Twelve people agree to an idea of running a shared transport service from a common residential locality to their out-of-civilisation office campus. Twelve different minds with equally diverse personalities gel with each other to fulfil a common need. At first, the members collide on mutual interests, timings, priorities and personal discipline, but in the course of their journey, they become best friends, make long-lasting relationships, mentor and help each other on various mundane matters. The journey goes on fine until one day some members try to dictate terms over the group. The rift widens with each passing day, the tension surmounts and finally all hell breaks loose... Will the journey continue? Fasten your seatbelts for the journey is about to begin...
Cabbing was never this interesting before. What happens when entirely different twelve people have to be in a cab for min 3 to 4 hours a day? A cool, steady and different read. Hyderabad shown to its ultimate traffic glory ;-) Surely you would have met someone of each type of the twelve individuals from the story. For detailed review please see here https://reshmaranjanbookreviews.blogs...
The cover is unique. A simple account of the journey to and from work of twelve people who work in the same organization and live in the same side of the city. The language is simple and the flow is good with the use of local dialects makes the reading all the more interesting. The book has been written in first person from the author’s point of view and fast paced. Realistic, relatable and well developed characters. Detailed descriptions which could be easily visualised. The book is funny.
Jatin Kuberkar’s ‘Cabbing All the Way’ is a story about twelve people sharing a cab on the way to the office. But be careful, because there is a 13th person in the cab Jatin never tells you about – You! That’s how vividly the novel is written.
The ease with which Jatin narrates the tale is impressive. The simple but effective story-telling not only makes for an easy read but also drags you along for the ride and you feel as if you are sitting in that very cab and are yourself a part of all those conversations and discussions.
Jatin’s style is conversational with a funny narrative. The undercurrents of humour and instances of funny dialogues are replete throughout the book. The writing is simple and interesting with a tinge of Hyderabadi colloquialism that gives it a very appealing local flavor. The mix of characters with their own personalities and quirks makes for an engaging read as each brings something relatable and funny to the story. The characters are so wonderfully etched that they would stay with you long after. You may even find a little bit of yourself (or your friends and co-workers) in each of them. At first, the many characters were getting to be confusing for me, but upon further reading it becomes clear as Jatin makes sure each of them come alive and stand out as the story develops. All of these characters are very relatable and you would feel as if you’ve personally met them somewhere or the other. One may remind you of an ex-colleague who would break into a silly joke every time a discussion grew serious. Another would resemble a quiet, reserved colleague who kept mostly to himself but would rush to your defense at the slightest hint of trouble. Mohan’s broken Hyderabadi English or Raghav’s affection for the shy Avani, and even Nagesh’s misplaced sense of anger, all stay with you as if you know them all personally.
The developments in their lives, the turn of events throughout the year, as well as the troubles they face on an everyday basis are very relatable and it would surely resonate with every working professional who resides in a metro city and encounters huge distances and traffic jams on their commute to the office.
My favourite part was the bit when they are already late for office, lose their way while exploring a different route and then get a flat tire too. What happens next had me smiling. It is fun to do something irresponsible and unexpected sometimes. When everything can that go wrong, will and when you twist that misfortune into something fun and unexpected, it makes for a memorable moment. This book is filled with such moments. Just when you think everything is going right in the story, a new twist will rear its head and upset you just like real life does. Similarly, how they tide over their problems will leave you smiling, sometimes, even laughing. These emotions come alive every now and then as you travel through the bumpy, narrow roads or cruise along on the main Ring Road, or when you walk across the fort in the middle of nowhere or eat chaat on the way back home even as Saina or Vijaya are cribbing.
This ride is a fun, entertaining ride ‘all the way’.
The cover of Readomania’s ‘Cabbing all the way’ by Jatin Kuberkar gives the reader a hint of what the journey ahead is going to be like – whimsical and eye-catching, with regular nuggets of humour along the way. When twelve people with varying mindsets decide to share a cab from Dilsukhnagar area to their “out-of-civilization” workplace, it starts off as a joyride. It is a relief not to have to think of ways to commute every day, as Chandrahas aka Chandu kick-starts the process, introducing the others to the popular and disorganized “share auto transport system” in Hyderabad. They have to travel 40 kilometres one way. “It was like doing a car-pool without owning a car.” Jatin Kuberkar forte lies in his penchant for describing people and he often juggles reality with humour. If the child-like Raghav is “a treasure trove of funny Hyderabadi taglines”, Vijaya is a traditional married woman. “The dark circles around her weak black eyes were silent witnesses of all the hard work she put to make ends meet.” The bespectacled Binodh, forever on his phone with his fiancée, resembles Droopy, the cartoon character, while Saina reveals perfect “speech, body and face” co-ordination in the way she speaks and is individualistic and choosy about her needs. However, it is Mohan’s description, along with his half-baked English, which makes one smile. “If a spoon full of Abhishek Bachchan, a little Hrithik Roshan and a whole lot of Keshto Mukherjee were to be blended together, the result would be Mohan. Confused, heroic and Keshto.” Despite the initial hiccups, the ride falls into a harmonious pattern as the passengers work out ‘The Cab Constitution’, listing out the rules to be followed by all. They are aware that they have come together to sort out a common problem – that of commuting to work and back on a daily basis. Gradually, “what used to be a drab journey transformed into a fun ride”. The cab group look forward to their regular discussions and debates on current affairs, films, cricket, finances, women’s issues, TV soaps and investments. They enjoy chaat stops even as they rail against their unsympathetic managers. They rejoice in the positive energy that has made them all more productive at work. “The cab had become a place where we could give a cathartic outlet to our emotions.” What, then, is it that throws a spanner in the works, and derails this cab journey that had started so enthusiastically? Is it a clash of personalities or their “live and let live” policy that starts playing havoc with their see-sawing emotions? Are they “a group of ‘friends’ with a common goal” or “just ‘co-travellers’ united with a common interest without any emotional attachment?” Is it need that drives the world or friendship? A well-crafted narrative that adheres to the spirit of the cab!
Twelve people with different personalities and attitudes are brought together by a common need. Every day they spend some time together where they get to know each other. In spite of differences and intermittent clashes, some strong bonds of friendships are created during this time. Cabbing all the Way warms your heart and leaves you longing for long lost friends.
Jatin works for a company in Hyderabad which has recently shifted office to a relatively remote location from the main city. Employees choose the standard modes of transport to commute to the office viz. city bus, taxis, autos, bikes or cars. But the distance of the new office premises from the main city makes it cumbersome for everybody irrespective of the mode they pick. Chandu, a helping and considerate employee, proactively arranges for a cab service for some of the employees living across the same route to office. For the cab service to be cost effective, it needs 12 people. Hence, begins an exciting journey that redefines the lives of 12 people in many ways. Any group is made up of individuals with varied personalities. And hence every group will have their share of differences. There will always be somebody in the group who is loved by all. There will be a natural leader and there will be the sore thumb who has to have absolutely opposite opinion than the rest of the group. The Cab group in this story was no different. They had fun and they fought with each other. But they also helped each other and stood steadily in tough times. This association born out of a common need soon became an important part of their lives. The characters look like they have been hand-picked from our lives. All of us will know a Jatin, or Chandu in our lives. Every office has a Raghav and an Avani. And all of us know at least one “Saina” who makes sure that things don’t get too sweet for anybody. All in all, short and sweet story that you might not pick up randomly but will finish in one go once you start with it. The language is simple and uncomplicated. Sentence structure and dialogues with lots of colloquial terms will make interesting and very real. The ending is predictable but is rendered subtly so as to look convincing. Will I recommend it to anybody- of course. I am glad I got this one to read and review.
STORY-LINE: Interesting. Drawn from the author’s personal experience, the book a memoir of sorts, literally takes us on a ride through the busy streets of Hyderabad in rain and sunshine with 12 human beings poles apart by nature yet, bonded together just with the aim to make a cumbersome routine easy and relaxing. During the course of the journey we see them in their true colours. Strangers at first they over a period of time, gel together and then starts the hilarious part of the book. Their fights, their jokes, their anger, their laughter make one feel that one is also a part of the shared cab journey. Though in general the group enjoys pulling each others leg and having a good time, tempers run high when one or two of them try to have their own way for selfish motives. A simple yet relatable story, ‘Cabbing all the Way’ had me gritting my teeth at times, at the insensitive behaviour of Saina. But at the same time there are instances where I couldn’t help laughing out aloud. The book is hilarious, witty and truly enjoyable. Without making it seem so, the author has cleverly delved into human psychology and brought out the best and the worst in human nature.
CHARACTERIZATION: The author has succeeded in bringing live all the characters in the book. They are well developed with all their imperfections and thus one can easily relate to them, their moods, actions and reactions.
Yes, if you would ask me if I felt if there was something wanting in the story, I’d say I’d like to have seen the author make the aggrieved characters take Saina to task. I felt they were way too lenient with her. I’d have also liked the author spend a little more time with his characters making them work more hard to find out solutions to the problems they faced.
LANGUAGE: Simple and witty, something that comes naturally when you have lived the life of the character/s.
PACE: Slow at first but picks up after the first quarter portion of the book. From there on there is no looking back.
EDITING: I’ve always been a great fan of Readomania’s editing team. Except for two-three minor typos there is nothing that does not do justice to their proficiency in the field.
The Corporate India, as we know is growing exponentially in almost all the aspects of life, both professional and personal. You can call Cabbing All The Way, a tribute to the travel one does to reach work, on time and every time.
It is interestingly divided into various phases like the planning done in organizing the transport service which will reduce the cost of daily traveling, will save time and add convenience to their traveling. It is the shared transport that the colleagues think of organizing among themselves. Another important part of the story is the agreement part of every single individual involved, imagine convincing everyone to be on time, every time.
One thing that I didn't like about the book is that it fails to keep you engaged throughout, you engage with the book in bits and parts, it becomes repetitive in places, but the tiny dosages of humor at regular interval covers up for that. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a quick and simple fictional read that revolves around the life of people who live to work.
A group of acquaintances come together to carpool for their convenience. They have almost nothing common with each other, well, except that they work in the same company and live in the same area as well. The carpool system starts with nothing but good intentions. But soon their individuality starts to stick out. There are ego clashes about whose needs are to be prioritized. Some squabbles and certain conflicts later, will the group be able to overcome their hurdles and continue with their journey together peacefully? Their journey is what Cabbing All The Way is about.
Having lived in Hyderabad for over 5 years, I have seen such carpool options cropping up in reality. Most of the people seem to land job far from their homes – at IT Parks at the complete opposite end of the city, and spend hours traveling since public transport facility is poor and not dependable. So, it was quite easy for me to imagine and believe in the solution that this bunch of people comes up with. Each character has their individual identities that set them apart from the other and as a result the entire cast of the book turns out to be a colourful set. The author has narrated the story at a steady pace with a liberal amount of humour and drama sprinkled throughout. As a result, the book does manage to hold the readers interest to quite an extent. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue delivery style of some of the characters. As for the plot, I don’t think I can draw a bottom line framing the plot of the book. It is more about human interaction and relationships than anything else.
One of the highlights of the book also turns out to be its drawback. The idea that the book is all about human psyche is attractive. But at the end, when we put down the book, it feels kind of pointless since the buildup of the story doesn’t really reach its peak.
Cabbing All the Way is Kuberkar’s third book. He has an easy endearing quality as a writer, something that connects with the reader immediately, and builds up the interest in the story. The story revolves around twelve people who share a cab to work and their emotional undercurrents. This story has no linear plotline or a protagonist, but it is more about their experiences the group shares, their personal hopes and aspirations, how they help each other out, or fight at trivial things, their own inner conflicts. Of course with any story which involves a group dynamics, there will be a lot of dialogue and interactions with the character themselves. This adds to the flow of the book. The story is spread through the characters, although we see it mostly through the eyes of “Jatin”.
Kuberkar’s language is witty and sharp, he draws from his experiences and fictionalizes them while writing and that is clearly evident. There is a real-life quality to it. This could easily be a friend telling me his stories of cab buddies. The use of local language is apt and funny, giving it a feel that regional readers can relate to.
Behind this seemingly simple work, there are layers of human psychology of how people react in groups, what goes on in people’s psyche while interacting with each other, our inherent urge to prove ourselves better in groups. The fact that Kuberkar manages to portray the character details with élan shows that he has spent a good amount of time observing different people and drawing his characters from them.
One thing I would like to point out to readers who like books with a linear plot structure with focus on central characters as a ‘hero’ and a ‘heroine’ this one is not for you.
It is has a urban feel, it is interesting and refreshing.
The first thing that connected me to the story is Hyderabad. I understand the hyderabad roads, the traffic, problems in share autos and the tiredness on reaching the office after 1 hour of frustration. This book is all about the shared transport that a group of 12 office goers arrange by themselves to travel between their office and home and vice-versa. The story is about new friendship that blossoms between 12 strangers outside their office.
I too travelled in an office cab with my colleagues and i beleive that great friendship blossoms between colleagues and co-passengers as they have at least 1 hr time to pass in peak traffics. There also goes a lot of understanding and adjustment to catch the cab on right time. This book is a fun ride with hyderabadi punch dialogues and half baked English by Mohan, though I wonder how HR selected Mohan to work in the company first place. The narration is easy going but a few episodes like anthakshari and teasing the friends is quite boring to read.
People like Saina will be present everywhere who think about themselves only. The love story Raghav and Avni is good, the help and advice that cab members provide each other is impressive. However, over time the cab co-passengers take the cab for granted and they atlast realize that the purpose is important over anything when the cab services stops. There is not much story in the book but it's all about friendships, misunderstandings, selfishness, egos and adjustments. The title of the book is apt and the book cover is OK but not very attractive.
I would recommend this to working professionals who travel to office by shared transport. If you are a hyderabadI, you might enjoy more. This can be a quick read of 150 pages.
Cabbing all the way is an interesting book by the author, Jatin Kuberkar. It highlights many aspects that man has within, but the original element is that Man is a social animal thus he continues to express either by his body language or his speech to his brethren around him thus, making all of us try to understand the many problems he is usually surrounded with.
The story starts with a concern of long commute from work to home and how exhausted it can make the body. Thus, a colleague comes up with a solution: a shared cab. Twelve partners join hands for this daily regime. These fellow workers come from various departments, social backgrounds, and are hardly acquainted with each other's personal lives. The goal is the same. Coming to work without taxing the body, thus, join hands.
The author tries to depict many facets via the incidents that happen when these people commute to the office. It was like riding a roller coaster ride with regards to each of their emotions thus, making each of them unique and stand out from the rest. Jatin did an excellent job bringing out their concerns, however; I could not sympathize with their pain or rejoice in their success. Wish the author had given more background information on them for the reader to relate.
I've read Jatin Kuberkar 's short story collection earlier and liked it. This was another good effort by his pen. I loved the little stories that form the part of the novel to give it a "whole" effect. Life is also like that, isn't it? The language used by the author is lucid and evocative, making a reader enjoy the book.
Rollercoaster of a ride! Distance, traffic snarls, poor public transport, long commute hours and work play the great leveler in unifying 12 diverse characters. True to its title, ‘Cabbing: all the way’, the story does complete justice in highlighting the ‘BIG’ issue faced by working professionals in urban cities in India, and in doing so the author guilelessly involves you in an emotional journey that will definitely leave a mark on you. You are bound to share the camaraderie of the co-passengers, as you transform from being the mute spectator, reading about it, to a latent co-passenger.
Cabs: the saviours Though the story is set in Hyderabad, the issues focused on are universal to all urban areas in India. With his simple style of writing, the author strikes a chord and effortlessly draws you into the cab, which is the prime site of action. Kudos to him for sticking to the plot so accurately, that even as a reader I would find myself waiting to board the cab along with the other characters eager to hear what unravels today! In fact he has brought out the essence of the can commute so well, that never for once did I feel the need to know more about the characters personally or professionally. It was the essence of the cab that was writ large all over the story!
“All this time, we used to travel all the way to office on our own. The need to reach office on time and go back home on our own means after a stressful day of work was adding to our stress. Am I right? Now, I would like to think like this . . . it ‘could’ be that this ‘oblivious’ villain sucked all our positive energy.” Rajnish waited for comments but none came in. He went on. “But now, things are a little different. Now we have means to travel. We are now a team with no internal competition; we can discuss openly and sort issues diligently. Hence, this year we should have a lot more positive energy. So, let’s put a challenge that this year, with the additional stress of commuting removed, we will do our best.”
True to characters Though initially the introduction of 12 characters one after the other may feel overwhelming, but the author has judiciously divided quirks amongst them. Each of the characters are realistic, so much so that even if you have never travelled in a cab, you will vouch for having known either professionally or personally at least someone like the 12 cab mates. Their character sketch has been done so well that with the development of the story, you could almost predict how each one would behave.
Glory to the City of Nawabs The ‘lingua franca’ matters and so did it in this book. It is replete with colloquial Hyderabadi terminologies, which adds a dash of local fervor to the story. This element also highlights the casual tone amongst the cab mates and how each of them gradually warm up from being just co-passengers to friends. The city of Hyderabad also stands tall throughout the story as commuting plays a major role in the story, so does the city’s streets, lanes and by lanes and the author does not fail to epitomize the beauty of city. “On reaching the top of the fort, a bird’s eye view of the City of Nawabs took our breath away and filled us with delight. Away from the strangling pollution and snarling traffic, Hyderabad looked very different from the hill top. It felt like viewing a museum of miniatures where on one side, a glimpse of the iconic places like the Charminar and the Qutub Shahi tombs could be seen, and on the other side, the Cuber Towers and Cyberabad stood basking in its new-found glory.”
The story It starts with the right note. The issue of commute faced by employees in an office, and its ultimate resolution- cabbing. While this was the solution to the problem, the story just begins here. As co-passengers becomes friends, the somber mood turns to a humorous one in the cab, but along with it issues crop up. How to maintain discipline in friendship? How to ensure justice to all co-passengers? As all this happens, the characters mature, they grow personally professionally and in some cases the ego grows too. In the backdrop, somewhere Cupid strikes too! There are issues that the author has discussed threadbare, but you will not know the issues, until you are done reading the whole book and ponder about it, as the whole narration reads like a personal anecdote. So it’s a bitter sweet cab journey, one such where you as a reader are left thinking what could have been rectified where so that the bitterness amongst friends could be erased.
Reason for ratings. . . I liked the personal approach and the simple style of writing, it is bound to get you aboard on the cab. The author deserves credit for bringing out a brilliant, evocative story out of a very simple concept of cabbing. Without using the crutch of beautiful locales or magnanimous characters, the story stands out and speaks for itself. It’s the characters, their city, their professional and personal life balance, their woes and how they strike the right balance to meet their needs that comes across prominently in this book. But grammatical errors and tighter editing were the areas that needed to be looked into. For instance- “A lean person waived his hands to grab my attention.” Wasn’t a ‘waved’ needed here rather? If I overlook grammatical errors like these, the story is perfect.
Would I recommend this book? Definitely. The book stands out for its simple and effective, realistic style of narration. A light and fun read.
Line that stayed with me. . . And then we became friends, helped each other, debated, teased, fought, laughed, shared uncountable moments and in the process made enough memories for a lifetime.
Cabbing all the way by Jatin is hilarious book to read .It is story 12 people who car pool everyday to work and while they do car pool what happens in their lives is fun thing to read .The true colour of all 12 individuals come out .There are fights , arguments and jealously.
With traffic , honking of vehicles Jatin has effective brought out of nine emotions of 12 individuals and their journey to work in an appropriate measures .It is not just story but a way our every day journey that leads to our work .
Sometimes you find a love story or friendship develop during traffic hours or car pooling hours .
Jatin on the top of all has given us Hyderabad ka nazara .Commuting to work is common issue of working professionals everywhere .
Read this book as Jatin expounds each and every emotions of working professional and their office affairs that creates trouble in their personal in a classic way .
Working Professional please do read to ease your daily travelling tensions .
As Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana) -3 Arey o leiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo Oleiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo Oleiyo leiyo, oleiyo leiyo
(Chadh taaron se chalna hai aage Asmaanon se badna hai aage) -2 Pichhe reh jayega yeh zamana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana Zindagi ek safar hai suhana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
(Haste gate jahan se guzar Duniya ki tu parvah na kar) -2 Muskuraate hue din bitana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana Haan zindagi ek safar hai suhana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana
(Maut aani hai ayegi ik din Jaan jaani hai jayegi ik din) -2 Aisi baaton se kya ghabrana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana Zindagi ek safar hai suhana Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana Di di di, du du du Oleyo leyo ha haa haa
This book reminded me of my Corporate working days. The commute, its pains, causes, excuses, funny incidents, life-lessons .... banter, fun times, problem solving may it be work or personal we used to chip in for each other, parties, treats, leg pulling, friends who are still in our Good-friends list,.... God, this book made me feel old ;) It is an overall good book to read and enjoy. Read review: Book Review: Cabbing All The Way by Jatin Kuberkar
An office brings people of similar background together, yet each person is different in their own way. Casual acquaintances at office, that's manageable, but can a group work when each of their personal lives is affected by the other?
When twelve colleagues come together to share transport to the office campus, each of their lives intersect. They become closer to each, even best friends. But their lives are diverse. Soon, egos clash, some of them prioritize their own needs over the rest. Other cracks begin to appear in the relationships and leads to all hell breaking loose. What happens?
What works for this book is the pace. The story flows very quickly and can be finished in a few hours. It is engaging to a certain extent, yes. The author makes the cab journey of the twelve colleagues very humorous, even with the pinch of drama that's sprinkled throughout. I also liked the diverse characters, like the character who speaks English incorrectly, or the lady who is quite traditional. How the author describes them is nice too.
The book doesn't have much of a story per se. It describes the initiation of the cabbing adventure, and how it progresses over time. The problems that arise are solved very quickly, very easily. The daily routine kind of becomes predictable after a while, and doesn't engage me. Also, it doesn't manage to evoke emotions much.
I like the cover art, and I feel it is a good read for a short journey. A one-time read for me.
A dozen office goers decide to cut out the misery of the daily to and fro commute from their homes to their far away from civilization office by deciding to carpool. It seems like the perfect idea until they realize that 12 different people equate to 12 different temperaments.
Fasten your seat belts as Jatin Kuberkar makes you the 13th passenger and takes you, the reader, along with the Hyderabadi Dozen.
You are introduced to the varied characters, their quirks and temperaments and you can’t help but start forming likes and dislikes and pick out favorites. Just when the book starts getting predictable, Kuberkar gently steers it in another direction.
This is Jatin Kuberkar’s 3rd book. A software engineer by day and a Writer by night, Jatin enjoys writing and is a keen observer of human behavior, both of which are amply evident from how he uses autobiographical incidents to flesh out fictional characters.
Cabbing all the Way is a feel-good book, which you would like to read on the way back home from a tired day at work or on a flight between destinations. Jatin Kuberkar’s writing style is easy and flows naturally, and he is not out to impress you, he just wants to share a slice of life with you. Hitch a ride, folks!
Cabbing All the Way takes me back to the nightmares of my own 100km daily drive for work, minus the luxury of a carpool. This is a simply told story of the experiences and ensuing challenges that come about in organising and running a car pool for 12 people. The relationships created, built, destroyed, and continued, is what forms the crux of the narration.