BookMarks #128: How the World Really Works

Title: How the World really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, present and Future

Author: Vaclav Smil

Genre: Non-fiction, Science, Society, Future

Published: 2022

BookMarks

“We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works.” This is the premise of the book as it explains the seven fundamentals of how our world really works and offers a glimpse of what the future holds. Following are a few key messages from the book

The Four pillars of modern civilization - Ammonia, Steel, Concrete & Plastic

On progress - In two centuries, the human labor to produce a kilogram of American wheat was reduced from 10 minutes to less than two seconds. An average inhabitant of the Earth nowadays has at their disposal nearly 700 times more useful energy than their ancestors had at the beginning of the 19th century.

Energy conversions are the very basis of life and evolution. However, to quote Richard Feynman – “In physics today we have no knowledge of what energy is”. Energy Studies need understanding of physics, chemistry, biology, geology with history, social, economic and political factors.

Despite all the talk of decarbonization, the high relative share and the scale of our dependence on fossil carbon make any rapid substitutions impossible.

Haber-Bosch synthesis of Ammonia can be considered the most momentous technical advancement in the world. Fifty percent of humanity is dependent on ammonia as a fertilizer for food production.

Human activity with the largest impact on the Earth's ecosystem - food production. Overall, the world loses one third of the food supply. This is a significant area to manage.

Some Interesting Facts

• A gear lever knob in the 1916 Rolls Royce was the first industrial application of plastics.
• Portland cement is thus called because it resembles the limestone found in the Isle of Portland in the English Channel in colour.
• KLM was the first airline company set up in 1921

Water is the most universally mismanaged resource

On models & extrapolations

When constructing long range scenarios, we can plug in any arbitrary assumptions in order to meet preconceived outcomes. History does not unfold as a computerized academic exercise with major achievements falling on years ending with zero or five. It is full of discontinuities and unpredictable departures.

Projections involving complex systems that reflect interplays of many technical, economic and environmental factors and which can be strongly affected by a number of arbitrary decisions such as unexpectedly generous government subsidies or new laws or policy referrals remain highly uncertain. Even near-term Outlook results in a broad range of possible outcomes.

More complex models combining the interactions of economic, social, technical and environmental factors require more assumptions and open the way for greater errors.

On scientific temper

De omnibus dubitandum (doubt everything) must remain the foundation of scientific method. Unlike what the average internet user who likes to believe in everything they see on social media.

On Future

Asking for a risk-free existence is to ask for something impossible. While the quest for minimizing risks remains the leading motivation of human progress. Crises expose realities and strip away obfuscation and misdirection.

The future, as ever, is not pre-determined. Its outcome depends on our actions. The most likely prospect is a mixture of progress and setbacks.

Overall, quite an interesting read. Also, it helps that the book is written in a post-Covid world. I especially liked the fact that the author has directly named and countered the utopian future ideas (Human 2.0 and colonizing Mars etc.) 

Previously on BookMarks: 1962 The War the Wasn’t

BookMarks #127: 1962 The War That Wasn’t

Title: 1962 The War That Wasn’t

Author: Shiv Kunal Verma

Genre: History

Published: 2020

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We died, unsuccoured, helpless

We were your soldiers, men of bravery and pride

Yet we died like animals, trapped in a cage with no escape

Massacred at will, denied the dignity of battle

With the cold burning flame of anger and resolution

With the courage both of the living and the dead,

Avenge our unplayed lives

Redeem the unredeemable sacrifice In freedom and integrity

Let this be your inheritance

And our unwritten epitaph

The book is a tale of how the India-China war/conflict of 1962 was lost, not on the battlefield itself but much before through a combination of blind belief, lack of planning, poor co-ordination, and at times sheer incompetence of some of those in command. It is also a harrowing tale of bravery of the soldiers at the frontier who despite all odds - a well-prepared enemy, lack of supplies, incoherent leadership, kept fighting till the last breath. The sheer absurdity of the situation is highlighted by the fact that the Indian side wasn’t even aware of the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Chinese for more than a day!

A few interesting facts gathered from the book in no particular order

• Henderson Brooks-Bhagat Report - a detailed study commissioned by Army Headquarters to document the events of October-November 1962 in NEFA still remains classified despite multiple government changes
• The Indian soldiers referred to the Chinese as afeemchis [opium smokers]
• Hari Pal Kaushik, then twenty-eight years old fought in the war, was part of Gold Medal winning Hockey team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. (he would win another gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964).

On Politics & Indian Top brass

    Many countries that had become independent after World War II fell prey to military coups (the most pertinent example being Pakistan). In view of this, India’s politicians and bureaucrats pushed through mindless measures that systematically downgraded the status and influence of the army.

    In an interview with the Times of India in 1968, while discussing the Chinese invasion, Krishna Menon said: ‘We did not realize that whenever China had had a powerful government she has been expansionist. Secondly, China had come into power through violence and force and nothing else; she had been at war for thirty or forty years, and the bulk of the world’s people were in sympathy with the exploits of the Red Army. Thirdly, China wanted to show both us and the world that she was the largest nation.’ On the other hand, Menon was to admit that during this period ‘the pressure upon me from all sides was not to increase the Army efficiency and strength but to cut it down’

On China

• At the time of independence, India’s official position was that it recognized Tibet as an independent country while also recognizing the fact that it was under Chinese suzerainty.
• As per the author India grossly over-estimated Chinese military power. Gen. Thimayya (the first and only Indian officer to command a fighting brigade during the World War II) is quoted as “Whereas in the case of Pakistan I have considered the possibility of a total war, I am afraid I cannot do so in regard to China. I cannot even as a soldier envisage India taking on China in an open conflict on its own. China’s present strength in manpower, equipment and aircraft exceeds our resources a hundred-fold with the full support of the USSR, and we could never hope to match China in the foreseeable future. It must be left to the politicians and diplomats to ensure our security.”
• The Chinese knew everything, Indian deployment almost to the section and platoon level was known to them. Sometimes they knew what the Indians were going to do even before the decision was taken.
Even according to Chinese records, at no stage had there been any action that pitted more than an Indian infantry company against at least four to five times the number of Chinese troops.

On Warfare

It must be appreciated that in the early stages of any war the attacker will always have the initial advantage over the defender because he can choose the time and place for the attack and can therefore apply all his strength at any given point. Therefore, he will get into the defender’s territory and make penetrations. If this happens the defender must not lose heart because he will have his say when he has located the main thrust and moves his reserves to meet it -very likely on ground of his choosing. There he will give battle, stabilize the situation, and then steadily push the enemy back. This process may take a long time, but there is no other answer to it when one is on the defensive.

The fear of the unknown plays a great part in conditioning the behaviour of men, even if as soldiers they are meant to be able to face uneven odds at times. Those who had earlier combat experience were perhaps even more tense, with images of past encounters in their minds, knowing that they must put up a brave front. Patriotic ideals recede into the background, what now counts is the next man and JCOs and officers. They’re in it together and while fear has a numbing effect, a conscious effort has to be made to conceal it.

Overall, not an easy read – politicians dilly-dallying, generals not taking decisions, local commanders moving away from the field of battle, soldiers battling it out till the last breath. As the book concludes “No amount of post-war rationalizing can cover up the fact that there was a total collapse of command and control.” 

Previously on BookMarks: The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials

BookMarks #126: The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials

Title: The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials

Author: Bibek Debroy

Genre: Non-fiction, Spiritual, Self-help

Published: 2020

BookMarks

The book serves as an introduction to Bhagavad Gita. It is not a direct interpretation of the full text but more of a commentary carrying key messages, and also how to read the Bhagavad Gita itself. A few key learnings from the book both about the Gita as well as its messages.

About Gita

• Ved Vyasa is not a single entity. In our present cycle of creation, there have already been twenty-seven Veda Vyasas.
• “The book, Gita, had not been much known to the generality of people before Shankaracharya made it famous by writing his great commentary on it. This has led some infer that Shankaracharya was the author of the Gita, and that it was he who foisted it into the body of the Mahabharata.”- Swami Vivekananda's commentary on Gita
• Writing of Mahabharat - from the original to the final version covers a period of 1000 years, from 500 BCE to 500 CE.
• There are four people who speak in the Bhagavad Gita: Krishna, Arjuna, Sanjaya and Dhritarashtra. Of the 700 shlokas, Dhritarashtra speaks only the first one

Messages from the Gita

• The Bhagavad Gita is about evolution, from a lower plane to a higher one.
• Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature is Bhakti.
• The heart is associated with bhakti, the mind is associated with jnana and the body is associated with karma.
• The definition of Religion is four-fold; Veda, Smriti, Sadacharah (good conduct) and Atmatushti (self-satisfaction).’
• One would need to have a very bloated sense of ego to presume that one could change the external world and others. All of us are insignificant. What we can change is our own selves.
• Quid pro quos, giving something in return for something else taken, is a feature of human relationships, not a divine one.
• One who considers oneself free is free indeed and one who considers himself bound remains bound
• Everything depends on perseverance and effort. The success or failure of any message depends on the transmitter, as well as the receiver.
• The jivatman does not die. Death does not come as an end. It marks a new beginning.
• ‘What is the greatest wonder?’ Yudhishthira answered, ‘Day after day, living beings go to Yama’s abode. Yet, those who remain, desire to live forever. What can be a greater wonder than that?’
• A king must learn from the conduct of a crow, a cuckoo, a bee, a crane, a snake, a peacock, a swan, a cock and iron. Perseverance from the crow, accumulation from the cuckoo, collection of taxes from the bee, patience from the crane, concentrated virulence from the snake, extension (of the kingdom) from the peacock, discrimination from the swan, arising at the right time from the cock and hardness from iron. Towards the enemy, a king must behave like an owl. At the right time, the king must act like an ant.
• It is extremely difficult to know what dharma and karma are. Therefore, what should be done is never evident.

General Knowledge

• A Kshetra is a place of pilgrimage where there is no flowing water and tirtha is a place of pilgrimage where there is flowing water.
• ‘Money is the root of all evil.’ We have heard it and we often quote it. The original is from the Bible. The correct quote, in an English language translation is, ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ The entire meaning changes.

Overall, an interesting read. However, the narrative does go all over the place at times probably like the original Mahabharat text itself. 

Previously on BookMarks: Corporate Chanakya on Leadership

BookMarks #125: Corporate Chanakya on Leadership

Title: Corporate Chanakya on Leadership

Author: Radhakrishnan Pillai

Genre: Non-fiction, Management

Published: 2012

BookMarks

The book attempts to convert the learnings from Chanakya’a Arthshastra into modern corporate leadership. The coverage is grouped under

• power of a leader
• responsibilities of a leader
• decision making
• nurturing people
• ethics in business
• how to prepare for competition
• what a leader should avoid doing

Overall, a succinct reading, but doesn’t go much in depth. A few more examples/illustrations would have been better to enforce the points. Gives more of a feeling of PowerPoint bullets than a text.

Previously on BookMarks: The Beekeeper of Aleppo 

BookMarks #124: The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Title: The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Author: Christy Lefteri

Genre: Fiction, Historical

Published: 2019

BookMarks

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is the tale of a Syrian family and its harrowing journey to escape the war and reaching asylum in the UK. The story goes back and forth. Each chapter divided into two parts separated by a bridging word. The first part deals with the stay in England, interactions with other asylum seekers and the process of getting an asylum. The second half of each chapter narrates the origins, the journey of escape filled with own hardships. The book also deals with mental battles fought by the protagonists as they create their own illusions to escape the harsh reality around them.

Some of the lines which stood out.

• Inside the person you know, there is a person you do not know.
• Keep me alive as long as is good for me, and when death is better for me, take me.
• People are not like bees. We do not work together, we have no real sense of a greater good
• Sometimes we create such powerful illusions, so that we do not get lost in the darkness.

Overall, quite an engaging read. It’s a sad tale but also one which provides a faint glimmer of hope at every step. Just enough to help them overcome the hardships. It’s the hope which sustains them despite the uncertainties all round them. After all hope is a beautiful thing.

Previously on BookMarks: Robinson Crusoe 

BookMarks #123: Robinson Crusoe

Title: Robinson Crusoe

Author: Daniel Defoe

Genre: Fiction

Published: 1719

BookMarks

Robinson Crusoe – it is one of the most familiar tales in the English language, the story of a man who gets ship-wrecked and stranded on a remote island alone, how he manages to build his own little world there and then finally after a two decade long near-incarceration is able to return to his home. This is the abridged version on the story that I was familiar with (In fact it is considered to be amongst the first novels in English). But the actual book goes into deeper details of his life on the island and follows it up with more adventures across the world, till finally Crusoe in his seventies decided to settle down at home.

While I was familiar with the story, reading the full version in detail left a different impression. While I understand the times were different at the time of publication (early 18th century), still the sheer amount of bigotry, slave trade, human trafficking, racism, religious supremacy which features in the book is simply unbelievable by modern standards. There is no equality, natives are described as savages and barbaric (of course the cannibalism doesn’t help). But it’s not just restricted to them – there is hardly a good word in general for anyone who is not English or Christian – whether the Spaniards, Mongols, Chinese, Russians – no one is spared. Everyone else’s customs are against God. Conversion is a recurring theme in the book. Crusoe even goes on to destroy the idols and places of worship of others!

No wonder, what we read as kids is a very mild version which just puts in the adventure part and removes the rest.

And then there is the spelling – shewed (for showed), hallooed (for calling out), and more. Even the words have entirely different meanings to the modern usage.

A couple of lines which stood out:

• to-day we love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehensions of.
• attempting to teach others is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves.

Reading this version gave a totally different impression of what was a simple familiar story!

Previously on BookMarks: The Fine Art of Small Talk 

BookMarks #122: The Fine Art of Small Talk

Title: The Fine Art of Small Talk

Author: Debra Fine

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help

Published: 1997

BookMarks

A book targeting the introverts, who find it difficult to make and continue conversations in informal settings. Some of the techniques suggested to be a good conversationalist are:

• Express empathy
• Greet people warmly, make eye contact and smile
• Be first to say hello
• Use the person's name and correctly
• Show an interest in others
• Dig deeper
• Be a good listener and an active one
• Stop being an adviser
• Find connections to continue the conversation
• Don't kill conversation
• Don't just question

And most importantly Practice, in effect Fake it till it becomes a second nature.

While the tips are there some of the content is repetitive. Some of the opening lines suggested can border on the rude. And the author makes the assumption that the other person is also mutually interested in a conversation!

Overall, an okayish read. The nook can be much shorter and feels more like a dragged out Ted Talk kind of presentation. 

Previously on BookMarks: Train To Pakistan 

BookMarks #121: Train To Pakistan

Title: Train To Pakistan

Author: Khushwant Singh

Genre: Fiction, Historical

Published: 1956

BookMarks

Muslims said the Hindus had planned and started the killing. According to the Hindus, the Muslims were to blame. The fact is, both sides killed. Both shot and stabbed and speared and clubbed. Both tortured. Both raped

Train To Pakistan is set in India at the time of Partition. It’s a story of how a political act changes the lives of the villagers living near the border. How people who have lived together for generations in harmony are suddenly changed. One fine day, people do not find themselves safe in the their home lands and are forced to move to another. And there are those who loot and pillage, other seek revenge and the cycle of horror continues. The officials are nearly as helpless.

It is a harrowing tale. One wonders for the people uprooted by Partition, what was the price paid for the Independence. As a villager wryly remarks "Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians—or the Pakistanis."

The book is a difficult read delving into the tragedy at what should have been the happiest moment of the nation, its Independence. And yet, even 75 years later, one wonders what kind of madness had gripped the common people that they unleashed such horrors on each other!

Reading the book also makes me wonder – the tragedy of the Partition is hardly depicted in popular culture and it is being forgotten. There are efforts like the Partition Museum at Amritsar, but slowly it is vanishing from the conversations.

Something which should not be forgotten. 

Previously on BookMarks: Journey to the Center of the Earth

BookMarks #120: Journey to the Center of the Earth

Title: Journey to the Center of the Earth

Author: Jules Verne

Genre: Science Fiction

Published: 1867 (French), 1871 (English)

BookMarks

"as long as the heart beats, as long as body and soul keep together, I cannot admit that any creature endowed with a will has need to despair of life"

A professor encounters a book in runic. After decoding it finds it to be the story of a pathway to the center of the earth. He, alongwith his unconvinced nephew (the narrator) and an Icelandic guide go onto the path suggested, entering from a dormant volcano, encountering subterranean seas, prehistoric creatures, electromagnetic storms and finally being ejected out though a volcanic eruption in Italy!

The tale is fantastic, the narrator himself is cynical throwing accepted scientific beliefs but encountering something else underneath!

There are a few elements which stood out in this implausible tale

• A tendency to claim territory even below the earth by assigning it their own names!
• Hans getting paid at a fixed hour every Saturday, even though there was no actual use of that money where they were!
• The nephew who starts cynical but becomes more convinced as he proceeds which ultimately leads to the end of the journey.
• Never could figure out the logistics of the travel and how did they come out of a volcanic eruption unscathed!
• I could appreciate the geological aspects much more now than when I had read the story first time in school.

Previously on BookMarks: A Thousand Splendid Suns 

BookMarks #119: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published: 2007

BookMarks

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls

A story set in Afghanistan, narrating the intertwined lives of two women as they live through the ever-worsening situation in their country. It is a harrowing tale, as the country slowly degenerates from a seemingly happy life to a war-torn nation, with progressively worse regimes taking over. The women who are the protagonists suffer disproportionality. Yet, they continue the struggle of living. Till one day, new hope emerges with the removal of the Taliban.

The book ends with hope. But as real-life events have shown, that hope is being snuffed out again. The Taliban whose exit leads to a newfound freedom are back in power, and slowly putting the same restrictions back in place although the global protests seem muted.

Wondering what a sequel in the present would have in store for Laila and her family. 

Previously on BookMarks: Don Quixote 

BookMarks #118: Don Quixote

Title: Don Quixote

Author: Miguel de Cervantes

Genre: Fiction, Biographical, Adventures

Published: 1605 (Part I), 1615 (Part II)

Original Language: Spanish

BookMarks

Widely considered as the first modern novel, which also set the template for the classic literature.

This is the story of a man who has become infatuated with the idea of knight-errantry and chivalry after reading many books on the subject. So much so that he considers himself a knight, takes on a squire, falls in love with a lady of his imagination and goes on myriad adventures.

This is the tale of a mind which can simultaneously be considered a brilliant one and a totally crazed one. When he speaks about any other subject, he is rational, more than most but when he takes a whim of being a knight, everything becomes thoroughly disillusioned to an extent, where even the disillusionment is the logical thing in the world to him.

The rational side appears best in the advise given by Don Quixote to his squire Sancho Panza. Yet, over the course of the narrative, Sancho moves to the disillusioned side, while Don Quixote becomes more realistic.

Overall, it is a long, meandering story, which self-references mentioning the adventures in a book and even has another novel written within itself!

Another thing to be noted is that parts of the book have not aged well. What could be considered normal at the time of writing would now be outrightly racist! Just an example to show that cultural understanding evolves.

One line which stood out – “it is always more praiseworthy to do good than to do evil”. Simple yet profound. 

Previously on BookMarks: Same As Ever 

BookMarks #117: Same As Ever

Title: Same As Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life

Author: Morgan Housel

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help, Life Lessons

Published: 2023

BookMarks

A short volume based on a simple premise that planning for the future will depend more on what will not change but remain the same? It is based on patterns which will keep repeating.

Here are a few nuggets from the book:

The main question to ask is what will not change? For predicting the future e.g. base human instincts and responses to stimuli.

Risk is what's left over after you have thought of everything. (Remember the unknown unknowns)

The world is driven by envy. Lower expectations lead to more happiness.

Guiding people's attention to a single point is one of most powerful life skills.

Every market valuation is a number from today multiplied by a story about tomorrow. And stories cannot be always predicted.

The real world is a never-ending chain of absurdity, confusion and imperfect people.

Stability is destabilizing.

Accelerated artificial growth tends to backfire.

Patience and scarcity add the most value.

Remember to stay afraid because that is the best way to not make careless mistakes.

Complex to make and simple to break. Bad news is instant, good news takes time. Progress from compounding takes time and is not often noticed.

You waste years by not wasting a few hours - be a little underemployed.

Plan like a pessimist and dream like an optimist. Save like a pessimist and invest like an optimist.

An expert is always from outside (or as they say घर की मुर्गी  दाल बराबर)

You never know what struggles people are hiding.

It is easier to recognize other people's mistakes than our own.

Medicine is a biological science while being a doctor is a social skill of managing people's expectations.

It's hard to predict a response till you actually experience it firsthand.

Wounds heal, scars last!

Overall, a simple yet profound concept and like the book says a good story-telling. 

Previously on BookMarks: Freedom at Midnight

BookMarks #116: Freedom at Midnight

Title: Freedom at Midnight

Authors: Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre

Genre: Non-fiction, History

Published: 1975

BookMarks

The book gives a narrative of the last year of the British Raj from the appointment of Lord Mountbatten as Viceroy of India, to Partition and Independence and Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The book is at times intriguing, at others gossipy and sometimes filled with gruesome passages presenting the story of those turbulent times.

What is obvious is that it is written from a British perspective. They are presented in a kindly light, traders who somehow ended up ruling the country and never as oppressors. All problems are those of the natives, who couldn’t govern themselves! Talk about whitewashing of history.

Hence, it is best read as Mountbatten’s memoirs and perspective rather than as a work of just history.

A few passages and assertions which stood out for me

• Mountbatten’s claim that if he had been aware of Jinnah's poor health, he may have delayed the deadlines for independence and Partition might not have happened.
• The weighing machines at the railway platforms! Those are finally gone.
• Book banned in Pakistan because it referenced Jinnah having bacon with eggs for breakfast!
• 'Trade not territory', the Company's officers never ceased repeating, was their policy. Yet they ended up ruling and exploiting an entire sub-continent!
• 'The difference between what we do and what we could do would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.': Gandhi
• The eccentricities of Indian maharajas - none more than Kapurthala who decided he was reincarnation of Louis XIV and declared French as his court language
• What an arduous task dividing the possessions between countries must have been. Yet, in one aspect there was no debate - Wine cellars always went to Hindu India and Moslem Pakistan received a credit for what they contained.
• The masses from the villages heading towards Delhi on Independence Day - Tributaries of an immense and triumphant stream, they flowed with the dawn towards the centre of their rejoicing capital to celebrate in its streets the end of a colonization most of them had not even known.
• Gandhi's idea of self-contained village ideas vs industrialization. Something of Aatma-nirbhar Bharat was still there.
• After Independence people refused to pay bus fares, assuming they should now be free.
• £2000 – Cyril Radcliffe’s fee for dividing the countries, which he returned!
• Everywhere the many and the strong assaulted the weak and the few - Still holds true!
• Reading the butchery of the trains was just like the dooms scrolling during Covid times. Wanted to but just couldn't stop. What had gotten into the people.
• Khadi wearing politicians - evidence that the man under it reveres at least the memory if not the message of the man who espoused it.
• The tragedy of Buta Singh Overall, a difficult read. 

Many of the passages are eye-openers. Also, in today’s times, it is easy to see how selective reading of events & confirmation bias can just swing the opinion of the masses. Constant vigilance is the need of the hour to prevent the recurrence of the brutality of those times.

Previously on BookMarks: Dream With Your Eyes Open 

BookMarks #115: Dream with Your Eyes Open

Title: Dream with Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey

Author: Ronnie Screwvala

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoirs, Entrepreneurship

Published: 2016

BookMarks

“Dream with Your Eyes Open” is not exactly an autobiography but more of a collection of lessons learnt in what goes in making a successful entrepreneur. The book narrates the author’s learnings from his various ventures starting from his childhood, like selling balcony seats at his family home to get a glimpse of the stars at a premiere, starting a theatre group, a toothbrush production company and multiple ventures into the media space! And all along he passes on the learnings he has acquired from his experiences from the struggles, the success and most importantly the failures.

Here are a few nuggets taken from the book about entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship is a journey, not an outing.
• Entrepreneurship is about living life on your own terms.
• Dream huge and dream with your eyes open
• Risk means pushing the envelope when others want to take the safe route, and caring more about potential rewards than possible losses.
• As long as you have the hunger to succeed, innate confidence in yourself and in your abilities, the guts and conviction to take sensible risks and a can-do attitude, you will prevail.
• Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.
• Entrepreneurship in a nutshell: action and reaction; understanding, confronting and transcending fear; working, disrupting and succeeding; trying and failing. And then laughing about it all later, while absorbing lasting life lessons.
• When you start from scratch, you’ve got nothing to lose.
• Deep knowledge comes from doing.
• Authenticity is at the heart of effective communication.
• The importance of acquiring domain knowledge—or at least the ability to ask the right questions if you want to succeed in a new initiative at scale.
• Failure is inevitable. One of the hardest and most enduring lessons everyone in business learns is that not all great ideas succeed. Plan for failure. Embrace failure. But understand that failure is a comma, not a full stop.
• Failure can be a stronger motivator than success.
• Failure is more interesting and instructive than success.
• You’re not answerable to anyone but yourself.
• Level your gaze beyond the horizon. Life is too short to allow others to make you feel inadequate.
• Do what needs doing. Figure out what went wrong and fix it.
• Plan for success and insist on survival. To survive is to give yourself a fighting chance to succeed.
• Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.
• Exits are about creating value and letting go when the need and opportunity arise.
• Focus occurs in the present.
• Most success springs from feeling joyous and confident, believing one can accomplish almost anything—and sporting victories contribute to such euphoria. The day India wins big at the Olympics and becomes a global player in sports, we will already have become an economic superpower.
• It's all possible.

Overall and engaging read. It also helps that the Ronnie Screwvala’s journey has already been in the public eye. So getting to know the background of these ventures makes it more interesting. 

Previously on BookMarks: Endgame 

BookMarks #114: Endgame

Title: Endgame: An Insurgency on Wall Street

Author: Sheelah Kolhatkar

Genre: Non-fiction, Finance, Real events

Published: 2023

BookMarks

Invested money was likely to appreciate much more rapidly than income in the future, which would only increase the gap in wealth between those who already had money and those who didn’t 

- Thomas Piketty (Capital in the Twenty-First Century)

Endgame narrates the events surrounding the short squeeze and unprecedented rise in the share price of Game Stop stock in 2021.

This is a short volume. The subject is interesting, the protagonists are interesting, there is lot of history built up, it is a fight of the underdog against a rigged system. And yet, somehow the book just falls flat. The narrative seems abandoned and hurriedly finished at the same time. While we learn about a few characters, the book seems more like an extended trailer rather than an entire movie!

Previously on BookMarks: Landmark Judgments that Changed India 

BookMarks #113: Landmark Judgments that Changed India

Title: Landmark Judgments that Changed India

Author: Asok K Ganguly

Genre: Non-fiction, Law

Published: 2015

BookMarks

As the title says, the book focusses on some of the key cases which provided landmark precedents and brought the Constitution into its current shape. Over the years, the judiciary through its interpretations has adapted the legal system from its British origins to one more suitable for India.

The major cases discussed in the book include (a) Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, which limits the power of Parliament to amend the Constitution; (b) Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India which defined personal liberty; (c) Golaknath v. State of Punjab, where it was ruled that amendments which infringe upon fundamental rights cannot be passed.

Following are some of the highlights from the book

• Definition of Constitution: The set of the most important rules and common understandings in any given country that regulate[s] the relations among that country’s governing institutions and also the relationship between those governing institutions and the people of that country.
• The Constitution is the autobiography of a nation - it articulates the conscience of the nation in particular and of mankind in general. This voice is most eloquent in the judgments of the constitutional courts.
• The Indian Constitution is based on three fundamentals, which form the core of constitutionalism. They are: (1) A written Constitution, (2) A chapter on fundamental rights, and (3) Limited government
• In all representative democracies that the government is one of laws and not of men.
• The book emphasizes the role of due process and precedence. As it states, the law is uncertain. It does not cover all the situations, where the decision may go either way. Hence the need to follow the due process always.

Overall, an interesting read on how some judgements have played a key role in shaping the Constitution. 

Previously on BookMarks: Learning How to Fly 

BookMarks #112: Learning How to Fly

Title: Learning How to Fly: Life Lessons for the Youth

Author: APJ Abdul Kalam

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoirs, Compendium

Published: 2016

BookMarks

I am born with wings So, I am not meant for crawling, I have wings, I will fly.

The book is a collection of speeches given by Dr. Kalam in his interactions with students across India and the world. As always, simple but inspirational words. Here are a few bookmarked items from the book.

• The tools for life: have a great aim in life, continuously acquire the knowledge, work hard and persevere to realize the great achievement. Finally, how to manage failures and success in life. And you will definitely succeed in all your missions. It does not matter who you are.
• Knowledge = Creativity + Righteousness + Courage
• Learning gives creativity, Creativity leads to thinking, Thinking provides knowledge, Knowledge makes you great.
• Goal - I realize that aiming small is a crime. If something important is at stake, the human mind gets ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold.
• The culture of excellence is driven by innovation and creativity. A nation’s economic development is powered by competitiveness. Competitiveness is powered by knowledge. Knowledge is powered by technology. Technology is powered by innovation. Technology and innovation are powered by resource investment.
• The important aspect of creativity is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different.
• The important elements that constitute a nation are: being disease free; high earning capacity; high productivity; harmonious living and strong defence - Thiruvalluvar. How can all these elements be provided to citizens of every nation?
• We learnt, dreamt, experimented, failed, recovered and succeeded.
• The test of a human being is in accepting the failure and to keep trying until he or she succeeds.
• What worked yesterday, will not work today.
• Leaders must have a vision…a passion to realize the vision…be able to travel into an unexplored path…know how to manage success and failure…have the courage to take decisions…and be transparent in every action. Leaders must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
• A culture that values wellness and healing will create a flourishing society—productive, creative, healthy and peaceful.
• Excellence happens not by accident. It is a process.
• Science is an eternally evolving enterprise. It is a never-ending journey across generations of committed researchers. Science thrives when it converges to solve pressing challenges of the world and this is the 21st century requirement from engineers.
• Coming into contact with a good book and possessing it, is indeed an everlasting enrichment.
• It says for those who do ill to you, the best punishment is to return good to them.
• Your beliefs become your thoughts Your thoughts become your words Your words become your actions Your actions become your habits Your habits become your values Your values become your destiny.

Simple & actionable words, to be put to use in life.

Previously on BookMarks: Krishna - the Man and His Philosophy  

By Dr. Kalam: My Journey 

BookMarks #111: Krishna – the Man and His Philosophy

Title: Krishna – The Man and His Philosophy

Author: Osho

Genre: Non-fiction, Philosophy, Religion

Published: 1991

BookMarks

The book is compilation of talks given by Osho on Lord Krishna, the Bhagavad Gita and contrasts with Jesus Christ, Gautam Buddha and Mahavira. The narration is in a Question & Answer format and covers the course of a few days as Osho talks to his followers.

Some of the messages are:

On God & the world: God and the world are not two separate entities. They are like body and soul. The visible part of the soul is known as the body, and the invisible part of the body is called the soul.

On war: Confronted with the challenge of war, man's brain begins to function at its highest level and capacity. In times of war man's intelligence takes a great leap forward, one it would ordinarily take centuries to make. All our cooperative efforts and institutions are the products of war. It is called cooperation for conflict.

Individual vs collective: If you want some evil act to be done, you will find it easier through a group than through an individual. The law of evolution doesn't apply on individual it applies on group

All great persons are born ahead of their time, and all insignificant people are born after their time. It is only mediocre people who are born in their time.

We worship those who perplex and defeat our ability to understand them.

If one has wealth, one can have the suffering of his choice

Happiness and suffering are like clouds passing through the sky. They come and go.

Nobody has any difficulty finding in the Gita what he wants to find.

They say that man has only to remember what he has forgotten. has to remember who he really is, who he is right now. He does not have to do a thing except recollect what he has forgotten.

Everyone is unique: Everybody has his own karmas to fulfill, and they will go through them. Everyone is unique and different. God is a creator, not a technician, and he only creates original things, first-hand things. To be oneself is the only virtue and to be another is a sin. Imitation is wrong. It is ironic that we imitate those who never imitated others.

The story of a great person can never be historical, it is always poetic, mythical, mythological. It is so because it is written retrospectively.

To live on this planet problems will always be needed, because it is through our struggle with problems that we grow and mature.

On Work: Work for what? Why does man work? Man works so he can live. And what does living mean? To live means to celebrate life. We work so that we can have a moment of dance in our lives. Really, work is just a means to celebrate life. But the irony is that the way we live there is no leisure left to sing and dance and celebrate life. We turn means into an end; we make work the be-all and end-all of life. And then life is confined between two places, our home and the office. Home to office and back home is all we know of life. (In the WFH environment, even that “to” has gone missing.)

Everyone is mad with running and reaching somewhere. And no man knows where this "somewhere" is.

Entertainment and celebration are never the same. In celebration you are a participant; in entertainment you are only a spectator.

On future: Man is an animal who makes promises. We are captives of the future, we live in future hopes. Man wastes all his todays in the hope of a tomorrow that never came.

The meaning of a word does not, as is usually believed, come from the dictionary.

Life begins where logic ends.

That which attracts you is not your type; it is the opposite of your own nature, because the opposite attracts. Opposites are complementary to each other.

One who clings to his past cannot come to truth, because truth is always now and here, it is in the moment. Truth has nothing to do with the past nor with the future. Truth is really timeless, and one who lives in the past can never be in the present. Truth and time don't walk together."

That which helps life grow, flower and dance ecstatically is religion. And that which impedes life's growth, which distorts and stifles life's flowering, which smothers life's joy and festivity is irreligion.

Some simple explanations and some complex ones. Do not necessarily agree with all of them, but he does present and interesting perspective. No wonder Osho was so wildly followed. 

Previously on BookMarks: The Importance of Being Earnest

BookMarks #110: The importance of Being Earnest

Title: The Importance of Being Earnest

Author: Oscar Wilde

Genre: Play, Fiction, Satire

Published: 1895

BookMarks

“The Importance of Being Earnest” is a satirical play by Oscar Wilde. The lead characters invent relatives to get out of social obligations, and somehow end up realizing that their facades were truths

Overall, a short, and funny read.

A few lines which stood out from the play

• The truth is never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!
• Everybody is clever nowadays. You can’t go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left. - Was this a foreboding of the LinkedIn gyaanis to come some 120 odd years later!

Previously on BookMarks: Mossad 

By Oscar Wilde - #88 The Picture of Dorian Gray 

BookMarks #109: Mossad

Title: Mossad - The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service

Authors: Michael Bar-Zohar & Nissim Mishal

Genre: Non-fiction, History, Politics

Published: 2016

BookMarks

Mossad - the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, and its motto chosen from Proverbs 11:14: "Without stratagems would a people fall, and deliverance is in a wise counsel."

The book gives an account of the major missions carried out by Mossad over the years. There is a marked change in the nature of missions - bringing Jews home safely from across the globe, finding Nazi war criminals, kidnapping a MIG21, defending Israel against its many enemies including nipping nuclear threats in the bud, avenging terrorist acts, even finding a young boy kidnapped by his own family etc.

There are quite a few great stories, they are mostly somber but the one about how they landed up with Khruschev's speech denouncing Stalin was quite funny!

It is also an account of how each ramsad (head of Mossad) played a role in shaping the institution. There is also a glimpse of the power dynamics constantly at work between the multiple agencies including the political government!

A few notable quotes from the book

• The dirtiest actions should be carried out by the most honest men.
• spare no effort, no means, and no sacrifice, to bring our people back home.
• Sometimes the missions to bring home a nation's own are the most meaningful.

Reading about the high regard for MIG 21 globally comes as a surprise given the high frequency of crashes the past few years.

Overall, a pacy and engaging read providing a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the world’s premier intelligence agencies! 

Previously on BookMarks: Dying to Meet You