I'm not twenty four,I've been nineteen for five years by Sachin Garg

I’m not twenty four, I’ve been nineteen for five years” by Sachin Garg is the story of Saumya Kapoor , an MDI graduate who gets placed at Lala Steel . Thanks to her unisex name, she is misunderstood as a guy and is posted in a village, Toranagallu in Northern Karnataka. Now Saumya is a Gucci handbag- toting, mini-skirt wearing girl who loves her stilettos, coffee shops and malls way too much. How can a modern girl like that adjust to a life in a god-forsaken village where getting North-Indian food is almost equivalent to a miracle happening? Well, that’s what the chunk of the story is all about…. 

 She just has Amit, her sour and boring classmate from MDI and Malappa , the I-don’t-care Kannadiga  for company; both of whom aren’t prime candidates for friendship, according to the lass. To make matters worse she is placed in the safety department and is made to take up a job profile that is tailor-made for guys(thanks to the confusion regarding the name). Several incidents that take place at work place forces Saumya to wonder whether she did the right thing by accepting the offer. Then, the rakishly handsome weed-smoking Shubrodeep makes an appearance and changes everything for Saumya… Does she stick on in Toranagalla or pack her bag back to Delhi? Does she manage to find love and win the bet she has made with Vartika(about getting “some action” in Toranagalla)?You,ll have to read the book to find the answers to all that.

The book is a coming-of-age story of Saumya and portrays how she matures as a person in a matter of few months, due to her experiences at Lala steel.

Though the book is not exactly well-written, the narrative is racy. Saumya, Shubhro and Malappa are extremely likeable characters. More than anything, I think that a lot of youngsters will relate to the plot and the characters. Even Saumya and her friend, Vartika who grated on my nerves for the first few chapters gradually get likeable as the book progresses.  The trials and tribulations that Saumya faces at workplace are captured well also. I am going to avoid nit-picking on things like bad editing, spelling mistakes, amateurish writing and questionable grammar and not be a snob because I think the story is actually sweet. It will probably bring back memories of your first job (and/or) your first love. 

I guess for a guy writing a book with a female protagonist, and to top it all do the narration in almost diary-style first person, Sachin does a decent job. The initial few chapters were really jarring as one could really sense that the author was trying his best to write “like a girl”. Gradually though, Saumya’s voice isn’t that difficult to tolerate. By the end of the book you’ll start rooting for her, I am sure. In the prologue, Sachin mentions that the book is the true story of a colleague. He has used a picture taken by the girl’s boyfriend (showing her jeans-clad, stiletto encased feet ) on the cover, which is cute. Yeah, it screams chick-lit, but  is cute, nevertheless.

Overall, an enjoyable, breezy read which I’ll rate 3/5. 

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The boss is not your friend by Vijay Nair

Have you always wondered what kind of an “animal” your boss really was and have racked your brains to find some way to tackle “it” effectively? Have you wondered about the “actual” motives of the organization you work for and how the vision and mission statements flouted so grandly by your organization conceals it’s actual intentions? Well,Vijay Nair’s irreverent,yet funny book “The boss is not your friend (A handbook for Indian Managers to survive all things Organizational) might be right up your alley and help you figure some answers.

Drawing richly from his career and his engagements as a consultant,Vijay peppers the book with anecdotes about the vile nature of not just “the boss” but also the organization. He starts of sagely with the hypothesis that “Corporations are evil” and goes on to stack one amusing anecdote on top of another to strengthen his argument. Some might feel that Vijay’s views are extremely jaded,but when one considers the blatant abuse of trust that a lot CEOs and companies have indulged in recently , one realizes that the book was probably born out of a hankering need to call spade a spade,something management tomes would never do. The book takes huge digs at some of the theories expounded by management books.

The Boss Labelling and Fixing instrument that is presented in the book and helps you find out what type your boss really is a hoot,really.The 6 types of bosses that Vijay outlines subsequently ,makes you actually think of all the mean bosses you’ve had the fortune of working with in the past and nod on as he describes characteristics of one obscene type of boss after another. The author’s tongue and cheek tone makes the book a real page turner. He uses the framework of a few management and socalist theories (like Maslow’s theory,CMM model, Schorsch’s framework of Immaturity )and adapts it the context of bosses ,CEOs and organizational behaviour.

Vijay has also drawn liberally from books and movies to develop his dogmas which he calls “DIGMAS”. It was particularly amusing to read about the parallels he draws between HR managers and Dementors in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books . Much later in the book, he compares The Matrix in the movie Matrix to Organizations. All these references to popular culture, along with his easy narrative style makes the book immensely readable.The book also gives tips and pointers at managing several other “evil” forces in the organization like HR managers, CEOs, team members and outsiders like consultants .

Somewhere at the end of the book, the author writes “ This book was never meant to change your lives. It contains no secrets that can illuminate your path. Neither does it help you pick up silly habits to help you succeed against all odds.Gardens or Gardeners have nothing to do with this book.Maybe all it did for you was tickle your funny bone.I am fine with that.” This according to me summarizes the objective of the book quite lucidly. The subservient techniques Vijay advocates might seem a little neurotic and arrogant to some, but one just has to look at the ground realities to understand that guerrilla warfare is definitely the way to go.If you don’t believe in the philosophy of “eye for an eye”,you might want to read the book just for a few laughs!.

Overall, an engaging book that’s been written well . I can see a lot of young executives relating to the style and the content of the book.

My Rating : 3.5/5

This review is a part of the http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank">Book Reviews Program at http://www.blogadda.com">BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!