Amit Shankar's Blog, page 6

REVIEW- CHAPTER 11

You know what a heart is, right? It is an organ that pumps blood and provides us with life. It is vital to our existence, well-being, and survival. Perhaps, it serves as the most crucial part in the human machinery.

Now, moving out of the biological mode, a heart is what nourishes our feelings, emotions and sentiments. We are drawn towards everything that is close to our hearts, as we consider it to be a closet of purity, an inner reflection of our soul. 'Chapter Eleven' by Amit Shankar defines just that. It is a heart-warming tale of an honest man, fighting against the corrupt corporate world around him, which takes you on a ride of soul searching and self – identification. This tale touches you deep, deep within your heart, enticing your shadow, in such a way that you cannot avoid falling in love with it.

In short, this story travels from heart to heart, the former belonging to the author, the latter possessed by the readers.

The plot revolves around VVS, or Virendra Vikram Singh, a Rajput bana from Udaipur, who leaves his seemingly inconsequential job, and his family, in Udaipur and shifts to Gurgaon as soon as he is offered a high paying position in a reputed MNC. He is ecstatic, and thankful to the almighty for having fulfilling his dream of being a part of the slick corporate industry. However, the day he joins, his company files for Chapter 11, which in simple layman term, can be reworded as ‘Bankruptcy.’

The glass façade cracks and the dark truth about corporate sleaze and deception starts tumbling out to flood VVS’s conscience. Soon, he realizes that the shining and fake glitter of corporate world isn't a place for honesty. This leads him to a path of self-realization and retrospection, and changes the person within him.

This is a book that MUST be read by all corporate people (and yes, MUST is typed in bold). This is a book about ethics and work culture, and a story that delves with different shades of the trade. Moreover, this is not a tale of just a single man - VVS, rather it deals with million other people who have often found themselves to be a victim of corporate betrayal and treachery.

The story starts as a light read, with dosages of humor and it instantly grabs hold of your attention. How VVS manages to adjust to the brighter city - Gurgaon, and his initial experiences in the big MNC will make you smile, and at times, laugh. However, halfway down the book, and the tone shifts towards a graver and more serious perspective of corporate workflow. Though this change of scenario was necessary, keeping in mind the subject that this book deals with, I felt that it dragged the story a bit. Perhaps, for someone with a none-corporate background, those portions might be a bit heavy to flow along with.

However, the last few chapters, and the twist, totally blew me over, and that’s what prompted me to mark this book as a MUST read in one of the paragraphs above. Do pick up a copy, and Amit Shankar’s brilliant storytelling will surely strike a chord with you.

After all, something that can blend with your heart, will always grant you fulfillment.

-Amrit Sinha

Review-Chapter 11

"The second last book that I read and reviewed recently was Amit Shankar's Love is Vodka. I quite liked it and I knew that he is one of the writers who can never disappoint me with the plot of his story. I also liked his writing style. Just after posting his reviews, I got to know a comment that he made for Book Reviewers where he said after the 4 lines of jingle, "Can't write to save your life? Become a Book Reviewer." This shows the disrespect and its evident that the author sees Book reviewer as an inferior class against his position of being an author. Well this is a harsh truth for some of the book reviewers but being an author, he should respect Book Reviewers because the 60% of visibility and popularity that such not-so-popular authors get is because of the book reviewers. My only request to him is that now he's an Author and he should think 100 times before saying or posting something in public. He has to be responsible, no matter what!

Well, now coming to his 2nd work that I have read out of three that he has written, "Chapter 11" which also has the tagline "Kissa Corporate Bankruptcy Ka". The 353-pages story is published by his home publisher- Vitasta. As I showed my doubt regarding the publisher last time if it's good or not, after reading these 2 books of Amit Shankar, I am sure that they are one of the capable publishers in our literary world. The cover page of this novel is yet made exactly according to how story is. The whole process of how Amit Shankar takes the story ahead is what I like about him. There's a certain confidence that can be made out through the narration skill he has. He knows that every sentence that he is writing is required in the story and he makes it sure that he isn't over-exaggerating anything. A wonderful writer to be followed in future. :-) 

SYNOPSIS:-
Feeling suffocated within the confines of Udaipur, his past and inconsequential job, Virendra Vikram Singh aspires to be a part ofan MNC. However, with dreams having a nasty habit of going haywire, the day he joins his dream company, it files for Chapter Eleven bankruptcy. First of its kind, Chapter Eleven is a bold and honest portrayal of corporate sleaze, dejection, love and self-discovery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:-
His debut novel Flight of the Hilsa was received exceptionally well by the readers and critics alike. No wonder, in no time it went on to become a national best-seller. Amit Shankar, an advertising professional, has worked with some of the biggest advertising agencies, spearheading the communication for global brands. As a Copywriter and Creative Director, he has bagged some of the biggest advertising awards.

As I have already said that there's a certain confidence in author that makes him write a story that he himself has faith on and makes readers feel that they are reading something that comes once in a time. I am fan of his narration now. I also loved a new thing that I found about him- the great sense of humor that plays a big part in this book. If you take away the humor from this funny book, there's nothing much left to be read. And that's the USP of Chapter Eleven. Whenever a book is based on Corporate life, there comes a feeling that it might bore us but there are very few books that stands out differently, this is one among them. The protagonist VVS is someone whom I would love to see again in the sequel to this novel or in some other work. His background, his current scenario and his dreams, all are managed so properly that you can actually imagine VVS accurately. :-)

The starting of the book is itself interesting as it shows how VVS gets his dream job and after joining the office, his wide expressions after seeing all the corporate arrangements is a wonderful thing to read. Then the moment he enters the company, company gets into a situation where they start throwing employees out of the organization, his fear from then onward is what the whole book is all about. His equation with his wife is depicted nicely. His religion- Rajput is shown in a good light with humorous touch- this is something for which I should accolade the author. Then the relation of VVS with Ambica is also narrated beautifully because I thought that it would be too sensuous to handle but author kept it very light and real. Though something related to Ambica became quite obvious at a point of time hence the story became predictable for me since then. It is only then that I got disappointed. Else, the book is a wonderful book in this section of Popular Fiction and I would recommend it to all. I give it 4 out of 5."
- ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

The Prisoner

Who traps you,
no one but you,
the door is wide open,
but you sit there, 
blaming the world for locking you up,
claiming love of inmates for your staying back,
searching for new excuses every day,
get up, walk or maybe even crawl,
shrug off the fear, the shackles,
a whole new world awaits.

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The answer

Why am I feeling restless? Wish I had the answer. Would some introspection help? Maybe, maybe not. But I guess I am too afraid the face the mirror. I know it will reveal the shortcoming, follies, the dark circles and the fine creases. The patches and the pimples I have been trying to hide all this while.
Have a failed as a traveller? Has my doctrine, my belief, my whole existence gone for a toss? Have I failed my own self?  Come on, don’t be so hard on yourself, I comfort the man in me. But the man has been with me for ages. So has the woman…the sissy side of me.  We all have one. The whimpering, cribbing, fault finding side. The one which is never tired of complaining, bitching.
What do I want to do? What makes me happy? Well, wish I had an answer to that one? Let me re-phrase the question, maybe it will help. What makes me happy? Do I know what is happiness, I ask my self.  Damn! I curse out loud. I am the one who writes on happiness, lectures the uninitiated souls, deciphering happiness for them. But do I know the answer? Maybe, in bits and pieces I do. But do I have the complete picture? I mean do I have the puzzle solved? I doubt.
There were times when strumming the guitar was the source of my joy, or just watching a crappy Bollywood flick, the bottle of Old Monk. Times changed. Playing the creator gave me high. Of a song, a headline, maybe even a dish. I loved it and ensured that people read, savored and appreciated my creation. I even went to the extent of writing novels, poetries, FB updates and what not. Still the vacuum persisted.  Gym and then off it, drinking like a fish to being a coffee addict, rock buff to Indian classical, yoga, meditation, Gods, Gurus and what not. However, the answer still eludes. 
It’s all in the mind. Bull shit, I know it. But then why cant my mind process it for me? Am I stupid, a complete moron? Who knows? Would I be happy being SRK or Beckham? I have no clue. Am I happy essaying the role I am into? I don’t know. 
Spiderman, Superman, even Iron Man would have done.  Yes, I wish if I had some super powers. To fly, to disappear, turning people into dust, eating and spitting fire, oblivious to pain, winning every time. On second thought, maybe I wanted to be someone like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. The God of tech. Aint tech for nerds?
What about being a no body? But I guess I am playing the same. Ain’t I? Faceless, clueless, aimless, just like a rolling stone.  Time to sort out my confusion. Are you feeling the same? I mean , confused? You figure it too. Adios.

RIP

For the past few years our interaction was bare minimum. No calls, visits, almost nothing.Updates came via my mom. I am sure mine were also relayed through the same channel. Work, life, play, kept me occupied. More than a couple of times, I planned to go and renew the ties…but then life is a bitch.
Sitting on my shoulders, it weighed heavy. Was it the weight or the guilt? I guess the guilt quotient was more. Recitation of some mumbo-jumbo rites came to an end and in no time fire consumed her. Exhuming her of all the pain, suffering and the cancerous cells which defeated Manju Didi, my cousin.
I remember, as a young boy, sitting in the living room of her huge colonial style bungalow, which was tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life, I got exposed to a new world. This living room was the spot where I got addicted to books. Though at that age I could not even read.  Lying on the sofa, holding a Reader’s Digest; albeit upside down, I would pretend to read for hours. She would pass by, looking adoringly at me, ruffling my hair, giving me her trademark, kind and warm smile.
For my birthdays, the gifts were almost fixed—books. I can still remember the hard bound beauties that graced my shelf for almost thirty five years. Most of them were imported. I did not even know from where she got them. She was the one who imbibed not only the habit of reading, but reading titles which were worthwhile. In my second title, Chapter 11, I did thank her for blessing me this beautiful habit.
There were times when she would go out with her friends to watch a movie. Being the only man, I was made responsible for the custody of the tickets. During the movie, like a Casanova, I sat there, in between some 10-12 girls, smiling, feeling shy, a little odd too. Popcorns were unheard of then and the movie was enjoyed over rounds of roasted peanut.
She was the one who initiated me to the wonderful world of cakes and soufflés. Now being a well travelled man, I can say with conviction that I have never tasted soufflés as good as the ones made by her. My fondness for her and the soufflés assumed a new proportion. To ensure an uninterrupted supply of soufflés, I proclaimed my intention of marrying her.
During my early days in Delhi, over weekends, I would crash in shamelessly at her Vasant Kunj apartment.  She would get my laundry done, feed me like a boy out of Somalia. We would gossip for hours.
From a boy I became a man. A man with responsibilities of making a living, paying the EMIs, managing the mood swings of boss, wife and clients. She understood all of this and stepped back. My car got bigger, so did my house and all this make me sidetrack her immense love for me. Like a silly man, I pursued the material benefits harder, not even sparring few minutes for her.    
And like a true loving soul, she did not complain even once. Whenever we met during family functions or get together, her eyes and smile always had the same affection and warmth.
Today, with a big house and car, I sit here, missing her and her soufflés. Thank you Manju Didi for everything and sincere apologies for not being the brother that you deserved.  
Manju Didi, May your soul rest in peace.

It is all about 'IQ'

Chennai Express is chugging down the tracks and has no plans of putting the brakes. During its journey, it has silently run over ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai.’ SRK has proved that he is the reel and the real box office king.
The success of Chennai Express raises a serious concern—over our intellect as a nation. If you sit back for a moment and analyze, in no time you will decipher the crux of my debate. Let me help you with the same. Wasn’t Chennai Express an outright insult to your sensibilities? I am yet to find a soul who has something positive to say about the film. Yet it crossed the 100 crore mark in 3 days.  How?
Remember the song “Kolaveri?”  Complete trash; yet it was our second national anthem. The umpteen movies of RajniKant, the success of sub 100/- novels,  shows like ‘Rakhi Ka Swyamvar’ and if that was not enough swyamvars of politician’s junkie son and some non entity TV actress …the list continues.
A common thread runs across all of these. All of them were huge hits!I mean there are millions of people who actually hear, read and watch these creations, which should have never happened in a society which had even a decent level of IQ.
Please don’t get me wrong. The effort is to rationalize and not to insult. I seriously feel that maybe it is this lack of intelligence, which makes us a slave of ‘follower’ mentality.
Chennai Express is good because the TV says it, Congress party is good because my father says it, Modi is a racist because the newspaper proclaims the same, Manmohan Sing is a good PM because…oops I got carried away. There wont be a single soul in defense of our PM. Seriously, as a nation we are lead by marketing, PR and media blitz. We are led by general perception, as there isn’t enough IQ to gather, process, analyze and form an opinion of our own.
Anna is a good man and we believed it. Arvind Kejriwal is the future of a new India and we believed it too. Anna is not such a good man.  Even this was fine by us. Arvind Kejriwal has vested interests and we were fine by it too. Congress should go, Modi should be the next PM… all our perceptions are so perceptual.
Absurd it might sound but it takes some IQ to build a man, company, society and a nation. After all would a nation with an average IQ ever dedicate a film to an athlete whose claim to fame was a missed bronze at the Rome Olympics? If America or China started making films on athletes who missed their Olympics bronze, God be with us. Even sporting legends like Jesse Owens, Johnny Weissmuller, Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis do not have a feature film dedicated to them. Do you think Americans would spend to watch a film made on the life of a loser? The answer is well known.
Imagine us, as a nation with IQ. In no time, the lines of caste, creed would ebb. We would start casting our votes basis the profile of candidates rather than caste. Political parties would start giving tickets to deserving candidates rather than to rapists and goons or to people with money power. Parliament would be a true representation of our people. We would not be ruled by the MPs but served. No one would be a minority and no party would play minority-appeasing politics. Better governance instead of atrocious rule. 
The reason our government pays no attention to roads, sanitation, education, health, corruption, and mismanagement; even to Pakistan, because it knows that that we don’t have an IQ. They keep us gainfully employed by playing out the circus showcasing Kashmir, Dawood, Ram Mandir, Modi and engaging party jokers for occasional breaks.
Do you actually think we can’t nab Dawood or beat the shit out of Pak? As a nation can’t we nail the culprits of commonwealth games, the Coalgate, the Armsgate? If we want, can’t we ask questions, raise our voice? We can! But it would need IQ.
So till the time we get some, we will have to live with bad governance, bad roads, and last but not the least, bad movies.

Eunuchs… that’s what we are

·      2 soldiers beheaded and their bodies mutilated by our so-called neighbors.·      5 jawans killed by our neighbor’s armed forces inside our territory.·      Our PM is silent·      A minster in Bihar makes a statement that laying down lives for army personnel is no big deal as they are paid to do so.·      Chief Minister of Delhi seeking divine help when the road breaks down during monsoon.·      Pampering minorities for vote is all about being ‘secular’ but if you dare to do the same for Hindus, you are communal·      The unfortunate Godhra express incident was a case of short circuit where as Gujrat riots were orchestrated

How much more we would tolerate in the name of being liberal, broad minded and pseudo intellectuals? Why cant we see the hypocrisy if this government and pledge to over throw it? For sure, I have. It is time for you too.
Surrounded by sycophants, The PM is playing the classic ‘Dhritrashtra’. On the other hand, Mama Mia ‘Madam’ can see only green; the color of money.  Suspension of an IAS officer perturbed her so much that she instructed the PM to intervene. Didn’t she felt the same when 5 jawans were killed and the PM was not even responding?
It hurts me to be a citizen of a country, which has got no self-respect. No wonder, people all around the world treat us with disdain. An Italian college school drop out ruling us, our neighbors who are not even 1/4thour size making us bleed, our PM too chicken to speak or react, the council of ministers busy in creating scam after scam. Gosh, it is hopeless.
‘The PM is honest.’ We have been hearing the same for too long. But would a honest, upright man take all this muck and sleaze lying low? Aint an honest man supposed to have integrity, point of view, a backbone and courage to stand up for what is right? If yes why is our honest PM silent? Is honesty the only virtue, which is required to be the PM? If yes, make Anna Hazare the PM.
Why cant we see that a country needs a CEO. Bright aggressive, assertive, ruthless and with a clear vision. I am sure our PM does not have even one of these qualities. What a shame!
Just a thought…the new ad for Fevicol should feature Manmohan Singh. No wonder, after all the public bashing, humiliation he is still glued to his chair.Aakhir Fevicol ka zod hai, aise nahin chootega.
It is so frustrating. If I have an option, I would change my passport and my citizenship right away. What good is being an Indian when there is nothing good about being one? 

Hindu, Hindustan and Hindu Nationalist

Modi is communal so is BJP. Congress is secular so is every other party.
What makes us decide on these lines? Who gives these tags or elect these categories? For sure, convenience and the all-critical vote bank.  Government which was supposed to work on the behalf of its people, carrying their mandate forward, seems to be having a mandate of its own; staying glued to the seat of power by playing the dirty vote bank politics.
It is so unfortunate that in a country which boasts of eternal dharma, religion and culture, today we are reduced to being a nation of weaklings, sycophants and shameless heads who have no clue about ‘national pride’ or being the ‘nationalists’ that we all ought to be.
Power hungry and on slippery wicket, the jaded PM and his council of ministers have little option but to play to the gallery where every seat is occupied by a nincompoop politician. ‘Secular government’ has become the favorite word for the parties wanting to trade their 4-30 MPs for a cabinet birth or larger fund for their respective states.
What is a secular ? The term ‘secular’ came into existence when the interference of the Church rose to a level where government started acting on the behest of the church. To secure unbiased governance the term ‘secular’ was formed. It meant that religion would have no say or interference in the day-to-day ruling of the government.  That was then, in Rome. We are in India. Temples never had any inclination to call the shots in the government. The social-cultural context of the word ‘secular’ is not even relevant here. Then why use this world at all?  Simple, to confuse the nation and divide it on the lines of religion and securing their vote banks.
If Maya Behan is pro dalits,she becomes the poster girl for them. If Congress and SP are pro Muslims, there is nothing wrong.  But if BJP shows its inclination towards Hindu, hell breaks lose. Why? Is siding up with Hindus a sin?  Is it some kind of national crime? On the land of Rama, Krishna, the Vedas, it is this sanatan dharma, ‘Hinduism’ that has been the binding force. As religion, it has always been liberal, open-minded and has accepted every change. Maybe, this is where it went wrong.
Let there be no doubt. During 1947, the basis of the partition was religion. For Muslims, a Pakistan was created and for sure, Hindustan, for Hindus.  Congress was a part of this decisions rather the drivers of it.  So if on the lines of religion, the partition was agreed upon, why do we shy away from accepting the fact that Hindustan is a Hindu nation? And in a Hindu nation, it is right to feel like a Hindu Nationalist.
Do we need a party of sycophants to tell us the difference between a ‘nationalist’ and a ‘Hindu nationalist’?  The worst part is that millions of Indians like me never thought on these lines. We were happy being Indians. Then these power hungry, corrupt and spineless scums came and started making us feel alienated in our own land. No wonder, BJP came to power. If some 30 years back, the minorities polarized, the same is being done by the majority now.
I never cared about politics, BJP or Congress. But the past few years have filled me with rage. The contempt displayed by Congress towards Hindus or Hinduism is not funny anymore.  Despite the fact that every terror attack has got only Muslim names, they are all pro Muslim. Just for vote, they go soft on terror. We also know why did it take years to hang Afzal Guru and Kasab. Shameful it is. Making things worst, they have leaders wouldn’t mind adding ‘Maulana’ to their names and getting circumcised, just to get few more Muslim votes.
Today, I am convinced that I’m a Hindu, residing in Hindustan, and proud to have the values of a Hindu Nationalist. Are you?