"The reluctant fundamentalist" - Book Review

This book is no amazing piece of literature, but then it has a slice of

author's soul and that is what i liked about it. This is an easy book to read - keep it for a sunday afternoon or a travel.

I recently read an article about the confusion that the muslim youth nowadays go through. Categorically listing the religion as anti-modern and illiberal faith it condemned the 9/11 attacks where only a fraction of lives were lost compared to Iraq or Kashmir. Does it require genius of Einstein to understand that no amount of security measure can save your lives after instigating violence for selfish reasons. Knowing this i can understand the amount of insecurity that has crept in. I am no advocate of violence in the west, but i am also no fan of considering that lives in the west are more valuable than the poorer nations. Newton's third law catches up - "Every action has a equal and opposite reaction". And remember like it is said that "life begets life", so does violence.

I was interested in knowing what a learned Pakistani feels like upon treated the way he is like he is in the airports of America. From the book though there is a commonness in the culture and the food and the description of streets in Pakistan and India. Also a feeling on either sides that the other one is hawkish. Thus i identify myself with my brother living in Pakistan. This book is just a narration of how the author searches for his identity and achieves it finally in Lahore. I dont think the book is loud and clear as far the exact sentiments go. Nevertheless it conveys how even a Princeton and Harvard educated Pakistani sitting in the safe confines of a well paid job can feel for his nation. Like Sashi Tharoor said, "There is no place under the sun like your own country that a man can feel comfortable standing". I cant agree enough.

High Performance Entrepreneur - Book Review

This book is a gold mine waiting to be discovered. This is a very honest narration of what Subroto Bagichi has gone through in setting up Mindtree. Right from expectation setting to various tips to increase sales this books gives a lot of information. Whats also impressive is that it focuses on sustaining business and not just on how to get started.

If you have questions on what all a business plan should contain or even if there has to be a business plan at all in frist place then read through the pages where the author tries to convince you on his opinions. Very honest and confident, he easily takes you along his journey of memoirs.

As can be expected there are a lot of behaviourial aspects discussed as well which insists how deeply he is involved with the subject of leadership. Only regret that i had was that he did not write much about his experiences having failed in sustaining starting up a company earlier in his career. An account of these learnings would have been extremely valuable. On the whole, a definite recommendation for anybody who is interested in becoming an entrepreneur or even an intrapreneur.

O Jerusalem - Book Review

"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy."

These lines from the psalms, the Jewish Bible more or less summarises the passion and the sacrifice that the jews had shown during their "war of independence" for creating a new "Jewish nation". This i quote before the inclusion of the other group in war - the Arabs, as i was deeply moved by the resolve with which the Jews fought. Though this book does not take away anything from the Arabs and portrays both warring factions in fair light, what does not come out very clearly is the reason why the British government acted the way it has. There are definite mentions of biases and betrayals by the British - and this further proves my conviction that the British in all their colonies has sown seeds of hatred. They had for one crafted the divide between the hindus and the muslims in India where they have been co-existing.

Coming from one of my favourite authors Dominique Lapierre (co-authored with Larry Collins) whose books i have always enjoyed reading, this book turned to be a easy choice. But still there are a many instances where i could really predict that some body will end up being a victim of the war a few pages down because of the slight overusage of the melodrama. Nevertheless, as the book promises it gives an account of how the Jewish nation was formed and a very good portrayal of various difficulties that both sides had to endure during this period of war.

If you are looking to know on why and how Israel became a reality - this is the book that i would recommend you to read!!