Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog

I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.

Who Wants a Piece of SlumdogM
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Who Wants a Piece of SlumdogM

The euphoria of Oscars in India is still there as a lingering hangover. Everyone is basking in reflected glory - even me. I had predicted two Oscars for AR Rahman in my review of Slumdog Millionaire (see comment dated 8th Feb 09). So there... but the one that takes the cake is the ruling party in India taking credit for the Oscars. I kind of partly support their claim to fame. They are certainly responsible for our slums and the millionaire politicians.

Read More
Beyond B-schools
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Beyond B-schools

Dil Chahata Hai changed everything. The movie not only proved that Aamir Khan-with the right haircut and the facial hair-can believably pass for a 25-something, but also that the young in their eccentricity have their own vocabulary. The DCH moment opened up doors for writers and film directors to finally use personal experiences to tell India's urban story.

Read More
Thoroughly Enjoyable - Deccan Herald
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Thoroughly Enjoyable - Deccan Herald

Despite the limitations of the genre that allows but sketchy characterization, some of the characters stay with you even after the book is read. Rascal Rusty with his out-of-the box pearls of wisdom, Captain Sobti with his sage perspicacity and Father Hathaway with his benevolent advice. Then there’s loony Keya, spoilt Ayesha and trade union leader Arai.

Read More
Women Read More Fiction Than Men
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Women Read More Fiction Than Men

You may however be left with this vague feeling that this is more of a guy’s book rather than a gal’s. If writings of women about and for women that are also read by men are called Chick Lit, what would writings of men about and for men that are also read by women be called? In a way, Abhijit Bhaduri and his ilk may have spawned this new genre of Indian fiction. Can we call it Guy Lit for want of a better term?

Read More
Writing In The Time Of Web 2.0
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Writing In The Time Of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is here with Facebook, Orkut, Twitter ets defining the day for many. It may not be mainstream yet, but it has certainly added a two way collaboration possibility to the erstwhile one way process of writing. It builds a relationship between the author and the reader before, during and after the process of writing. Can a best selling novel be written on Facebook? Can a novel have 1500 authors? Neha Tara Mehta of Mail Today newspaper writes about all this and more on 28 Dec 2008.

Read More
Netting Numbers
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Netting Numbers

BOOKS by young non-professional writers are selling in numbers too big to ignore. They might have a tough time with critics, and established authors may have issues in making space for these writers among their ranks. However, there is no doubt that their books sell, and they have a special place among readers who respond to them through the Internet via websites, and blogs.

Read More
The List That Matters
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

The List That Matters

The Asian Age runs a list of best sellers for the week. For two weeks now the Booker award winning novel The White Tiger has been topping the list. The others that follow have been pretty consistent too. Brisinger has been at the silver medal winning spot and Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy who writes the immensely popular blog called The Compulsive Confessor is holding forth at spot number three while I am holding fourth

Read More
Media Recommends Married But Available
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Media Recommends Married But Available

The Telegraph says, " Married But Available (HarperCollins, Rs 195) by Abhijit Bhaduri follows Mediocre but Arrogant and is likely to be followed by Middle-Aged but Active. It is the story of Abbey, an MBA in the Eighties, when MBAs were just beginning to be accepted as god’s greatest gift to the corporate world. The prose is hardly of Booker quality, but the plot could interest a film maker wishing to capture on celluloid the pains and dilemmas of a man the rest of the world calls successful." OK guys, I have made tentative plans of how I will spend those millions. Now let us get cracking on the deal, Bollywood ... unless they meant Hollywood."Low on heavy fundas and high on humor and a feel good read." says Times of India

Read More
Married But Available in Best Seller Lists
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Married But Available in Best Seller Lists

Rashmi Bansal was the first one to write about my first novel Mediocre But Arrogant. The article called A Novel Pastime appeared in the June 2005 issue of BusinessWorld magazine (read the article here) and of course it appeared on Rashmi's blog at the same time. She had profiled this new author called Chetan Bhagat who had stirred up major interest with his first novel called Five Point Someone.

Read More
The Asian Age Book Review: Married But Available
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

The Asian Age Book Review: Married But Available

Nothing is high-brow and there are no pretentions to the same. But it’s a world well-sketched, well-peopled and one that has its share of action and drama. The narrative, in first person, flows unhindered and natural through the 270 pages of the book. Bhaduri moves in time, narrating most of the story from past. Though written about a generation that would be already past its prime by now, it hardly looks out of touch with the aspirations of the young and the daring.

Read More
Marriage that is HR
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Marriage that is HR

Married but Available, that’s a book, written by Abhijit Bhaduri, an HR employee with Microsoft. No, the book is not about promiscuity. It deals with HR management. Bhaduri, in fact, has a thing for titles. His first book, of which this is a sequel, was called Mediocre but Arrogant.

Read More
Chick Lit and Guy Lit
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Chick Lit and Guy Lit

matter. There is of course a definition in wikipedia to define what this genre is all about. By the way, type in "Guy Lit" in wikipedia and you discover there is no such category. Is that called discrimination or what? More importantly there is a kind of a predetrmined pigeonhole into which we are putting the kind of stuff chicks write or read about. Stuff that guys read or write about. Don't we all do a bit of everything? I know enough men who found the film Sex and the City good to watch. Enough men flip through Femina as women who buy Car and Driver.

Read More
Married But Available - Write Your Review Here
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Married But Available - Write Your Review Here

I have been receiving a steady stream of mails after some of you have finished reading my novel. While the media reviews will happen, I want to know what you felt about Married But Available. What did you like or not about it. Who were the characters you vibed with. Characters you would have loved to meet in real life or maybe there was an uncanny similarity between a character in the novel and someone you know. Have you met people like Capt Sobti, Rascal Rusty, Abbey...? Are you like any of the characters in the novel?

Read More
Married But Available in the News
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Married But Available in the News

After the Media Launch of Married But Available at City Select Mall in Saket, New Delhi the next city was Kolkata. My first novel Mediocre But Arrogant was launched on 3rd August 2005 at the Oxfordbookstore, Kolkata. This time it was at the Crossword on Elgin Road, Kolkata. Loved the store for its great layout. Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, the actor read out excerpts from the book. He read out excerpts that made people really senti. The book should be reaching all the bookstores in India by 10th October 2008.

Read More
Married But Available: Chapter 1
Books, Fiction Books, Fiction

Married But Available: Chapter 1

Some things have changed. Some things never will – not in this lifetime. I look at my face in the mirror of the guesthouse of my alma mater and try to discover the changes. I’ve just stepped out of the shower and am buttoning the black Polo shirt that has always been my favourite. The faded pair of Levis and black blazer complete the look. I shave and dab on some cologne. Like the scouts will tell you, ‘Be prepared’. Then I comb my hair and, looking at the strands of silver that have appeared of late around my sideburns, wonder idly if any girl would still find me attractive. After all, at age thirty five the girls on the MIJ campus will probably find me too old, unless I meet one of those who find older men sexy because they have grey sideburns.

Read More