Bhaag! by Ganesh V

I just finished reading "Bhaag!" by a first time author - Ganesh V. I met Ganesh at IIMB-NSRCEL when he mentioned about the book he had written on Student entrepreneurs. I offered to write a review and he was kind enough to send me a copy of the book.

It has been an interesting attempt to look at bugging entrepreneurs from colleges across India and across different sectors. It is definitely the first of such an attempt in the space of student entrepreneurs in India - kudos! I loved the Bio-tech story in the set the most and I am a bit skeptical of the inclusion of the "Nurturing Green" story as I think it doesn't fit with the remaining set of stories.

What I liked about the book?

• The channelization of energy
• The focus of mentoring by the faculty of colleges
• The support of various B-Plan programs across the country

What I could like to see different in the book?

• Font! Man the font is so small - couldn't it have been bigger?
• Some elements of the narration! Looks like the Ganesh also wanted him to be part of the effort (this is my personal opinion: let us focus on the subjects instead of how you went about asking them!)
• Could have included a set of key pointers for the enterprising students who would seek to go enter entrepreneurship - the how element. (Resources: I am not too sure if these are the only ones - there are many more and some really interesting ones. I guess Ganesh could have done a better job on this)

What I think could be a good continuation?
Being one of a research mindset, it would be inapt to think of letting the new set of cases go off without tracking over a longer period of time. This could lead to a lot of interesting insights into entrepreneurship.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish

I just completed reading the Shiva Trilogy by Amish (all the three parts in less than 3 weeks - an achievement my standards who doesn't read much of fiction!). I must admit - the narration was extremely gripping and I just finished one part after another - Hats off!

All three books:

1. Immortals of Meluha
2. The Secret of the Nagas
3. The Oath of the Vayuputhras

I found them equally engaging as a reader.
If you are open to reading a story that plays on your existing associations that we do with the various gods that we have - this series is for your. Read it if you enjoy thinking on these lines. For someone who is looking for facts to support the line of thinking - you might not enjoy the fiction.

Seek - Rakesh Godhwani

I completed reading Rakesh's book on career choices - Seek a few minutes back, and as is my habit - here is my review.

Here is what I liked about the book:

• The structure of the book - he covers each of the cases (as I call them) and takes care of the most commonly aspired sectors for an MBA student.
•  Mistakes were highlighted too - it makes it more real life, that we see people making mistakes
• Subtly highlighting the role an alumni plays as a mentor to the those in dilemma (builds a case for many colleges to strengthen their alumni network)
• Highlighted the existence of naysayer and their influence in every cases. These people have stood their ground.

What else I would have liked to see in the book:

• Could have also included not IIM cases - that would potentially increase the audience to which one could reach out to
• How about Non-MBA (some where I felt the book could have included a few cases of those who managed career transitions without an MBA - could have been a more generic learning for the readers - and there by making the recommendations more generic. MBA itself gives the breadth to adapt and hence may act as a cushion of sorts - should readers believe that an MBA become necessary for career shifts?)
• How should one learn from mistakes could have also been added - may not be the subject of this book and hence excluded. But it would be good to help people learn  how to course correct.

This is a good starting point for those seeking career guidance, however I hope that Rakesh of other authors in this line consider different starting points and help seekers learn how to navigate from different starting points. All the best for your work on careers going ahead - keep the good work going.

Here is a presentation he has upload covering the highlights from his book - I guess this was during the launch of the book.

Seek: Finding your true calling by Rakesh Godhwani 2013 from Rakesh Godhwani