Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
Write Choice says The Telegraph (Calcutta Edition) 30 July 2006
The typical setting for India’s new-age fiction is the college campus. And all elements of college life — hostel humour, bad food, nicknames — are woven into the story. “Readers write to me saying they can completely relate to my book,” says Abhijit Bhaduri, whose book Mediocre But Arrogant — is set in a B-school campus. Bhaduri is clear that he is no Dickens in the making. “My book is written in class notes style. I write like I speak,” he says.Readers, for one, are not complaining. Bhaduri claims his debut novel sold 40,000 copies in one year — which qualifies the book to be a bestseller. He is already working on the second part of a planned trilogy. “In part two, my protagonist works in the corporate sector,” says Bhaduri, human resource director at Pepsico.
Smita Kulkarni from Sunnyvale, California says ...
My first impression after reading the initial 10 pages of the book was that like Shobhaa De's (referring to her comment about this book), this one took me back to my college days. For starters, I haven't heard the word "super-senior" in a long time. And it’s been a while since I heard the many slang words and all the very believable nicknames that Abhijit makes liberal use of in his book. It brought the college canteen/hostel back to life in my mind.
ADOI - The Magazine for Media Professionals in SE Asia Carries a Review
The Boys Hostel in the neighbouring block reminded me of the army barracks built to keep everyone alert and on their toes. “If you do not feel comfortable and relaxed you will learn to be a fighter. Luxury will dull your desire to excel.” That was what my father said every time I desired but was denied something that was even remotely classified as a luxury. MIJ operated on the same philosophy.
The Deccan Herald does it again
The Deccan Herald's list of Bestsellers dated 5th March 2006 features once again Mediocre But Arrogant as a Bestseller - but under the Non Fiction category ... along with other pieces of "non fiction" such as...
Monday Morning Musings
A recent novel, titled Mediocre But Arrogant on the making of an Indian MBA, has a lass scribbling a message to a lad during an OB (Organisational Behaviour) class that “Go on like this and you’ll get a D.” To which the response is “I’d rather have an F from you.”
Matrimonial Testimonial
Q. What inspired the storyline of your book ‘Mediocre But Arrogant’?
A. Mediocre But Arrogant is story about love and life in a Business School. It is a story about college life, about good times with friends, about falling in love and about growing up. The protagonist Abbey is an unambitious and directionless person who lands up in the highly competitive and fictitious Management Institute of Jamshedpur. The story is about how the two years there change him and his relationships. The story is not autobiographical. The characters are fictional. But they are real and will prompt every reader to say, “I knew someone EXACTLY like this character.”
Walden Bookstore's Bestseller List
To be part of any bestsellers lst is a dream come true.
The Sequel - Abbey in the Corporate World
"... I think Abbey should find someone whom he really really loves ... neither of the three ladies have the real thing in them ... Priya does love him unconditionally but love should be reciprocated... it shouldn't be a compromise...abt Ayesha , well she was never serious about it , she is out of question...and Keya , well her character isnt too well described. she is one of those mysterious chracters , i feel so...but u r the author so i guess u will figure it out :-)"
Deccan Herald - Sunday, 13 November 2005
There’s Rusty, the streetsmart friend, Haathi, the institute doyen, who looks beyond the course to preparing the batch for life, Gopher, the slimy one, and Priya, Keya and Ayesha— the love interest… Fundu (needs no intro), Sethu, the resident brain… And friends is what Abbey needs in abundance, for the transition from an easy-going DU eco graduate to half-baked MBA type takes all the efforts of friends like Rusty.
Bushra Hameduddin and more
But I want to share with you the part I loved best...it was the ending...Haathi's personalised letter to his students. It was so touching, I cried. I'm doing my MBA, and for the past few months, I've been feeling lost and that I've lost my way, and I don't know why I'm doing what I'm doing anymore. And Haathi's letter meant so much to me becuse that did away with some of the restlssness I've been feeling...
See You in Jamshedpur on 19-20 Nov 2005
Read your book.And i think its grt. i could myself relate a lot with the book because of two reasons.Firstly because i am an ex hindu college hence memories of delhi uni, and north campus came back flooding. and secondly becoz i teach in a B school in kolkata so the potrayal is next to original.
Go Ahead You Crazy FLICKr...
What next Abhijit? Syndicated columns, movies, Abbey dolls.... Sequels definitely, I reckon. Speculating in possible titles... Well, the protogonist is likely to graduate and step into the corporate world. So Married But Available, Mean Beast Always, Mayhem Bedlam And .... You are welcome to suggest. I'll get him to send you a free copy if he likes your title.
Sriram V Iyer from Madras, TN, India writes...
The magical world in the book that draws you into it is almost like the aura that exists in RK Narayan's Malgudi and its characters. I liked Malgudi and its characters, but I adore Jampot, MIJ and Abbey's world that revolves around it. What are you waiting for? Haven't you got a copy yet? Go get it, before it gets sold out !!
Tribuneindia's Bestseller List
Here is a listing of Mediocre But Arrogant in the bestsellers list
Deccan Herald's List of Bestsellers
This was the first time I got listed in the bestseller list by Deccan Herald.
From the land of Charminar and Biriyani
Just finished reading ur "MBA"...comparisons with "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones" is inevitable and the gut response is u are good. Campus lores are mostly delightful and ur writing is v smooth -- --- thanx for a good read!!
Sonny says... Yeh Dil Maange More
I enjoyed M.....B....A immensely. Having started it I could not stop reading it and thankfully it was a great companion on a long international flight.
The First Reading in US at Gautam and Ipsita's
Gautam and Ipsita Goswami had chosen their living room area to create a great setting for a storytelling session. Gautam (an IIT and IIM-A alumnus and now a Prof at a Business School in New York) had already raced through most of the book earlier.