 |
| Image Credit: needpix.com/Arcaion |
Hello Friends,
2024 is about to end. I hope all of you had a fabulous year with a fair share of success & happiness. It's that time of the year when we need to quickly review the year gone by both personally & professionally. For me personally as an avid reader it is also the time to review my reading journey over the year & also to make a wish list for the coming year. 2024 was great in terms of my reading journey as I could invest my time into some exciting stories from different industries along with usual self help, marketing strategies & fiction books. So here I am with my top 5 reads from 2024.
J.C. Chaudhry: The Incredible Aakash Story
Aakash institute is a well known name in the coaching landscape of India. Over the years it has created its own legacy through hard work, determination & passion for quality teaching. In the recent times it was in news mainly for its association with controversial edtech brand Byju's. Whereas everybody praises the legacy created by visionary educationist J C Chaudhry in Aakash institute, the hard fought journey behind this legacy is rarely discussed. The book narrates the story behind this iconic brand with utter simplicity. The success & failures, ups & downs, joys & disappointments associated with every phase of this journey has found a place in the book. Along with that how an ethical value system can be a strong building block for creating a successful business venture has been explained nicely in the book. Whether you treat it as yet another startup story or a book on strong leadership values, either way this is going to be a delightful read.
Zero To Viral
Sharan Hegde is a well known name in the digital world or to be more precise in the world of creators. He has achieved enormous success in a short span of time through his content & more importantly his street smart marketing skills. Zero to Viral is a book where he has depicted some of the vital strategies behind his success. The ever evolving world of social media is too complicated & vast for any new entrant. But this book has thrown some light on the knowhows of modern day communication engine. Not only for Sharan's followers this book is a decent guide for any new entrant to the world of content creation & social media marketing.
The Winner's Mindset
My love for books on sports & books by sportsmen helped me stumbling upon this little genius by Aussie cricketing great Shane Watson. Lot has been spoken on cricketers' mental health & aftereffects of the same in the recent past. Sports psychologists have come up with their own theories. At the same time individual players have constructed their own methodology to tackle this modern day menace of mental health. This book is a collection of various techniques applied by one of the modern day great along with his stories of success & failure during various phases of career. Icing on the cake is the mention of some of the legendary cricketers' methods to fight out against off field demons. Even a common man can very well feel connected to the theories & logics mentioned in the book. Click here for my review.
The Learning Trap
One of the best reads of the year. Also it's arguably one of my best reads related to edtech segment. This book talks about a brand that came from nowhere to become a money-spinner for all its stakeholders. A journey from being at the top of the table to be languishing at the bottom has never been told more precisely. Author Pradip Kumar Saha has been a regular critic of edtech firm Byju's through his columns. But this book has been a real eyeopener for the entire edtech industry where he has narrated the story of a brand which itself spoiled its chances of becoming a gamechanger due to its reckless & unethical business practices. The book has already been recognized at various mediums for its no nonsense approach. Must read for budding entrepreneurs to learn to value ethical business practices. Click here for my review.
Adityanama
Adityanama can be a delightful read for all the corporate executives specially the bankers as it showcases the lighter side of a top notch banker. As the title suggests the book is about the life outside the office of eminent banker Aditya Puri. Written by none other than his wife this book delves into some interesting stories about Aditya. It talks about various aspects of his character beyond a disciplined & go getter corporate executive. By including some interesting stories from his personal life author has tried to showcase the ever debatable concept of work life balance in a simple manner. You will find stories of Aditya from his early days as a professional, his bachelor days & also from the life of a devoted family man. All in all you need not to worry about difficult financial jargons or mention of some typical balance sheet components while reading about the life of a banker (Review coming soon).
That's all for this year. Hope to include some more exciting names to my reading list next year. Till then happy reading.
Click below for more on my reading journey
Book Image Credit: amazon.in
Social Media Connect