Here is another IIM graduate educated
banker turned author and he has come up with a bestseller with his very first
book as usual. This book was released in 2007 and I had got to read it only two
days before and asked myself why had I not read it before? Coming back to the
book, it takes a dig on the working of MNC Banks in India and about ambitious
people from premier education institutes with obsession for power and success.
Also, congrats to Rupa and Westland book publishers to encourage new comers
into the world of writing.
The story revolves
around the lives of Swaminathan (the protagonist) and Sundeep Srivastava (the
antagonist). Both are IIM grads who join New York Bank on the same day. They
differ in backgrounds, attitudes, beliefs and chutzpah. While Swami is seen as
a mature and honest person, Sundeep is seen as a person who goes to any extent
for power, money and success. Aditya Rao is seen as the person who helps both
the people at the start of their career in NYB as well as in times of
turbulence. As I had mentioned earlier, apart from the lives of Swami and
Sundeep, their wins and losses, the book goes further and covers various things
like the modus operandi of MNC banks, the office politics in professional
organisations, bad bosses, love, lust, honsety, deceit and last but not the least, whether the good
will win over the bad? Has some dark sides as well as interesting turning points. An interesting thing which I had like up is the author
himself has a small role in this book (Just like Gowtam Menon and K.S.Ravi
Kumar making guest appearances in their movies) – the first of the kind which I
had come across in fiction books. Also his compliment on Tamil Brahmins being honest,
intelligent, mature and modest made me swell up with pride on an instant ;-)(well,
I too am a tamil Brahmin – hence I felt it like a compliment :-P) Hope his
other books – “The Incredible Banker” ,”Devil in Pinstripes”,etc. are
interesting readups like this one. A complete 5 out of 5 rating for this book. Go and read this book if you had not read it.
