As the book arrived, I was looking at the cover, already familiar with the image, I was expecting a college fest and a romantic saga and may be some fashion statement to be made. To start with this is a story of a girl and slice of her first career spanning over 3 months or so.

As I started reading the first few pages, it was a bit different in the sense the narrator of the story herein Saumya lands up at a Steel Plant, for her first job after her MBA. Thus the setting had gone for a toss for Saumya who had thought of a corporate career in a five star setup or atleast in a city environment. So welcome to Toranagallu.

Once there, she is taken by surprise at the being so rural and has no choice but to appreciate the positives wherever she could think about. She has no other go but decides to make amends and starts liking the place on some of the most appreciable things she comes face to face in life.

At her age and in a male dominated workplace, she is a sort of out of place. She takes the challenge head on and makes head turn literally at all places so much so at one instance a worker fatally falls in Sulphuric acid.  The storyline also has some characters in Malappa, Amit and her boss.

Another character who influences Saumya is one Shubro who she accidentally meets when she is on her leisure trip to Hampi. Though we get to see some glimpses of Shubro at their meeting and a bit of his past, it is not until he comes into her life while she decides to quit the company.

What we see in the rest of the story is a blossoming and untold love between these two and may they think the other would make the first move.

In all this there are characteristic display of wantonness of being the person they are, the author takes liberty in portraying their weakness too.  On the other side he makes it up with some of the most positives we tend to normally ignore because we take them for granted or may be we see it as we already knew this person was going to be so.

Saumya gets a chance to impress her peers as also Shubro in his time at the social club when he changes the life of almost 10,000 people in this tiny village in Karnataka.

Shubro lives by what he calls ‘Lets move on’ theory a fascinating aspect in reality because we would love to do it, and it keeps him from staying at one place, but as we see it it clear in the later part, he is there to make the change that he wants.

So we get to see how they were so close yet far.

In the end we get to see Saumya make up her mind and taking off to live what Shubro had believed in as his dream and reality.

Its a fast paced book, but then there are breaks which the reader doesn’t quite expect, the blog at the end is a bit long, and thats too late for the reader to say something so important about the character.

A nice read and I dont know if the readers think the characters are different from who they are since all the youngsters, given a chance could tread Saumya’s path without blinking an eye.

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There is a beautiful saying which is quite often related to Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Your greatness lies in your simplicity.’ Probably this best sums up the way the author Prakash Iyer presents his wonderful book ‘The Habit of Winning.’

India is a land traditionally bound by story telling right from the Ramayana days. We are fond of stories and never ever get tired listening to it and reading them galore, but the foot note of those stories and learning’s are lost, but in here the author makes for an excellent story teller laced with simplicity, one on one narration and takes you to the place of happening and makes you revisit them in front of your eyes. Every story is based on real life situations of managers, of corporate heads, of sports persons from different parts of the world. Talking of sports, it automatically serves to draw a parallel of what life is all about.

We are taken through some of the best stories which will lift your spirits, make you come out of your slumber and more so get your act together. The best part all the heroes in the book are close to you and me and we know them by their name except a few.

The author narrates the stories personally to the reader and that makes it the best reading experience. As I found you need not be reading through from page 1 to the end, but even if you open any page you are bound to find the flow of wisdom, his care for his reader intact at every paragraph, every sentence and most important part of this book is it doesn’t make you rush. You take your time to read and digest it in your own pace. You will love it that way because there are moments you can easily look back and relate. Something like having ‘a to do’ list.

The stories bring to life the traits of some of the accomplished leaders, known for their conviction, self-belief, perseverance and many other positives to make you take that first step to achieve what you thought was impossible. There are stories of Sachin to Sidhu to Micheal Phelps, all great in their own right and we would discover what it took them to be the great people are those traits of small measure in their own way making it happen for them. It would find us the most elusive success.

There is one story of the Goal Keeper during a penalty shoot out. Though it has been found scientifically that a goal keeper would do better without diving in either direction, he is compelled to ‘do the diving’ to fulfill what is called as ‘atleast he tried’ syndrome. A pointer that we also take some things in life just to fulfill the societal obligations; may be we need a rethink.

Some stories relate to change in strategy and some relate to a full overhaul, we need to think over before we practice them and should be read in relevant context of personal life and corporate career.

The most adorable part of these stories is that its works across the ladder in a corporate and across age group in a family there’s a story for everyone.  Possibly it’s never too late to start even now.

Lot of instances from everyday life and especially those from sports are a delightful read and inspire the mind and fills you with a positive spirit as much as flying a kite.

I would have liked a to do list in the end of the book so that for those of us who think they need a bit of direction, or may be the author thought it fit to make the reader take the initiative.

In a way a nice read and its doesn’t sound like an advice and that’s one aspect every reader will easily like it. One thing comes out fair and square, there is no substitute to hard work and couple that with sheer positives, what you get is a sheer winner and as the adage goes ‘Winning is a habit and unfortunately failure too is.’

Life – It’s a mind game to be won, even before you are on the field, and sometimes the worst situations are the best platform to showcase yourself, believe in yourself and break the mental barrier as a sprinter Roger did crossing a mile under the 4 min mark, while the whole world thought it was impossible to do it.

Once the mental barrier is broken, the body gives in way a little easily, otherwise it would be very tough even to take the first step. Quite often we get carried by mental convictions even before we have tried or sometimes you just don’t have the last minute of patience after all the hard work that we put it in.

There are also some advices in a practical outlook like don’t ever try to befriend a scorpion lest it should sting, no fault here on the scorpion because it’s its character to do exactly that.

This book would make for a nice gift to anyone who you care about and a really a special way to say you really care and this book fits it exactly. A very nice little offering and as they say good things comes in small packages!

R Senthilkumar

PS: Thank you Blogadda.com for this wonderful opportunity to review a nice book as I start this voyage of discovery of reading and writing reviews!

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Finished a book Zapp! the lightning of empowerment – an old book by William C Byham and Jeff Cox. Absolutely interesting read and a great illustrative piece I should say on the way to empower employees in an organisation.

A great narrative style made it such an easy read and we could easily find the analogies to our day to day working conditions. A must read for people who are looking to empower their people – employees and make the organisation a great one.

It does have a cover tag – How to improve quality, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

You will enjoy it for sure…

R Senthilkumar

It’s a wonderful feeling when one of your most loved and favorite writer tweets you back saying thanks, it happened today. The night, day before yesterday was spent sleepless. Did earn the wrath of my mom when she passed my room to see it was 3 in the morning and I had not slept yet.

Well real culprit was 2 States – the new novel by Chetan Bhagat, I took it up the last day and after getting over with my work on Monday, I thought let me finish it off and I did at 4 in the morning….next day.

I promptly went to his website and did my feedback. He is one such author who knows how to reply. (we seldom get replies for fan mail.)

Then I thought boss, he is more active on twitter why not tell him there, sure I did and today when I saw his replies it included my name…@rsenthilkumar

I did think he was best a script writer the way he does his narration so much that we start thinking at times on what is next from him. Pretty cool and the book had one great character in the Dad, the Army Officer. Sometimes Dads are like that.

Anyways had a great time today with a thanks from my fav Chetan Bhagat. Thanks Chetan Bhagat Saab, Thank you very much.

See ya….

R Senthilkumar

No marks for guessing, thats the Apple Steve Jobs biography…Just got hold of this book and it is an impulsive read as much as the man himself…Going through the narrative of the inside covers it was an excellent piece of introduction and led me think about the man and his ambitions and his achievements and the prologue transported me to the 2000 meeting. The narrative of the CEO clad in a round neck Tee and a pair of jeans to boot should be breaking convention at all times, but the man in question is none other than Steve Jobs. And to think he was booted out of his own company he built and then the perseverance that paid off when he was back all are worth the words there and I bet it would be a great inspiration…

As I keep flipping pages consciously treading every incident I am overwhelmed at the fact the man had traveled to India at a pretty young age by even Indian standards to seek his inner self…just a startling revelation for me personally….

I think am interested riveted as much as the iPod or an iPhone would make you hold your eye balls.

Will share about this whenever I can…

R Senthilkumar