Book picks similar to
Follow Every Rainbow by Rashmi Bansal


non-fiction
indian-writing
rashmi-bansal
english

My Days: A Memoir


R.K. Narayan - 1973
    K. Narayan shares his life story, beginning in his grandmother's garden in Madras with his ferocious pet peacock. As a young boy with no interest in school, he trains grasshoppers, scouts, and generally takes part in life's excitements. Against the advice of all, especially his commanding headmaster father, the dreaming Narayan takes to writing fiction, and one of his pieces is accepted by Punch magazine (his "first prestige publication"). Soon his life includes bumbling British diplomats, curious movie moguls, evasive Indian officials, eccentric journalists, and "the blind urge" to fall in love. R. K. Narayan's larger-than-life perception of the human comedy is at once acute and forgiving, and always true to it.

The Peter Principle


Laurence J. Peter - 1969
    Not only do the authors reveal why the world is so completely screwed up, but they provide proven techniques for creative control of personal, social, and business problems. They analyze the reasons for human failure and tell how to achieve a state of well-being by avoiding that unwanted, ultimate promotion.Students of Freud, Potter, and Parkinson will be fascinated by this satirical examination of man's tendency to escalate himself to oblivion at his level of incompetence.

The Big Switch: It's never too late


John Thomas - 2017
    He is a software engineer at a reputable company and has a girlfriend whom he loves a lot.Yet, there is something missing in his life. He is not even close to being happy.Only after losing his girlfriend, he realizes what the reason for his unhappiness is.He realizes that he is caught up in the wrong career.With time running out, he knows that he must switch to a new career — one that makes him happy.But, is 24 too late to do that? Is he making a mistake?Find out as Keith follows his heart in pursuit of an impossible-looking dream.

Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen


Kavita Kané - 2013
    An accomplished Kshatriya princess who falls in love with and dares to choose the sutaputra over Arjun, Uruvi must come to terms with the social implications of her marriage and learn to use her love and intelligence to be accepted by Karna and his family. Though she becomes his mainstay, counselling and guiding him, his blind allegiance to Duryodhana is beyond her power to change. The story of Uruvi and Karna unfolds against the backdrop of the struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. As events build up leading to the great war of the Mahabharata, Uruvi is a witness to the twists and turns of Karna's fate; and how it is inextricably linked to divine design. A splendid saga from the pages of the Mahabharata, Karna's Wife: The Outcast s Queen brings its characters alive in all their majesty.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time


Brian Tracy - 2001
    This new edition is revised and updated throughout, and includes brand new information on how to keep technology from dominating our time.

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done


Peter F. Drucker - 1966
    Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: Managing time Choosing what to contribute to the organization Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect Setting the right priorities Knitting all of them together with effective decision-makingRanging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F. Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.

Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's


Ray Kroc - 1977
    His revolutions in food service automation, franchising, shared national training and advertising have earned him a place beside the men who founded not merely businesses but entire new industries.But even more interesting than Ray Kroc the business legend is Ray Kroc the man. Not your typical self-made tycoon, Kroc was 52 when he met the McDonald brothers and opened his first franchise.Now meet Ray Kroc, the man behind the business legend, in his own words. Irrepressible enthusiast, perceptive people-watcher, and born storyteller, he will fascinate and inspire you. You'll never forget Ray Kroc.

Sam Walton: Made In America


Sam Walton - 1992
    And it's a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other folks don't, and about sticking to your guns." It's the story of how Walton parlayed a single dime store in a hardscrabble cotton town into Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world. The undisputed merchant king of the late twentieth century, he never lost the common touch. Here Walton tells his extraordinary story in his own inimitable words. Genuinely modest, but always sure of his ambitions and achievements, Walton shares his thinking in a candid, straight-from-the-shoulder style."Here is an extraordinary success story about a man whose empire was built not with smoke and mirrors, but with good old-fashioned elbow grease."

How I Almost Blew It


Sidharth Rao - 2019
    The market is flush with capital, and the internet and emerging technologies have lowered costs and nearly levelled the playing field. The Indian digital ecosystem is ready to explode. The romance of the start-up story fills media column inches.But, for every new venture that made it, there are numerous others that didn’t. The untold story of the successes is that every one of them almost didn’t make it. Each one had a near-death experience, almost shut down, almost sold itself too short—in short, almost ‘blew it’. How I Almost Blew It talks to some of India’s biggest entrepreneurs—Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Info Edge and Naukri.com), Deep Kalra (MakeMyTrip), Deepinder Goyal (Zomato), Ashish Hemrajani (BookMyShow), Sahil Barua (Delhivery) and Girish Mathrubootham (Freshworks) and others—to tell stories that shock, reveal and inspire. Quick-thinking, astute decision-making and—occasionally—sheer dumb luck is what stood between them and the abyss. These heart-stopping stories of near-fiascos are industry wisdom, yes, but also critical life lessons. In the book, Sidharth Rao narrates the tales of the start-up industry titans. The industry leaders covered in the book include: SANJEEV BIKHCHANDANI (Info Edge India - Naukri.com) KUNAL SHAH (FreeCharge) MURUGAVEL JANAKIRAMAN (Bharat Matrimony) AJIT BALAKRISHNAN (Rediff.com) ANUPAM MITTAL (People Group) ASHISH HEMRAJANI (BookMyShow) BRIJESH AGARWAL (IndiaMART) JITENDRA GUPTA (Citrus Pay) DEEPINDER GOYAL (Zomato) DEEP KALRA (MakeMyTrip) PRADEEP KAR (Microland) SATYAN GAJWANI (Times Internet) RAJESH JAIN (IndiaWorld) SAHIL BARUA (Delhivery) ALOK MITTAL (JobsAhead.com) R. RAMARAJ (Sify) GIRISH MATHRUBOOTHAM (Freshworks)

How I Lost 170 Million Dollars: My Time as #30 at Facebook


Noah Kagan - 2014
    What was life like in the early days of Facebook? How did the company operate when it was just a small startup? Who were this team of misfits that built one of the most powerful tech companies in the world? In How I Lost 170 Million Dollars, Noah Kagan paints a compelling picture of the ups, downs, hard work, wild partying, and fascinating characters that populated the office during his time as Facebook's 30th employee.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs


Carmine Gallo - 2009
    Communications expert Carmine Gallo has studied and analyzed the very best of Jobs's performances, offering point-by-point examples, tried-and-true techniques, and proven presentation secrets in 18 "scenes," including:Develop a messianic sense of purposeReveal the Conquering heroChannel your inner ZenStage your presentation with propsMake it look effortlessWith this revolutionary approach, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to sell your ideas, share your enthusiasm, and wow your audience the Steve Jobs way."No other leader captures an audience like Steve Jobs does and, like no other book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs captures the formula Steve uses to enthrall audiences."--Rob Enderle, The Enderle Group"Now you can learn from the best there is--both Jobs and Gallo. No matter whether you are a novice presenter or a professional speaker like me, you will read and reread this book with the same enthusiasm that people bring to their iPods."--David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave

Chanakya Neeti


Ashwini Parashar - 2009
    In his treatise, Chanakya presented 455 aphorisms or ‘sutras’ for living an ideal life. Around 216 of these 415 sutras cover the rules for running a kingdom. They are collectively called Raja-neeti.The book is written in Hindi. In keeping with the format of the original, it presents the sutras in the form of Sanskrit verses called ‘shlokas’. It also offers phonetic aids to make the pronunciation of the shlokas easier. Every shloka is accompanied by its detailed meaning.The book begins with an introduction to Chanakya. Some of the topics covered in the book are destiny, birth and death, prayer, education, relationships, money, child-rearing, self-defence, duties, mind control, emotions, sins, attachment, and purity of mind.Chanakya Neeti was published in 2011 by Diamond Books.

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels


Michael D. Watkins - 2003
    In this updated and expanded 10th anniversary edition, internationally known leadership transition expert Michael D. Watkins gives you the keys to successfully negotiating your next move—whether you’re onboarding into a new company, being promoted internally, or embarking on an international assignment.In The First 90 Days, Watkins outlines proven strategies that will dramatically shorten the time it takes to reach what he calls the "breakeven point" when your organization needs you as much as you need the job. This new edition includes a substantial new preface by the author on the new definition of a career as a series of transitions; and notes the growing need for effective and repeatable skills for moving through these changes. As well, updated statistics and new tools make this book more reader-friendly and useful than ever.As hundreds of thousands of readers already know, The First 90 Days is a road map for taking charge quickly and effectively during critical career transition periods—whether you are a first-time manager, a mid-career professional on your way up, or a newly minted CEO.

Turning Pro


Steven Pressfield - 2012
    In the War of Art Pressfield identifies the enemy to living an authentic life – resistance. In Turning Pro, Pressfield teaches you how to defeat it.

Jugaad Innovation: A Frugal and Flexible Approach to Innovation for the 21st Century


Navi Radjou - 2012
    Whether to find ingenious solutions to problems or turn adversity into opportunity—Indians swear by it. In this seminal book, Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja challenge the very way a traditional organization thinks and acts. Leading companies such as Facebook, Future Group, GE, Google, PepsiCo, Philips, Renault-Nissan, Siemens, Suzlon, Tata Group, and YES BANK, among others, are already practising jugaad to generate original ideas and pioneer growth. In the midst of rising global competition and swelling R&D budgets, Jugaad Innovation presents ways to innovate, be flexible, and do more with less. Peppered with examples of innovative entrepreneurs in emerging markets such as Africa, India, China, and Brazil, Jugaad Innovation illuminates paths to engender breakthrough growth in a complex and resource-scarce world.