Know ThyShelf (#1)

By Tanmayee Takalkar

Favorite books:

· Ken Follett Trilogy

· Harry Potter

· Animal Farm

Recent read: The accidental Prime Minister

Favorite author:

Ken Follett. The author has written about the world shaking and shaping events of modern history (World War 1, World War 2, Post World War 2) through this trilogy. The first one of the series follows five families through the dramas of the World War 1, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women. The thing I liked the most is the extensive research involved and the creative interpretation of fictional characters in real world scenarios.

This epic covers every strata of the society and their progress in this eventful century. The writer has maintained consistency in his characters throughout and this kept me hooked throughout. The writer does not merely cover the events but also analyze the political, social, and economical situation of countries involved through these characters struggles in this turbulent time. Also, this book taught me more history than the ten years of learning history in school and also got me interested in the subject.

Why read in the first place?

The major benefit I have gained through reading is perspective. The more you read, the more you realize that almost nothing in the world is binary and the truth, more often than not, lies in a gray area. I believe this understanding has broadened my thought process and has made me more open-minded. Being able to analyze situations from different perspectives has helped me differentiate myself in the smallest things like group discussions to making life decisions. In addition to knowledge gaining and developing a wholesome view of problems, reading about social issues also made me more sensitive, which I believe is necessary in the fast paced, dog eat dog world of today. Reading animal farm introduced me to the socio-political situations of the erstwhile USSR in a way formal education never could and made me understand the Naxalite situation in India much better.

Literature in B-school, seriously?

A B-school nurtures leaders who are supposed to have a three sixty degree understanding of problems. Reading books can help a great deal with this. For instance, reading biographies/auto biographies lets one peek into the world of leaders, entrepreneurs and personalities. One can draw inspiration from instances when great leaders have overcome difficulties in their lives and their journey towards greatness. Reading fiction has been scientifically proved to help in development of one’s emotional quotient. Having a good EQ is very important for someone who is expected to lead at workplaces. Reading non-fiction books on topics such as economics, business, politics etc helps to broaden one’s world-view and make one aware of many real life issues.

About the author:

Tanmayee Takalkar is from the batch of 2017–19, she is currently a junior executive member at Melange — cultural society. Charmed by JK Rowling in childhood, her interests lie in reading historical fiction, biographies and technology blogs.