Show and Tale
October 18, 2008
Do books that tell a great story also make great films? Are these two different forms where the twain shall not meet? While I can instantly think of films like Ben-Hur, Frankenstein, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest or for that matter most of the films made by Satyajit Ray who always chose great stories and turned them into visual delights on celluloid. One can also think of great books that turned into horrible films.
Marriage that is HR
October 12, 2008
The Telegraph, of Calcutta, in their edition dated Sunday , October 12 , 2008 writes about the event at CROSSWORD bookstore at Elgin Road, Kolkata in the section called Book Bazar. They call it
Marriage that is HR
“Married but Available, that’s a book, written by Abhijit Bhaduri, an HR employee with Microsoft. No, the book is not about promiscuity. It deals with HR management. Bhaduri, in fact, has a thing for titles. His first book, of which this is a sequel, was called Mediocre but Arrogant.
An intriguing title draws readers. The book launch at Crossword on September 29 had event manager Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee conversing with the author. For someone who works backstage arranging such book launches, it was novel to have Chatterjee taking centrestage, exchanging notes with the author on studying “Eco honours” and following it up with management degree, which both the HR manager and the event manager seemed to have done.”
The Hindu newspaper had already announced the book on 6th Oct 2008 in their piece titled
Made in heaven, available now
| “Married But Available”, the sequel to “Mediocre But Arrogant”, is on the shelves |
HarperCollins India and Crossword hosted the launch of “Married But Available” by Abhijit Bhaduri at the capital, recently. It is a sequel to his debut novel “Mediocre But Arrogant”.
The book traces the protagonist Abbey’s life, amid circumstances that catch him unawares. Read more
Married But Available in the News
October 1, 2008
After the Media Launch of Married But Available at City Select Mall in Saket, New Delhi the next city was Kolkata. My first novel Mediocre But Arrogant was launched on 3rd August 2005 at the Oxfordbookstore, Kolkata. This time it was at the Crossword on Elgin Road, Kolkata. Loved the store for its great layout. Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, the actor read out excerpts from the book. He read out excerpts that made people really senti. The book should be reaching all the bookstores in India by 10th October 2008. Read more
Management Compass: The Interview
June 18, 2008
“IfThere used to be a magazine called Competition Success Review that had a readership of aspiring to join the super competitive Civil Service Exams in India. They not only featured interviews of candidates who had been successful but had a summary of all the major headlines for the month. Not sure if that magazine exists.Meanwhile Shubhadarshini who runs Management Compass contacted me for an interview. The mag reminded me of Competition Success Review but a lot more slickly produced and with its own summary of events in the business world. Here is a transcript of what I had sent to them:
1. What is it about the B-schools that makes it a good backdrop for a story?
An author must write about things that have a ring of authenticity. I went to a B-School and the story is therefore set in a surrounding that I am familiar with. The dilemmas of B School life make for an interesting combination for B-Schools.
2. Campus stories is a trend started by Chetan Bhagat. Your comment.
Chetan’s book was the first one to sell so many copies and so the setting became well known. But there have been stories set in campus or school settings before - just that they never became so popular.
3. In terms of characters, how rich are the B-schools?
A character is interesting because of the way the author has written about them. There are interesting characters all around us. It is a question of writing about them in a manner that brings the character alive.
4. What is it that can be repeated in terms of context?
My book Mediocre But Arrogant touches on so many aspects of B-School life that get repeated year after year - hostel life, bad food in the mess, crazy Professors, relationships… all of it makes for a potent plotline!
5. What else can be provided to the readers?
The setting of the city. In my case, the story is set in the beautiful town of Jamshedpur. The life in that town is contrasted with life in the city of Delhi. That again is an opportunity to bring the nuances of the two places.
6. How strong and prevalent is writing among B-school students?
B-Schools demand a certain proficiency of communication skills. So everyone needs to have a certain degree of skill in writing. However that writing is more around Business Writing as opposed to creative writing. Most people do pen a few lines at some stage or the other. People write when they are impacted by an event and want to express their thoughts. The trick is to just do it consistently.
7. How did the current authors like you flourish your language?
I just wrote the way it comes naturally to me. I never thought about any specific audience or anything because it was my first novel. I was not even sure anyone would want to publish it.
8. All the books that have been done till now have the humour element, can you visualize a different genre of books like a thriller or a suspense?
I am sure someone could write a thriller or murder mystery set in a B-School. Any story or genre is possible. Just that it needs to be written plausibly.
The Hindu’s List of Bestsellers
May 11, 2008
Sometimes one stumbles across an old review or list while surfing. Here’s what I saw from The Hindu newspaper. This is really 27th August 2005. So pretty much just after the launch of the book.
Fiction
The Lunatic from Multan: Rajeev Jacob: Rs. 295
Set in the early nineteen eighties, this is the story of one man’s battle against extreme odds.
Sadak Chhaap: Meher Pestonji: Rs. 250
Horrific and heart breaking, the book evokes the brutal existence of street children.
Mediocre But Arrogant: Abhijit Bhaduri: Rs. 195
A story that tells a tale of love and life in a business school.
Home and the World: Rabindranath Tagore: Rs. 200
Set against the backdrop of the partition of Bengal, this is a translation of Tagore’s great novel .
Hacks and Headlines: A Novel: Rashme Sehgal: Rs. 295
Set in the late 1990’s, the novel weaves several strands of different stories.
Non-Fiction
The Other Side of Belief: Interpreting U.G. Krishnamurti: Rs. 350
This book is a candid and refreshing chronicle of UG’s life and evolution of his radical outlook and ideas.
Iraq War and the Future World Order: (Ed.) G. Gopa Kumar: Rs. 695
The essays in this volume address ground-realities of the war in Iraq and its global effect.
Kerala Economy: Trajectories Challenges and Implications: (Ed.) D. Rajasenan & Genrad de Groot: Rs. 485
An exhaustive analysis of the Kerala economy, consisting of articles by eminent economists.
Source: Modern Book Centre, DC Books
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What is the purpose of higher education? Hear Abbey read out the inspirational letter from Fr Hathaway.This is the signature tune of Movie Magic, a radio program Abhijit hosted, in US. It was all about Bollywood classics with music and soundtracks from those films and trivia.
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