review category archive

The book Devil in Pinstripes takes a look at the operations of foreign banks and NBFCs in India .The main protagonist of the story Amit Sharma initially works at a bank, New York International Bank and then switches over to a Non Banking Finance Company(NBFC) NFS. An employees loyalties usually lie with the person who has selected him during the interview, who acts as a godfather,( in this case Aditya Bhatnagar) and this is highlighted throughout the book.

In the NBFC he is drawn into a power struggle with Gowri Shanker who has built the sales team . The ego clash which was caused by differences in operating styles as well as personal values, adversely affects the personal life of the Amit Sharma as well as his wife Chanda who also works in the same NBFC. The process of borrower evaluation, DSA’s , graft while both sanctioning loans as well as recovering payments is highlighted.

The book is written in flashback mode, alternating between the time when Amit Sharma is served an arrest warrant when a borrower Tulsiram (and later his family) commits suicide and his career path in the bank. The author has clearly demarcated the hero and villian in the book, every person has his positive and negative points, and balanced characters would be more believable.

Like ‘Devil in Pinstripes’, ‘Keep the change’ is another of the many books set in the Indian banking industry highlighting the work culture and office politics. However, there seem to be none set in the Indian internet industry, highlighting the ethics, value systems and their attitude towards smaller businesses.

Devil in Pinstripes
by Ravi Subramanian
Pages: 279
Published by Rupa Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2010

Revolution 2020 takes a look at the education system today, where crores of rupees are spent on first getting admission to a reputed college and then a degree , but in reality getting a degree has little to do with how much money you make in life.The main protagonist of the story Gopal Mishra fails to get admission to an engineering college despite spending money and a year of his life attending coaching classes, but becomes the director of an engineering college in his twenties with the backing (and investment) from the local MLA Shukla. His idealistic school classmate Raghav clears JEE, studies at IT BHU but becomes a journalist, working at the local newspaper Dainik. He loses his job after writing a story exposing corruption, and starts a newspaper Revolution 2020. After another story exposing corruption, the office of Revolution 2020 is attacked, computers and other equipment damaged. Since Raghav does not have sufficient funds he returns to working at the local newspaper Dainik again.

Parents spend a lot of their hard earned money , so that their children can study at a reputed college, but often admission is determined by how a student fares in a single exam. In reality, a degree is important when an individual applies for his or her first few jobs, it matters when you are holding a job and academic qualifications are a consideration. Today, one comes across MBAs who flaunt their qualifications but are incompetence personified and cannot complete simple assignments , which others with lesser degrees can. Instead of spending time and money chasing degrees, it is better for students to develop skills which are in demand, to do what they are interested in.

Revolution 2020
by Chetan Bhagat
Pages: 296
Published by Rupa Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2011

The Resignation is the story of Mrinal born in a well off family, whose husband leaves her after marriage. She is expected to return to her family , but prefers to lead her own life. This story is set in preindependence India, when there were few career opportunities for women, but many of the issues covered in this story are relevant even today. A single woman however blameless is often subject to a malicious slander campaign based on lies, especially if she does not have powerful backers or a support system. She is expected to adjust, keep her family member’s happy, even if they have not done anything for her. The book touches upon the topic of domestic violence which is rarely discussed.

As Mrinal says”Those who live within society also carry the responsibilty of keeping its structure intact” Most people live with their family or in the same place all their life. If you live away from home at a very young age, live alone for a very long time, or work online (where you do not have to interact with anyone personally), it is difficult for others to understand your lifestyle, unless they make an effort to. The narrator of the book is Mrinal’s nephew Pramod who is a few years younger to her. It tracks her life through school days, marriage, life after she leaves her husband, her teaching job, her illness and death.
The original Hindi book Tyagpatra has been translated into English by Rohini Chowdhury. The writing style in the book is lyrical , a change from fiction books available today.

The Resignation (Tyagpatra) by Jainendra
Pages: 178
Published by Penguin Books India