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  • Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! – Richard P. Feynman

    The sub title of the book says – “Adventures of a Curious Mind”.
    Feynman, a Genius in many ways, a noble laureate, a Musician, an artist, a pranksters, and much more. The sub-title aptly summarizes the book.
    The book is about Feynman’s curious mind. The human mind is inherently curious; but curiosity invariably gets deprived if we don’t encourage ourselves to go ahead and explore the opportunity that curiosity offer.
    Feynman did exactly that, enjoy what ever his mind thought about. The book is a narration of these encounters of a curious mind. The best take away for me is to be able to build on a curiosity and convert it into an option/opportunity.
    In case you are in a state of deliberation with one of the curious pranks/attempts of the mind; go read this book! am quite sure you would love to get going with your attempt than think too much about the options that are available…void of curiosity.

  • Dedupe & Jamalabad Trek



    It had been over 6 months since I had gone on a trek, every time I would give a reason. This time I decided to break the routine. We decided this trek around a month back, but priorities are quick to change, and we landed up being only 5 people for the trek – Tyagraj, Naveen, Niranjan and Rajat.A team of 5 people decided to have a fun in the Western Ghats.

    After a tiring work on Friday, we decided to catch up at Domlur and then leave for the trek. Excepting for Rajat who stays on the other side of KBS, all of us began our trek from Domlur.

    Catching a bus to KBS on Friday evening from Domlur is never easy, there is always going to be people and you need to deal with the packed buses and traffic to reach on time. We reached there just 15 min before the bus was to leave! (thank God we had booked our bus in Advance)Rajat who came from the other part of the city was already there… it was the last seat an we though we wouldn’t have any sleep.

    I was damn tiered and caught sleep quite early, didnt mind the road bumps that were there on the road. Its only when the bus stopped that I woke up. After a long journey we reached Dharmasthala at 5:30 am. Tyagraja our host was very courteous to give us his new house to sleep before we began our trek. All of us had a nice nap.

    Day 1:

    We woke up at our own convenience, there was an awesome breakfast and then with some packed up some food for our trek. We reached Dedupe by car to compensate for the delayed start. This was my second trek to Hanadka, while Tyagaraj had spent his early childhood at his Uncles home near the falls; and the other three were very watchful of the picturesque surrounding. The road was a jeep track for a long distance and so occasionally Naveen who was craving for some more variety would choose to use an alternate route to reach the same point thorough some shrubs, bushes and dried up streams.

    After a simple walk in the steaming heat for around an hour we reached Tyagaraj’s uncles home. I was a very refreshing break from the heat, the cocum juice that was served was just awesome and I was shameless to ask for another one – it just tasted so good! Thanks for this one.

    We also got to know that Hanadka was the last in a series of 7 falls (and one of the most beautiful and easily accessible ones). I made a mental note that, I would get to check all of these out sometime – this is for another time. The starting point of this trek it seems is from Samse – will do the checking and then start off some other time. We decided to resume our trek after a refreshing break.

    All refreshed with a 30 minutes break, we moved through the plantations by the side of a pipe which provides good drinking water to the houses near by, we reached in 15 minutes to the very elegant Hanadka Falls. We spotted a waterfalls, at a distance – this was the 4th level of the falls (I for a moment thought i wish I could get there today).

    I was taken aback, this time when I compared it with the first visit. It was very neat, undisturbed by the plastic & filth that careless people who come for an outing leave behind. I was feeling guilty, since my blogs might have given the access to this beautiful falls – my humble request to all the trekkers who read my blog and go to those places, please act responsibly. The ecosystem is very sensitive, do not leave behind any plastic or non-bio degradable material which might disturb the ecosystem.

    Naveen, Niranjan and Rajat, were excited by the elegance of the falls and decided to have a shower in the falls. I generally retrain from having a bath in the falls that I visit. After some fun, we had a good packed lunch and decided to try out exploring some higher levels of the falls.

    It was around 2 in the afternoon, and we had time till till 4:30 pm to try out some exploration. I detected a small path in the adjacent forest and followed it to reach the top of our falls. It was quite slippery and narrow and having reached the top, asked if we would really like to continue.

    The enthusiasm was contagious, we reached the top of the falls and waited to refresh ourself. After a small break, we decided to follow the water on its trace and explore further. After 30 minutes of trekking we reached a split. It was a very silent and beautiful falls. This was the second level, a very neat one!

    On the right we spotted another another stream joining this one. We couldn’t climb the 2nd falls so we decided to follow the other stream and began climbing trough the slippery slopes and leaves.

    The slopes and leaves made the climb very treacherous. Towards the last section of this climb, we could see a nice falls (not exactly a falls but a small flow of water over the rock surface). The route was through slippery rocks, we didnt have any ropes to help us climb and so we decided against taking the risk of slipping and falling on the rocks.

    We had some photo sessions all along the way, and finally reached the first falls – our base. The time was around 4:45 pm. After a refreshing break at the falls again, we began walking back at 5:30 pm. We reached the car at 6:20pm.

    We drove back and had a nice dinner after a long day of trek in the hot sun. After dinner and catching up with some news we had a sound sleep.

    Day 2:

    We got up at 7 am, freshed up and decided to get going on the 2nd Phase of the trek before it would be hot!. The trek was to Jamalabad Fort.

    This too was the 2nd time I was getting to Jamalabad, and I knew that the later we get started,the tougher it would be. Given the hot sun and the steep accent it would make it really hard.

    We reached the base of the fort at 8:15 AM. After purchasing the ticket, we began our trek to the peak. Nirajan who wasn’t feeling comfortable – decided to stay back. The rest of us continue to the peak.

    Trek was slow and challenging. The sun was raising higher, making the surrounding air hotter. We could spot a lot of mountains, houses, bridges, rivulets as we began but as we continued the distant objects dissolved into the bright light.

    The climb is long and hard one when it gets hot it becomes harder. We had sufficient water and that helped us refresh ourself as we climbed. Lemon is another aid in these conditions.

    After a climb of around 1:30 minutes we reached the peak. The last part of the trek was the hardest. Given the steep slope and the large steps – it gets us frightened. Slow but sure, we reached the peak. Lot of things have changed since the last time – where is the clean
    liness gone!

    After surveying the peak end to end, we began the descent. In 45 minutes we reached the base. After refreshing ourselves, we began back. We reached Tyagraja’s home, and got back to Dharmasthala.

    Tyagraj decided to stay at home for some more time, while we decided to get back to Bangalore by night and take a nap. After lunch, we caught a Suvarna Sarige and reached Hassan.

    After a tiffin at the bustand we continued our journey to Bangalore. We reached home at 1230 am.

    It was one awesome trek!

  • Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen – Porus Munshi

    It has been long since I completed a book. I generally read multiple books at a time and the one that catches my interest the most is the one which gets completed the earliest.
    Entrepreneurship is so much about keeping yourself inspired and at the required task most of the time. Books are probably the best source of inspiration and this book
    “Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen”, is probably amongst the top few books in the category.
    Its a book about India and Indians who made a dent in the history of innovation. It the story of 11 companies/individual who made the impossible. Its definitely worth a read. Take a personal copy I would not share mine!
    The instances in the book are:
    Dainik Bhaskar
    Arvind Eye Hospital
    CavinKare
    ITC-IBD
    Bosch India
    Trichi Police
    Chola Vehicle Finance
    Titan Edge
    Shanta Biotech
    The Surath Transformation
    Su-Kam
    Each of these stories are so inspiring and get you on your feet and in action… It makes you feel better. This book would always remain to have a special impact on my life and will hold a special place.

  • Blink – Malcolm Gladwell

    ‘Blink’ – the power of thinking without thinking; is an interesting book in the sense that it talks about the small split second in which we make the first perceptions.
    I had never seen that fraction of a second; the first feel, the first look so seriously though I had been using it unconsciously since birth. Some questions always used to linger about how this is possible – this book gives me the answers I was looking for.
    The book talks about concepts like – thin slicing, snap judgment, behind closed doors etc… when understood in greater detail help us build on these and strengthen our first impressions there by
    For people interested in knowing more about psychology, and the way we function unconsciously… this is definitely a must read.

  • Every Step is here to stay

    Every Step is here to stay

    None was built in a single day

    It a journey not a stay,

    Like the marks on clay

    Every Step is here to stay.

    Every single step has something to say

    It’s not the goal but the way,

    Showing us light farther away

    Every Step is here to stay.

    Life with its twist and turn

    Makes us earn,

    A moment left not to return,

    Filling life with fun;

    Leaving no heart burn,

    Every Step is here to stay

    It’s not in one single spot

    Connecting every single dot

    Looking back, making a plot

    More beautiful than you thought!

    Every Step is here to stay

    – Chi

  • First, break all the rules – Markus Buckingham

    This book was gifted to me by the Quetzal group when I was interning with them. I started reading this book on the journey back from Mumbai. I couldn’t concentrate too much while traveling that time so stopped reading and the book was lying aside for quite a long time.
    Recently while doing my routine Business Development stuff I thought of looking back at the book. It’s just amazing how we can effectively use this book to foster excellence in organizations. The book challenges the conventional wisdom and explains how the most successful managers handle the situation. This book is very revealing and I would say a must read to every manager. We manager need to understand that we are catalysts to the process…
    The book deals with 4 key ways which the great managers have in common and how this can be used to enhance the effectiveness of others. The four keys are
    – Selection of talent
    – Definition of outcomes
    – Strength’s focus
    – Finding the right fit
    To know more about these 4 keys to improve your managerial effectiveness I would definitely suggest a read. A must read for all managers

  • Leadership wisdom from the monk who sold his ferrari

    Robin Sharma doesn’t stop to inspire me. Every time I read his books I get all the more thrilled to work towards something more meaningful. May be the start up phase of my company also has something to do in me appreciating the points he puts across.

    This one is the latest of this books I have read. Ya! There is a new collection of all his works a set of 9 books – some day I will get that collection (a good gift too I can say). I have read 4 of his books and get all the more involved in them.

    Leadership wisdom is an awesome book the 8 rituals he suggest towards increasing leadership effectiveness is a compilation of the leadership knowledge this far from history. The way he weaves a story around the rituals makes it even more exciting. I think the apt review of this book would be to list the 8 rituals of Leadership here and let the interested people read through the book. So here goes the list.

    1. The ritual of a compelling future force
    2. The ritual of human relations
    3. The ritual of team unity
    4. The ritual of adaptability and change management
    5. The ritual of personal effectiveness
    6. The ritual of self-leadership
    7. The ritual of creativity and innovation
    8. The ritual of contribution and significance

    These rituals are aptly designed to help us improve our leadership capabilities. So if you are searching for the book which would help you do that; here’s one.

  • Joker in the Pack – Ritesh Sharma & Neeraj Pahlajani

    What a time to reflect on the life at IIMB? Graduated in March with the convocation, it been just around 3 complete months but feels like ages since those magical days in the corridors on the college.
    The book is a nice read for people going into the college but similarly, its worth while to be read post the college days. No new insights but gives good memories of the days.
    The issues dealt in the book are really interesting for I could relate closely to many emotions but with a mix of characters…. Go ahead read if you want an interesting view on the life @ IIMs

  • Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert M Prisig

    Some books are path breaking in the world of philosophy and this one is definitely one them, a book which has inspired new thinking of thousands across the world.
    Did I like the book? Definitely, then I need to ask Why did I like to book as much as I did? May be its part narration, part the content – the questions that it has dealt with, part just the timing of reading the book.
    The narration:
    One of my hobbies as is clear from some of the blogs that I have posted is trekking, very similar to the motorcycle ride across The United States; these are times when you get to think a lot about your own ideology of life. On a trek, in the lap of mother nature, its time to reflect and search for any meaning that comes out, any new insights that comes from the past; this a one of the reason why I loved the book.
    The content:
    The details of the story apart, what interested me most of the many things the attempt at understanding quality, the unity of eastern and western approaches in searching for the meaning of life and to be most precise – the attempt at understanding ‘dharma’ in the Indian philosphy.
    There are as I mentioned already a lot of other issues he deals with, its worth reading at a slow pace and letting things sink… I personally spent over 4 weeks to read this book, and I still feel there is lot more to this.
    The timing:
    While I am working for most of the time on starting up, this book talks of a lot of the philosophy, which looks so very true when I read about it and relate to the context in the real life. May be at some other point in time you can read it to be understood quite differently from what I understand it now – but that is so true of awesome works like these.

    A nice read if somebody is interested in philosophy and the associated debate – just to emphasize… there is no much relation with ‘zen Buddhism practiced in the east.’

  • Screw It Let’s Do It – Lessons in life by Richard Branson

    We are inspired by some people to the core, and Richard Branson is one of those some special people for me.
    A man who has done so much in life, who has risked so much in life just to be himself is definitely one from whom you need to take a leaf.
    This book is a short read, can be completed in a couple of hours; but inspires one to the core, probably one of the best books which I can compare with the likes of ‘Alchemist’. Why did I choose this smaller book when I could have read the bigger one… well no explanation to that its just the paucity of time and the let me try it out first (may be I fell to the trap of what the marketing genius wanted me do …. would be more than happy for this one… coz it given me a lot more)
    Some of the lessons shared in the book are worth being mentioned in a lot of places. Here are some of those gems which I would like to share; probably more relevant to those who would start off and experiment, the adventure type… every one would take something out of these definitely. So here I go

    1. Just do it!
    2. Believe it can be done
    3. Have goals
    4. Live life to the full
    5. Never give up
    6. Prepare well
    7. Have faith in yourself
    8. Help each other
    9. Have fun, work hard and money will come
    10. Don’t waste time – grab your chances
    11. Have a positive outlook on life
    12. When it’s not fun, move on
    13. Be bold
    14. Calculate the risks and take them
    15. Believe in yourself
    16. Chase your dreams and goals
    17. Have no regrets
    18. Keep your word
    19. Challenge yourself
    20. Aim High
    21. Try new things
    22. Always try
    23. Rely on yourself
    24. Chase your dreams but live in the real world
    25. Work together
    26. Live the moment
    27. Love life and live it to the full
    28. Enjoy the moment
    29. Reflect on your life
    30. Make every second count
    31. Value family and friends
    32. Put family and the team first
    33. Be loyal
    34. Face problems head on
    35. Money if for making things happen
    36. Pick the right people and reward talent
    37. Have respect
    38. Be polite and respectful
    39. Do the right things
    40. Keep your good name
    41. Be fair in all your dealings
    42. Do some good
    43. Change the world, even in a small way
    44. Make a difference and help others
    45. Do no harm
    46. Always think what you can do to help

    This is definitely a long list… but its worth practicing. Having taken the entrepreneur way, I see the value of each of these in my daily life. The book is a must read for a quick dose of inspiration to change the world in our own small way.