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Creativity as a social tipping point for taboo topics


Authors of the marketing book ‘Think Like a Minimalist’, Chirag Gander and Sahil Vaidya are your classic Forbes 30 under 30 achievers. On the face of it, they’re too young to do many things including writing a book on design philosophy and brand building. But we live in the age of 17 years olds building unicorns, don’t we? So we can safely marvel at the creative confidence of two young men who are sure that by publishing this book, they’re not giving away any trade secrets this early in their life! They’ve put out their rationale, approach and designs out there for all to see. And this is the book’s biggest selling point. 'Minimalist' is the name of their agency.


Their camaraderie emerged from their IIT Bombay days when they shared rickshaws to save money. Sweet! As they were writing the book, Sahil Vaidya says, “We were inspired by ‘Made to Stick’ by Chip and Dan Heath. They have a ‘clinic’ at the end of every chapter where they explain their principles with case studies. We put a ‘problem statement’ at the end of every chapter to encourage interactivity.” What’s not to like about that?


Here are our five bookstrapping insights:-


1. Numerous big brands with large marketing budgets fail to create any meaningful loyalty amongst consumers! (We all have seen top actors being cluelessly handicapped by tacky contrived ad scripts! ) On the other hand, people come on social media to laugh or cry or become educated or seek expert advice. Minimalism helps because it cuts straight to the point and talks directly to the consumer.


2. In a world inundated with content, every new voice on the Internet wishing to be noticed has to bring something special to the table. Minimalism helps because “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” as per the great Da Vinci. Minimalism cuts right to the heart of the message. “When we started, we were impressed with the work of Akshar Pathak who made minimalistic Bollywood posters. There was also ‘Sagmeister and Walsh’ a creative agency that my partner admired a lot,” says Sahil.


3. The duo were understandably curious about how to put their instincts to work. “I used to read Mark Manson’s blog back in the days. Chirag and I also devoured the contents of the website www.adsoftheworld.com for inspiration. We saw every award winning campaign and took inspiration from anything impactful.”


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/12/IMG_5536-2024-12-d26b23b1349007b1da73c0aecf43684d-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1622" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49672" />


4. The authors outline four steps to achieve minimalism and add that ‘if the designer has to explain his work, probably something is wrong with it!’ If you don’t believe in minimalism, check out the logo for the city of Agra made by these two! Its proof enough.


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/12/IMG_5537-2024-12-47a1f59f79ee72a2eadd461bf3f7bb33-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1788" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49673" />


5. One of the most interesting examples of their work is when Jeff Bezos became the richest man on the planet. Here’s how they depicted it. When asked whether provoking conversation via minimalism is enough- aren’t solutions important too, Sahil answers, “There’s a book titled ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Perez. It seems like a book on feminism, but its a book on how design philosophy can offer solutions to the problems of the world! Similarly, we believe that creativity, like humor, offers a social tipping point for problems and raises their awareness to a point where they can be solved.”


The book wants you to get in touch with the Minimalist team - maybe you’re as inspired as they are - by solving the problem statements contained therein and sending them to the QR code which leads to their Instagram account! Nice! If your work is good, it will be posted on their page.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/bookstrapping-commercial-books-the-not-so-literary-cousins-of-highbrow-literature-48984.htm">Bookstrapping: Commercial books - the ‘not so literary’ cousins of highbrow literature</a> 


The duo’s insistence on being ‘true to who they are’, reminds us of Brooklyn 99 creators Daniel Goor and Michael Schur. Both pairs of partners seem to know that by uniting forces, they bring something special to the people and use their ‘minimalism' to spark conversation about important issues. And to think it all began with a Facebook page!


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ Asia's first reading coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: Think Like a Minimalist by Chirag Gander and Sahil Vaidya

Whenever I complete reading a book, I’m never able to answer the simple question, “Was it a good book?’ "Good for whom?," I ask right back.

 
I am, however, able to answer questions like ‘Is the author informative or entertaining?’ ‘Do they have a unique style?’ And perhaps my favorite question is - ‘Did you want to pick up the book again after putting it down?’

 
British American novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE (Order of the British Empire) is an author for whom all the above answers were a 'Yes' for me. She sold nearly a billion books. Her 1979 novel, ‘A Woman of Substance,’ is one of the best-selling novels of all time. The protagonist of this book - the first in a series of eight - was a self-made retail tycoon named Emma Harte - and the multi-generational series revolves around her rags to riches story.

 
What Barbara Taylor-Bradford was telling her readers though the story was that her heroines succeeded ‘not because of the men in their lives but because of intelligence and hard work’.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/bookstrapping-restoring-our-sanity-online-by-mark-weinstein-48314.htm">Bookstrapping: Restoring our Sanity Online by Mark Weinstein</a> 

 
Bookstores always placed her paperbacks out front, where the commercial books were kept. Away from the more serious, celebrated fiction writers of her time. Did she care? We don’t really know. While I don’t remember the year in which I read ‘Woman of Substance’ and a couple of its sequels, what I distinctly remember is the look of disdain I would get from people. “Aren’t you a serious reader?’ I would be asked, almost as if I had to prove it in some way by putting Bradford’s book aside.

 
The best justice for this ‘storyteller’ is that she minted money off her books. After all, which author would not dream to be as rich as the Queen of England?

 
Her most recent book, released when she was all of 90 years old, was ‘The Wonder of It All.’ It was the third book in the House of Falconer trilogy. Writing upto the ripe age of 90 is an achievement by itself, and definitely an indicator of a massive commitment. Ten of her books have been adapted into mini-series and films.

 
It is said that her parents supported her early desire to write, buying her a typewriter when she was just a child of 10 and introducing her to literature, opera and the theater. They did well, I would say. As for commercial writers, they have done their part in keeping the reading habit alive and their value in that is undoubted. What say Danielle Steel?


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: Commercial books - the ‘not so literary’ cousins of highbrow literature

Social media founder Mark Weinstein suggests 'reading books' to restore sanity online.

Weinstein founded Superfriends and Superfamily - the world's first social media networks in 1998. He is known as one of the founders of social media. So when he writes a book about "Restoring our Sanity Online," he speaks from a vantage point of at least 25 years of a ringside view, that very few people would've had. 

This is a book about specific steps to a non-addictive life on social media; and if and how Government and Big Tech can champion this reboot. 

Here are our five Bookstrapping insights:


1. 'The rise of surveillance capitalism' is one of the most thought provoking TED talks of all time. No marks for guessing that Weinstein delivered it. Here's an author with a strong world view and has had no problems picking a side. 


2. Research suggests that it takes only four data points, specifically dates and times of purchases to determine someone's real identity online. This leads to the inference that since all social media is on the block chain, any entity can access it and target the user.


3. Both Web2 and Web3 have the facility to make people buy their way into your feed. This makes any propaganda the priority of the biggest spender. Scary!


4. The unfurling but unfulfilled promises of Web3 are highlighted. Why has Web3 not achieved scale despite incentives, is an important question. 


5. I was particularly fascinated by Web 3 rewards system, which incentivises you to produce high-quality content and engage positively with others - you receive crypto from your peers as a reward system. This is more easily understood in the case of impersonal sites like YouTube and Reddit. But does it make sense to employ the same reward system on personal social networks? Besides, wherever there is a social incentive, bots become a very important part of the following, because it is surprisingly easy for one person to create multiple crypto wallets on a network and rake in the moolah! 


Over 21 chapters of insights and questions, chapter 13, in particular, titled 'Saving our Kids From The Abyss,' made me reach out to the author. I asked Weinstein over an email interview, 'to what extent is encouraging our youth to read physical books going to help us 'restore sanity online'?' Here's his response. 


I have a simple guidepost regarding books: "There is no such thing as 'too many books'!" I repeat this to my own kids often, nearly from the time they were born through any age. Parents can make sure their kids are always surrounded by books, from the school library, public library, and ones purchased or traded/swapped with other parents. 


Just as importantly, do not provide any screen time (via phones, tv, iPads, etc.) to young children. The love of reading physical books is to be encouraged and nurtured so it can be embedded as a lifelong passion. Importantly, the content and selection of the books younger kids read requires some curation by teachers and parents, yet we also want youth to explore titles and ideas they're attracted to. Book reading is a lifelong skill that facilitates common sense and critical thinking, while injecting new ideas and stimulating their imaginations. 


Back to old times then?


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/bookstrapping-versifying-with-nadir-godrej-47617.htm">Bookstrapping: Versifying with Nadir Godrej</a>

Bookstrapping: Restoring our Sanity Online by Mark Weinstein

I had the good fortune of receiving two books of poetry penned by Nadir Godrej, in the presence of his better half Rati Godrej. Their most generous hands and most indulgent smiles, celebrate a rare authenticity where knowledge, bona fide humility and understated elegance are the preferred accessory that define wealth. I enjoyed reading his poems over the last three months or so and have been waiting for a time to write about them.


Last week saw the 11th edition of the Hurun India philanthropy list come out. From Shiv Nadar who topped the list to the Bajaj family who are tenth on it, education seemed to be on top of every list. This connected to Nadir Godrej’s poem, ‘Good & Green’,

 
And if we teach the youth to earn,
 
Enabling them to quickly learn, 

Then all of us will get to spend 

The demographic dividend.

While growth is good and is our right 

We should always keep in sight,

As billions seek the promised land 

Enough resources aren't at hand.

 
The power of poetry lies in the fact that like humor, it is eminently powerful in talking about complex issues. Nadir Godrej’s poems raise questions in the nicest, most human way possible. On another continent last week, MacKenzie Scott (ex-wife of Jeff Bezos) announced selling another 11% of her Amazon shares (she hasn’t disclosed further giving yet). Clear patterns have emerged in her donations- many of them are towards historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions. I was reminded of another of Nadir Godrej’s poems titled ‘Shared Values.’
 
And yet we clearly know 

No problem is solved by money flow 

Alone. Some deep thought is required

For good solutions to be inspired.

And hence came this new paradigm.

Why did it take so much time?

Shared value makes a lot of sense

When viewed through a certain lens.

Now externalities are the base 

On which one can make the case.

There is a conflict that we face

As we pursue the development race.

 
Another stellar philanthropist we lost this October, was Ratan Tata, whose vast work extended to healthcare, education, rural development, water, sanitation, hygiene, and skill development. He had famously said, “The day I can't do something for myself will be the day I pack my bags and leave.” Reminded me of Nadir Godrej’s poem titled ‘The Captain,’ written in memory of his uncle Naval Godrej.

 
We must accept the soul is leaving, 

But nothing can arrest our grieving.

But why not gaze the other way 

And build for him a monument,

Complete the work for which he spent

His each and every living day.

And thus the wounds of grief we suture 

By looking at the past and future.

 
Lastly, citing another poem written for his brother Ali Godrej, its safe to say about Nadir Godrej himself,
 
And none of us can fail to see

That he is full of energy.


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/bookstrapping-alok-samas-the-money-trap-and-benjamin-grahams-the-intelligent-investor-46505.htm">Bookstrapping: Alok Sama's 'The Money Trap' and Benjamin Graham's 'The Intelligent Investor'</a>

Bookstrapping: Versifying with Nadir Godrej

Making sense of a red October at the Sensex


It isn't the job of the stock market to equalize everyone's wealth, says Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta in her twin review of Alok Sama’s ‘The Money Trap’ and Benjamin Graham’s ‘The Intelligent Investor.’

 
I got my hand on 75th anniversary edition of The Intelligent Investor (2024) by Benjamin Graham updated with a new commentary by Jason Zweig. It reads like a stoic captain navigating a tumultuous sea. With the Indian Diwali being a washout for the Sensex, one cannot help but admire how applicable the fundamentals of Graham’s book, originally published in 1949 are, even today. 


For the uninitiated, he differentiates between investing and speculation. He defines investing as an activity that is conducted through the fundamental analysis of companies, where the investor seeks to avoid serious losses while looking for adequate returns as opposed to extraordinary performances. In tandem, I also finished The Money Trap, a book by Morgan Stanley veteran Alok Sama, who details his experiences with modern investing in technology companies alongside Softbank’s Masayoshi San and Nikesh Arora.

 
What’s the funny parallel between these two books? More money isn't always the answer. Here are our five #Bookstrapping insights:

 
1. Human capital can push your income past the rate of inflation, says Graham, after defining inflation as a part the environment, not just an external event. Graham adds that a sound intellectual framework for decision making (protected from crazy emotional states) is the most important thing to invest successfully; not inside information and definitely not high IQ. Very very moot, even today.


2. Warren Buffet has repeatedly credited Benjamin Graham with being his inspiration. Graham earned returns during the most difficult times including the Great Depression- he beat the market by an average of roughly 5 percentage points- between 1936 and 1956. Huge!


3. The Intelligent Investors’ timeless grasp of investing is miles apart from The Money Traps’ world of espionage, threats, sharp suited lawyers and honey traps. Alok Sama’s language is definitely not that of a CA, as witnessed by sentences like 'Indians are frequently like crabs in a bucket'. He also knows the value of understatement; how 'some kid named Justin Bieber' was the opening act before a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley in the early 2000s. He writes his book like a thriller.


4. “The only reason why people examine their lives is to figure out ways to make more money”, says Sama. Even though, money isn’t everything, but originality may be. “Even when it flirts with absurdity, originality is thrilling. In the race against machines, originality may be our last strand’, Sama emphasizes. Good advice!


5. Graham understood that investing is a lonely activity in which isolated individuals yearning for connection and approval of their peers easily fall prey to manipulators. Talking about the fallacy of investing with borrowed money, Graham points out that we all hate admitting our own short comings. “Bright energetic people have promised to perform miracles with other people's money since time immemorial. They are usually able to do it for a while, at least appear to, but have inevitably brought losses to their public in the end,” he says. This is why fund managers walking around as miracle workers, were punished after the financial crisis of 2008-2009.


Jason Zweig’s commentary after each chapter is extremely insightful. The best way to sum up both books is as follows-

 
Believing you have more control than you do, is a sure way to end up earning lower returns then you should be. Feelings can't change facts. It isn't the job of the stock market to equalize everyone's wealth. Be wise with your asset allocation and rebalancing, if you want to play long term.


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: Alok Sama's 'The Money Trap' and Benjamin Graham's 'The Intelligent Investor'

I have had the privilege of working with many journalists in my lifetime. I know this for sure - when a journalist knows their subject deeply, they could well be called ‘real time historians.’ Bob Woodward of the Washington Post is in this category and even the best historians cannot resist their own opinions.

 
His appropriately red-themed book ‘War,’ comfortingly singular, talks about Joe Biden’s White House. A President forced to step down! But was he a genuine advocate of peace in a world ready to go to war at the slightest instance, Woodward seems to ask.

 
Here are our five #Bookstrapping insights:

 
1. Under Biden, the US famously and infamously withdrew from Afghanistan. Woodward believes that Biden and his team were fully aware of the menace Russia posed, but that Putin never took them seriously after they left Afghanistan. In fact, Woodward goes on to quote CIA’s profile of Putin and says that he is “defined by his extreme insecurity and imperial ambition.” He also conjures a picture of Donald Trump as a fan of Vladimir Putin. Did he supply him COVID tests secretively, the author asks.

 
2. Biden is Putin’s 5th American President. Obviously, he has been around longer than them. But did Putin’s megalomania begin because Obama did not take him seriously, Woodward wonders.

 
3. Famous for his Donald Trump trilogy, the books Fear (2018) Rage(2020) and Peril (2021), Woodward is a two time Pulitzer winner, first in 1973 for the coverage of the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein (yes, he brought down Richard Nixon) and second in 2003 as the lead reporter for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Yes, he knows his politics.

 
4. But why is this book out just before the elections? Because Woodward has strong beliefs about Donald Trump and vice versa. "None of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump derangement syndrome," Trump campaign communications director Cheung has said about War. 

 
5. After fifty years of reporting on American politics, Woodward has trained his expert lens on the 3 years from 2021 to 2024. He has tremendous access and makes full use of it to give a ringside view of US Foreign policy and how that defines the character of its Presidents.

 
In essence, Woodward praises Biden while recalling an interaction with Trump and says, “We need to look at what's Trump all about. And I think Trump is a hazard, is definitely the wrong person for the job, but the overall reasons are--and I think they're so important to understand. And the first is that Trump has no plan. He does not plan!”

 
Strong words. But will they dent Trump’s charismatic hold over many?


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: War By Bob Woodward

Who is the inspirational Kamala Harris really? If this question intrigues you, then you have a creditable, first person account in this book. I for one was curious about how her name is pronounced? "Comma-La, which means lotus flower", she says. Not Kamma-La, the way we pronounce it here in India. That’s her Jamaican father and Indian mother coming together to create a unique sounding name!


Indians love their own flesh-and-blood politicians who rise to positions of power in foreign lands. We love Rishi Sunak, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prithvirajsing Roopun and of course we love Kamala Harris most of all! Post November 2024, we might be compelled to love her more if she ascends to the coveted position of President.

 
She wrote 'The Truths We Hold' in 2019, before she became Vice President. The book is written in exceptionally simple language and talks about her convictions; about social justice, communities, families, art, creativity, protecting human rights. Everything except the economy.


Here are our five Bookstrapping insights in the VP’s words!


1. What drew her to law - It was the way people around me trusted and relied on lawyers. Uncle Sherman and our close friend Henry were lawyers, and any time someone had a problem, within the family or neighbourhood, the first thing you'd hear was "Call Henry. Call Sherman. They'll know what to do. They'll know how to make sense of this." I wanted to be able to do that… I wanted to be the one who could help.


2. The platitudes - These may be things Kamala Harris believes in, “Democracy just cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage. America must get to work.” More so because she is a traditional politician. Some readers may find these statements vacuous! But that's the whole point of a democracy.


3. She wears her middle class upbringing proudly - “We were renters for most of my childhood and my mother took incredible pride in our home,” she says while sharing shortly thereafter that her mother always wanted to be a homeowner.


4. She understands justice and makes it the core of her identity, via the book. “When people hear that a mother has lost her child to cancer, the natural response is collective sympathy and concern. But when a woman loses her son to violence in the streets, the response from the public is often different!”


5. She describes her mistakes too. Once, early in her career she was using a map to refer to while trying a hit-and-run case and got continuously confused between the both, east , south and west. Referring to this, she says, “During the break, Judge Horner called me into his chamber and said, ‘don’t you ever do that again! You figure it out. Figure it out.” Seems like she did!


The book is a celebration of the people in her life we don’t know. And the vast amount of work that has elevated her to being considered for the top job. She does not waste too much ink on obvious ones in the limelight. One must also give her credit for a very intelligent book, that positions her extremely well - the ‘shared purpose, shared values’ identity is believable because she provides ample context for it.

 
Might be a good time to get to know the second woman candidate, standing between ‘Donald Trump and the Presidency,’ if one could put it that way. May the best human win!


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping - The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris

16 1/2 REASONS WHY YOUR CHOICES ARE NOT ABOUT FREE WILL

 
In his speed readable book, ‘The Illusion of Choice’, the author Richard Shotton questions the factors that influence our choices- over 16 1/2 chapters. Make that 17 1/2 because there ’s a bonus chapter in there as well.

 
Shotton shares the psychological quirks that govern our choices! The book is clearly aimed at making the reader realise the hogwash of free will! I'd like to point the reader to other books on behavioural science as well, such as Robert Cialdini's Influence, Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. This is a popular field of non-fiction filled with many choices and I might've detected the easy flair of Malcolm Gladwell and Martin Lindstorm, in Richard Shotton’s writing; in that it is anecdotal and breezy. 


Here are our five Bookstrapping insights:


1. When it comes to Loyalty Programs at restaurants, a psychologist at the University of Chicago discovered that uncertain rewards are the answer to enhancing a loyalty scheme! When you stop offering every customer the same incentive, each time they visit, and add a dash of uncertainty, the value is enhanced! For eg; the Dishoom restaurant allows you to roll a dice at the end of the meal! If you get a six, your meal is free. This is 16.7 percent probability and a very welcome surprise!


2. Shotton also talks about how chunking commitments or breaking them down, e.g. volunteer four hours a week as opposed to 200 hours a year, can make all the difference to volunteering!


3. Who is Richard Shotton again? He runs a marketing company called Astroten, which help clients such as Google and Facebook apply behavioural science to marketing. This is his second book after ‘The Choice Factory’ and he has also been a media planner at the beginning of his career. Nice!


4. Shotton makes a case for reducing friction from the buying process? Ever thought about why Netflix autoplays the next episode?


5. He goes on to say that the best ads are memorable because they make the customer work a little and feel clever for figuring them out. When the brain exerts itself to make some effort, memorability is enhanced.


A lot of the insights make you pause and ponder. For eg; do we remember concrete things better than abstract things? Does this become a problem because marketers who have loads of experience, often find the simple too banal and prefer the abstract!

 
The book aims to tell brands that even small bits of friction will put off user-ship or engagement. Most people, including experts and professionals, tend to underestimate the scale of the impact of friction! Advertisers therefore need to think through the customer journey, identify even the smallest barrier that's getting in the customer’s way, and then resolve it! This can make all the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful company! 


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ Asia's first Reading Coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: The Illusion of Choice by Richard Shotton

A pre-Raj tale of bumbling British excursions?

 
Here is a book that is almost a fun take on the prehistory to the British Raj! A curious motley crew of English characters made their way to India, during the 16th and 17th centuries. This was during the heydays of the Mughal Empire, when the English sent ambassador after ambassador to seek favour and set up trade with the Mughals! The Mughals however, couldn’t be bothered! Why so? Mughal India was the world's largest economy matched only by that of China! Throughout the 17th century, the region’s GDP surpassed the combined GDP of Western Europe - who were crippled by debt and dependent on trade. (What about per capita income though?)

 
Mughal India was a saviour for its first English arrivals. And yet, ironically enough, the book 'Travellers in the Golden Realm' by Lubaaba Al Azami says that the first English arrivals in India were inspired- by neither commerce nor trade- but by the conflict between Protestants and Catholics! Has been covered before, but Al Azami does it anecdotally with a dash of humour.

 
Here are our five #Bookstrapping insights:


1. Al Azami says that India's reputation as an early paradise was built on the abundance of glinting gold and precious gemstones in her bountiful mines, even as India's spices were fabled as a fountain of youth. It was not uncommon for the subcontinent to be referred as gold-fingered India. And when Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498, the idea of India moved from imagination to reality.


2. The book suggests that Babar's conquest of India had much to do with the confidence instilled in him by his grandmother! Thus it came about, that in the 16th and 17 centuries, there were three leading Islamic Empires in the world- the Turkish Ottoman Empire, the Persian Safavid empire and the Indian Mughal empire. However, only in India did the rulers govern as a religious minority.


3. That the British East India company launched in 1600 in India is well known. Here is a book that dials back time to when the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth-I (thanks to her protestant leanings) via a diktat in 1570! Elizabeth-I had no choice but to make a pragmatic decision. To sustain her nation, she had to seek fresh trade partnerships beyond Catholic Europe - and one of the lands she chose was India. Makes sense!


4. In the tradition of Babar’s strong grandmother, Humayun too was protected by his steely aunt, until a strong Akbar took over and consolidated the empire. Akbar professed curiosity for all religions, from Jesuits to Jains, Muslims and Hindus! In contrast, the Portuguese were ruthless; destroying over 300 temples and converted 8000 Brahmins to Christianity in Goa - projecting themselves as strenuous and zealous soldiers of Christ! The locals therefore were against the Christian faith, even as the one of the first English travellers Thomas Stephens learnt the local languages and started writing poetry in Marathi.


5. It was in this curious climate - when the Mughals were at their peak and the East India company faced one embarrassing defeat after another- Sir Thomas Roe for instance - one realises what a miracle it was, that the Company survived the 17th century. The 18th century of course- after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, became a very different story!


It is well known that the English coming to power was a series of underhanded dealings. In the authors own words, “17th century networks of slave trading, commerce and colonialism are interconnected and complex!” However, Al-Azami deflates the English excursions during the Mughal Empire, thoroughly and definitively. I referred back to two books while I read this one, The Shortest History of India by John Zubrzycki and The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience, by David Gilmour, and found some interesting parallels.

 
I also found that Al Azami has referenced a few rare sources- as compared to the other books about this period, which was an eye-opener. A few new themes for discussion put out there perhaps?


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ Asia's first Reading Coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta

Bookstrapping: Travellers in the golden realm by Lubaaba Al Azami

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was awarded a Bharat Ratna in 1955. His birthday on 15th September is celebrated every day as engineers day, not just in India but also Sri Lanka and Tanzania. He lived a grand 101 years from 1861 to 1962.

 
Now despite this preamble, the name Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya may still not ring a bell. Heard of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam? He oversaw its construction. Ever used Mysore Sandal soap? M Visvesvaraya put up this factory. And ever heard of IISC Bengaluru? M Visweswaraya was crucial to setting it up. Author Aparajith Ramnath gives us a comprehensive biography of the legendary M Visvesvaraya in Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M Visvesvaraya.

 
He was one of the early architects of ‘India,’ in multifarious ways. The sheer multi-sectoral relevance of his work is one reason history demands that we know him. 


Here are our five BookStrapping insights.


1. The timing of his birth was definitely lucky in terms of the education he received; benefitting from the British system of English education of the 1850s, and not the ancient ‘pyol’ system of learning scriptures. Thus, he had access to western knowledge.


2. He left his home state of Mysore to go to Poona, to become a civil engineer at the College of Science in Poona. Later, he devised an intricate system of irrigation to repay the city, which was installed at the Khadakvasla Dam near Pune. His success led to the installation of similar systems at other dams. This was also the time when Mahratta, a weekly published by Bal Gangadhar Tilak profiled inventors and scientists like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur etc; another happy coincidence.


3. Curiosity was his middle name; Visvesvaraya was a well-travelled man. He travelled to Japan in the 1890s, returning thoroughly impressed by its electric tramways and electric lighting, its education system and its modern economy. In the later years, he would also travel to Aden (Yemen), England, United States, Egypt, Milan etc; to study aspects of civil construction in the more developed cities of the time or implement projects therein.


4. His work is alive even today. For instance; when Hyderabad was in the grip of a catastrophic flood in 1908, sir Visvesvaraya’s services were requested by the Nizam’s government in the construction of a flood protection system and a drainage system for the city. The author writes in the book, ‘years before Orson Welles ran through the Viennese sewers in ‘The Third Man’, Visvesvaraya trudged along in drains in the bowels of London, Paris and Dusseldorf.’


5. His imprint on the education landscape is indelible. As the Dewan (chief minister) of Mysore from 1912 to 1918, he played a crucial role in the development of the state. He initiated various projects, including the Mysore Iron & Steel Works, the Bangalore Agricultural University, the Mysore University which also had its own engineering, medical, commerce and arts colleges. The State of Mysore also played a crucial role in helping establish Indian Institute of Science and influenced its research in the years that followed.


There is a reference to how JRD Tata clapped loudly as Visvesvaraya went up to collect his Bharat Ratna at the hands of Dr Rajendra Prasad. The citation he received read ‘ A great engineer, industrialist and statesman and the father of the idea of planned development in India!’ In the twilight of his life, his waning political influence due to divergence in views, did not affect his enthusiasm. He continued to advocate for heavy industry as the engine of growth. His 101 year old life, marked by both happy coincidences and his own energetic vigour, are fundamental to inspiring countless Indians to believe in the possible!


Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ A reading coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta.


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