If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble

-- Bob Hope

Aashish Book Center Book Fair

Sunderbai Hall, Behind Income Tax Office, Opp. SNDT College, Churchgate, Mumbai - 20
18th April to 6th May
9:30am - 8:30pm

If you are fond of puzzles, try these out - Puzzles At Election Time.

And here are the solutions.

Happy Poila Baisakh, Ugadi, Baisakhi, Vishu......

'Wish you and your family A Very Happy Ugadi!' I was happy to have remembered to text my Tamil friend on the Occasion of the Tamil New Year yesterday. 'Thanks! Do you guys celebrate it too?' she texted back. 'Nope. We had our new year 2 weeks back. Remember you wished me for GudhiPadwa? I guess you share it with Bengalis who celebrate Poila Baisakh. The Punjabis had Baisakhi yesterday.' I said, showing off my knowledge of Indian festivals and asked 'So did you make payasam?'. 'No. The new year is celebrated tomorrow in Kerala.' For a moment I wondered what she meant by that. 'Huh? But I thought you are a Tamil' I was typing this when she texted 'We are from the border. There is a lot of confusion when it comes to borders.'

While I am still not sure what she meant by that, I was glad that she told me about the Malayali new year because one of my good friends is a Malayali. Then I sighed and wondered - wouldn't it be great if we Indians celebrated the new year on the same day? That way we don't have to remember which community celebrates it on which day. Why do we have to complicate everything?

But funnily enough, it's precisely this diversity that makes the country so interesting, isn't it?

So here's wishing you on the occassion of Poila Baisakh, Ugadi, Baisakhi and Vishu. :-)

Epilogue:

'How do you wish a Malayali for new year?' I again texted my Tamil friend. 'Vishu Aashamsagal' she said and helpfully added 'it means Happy New Year'. Today morning I sent 'Vishu Aashamsagal' to my Malayali friend. But I also added another line 'I hope it means "Happy New Year"'. He texted back after a five minutes 'It is the right greeting for the occassion but it doesn't mean "Happy New Year". Vishu is the name of the festival like Holi.' 'Oops, isn't it new year for you guys today?' I asked. This friend has been blessed with limitless patience by God Almighty! 'It is only called Vishu like Ugadi' he texted.

I didn't have the heart to ask him what 'Aashamsagal' means. :-)

बोर्डरूम - अच्युत गोडबोले

'मुसाफिर' वाचल्यानंतर गोडबोलेंची आणखी काही पुस्तकं वाचायची असं ठरवलं होतं. 'बोर्डरूम' हे त्यातलं पहिलं. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Proctor & Gamble, Colgate, Kellogg's, GE, Ford ह्या आणि अश्या नानाविध कंपन्यांची सुरुवात कशी झाली, त्यांचे प्रवर्तक कोण होते, त्यांना काय काय अडचणी आल्या, त्यावर त्यांनी कशी मात केली ह्याच्या एकाहून एक सुरस कथा ह्यात वाचायला मिळतात. तसंच मेनेजमेंटच्या अनेक थिअरीजबद्दलही बरीच माहिती मिळते. तसं बघायला गेलं तर ह्यातली सर्व माहिती नेटवर मिळू शकते. हे पुस्तक काही वर्षांपूर्वीचं असल्याने ह्यातले संदर्भ जुनेही झालेत. तरी पण मुद्दाम ठरवून नेटवर अशी माहिती मिळवायला कितपत आणि किती जणांना जमेल? त्यापेक्षा रेडी-टू-इट डिनर सारखा पुस्तकाचा हा पर्याय योग्य आहे. :-)

भारतात उद्योजक बनत नाहीत अशी ओरड नेहमीच ऐकायला येते. पण उद्योजक बनायला काय गुण लागतात हे जाणून घ्यायला आणि आपल्या नेहमीच्या वापरातल्या अनेक वस्तू ज्या कंपन्या बनवतात त्यांची कहाणी वाचायला हे पुस्तक वाचायला हवंच.