Hello Friends,
I was considering to start writing few stories on women leadership for a while. Wasn't able to finalize on the right sort of content to begin with. Then I came across something which I found quite apt for the kind of content I was looking for. Amazing to see the kind of buzz created on its arrival in the market. After going through the same I realized that there is a valid reason for such a buzz. Like everyone else me too was eagerly waiting for its arrival. After all it is the much awaited autobiography of one of the most celebrated global icon of our generation. Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the narration of her journey in her own words. It may sound a bit strange to you when I connect this to women leadership as mostly would see this book as autobiography of another famous Bollywood star. But her journey tells us if you are really passionate about your dreams you can achieve anything irrespective of your background or expertise. Hence this small masterpiece holds quite a few leadership lessons which can inspire many. Without wasting any further time let us relive her journey . Here comes the first article in our new segment She Le@ds.
After reading the book my first impression was wow! it seems like a fairy-tale with all the possible ingredients of another Bollywood blockbuster movie. But on a hindsight it's a narration of an extraordinary journey filled with passion, guts, perseverance, hard work & above all an indomitable spirit to beat the odds. The journey began in a small town of Uttar Pradesh where a little girl from a middle class doctors' family was always dreaming of something extraordinary. The entire narration can be largely divided into three parts- her early childhood days in India & the US, winning the beauty pageant & eventually successful entry to the world of entertainment and last but not the least the life post her father's demise. Let me make one thing clear to you before you grab a copy of it. In case you are looking for some controversial stories of the movie industry or an actor's life, this is not the book for you. Instead if you want to experience an inspiring journey this is the book for you.
Initial chapters talk about her childhood days where she was a naughty kid as per her own admission. Various incidents from her childhood have been mentioned which our generation can very well connect with. Her school life in the US, facing the hard realities of life in form of bullying at a young age, parents' extreme support in every situation, unexpected win at beauty pageant competition.. everything has been explained with a child like innocence. Her real time feelings can be felt through each narration.
There are few patterns which can be observed in almost all the chapters. Firstly use of Hindi words to describe any relationship or custom and then immediately explaining the meaning of the same in English. This shows that our very own Desi Girl is always at work to represent our culture at the global stage. Her utmost respect & gratitude towards every family member who helped her during her journey whether in small or big way is another pattern which shows her gratefulness towards life & every person who crossed her path. Her mention of parents in almost every incident tells us how important their role has been in her life. Dedicating an entire chapter to father's death including the emotional narration of the trauma that she & her family went through is something rare & appreciable.
The book exhibits various characteristic traits of Priyanka throughout her journey. Kindhearted, passionate, respectful towards elders, caring, fun loving, dedicated to profession are some of the major features that can be found in her journey. But the one feature that sets her apart from others is her bold approach towards everything that life throws at her. Time & again she had proved that one need not to compromise on ethics or values to be successful. Be it getting bullied in school or film industry, facing director's inappropriate demand during shoot or confronting criticism for any decision taken by her, she has always ensured that she remains to be herself and does what is best for herself. This is one of the major takeaways that can be followed by one while growing in career.
She has always been a keen learner. She did not hesitate to take special training for dance when got criticized for not being able to perform on the sets or starting from the scratch while venturing into music industry. That's an important leadership quality to keep your ego aside when it comes to learn something new or self improvement. Her bold approach can be visible through her writing too when she talks about the various controversies she faced or bouncing back from any tough situation. Can't resist to quote one of my favourite line from the book which is the testament of her bold spirit
"...… But I'm also content. This is my face. This is my body. I might be flawed but I am me."
She has been extremely kind & humble even after achieving so much of success. Giving the due credit to deserving ones or showing gratitude has been one of the prominent qualities that she possesses. Still felt she could have thrown some more light on the way she achieved several milestones in her career and what it takes to reach at the top & sustain there for so long. Probably that could have made this book a complete leadership manual too for many.
Entire narration has been extremely simple without any exaggeration. If one chapter shows her bold approach to have a successful career the other one exhibits her emotional side while going through extreme pain post her father's demise. She has been honest in her approach to achieve monumental success & has been honest too while sharing her journey. Not only for the women Desi girl's story is truly inspirational for anybody who wants to achieve success despite all the hardships. As the title of the book suggests she still has a long way to go & hopefully we can get to know more about her further success journey in future. Way to go Desi Girl.
Image Credit: amazon.in
Personal Recommendation(Autobiography)
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