A summary of Anton Chekhov’s immortal short story “The Bet”:
A young lawyer with a bright future meets a wealthy banker at a party. They have a heated discussion on the death penalty vs. life imprisonment, and it ends in a bet: the young lawyer is supposed to spend 15 years in isolation in an apartment. He can drink wine, read all he wants, and listen to music, but he can’t have human contact. After 15 years, he will get 2 million rubles if he wins the bet.
The initial year is maddening, but the lawyer immerses himself in reading and playing the piano.
Over the years, he begins reading different genres. He delves into novels, classics, languages, and even the gospel. On occasion, he can be heard crying because of the depression that solitary confinement causes.
Eventually, the 15 years draws to a close. But the banker’s fortunes have changed, and he is now near bankruptcy, and paying the 2 million would destroy him. So he sneaks up to the room where the lawyer has been staying in a bid to kill him.
When he enters the room, he sees the lawyer sleeping and spots a letter on his table. In it, the lawyer says he has seen everything the world has to offer from the books he has read over the last 15 years. He writes:
“Your books have given me wisdom. All that the unresting thought of man has created in the ages is compressed into a small compass in my brain. I know that I am wiser than all of you.”
He goes on to say that the money has no meaning for him and that he will escape the room a few hours before the bet concludes, as that would negate the deal that was made at the start. And he proceeds to do the same, saving the banker from bankruptcy.
A couple of points:
Books aren’t a replacement for life. You can be well-read and well-spoken and yet be unhappy and not fulfill your potential. Reading a ton of business books doesn’t make you an entrepreneur, nor does reading leadership books make you a boss.
Yet, reading opens the doors of your mind. It challenges notions and worldviews and transports you to different worlds. And in today’s world, where man is fighting with machines for his livelihood, reading might well be the lifeline to sanity, upskilling, and peace of mind.
Happy National Reading Day.
PS: A very thoughtful post by Ramanand on how to incorporate reading into your life (link in comments).
In school, our board exams were divided into 80 marks for theory and 20 marks for practicals. And practicals were more for namesake, as teachers were instructed to give the maximum number of marks. The theory part held much more value than what was learned in a lab or by doing projects (I’m not sure where things stand today).
Reading is a self-fulfilling activity. It gives much more than it takes. But reading isn’t the be-all and end-all solution to things.
Adam Grant ends all his books with practical advice on how to use the ideas in that book. Sure enough, this entails more effort and time.
In his book ‘To Sell Is Human,’ Dan Pink has a fascinating practical exercise. Get hold of someone and pretend they are from the year 1920. Now explain something from current life to them (for example, social media). I actually started doing this and realized how tough it was.
You can’t learn leadership or entrepreneurship by reading alone. It can help but isn’t a substitute for actually doing it.
Pachu (played by Fahad Faasil) runs an Ayurveda pharmacy in Mumbai. He returns to Kerala for some work. A small accident results in him missing his flight. This leads to the start of another adventure when the landlord of his pharmacy, Riyas, asks him for help – to accompany his aged mother, Ummachi, from Kerala to Mumbai by train. Pachu is looking to buy the building from Riyas and sees this as a way to accumulate more good karma. But Ummachi has a few tricks up her sleeve and a parallel plan of her own. Pachu has been given clear instructions to watch her at all times, but when the train halts at Goa, Ummachi gets off. From here, we enter the backstory as to why Ummachi got off and what she’s after. Ummachi makes a deal with Pachu – the building is in her name, and if he helps her, she’ll transfer it to his name.
Of course, there is also a romantic angle where Pachu falls in love with Hamsadhwani.
As with most movies, you feel it could have been trimmed by half an hour.
The first half has more laughs than the second, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 – 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬
Stephen King has written novels, short stories, and novellas. ‘Different Seasons’ comprises four novellas—stories not long enough to be novels but not short enough to be short stories.
The first story in the book is ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ which was immortalized on big screen and is rated as one of the best films ever made. The second story in the book is ‘Apt Pupil,’ one of my all-time favorites (and scariest). Todd, a teenager, discovers a Nazi criminal living in his neighborhood and blackmails him to tell him about his crimes unless he wants to be outed. Reluctantly, the criminal tells him about his past crimes, all of which, slowly and steadily, have a tragic impact on Todd as he turns to killing to satisfy his urges.
Apt pupil was made into a movie where David Schwimmer (Ross in Friends) plays Todd’s guidance counselor. But unlike ‘Shawshank Redemption,’ where the movie became bigger than the book, ‘Apt Pupil’ didn’t go that far.
There are two other stories—’The Body’ and ‘The Breathing Method’—but not as good as the first two.
What’s different about ‘Different Seasons’ is that the stories are not in King’s typical horror genre, which makes it a good read even for someone who isn’t a horror fan.
𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭
I discovered this a couple of weeks back and have been tripping over it. One of my favourites is the song Ulaa which has been recreated in other regional languages as well.
How an organization works is always a matter of curiosity for someone on the outside. And when it’s arguably the world’s hottest ad agency, you want to dive right in.
‘Where the Suckers Moon’ is an insider’s look into the ill-fated relationship between a struggling car brand, Subaru, and an ad agency that pushed boundaries – Wieden+Kennedy. Interestingly, the book also features David Kennedy, who was part of the campaign (he retired from advertising in 1995) and shows how Dan Wieden and David Kennedy built the agency on the back of Nike – their largest client to date.
While the agency earned its stripes for bold work on Nike and Honda, Subaru posed a few challenges. Starting with Dan Wieden’s passionate plea on looking for their next big account after Nike, to a creative director who doesn’t like cars, to Dan Wieden’s delay on hiring decisions, this book has it all.
The early ’90s were a bad time for the economy (which led to popular President George H.W. Bush losing the election to upstart Bill Clinton), and car sales are a good indicator of how well an economy is doing. Eventually, the agency’s campaign ‘What to Drive’ didn’t help Subaru’s cause, and the agency lost the account. It was a dismal end to an unlikely relationship.
The book was written in 1995 when social media was a decade away and print, TV, outdoor, and radio were the main modes of communication. It’s still a fascinating read.
𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 – 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞
I literally rolled on the floor laughing while watching this movie. A struggling middle-class man, Nandan, mistakenly gets his hands on a suitcase containing crores of rupees. It’s money meant for a politician but gives Nandan the escape he is looking for from his strained existence. Unknown to him, he is captured on CCTV camera and goons are on his tail. To his dismay, Nandan realizes that it’s not possible to live normally with so much money lying around in the house, not to mention the posse of people after him.
A hilarious watch.
𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦 – 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐢
This song popped up on some Diwali playlist, and I have been listening to it on loop.
I recently finished reading a book on voice training. Most of the exercises are related to practicing your voice in various ways. My first thought was, ‘Where can I practice these?’ Some of the exercises involve raising and lowering your voice and require a room where the doors can be closed. While some other exercises are easier and can be done in small increments, others require more thought.
There has been an exponential increase in content that can help you improve in almost any area—leadership, writing, baking, finance, investing, parenting. We don’t live in an age where there is a shortage of information.
Undoubtedly, reading expands your horizons. However, putting even a little of that into practice can seem like a herculean task.
Being well-read used to be a compliment, but it will only take you so far.
In 2006, Ivory Coast qualified for their first World Cup ever.
Didier Drogba, one of the most iconic players from that team, used his influence to do something remarkable.
After qualifying, the team gathered in the dressing room to celebrate. In the midst of all the happiness, one thing was on everyone’s mind. Drogba took the mike and made an impassioned plea to his countrymen to halt the civil war that had been ravaging the country.
His plea didn’t fall on deaf ears. Warring factions stopped fighting and this is heralded as one of the greatest moments in sport. A few years later, fighting again broke out after the elections were disputed. But what the football team accomplished will never be forgotten – they helped stop a war, even if for some time.
We’re seeing brands take a more empathetic stance in the current crisis. Sunil Chettri is lending his Twitter feed to ‘real-life captains’, people who are doing the thankless work on the ground. A calamity has a way of nullifying the non-essentials and bringing the most important thing to the fore.
In war, a ceasefire has huge ramifications. Countless lives are saved and people can go out of their homes without fearing the worse. Things will slowly but surely return to how things were. There are products to be sold and customers to be won. In marketing, a ceasefire is a time for introspection.
What can we do better?
How can we create more meaningful content?
What has this unforeseen break from the regular schedule taught us?
What do I really want to do?
Do I want to spend the next few years like this?
A ceasefire has the potential the fundamentally alter the way you do things as you move forward.
PS 2 – Just got the news that Mr. Shanbagh, the owner of what was once Bangalore’s most iconic book store, Premier book shop, passed away due to COVID. I developed my love for reading over numerous visits to Premier Bookstore when I was a child. Visits to his shop were like a ceasefire from regular life where I could lose myself in a never-ending pile of books. Reading has opened my eyes, made me question things, and laid the path for many good things in my life. Without reading, I don’t know where I’d be. A piece I wrote years back on what the store meant to me –
FOMO exists because you believe you are missing something. If you didn’t feel the need to be somewhere else or make yourself look happier than you are, FOMO wouldn’t exist.
Every book, blog, and podcast opens my mind a little more. They make me realize that there is so much I don’t know. While they broaden my horizons, they also point to a gap that exists.
Looking at your craft in a different way. Seeing leadership through new eyes. Ditching a redundant way of doing things. Enhancing your skills. Speaking with confidence. Being happier.
All these are possible if you’re aware that an alternative exists. If you don’t believe there is a better way, the scope for improvement is negligible. It’s hard to argue with someone who fights for the status quo.
Needless FOMO is getting worked up over a friend’s social media update. But it’s worth pausing and asking if you’re missing out on a better approach or way of doing something.
If you don’t know what you’re missing, you aren’t missing anything.
Back in the day, Ogilvy had one of the best libraries I have ever come across. It housed everything from a slew of advertising award annuals and best of all, international editions of magazines that were costly if you chose to buy it from a store. Esquire, Rolling Stone, GQ, Wired – all of them found a place there. These days, most agencies don’t have libraries as almost everything can be gleaned from the net. And besides, who reads these days?
I was hand-in-glove with a truly amazing and super-sharp person who was in charge of the library. As soon the new magazines came, she would keep them aside for me and ensure that I got my hands on them first. I am sure that all those magazines are lying somewhere in a carton somewhere, unread.
What a tragedy.
Even back then, not too many people read magazines. Some referred to the fashion magazines for image references for pitches or shoots for fashion brands, but there was never a line of people who were waiting to read a Wired or a Rolling Stone.
For someone like me who can’t imagine going anywhere without a book, the thing that always bothered me was how people chose to stay ignorant in spite of so much information being available. These days, I also have also added a healthy diet of podcasts to my learning process (which inspired me to begin my own. It’s in the editing process).
It’s true, just reading and knowledge isn’t enough. A kid who wins spelling bee won’t necessarily go on to rule the world and become successful. But not reading or making the effort to learn in any form is sheer laziness.
If you can get better at what you’re doing, understand the journey of someone who has been through what you’re going through, why wouldn’t you do it?
A book, or a podcast, opens you up to the myriad possibilities that you can harness.
Selling. Leadership. Culture. Entrepreneurship. There is a book or podcast on almost everything under the sun. I hope to make this a regular feature where I write about the books, podcasts and occasionally, movies that I have come across and found some value in.
Happy learning, discovering and mind-opening.
Podcasts
The Unmistakable Creative – An inspiring podcast that leaves you better than it found you. Hosted by Srini Rao who interviews people from all walks of life. Special mention – the episode on accomplishing goals with Srini Pillay
She says she’s fine – Dr. Munjal Kapadia, a gynecologist by profession, hosts this delightful podcast that discusses woman’s health issues and topics that are frowned upon in public discourse. A much-needed podcast in a country like ours.
The James Altucher Show – The best thing about this podcast is that Altucher also writes a little about his guests. You can find it on the official website and the host himself makes for an interesting character. He’s an author, entrepreneur, and podcaster whose writing style is evocative as well.
Thale Harate – This is a Kannada podcast and one of my favorite ones. The hosts speak about local issues and the guests are mostly Bangalore based. The show transports you to a place in old Bangalore where people are having coffee and long-winded conversations.
Books
Moong over Microchips – This is one of the best, yet most simple books I have ever read. Venkat Iyer was stuck in the corporate grind and one day decided to quit city life and begin farming. While many of us only dream of this, Venkat Iyer describes how the journey is – from the hassles of getting land to making the shift to village life, and understanding the plight and suffering of farmers first-hand. Don’t miss this book.
Meaningful Work –I recently saw a documentary on Netflix on how most of the world’s chocolate is made from cocoa that is procured from farmers who were exploited. Many children work on these cocoa farms and there is a massive gap between the price people pay for chocolate and the lives of people who grow cocoa. Shawn Askinosie was a criminal lawyer who quit his soul-sucking job to begin a chocolate company that works directly with cocoa farmers and their communities to ensure that they get a fair price for what the sell. It will change the way you look at running a business.
Stories at work – My wife gifted this to me for my birthday and told me she felt it was a book I would like. Indranil Chakraborty tells you how to improve your presentation skills using stories instead of subjecting people to death by powerpoint. While ‘storyteller’ finds its way into numerous LinkedIn bios, very few people know what it really means. This book encapsulates this nicely.
Whenever a client says they want something viral, just sneeze. People have tried to create a ‘viral’ video or phenomenon, not understanding that it is very tough to create something that goes ‘viral’. If everyone knew the formula for a super-hit, flops and duds would cease to exist. Fast, Cheap and Viral dives into the nitty gritties of getting better at creating video content that spreads and works for brands. What was once the purview of someone with expensive cameras and equipment can now be done by someone with a decent cell phone. If you want to learn more about harnessing video content for your marketing, read this.
P.S. – There are countless other books and podcasts I want to write about but as I am planning to make this a regular affair, I am limiting it to just a few .