BANGALORE: When someone said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” They were probably right. One has to read this book to know what this quote is all about. This tiny book which is a collection of 11 short stories by first-time author Sriram Iyer, gives a rare insight into the bizarre realities of the corporate world. The author brings his insider experience (over 20 years as a finance professional) into this book. The whacky characters, their weird habits and the politics and drama synonymous with the corporate world has been brought to life, in the most humorous way. People who have had a taste of working in a corporate workplace will find it even funnier, as they would be able to relate to some of the characters and situations, nod, and of course laugh in agreement.The author has a refreshing and original take on the behavioural characteristic peculiar to the corporate world.The first short story titled ‘survey’ talks about the use of corporate surveys where you are often asked to respond to questionnaires consisting of a bunch of supposedly unrelated questions which will give an opinion totally different from what the employees actually feel.‘Bovine Retribution’ tells us about the young and wealthy Hank Mani who goes up to John, a practicing psychologist in Bangalore because of a strange problem he is facing. Hank talks about a set of unconnected events, annoys John, before he finally talks about the weird recurring dreams he has been having, leading to his sleepless nights. In the dream, he encounters a cow while playing his usual game of golf and later finds himself with a set of cows staring at him, under a banyan tree, followed by funnier details. A simple game of golf which takes an entirely new meaning leaves the psychologist shocked. The flow of events in the dream is hilarious.The writer uses his imagination to the fullest and manages to surprise the reader at the end of each story. He effortlessly turns an otherwise boring and humdrum corporate life into something amusing with his funny and deliciously named characters.You would love to hate CEO Randy Pi’s character in ‘High on Dreams’ who happens to go into a state of trance, whenever he gets upset or he is in a crisis. It is apparently a form of yoga which helps him focus on one point and let go the million other negative thoughts.The story ‘Spell Check’ where the character Prakash's life changes overnight, for the worse, because of a silly spelling error (Busy gets misspelled as Busty) is witty and tells you how a simple spell check can actually save you from a lot of embarrassment. There are many occasions in the book which will constantly make you chuckle or even make you fall off your chair laughing at some of the jokes. So, don’t tell us you haven't been warned before.The book is about real people and human characters, which is almost impossible to decipher, their insecurities, fantasies and their lives which gets further complicated with a difficult boss and Sriram manages to look at the brighter side of this mess with his witty writing and irreverent observations.Somehow, at the end of story, each character, which develop very precise identities gradually, will remind you of one of your colleagues in their craziest form and resonate with your own work experiences.As Pritish Nandy writes in his foreword, “Eleven delightful stories. A cast of fascinating characters, each unique, special. It is compelling reading.” And we couldn’t agree more. If you are looking for a good laugh, we highly recommend this book.
Comments
0 comment