not only wholeheartedly accepted the idea of liberalisation but also implemented it at a national level itself shows his openness and forward-looking nature.

Sidelining of P V Narasimha Rao by the Indian National Congress

His own party i.e. Indian National Congress (INC) disowned him due to various reasons. He was blamed and victimised for many things that he publicly said he has not done. His achievements as a Congress leader and Prime Minister were erased. He was blamed for allowing Sikhs to be killed in Delhi during the Anti-Sikh Riots in 1984. He was criticized for letting Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson escape India after the Bhopal Gas leak. Finally, everyone thought that he played a secret role in the demolition of Babri Masjid.  Left-wing parties, intellectuals, and Marxists blame him for pro-rich policies and bringing untold miseries to the people of India. 

His actions or inactions during the 1984 Sikh riots and 1992 Babri-Masjid demolition were questionable. His personal notes and letters provide justifications for his inactions for both the tragic events of India’s history. He surrendered his authority to the Prime Minister’s Office during the Anti-Sikh riots which are unforgivable. He had too much confidence in his ability to negotiate with Hindutva leaders including the organisations like VHP and BJP. According to the author, it was his indecisiveness and poor judgment of Rao that paralysed him not dismissing the Kalyan Singh government and imposing the President’s rule in the State of UP. In fact, he was more focused on saving his own minority government rather than imposing President’s rule on UP. 

He was a contested figure who displayed huge contradictions in his actions. However, his contributions as a leader who stood behind a team who implemented economic reforms is a commendable feat when he didn’t have any support from his party and the people. He was a Philosopher king, a lion, and a fox depending on the circumstances and demands of the time. In fact, “Rao was a tragic figure, remembered for so much that went wrong, but not for so much that went right”, adds Salman Khurshid, a veteran Congress leader. 

P. V. Narasimha Rao: the best Congress Prime Minister of India? 

Which is more important: institutions or individuals in deciding the trajectory of any India. Some theories give importance to institutions and some give it to individuals. Institutions play an important role in shaping the destiny of any country, argues Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson in his book, “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty”. According to them, political and economic institutions are interlinked in a country and that leads to poverty and prosperity based on the nature of these institutions. But then the question comes: who set up and ran these institutions? Individuals right. And Ruchir Sharma, the author of “Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles” believes in that. According to him, ‘it’s not the type of the system that matters, it is the stability of the system and, even more important, whether the leaders running it understand the basics of economic reform’. And this theory fits really well with the role of P. V. Narasimha Rao who not only understood the idea of economic liberalisation but also stood like a rock behind his team who implemented the 1991 economic reforms. So Rao indeed was the architect of modern India. 

However, ultimately he was a human being and had his fair share of shortcomings. The best thing about him is that he had the ability to introspect and think. It led him to become a better administrator when he took the role of Prime Minister. He learned from his mistakes during his chief ministership. 

According to the author, he had the acumen to assess the situations and contradictions of India. He also could understand and assess his opponents and enemies. Accordingly, he knew when to act like a lion, fox, or mouse. That was his most important political skill. His brilliant ability to assess the political context not only in terms of role but also in terms of timing. And this quality helped him implement difficult policy decisions. 

Arun Jaitley called him India’s best Congress Prime Minister and rightly so. He added that Rao showed it is possible to be a Congressman without being from the Family. Jairam Ramesh, a veteran Congress leader who worked as OSD to Rao added that he was a master tactician who knew which cards to play when.

‘How do you make a U-turn without making a U-turn? That’s a special Narasimha Rao art, Shekhar Gupta said while taking his interview.  It’s not like that, Rao replied. ‘If you understand that where you are standing is itself in motion, the turning becomes easier.’ (‘Walk the Talk: P.V. Narasimha Rao Interview: November 1st, 2013)

Hindi and Urdu words used in the write-up:

  • Dalan- Verandah
  • Angan-Courtyard
  • Bedag-Unblemished
  • Ainak-Glasses
  • Rasoi-Kitchen
  • Lota-A small container for water generally made up of brass or steel
  • Dada-Grandfather
  • Pralaya-Destruction
  • Akhbar-Newspaper

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Tale of Friendship, Strength and Love!

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers”.- Charles W


Ever counted seconds, minutes, hours, days, or months? I have been doing that for the last few months. My to-do lists became my best friend and companion. There were even details about cleaning the house, eating food, taking a bath, doing office work, and even how much time I spent lying in bed. During this phase, books, plants, and friends filled my life with love, patience, and kindness. Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse is one of them. I felt almost as if the universe conspired to reach out to me through this book.

This beautiful art book was kept on my colleague’s desk. I wanted to see the book but he was not available at his desk. I couldn’t resist asking him to show me this book next day. I began reading it. I somehow felt a connection to the book. Within a few minutes, I had reached the last page after flipping one page after another. I felt so peaceful after reading it. The story touched my heart. It felt like a breath of fresh air. In a moment, it changed the way I was feeling for a few months. I am so grateful to that pure soul who gave this book to my colleague. I borrowed the book even after I finishing it so I could keep it close to me for a few more hours.

Through illustrations, the book tells the story of friendship, strength, and love. It’s the story of a lonely boy who meets other animals in the countryside. Their walk together is filled with heartfelt conversation about life, friendships, and universal truths.  

The book is an example of simplicity and how gently the author has described life and its challenges. You’ll find nuggets of life, friendship, failure, success, love, and kindness in this book. It shows you how far you’ve come. It encourages you to be kind to yourself. It inspires you to keep moving forward, to believe in yourself, and to love yourself. Life is difficult, but you are loved no matter what. One of the most beautiful aspects of this book is that it allows one to scribble on it and write about their feelings.

Here are some of the most beautiful excerpts from these conversations:

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What do women really want?

“It’s impossible to grow up as a woman in India without knowing what it is like to have to always seek permission to be yourself. Each of us, in our own way, often magnified by caste and class encounters resistance in finding self-acceptance, achievement, and affection.”  (Excerpt from the Book) 

The 90s were the time when Shah Rukh, Shaktiman, and cassettes ruled the world. My childhood was spent in the 90s and it was heavily influenced by Bollywood movies. Watching the Sunday matinee show on Doordarshan at 4 o’clock is one of my most fond memories. I was probably 5-6 years old along with my cousin. Both of us eagerly awaited 4 o’clock movies. We finished our homework before time so that we could watch movies in the evening. No matter what the weather was like outside, nothing could move us from our seats before the screen. The saddest part of our movie times were the power cuts which took place right before the movie’s climax.  

Despite being scolded by our elders many times, we both ran for 1 kilometer to finish the movie’s climax. Doctor Saheb was an acquaintance of my grandmother, and he was quite wealthy for that area. He also owned a generator that would come on whenever there was a power failure. After the movie ended around 6:30 P.M., we both went home to enjoy a Sunday evening in a fantasy world away from reality. However, after we reached home, our Bua (Father’s sister) would beat and scold us. Occasionally, she would close the front door and not open it for at least two hours. We would wait for her to open it. The whole ordeal was repeated almost every Sunday. Wow, what memories!

I am sure you are wondering why I am telling you this story. The book I am about to discuss has the context of Bollywood films and how they have fascinated generations of Indians in their search for hope, freedom, and fantasy. 

Shah Rukh Khan and Shrayana

“Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India’s lonely young women and the search for intimacy and independence” is written by Shrayana Bhattacharya. This book is the best example of the saying, “ don’t judge a book by its cover”. Like other people, initially, I ignored this book because of its title. However, after listening to the author Shrayana Bhattacharya on The Seen and the Unseen podcast, I immediately ordered this book and devoured it. It gave me perspective. I started observing all ladies around me and trying to piece their lives and how they are navigating and fighting with this world. The author is a young woman and economist at World Bank who also happens to be a zabra fan of the Bollywood super star-Mr. Shah Rukh Khan. She wrote this book motivated by her fandom for Shah Rukh and stories of ordinary women and her work as an economist to weave a fantastic story to understand what’s going on in the lives of ordinary Indian women and how they are dealing with the system of patriarchy. 

I have found it to be one of the most insightful books I have read recently. I underlined almost every line. Each and every story of the woman in this book resonated with me. The frustration and relative deprivation of Vidya, the pains of The Accountant, the anxiety of Gold, the boredom of Manju, and most importantly, the author’s own story, all made sense to me. Whatever your educational and economic background, these stories show that women are discriminated against and made to feel inadequate and manipulated. It is all to serve the needs of the other half of humanity. The only difference was that the quality of this discrimination might have varied. Some of it was crude and visible, while others were refined and subtle. Then there is Mr. Shah Rukh Khan’s fan following. He helps these ordinary women bargain and survive the toxic patriarchy in their everyday lives through his movies and interviews. Shah Rukh’s fandom demonstrates their disappointment in society and its institutions which broke their hearts in different ways.

The lives of ordinary women

Reading this book made me more empathetic toward the lives of Indian women. It showed me how much struggle they are still going through irrespective of class, caste, or any other classification and how we women are also complicit in our own discrimination. Women are withdrawing from their jobs because not only do they have to face discrimination in their offices but also they are overburdened with the care and love which they need to provide for their families. Despite sacrificing their freedom to provide love and care to their family, women are feeling lonely and unloved. They are withdrawing from the workforce because of Sanskritisation effect where the increase in family’s income and status lead to more control of women’s body and their mobility to maintain the purity of their community and caste networks. Higher incomes allow family members to perform traditional upper-caste social rituals when women’s bodily honor is guarded strictly within the four walls of the home.   

Women leaving the workforce

They leave the workforce because of an unfriendly and discouraging work environment where they are paid less as compared to their male counterparts plus they also have to deal with the male gaze. Marriage and child care act as a hurdle for women to take up jobs in India. In totality, family and society both make it so difficult for women to survive, take up a job, or stay single. We are taunted for whatever choices we make in our lives. In fact, they have a problem whenever we make any choices. 

Feminism on Instagram

The author also highlights the discussions around feminism on Instagram. As per the author, real feminism is happening in the everyday lives of ordinary women and she does not have any radical story of resistance to share from the hinterlands of India. They are constantly navigating the patriarchy in their everyday lives which can never be seen on an elitist platform like Instagram. The story of Vidya from the book was so relatable that at one point I felt like vidya is speaking on my behalf. I have seen and worked with women who are very similar to Vidya’s that friend who finds faults in everything that Vidya does. They themselves are so rich and entitled but they judge women like us who have achieved something in their life coming from a normal background without any support and guidance. 

In spite of not being able to relate to the heartbreak stories in the book because it has never happened to me, it was heartbreaking to know that women’s relationships, marriages, and love lives are bargained as commodities, and women are judged on the basis of their looks. Despite their different backgrounds, all of these women are fans of Mr. Khan. Seeing a superstar like this who respects and loves women provides them with a respite from oppressive patriarchal culture and discrimination. Many poor and working-class women display their fandom for Shah Rukh Khan or attend his movies in the theater to express themselves.

We need intimate revolutions

The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it also proposes ways to solve these problems for our country.

“Meaningful change in everyday life happens when we start to pratcise the views we profess. ….Only fools think we can rationalise, cancel, tweet, or march our way to a social revolution. Radical change needs oxygen from each one of us. We are required to practise what we retweet, to self-scrutinise, to incrementally partake in impossibly difficult conversations in our own everyday relationships. For people to move beyond people…………………real shifts in their private behaviour requires repeated and sustained intimate interpersonal dialogue in which discriminatory views are revealed and challenged.”

“Change will need good faith and generosity. Mindset is not enough, morality is embodied in how we demonstrate our liberal views in our daily encounters with people, places and our self. Without these intimate revolutions, the best laws and the strongest movements will fail. The realm of everyday intimacy is the true home of social change. It is where all our longing, self-loathing and biases are unveiled. This is the world of deeply private rebellions, within people & within relationships. No platform, no performance. It’s where the real battle is. And it’s got to be long and ugly.”

An answer to the most debated question on humanity can be found in this book. Exactly, what do women want? The answer will surprise you. Women want love, freedom, and respect in no particular order.

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India’s First Women in Medicine

In Picture ( Anandibai Joshi, Kadambini Ganguly, Muthulakshmi Reddy, Rukmabai Raut, Mary Poonam Lukose, Haimabati Sen)

“If this life is so transitory like a rose in bloom, why should one depend upon another? Everyone must not ride on another’s shoulders, but walk on his own feet” – Anandibai Joshi

Kavitha Rao’s book, “Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India’s First Women in Medicine,” tells the stories of six inspirational women who defied all the rules of society and built a career in medicine while also contributing to women’s emancipation. Although these women were from different parts of the country, they were united by their desire to achieve freedom and respect in their lives. They built institutions and advocated for women’s rights through protests and petitions. 

  • Anandibai Joshi: the first Indian woman with a western medical degree. Tragically, she died before she could practice medicine.
  • Kadambini Ganguly: the first Indian woman to practice medicine; she was branded as a whore by a conservative paper at that time. She was one of the first women to speak at the conference of the Indian National Congress (INC). A mother of eight children, she died in the course of her duties as a doctor.
  • Rukmabai Raut: a fiery woman who left a child marriage, shattering all patriarchal rules. Following her service in dealing with the deadly plague in Surat, she received the Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1898.
  • Haimabati Sen: a child widow. Defying all Hindu tradition, she remarried and became a doctor.
  • Muthulakshmi Reddy: First woman to be elected vice-president of a legislature. She was instrumental in realizing the goal of the universal franchise for women, raising the marriage age, and abolishing the devadasi system.
  • Mary Poonam Lukose: the first Indian woman to be appointed to a legislature. She was instrumental in building Kerala’s public health care system.

You must read this book to learn about the achievements of these inspiring women whose stories are nowhere seen in our history textbooks. Please let me know your thoughts about this book if you have already read it.

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Rework: Change the way you work

Image Credit: Clicked by me

This is an unconventional book that tells us to change the way we work. It is filled with timeless wisdom. In spite of the book being written in 2010, whatever is written therein is still relevant and will continue to be useful even in the future. It is written in a straightforward style. This book can be finished in one day or even in three hours if nothing interrupts your reading. 

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of 37 Signals, wrote this book. 37 Signals is a two-decade-old software company that is now known as Basecamp. The authors have shared practical insights in this book based on their own experiences of starting a company from scratch, operating on their own, hiring employees from all over the world, and handling crises as they arise. 

In this book, you will find many inspirational lines that you can use in your life and work. These lines can be written on Post-it notes and stuck to your desk, so you can get a little inspiration every day. Here are a few of the best:

  • Be a starter
  • Scratch your own itch
  • No time is no excuse
  • You need less than you think
  • Start a business, not a startup
  • You need a commitment strategy, not an exit strategy
  • Be a curator
  • Interruption is the enemy of productivity
  • Meetings are toxic
  • Good enough is fine
  • Long lists don’t get done
  • Make tiny decisions
  • Focus on ‘You’ instead of ‘They’
  • Say ‘No’ by default
  • Welcome obscurity
  • Build an audience
  • Go behind the scenes
  • Show your flaws. Be vulnerable
  • Press releases are spam. Instead, call someone
  • Everything is marketing
  • Hire someone who can manage herself
  • Send people home at 5 PM
  • Sound like you
  • ASAP is poison

Please read this book and let me know what you think about it. If you have already read this book, please let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments section. 

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