Book Review by Himanshu Raval

River Valley to Silicon Valley
Review by Himanshu Raval

River Valley to Silicon Valley

This is the title to the recently published book written by Abhay K which I have had the pleasure of reading. His story is about growing up in India encompassing his life with grandparents, his family, attending Schools, College, University and the preparation to secure his current position as a Diplomat with the Indian Civil Service. It is not a story of heroic deeds or grandiose enlightenment but one which immediately captured my interest. He shares his thoughts about life’s trials and tribulations, the influences of family and mentors and his reverence for life. Ultimately it’s his story of perseverance which triumphs over adversity.

He begins each chapter with an appropriate quotation or verse as if these words shape his life and thought, and indeed they do. The use of footnotes to explain his culture and unfamiliar terms adds to the rich tapestry of his story, lightly sprinkled with the occasional poem. His style is that of the commensurate story teller, non- judgmental and devoid of tiresome regrets or prejudices.

His story may well be an analogy for an emerging India today. Following its bloody partition with its accompanying terrible loss of life, India has embraced its newly found independence to develop rapidly into a significant world democracy capable of achieving sustainable annual growth rates of 8%. It has developed its own unique home spun dynamic intellectual capital arising primarily from its investment in education whilst retaining its history and traditions. It does not rely on foreign investment for its future growth anywhere near the extent that China does and hence I believe it to be more resilient. I think it has the ability to enhance the well-being of its population, to reduce prejudices and to assist those impoverished areas of population dependant on subsistence agriculture.

Abhay dedicates his book: FOR MY GREAT FATHER who inspires me the way he lived till the end. And for the new generation of youth in India who are ready to make a difference.

I think the new generation will make a difference and is already making its mark. So much so that some of my friends and I have come to the conclusion to invest directly in India through our self managed Superannuation Funds.

I would highly recommend River Valley to Silicon Valey as simply a great read or for those who wish to gain further insight into his beloved country.


http://www.flipkart.com/river-valley-silicon-abhay-k/8189640399-fw23fyuw0f

'India can become world leader if it cashes in on youth'-Shri Shankersinh Vagehla releasing River Valley to Silicon Valley

India can become world leader if it cashes in on youth: Vagehla Sunday, May 06 2007 13:21 (IST) Subscribe to Newsletter
New Delhi, May 6 (UNI) India can become a world leader and scale new heights if it capitalises on its youth power, said Union Textile Minister Shankersinh Vagehla.''We have what even the US and China do not have. We are a nation where the youth is the largest chunk of the total population. They are the driving force as they have the potential and knowledge to help India scale new heights,'' the minister said, while releasing 'River Valley to Silicon Valley', a book by young IFS officer Abhay Kumar, earlier this week.'River Valley...' is the story of three generations of an Indian family. The book is an account of Mr Kumar's journey from the banks of the river Paimar in the interiors of Bihar to the portals of Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi.JNU Professor Pushpesh Pant, who was also present on the occasion, said, ''The book is a guide to all those who come to metros from the far-flung and sleepy corners of the country for higher studies. It teaches them how to cope with earlier hiccups and failures.'' ''The book also highlights many serious issues such as the way outsiders are treated in colleges, the difficulties they go through while trying to learn the norms of the urban culture. I want this book to be printed in Hindi also as most of who come to Delhi belong to the Hindi-speaking belt,'' Prof Pant added.''River Valley...' is an insider's perspective of rich and varied culture of India to the world. It deals with the expectations and aspirations of an Indian living in a small village,'' said the author, who is presently serving as Second Secretary in the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
http://news.oneindia.in/2007/05/06/india-can-become-world-leader-if-it-cashes-in-on-youth-vagehla-1178438878.html

River Valley to Silicon Valley finds its place in libraries across the world

River Valley to Silicon Valley has been acquired by the National Library of Singapore

http://newarrivals.nlb.gov.sg/item_holding.aspx?bid=13173740

Books donated to the MCHE Library by the High Commission of India on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

http://mchelib.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/books-donated-to-the-mche-library-by-the-high-commission-of-india-on-the-occasion-of-the-birth-anniversary-of-mahatma-gandhi/

New additions to Indian Parliament Library
http://164.100.47.134/pdfload/MyFolder%5Ceng-bk-jan08.pdf

Acquisitions by National Library and Documentation Centre, Colombo
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:rFQQCdmfa6MJ:www.sab.ac.lk/library/docs/MainLib/June2008Ac.doc+river+valley+to+silicon+valley+by+abhay+k+in+Sri+Lanka&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk

Lindsay Byrnes on River Valley to Silicon valley

Wednesday, June 27
River Valley to Silicon Valley

This is the title to the recently published book written by Abhay K which I have had the pleasure of reading. His story is about growing up in India encompassing his life with grandparents, his family, attending Schools, College, University and the preparation to secure his current position as a Diplomat with the Indian Civil Service. It is not a story of heroic deeds or grandiose enlightenment but one which immediately captured my interest. He shares his thoughts about life’s trials and tribulations, the influences of family and mentors and his reverence for life. Ultimately it’s his story of perseverance which triumphs over adversity.

He begins each chapter with an appropriate quotation or verse as if these words shape his life and thought, and indeed they do. The use of footnotes to explain his culture and unfamiliar terms adds to the rich tapestry of his story, lightly sprinkled with the occasional poem. His style is that of the commensurate story teller, non- judgmental and devoid of tiresome regrets or prejudices.

His story may well be an analogy for an emerging India today. Following its bloody partition with its accompanying terrible loss of life, India has embraced its newly found independence to develop rapidly into a significant world democracy capable of achieving sustainable annual growth rates of 8%. It has developed its own unique home spun dynamic intellectual capital arising primarily from its investment in education whilst retaining its history and traditions. It does not rely on foreign investment for its future growth anywhere near the extent that China does and hence I believe it to be more resilient. I think it has the ability to enhance the well-being of its population, to reduce prejudices and to assist those impoverished areas of population dependant on subsistence agriculture.

Abhay dedicates his book: FOR MY GREAT FATHER who inspires me the way he lived till the end. And for the new generation of youth in India who are ready to make a difference.

I think the new generation will make a difference and is already making its mark. So much so that some of my friends and I have come to the conclusion to invest directly in India through our self managed Superannuation Funds.

I would highly recommend River Valley to Silicon Valey as simply a great read or for those who wish to gain further insight into his beloved country.

For more please visit- Lindsay Lobes

Interview of Abhay K. with writer Bhaswati Ghosh

"I relived my last 25 years while writing this book"

Please visit for details-

Interview with Bhaswati Ghosh

Comment about River Valley to Silicon Valley by Svetlana Gorshkova

I want to offer my deep gratitude and appreciation of your book. It is really great to dive so deep into another country, another culture and way of life, it definitely brings us closer to each other. Also the style of the writing fully allowed me to indentify myself with you during different periods of your life. Sometimes I was so touched to tears by words about your family, grandma and important points in your life.
-Svetlana Gorshkova, Music Connoseir, St. Petersburg

River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Review by Stanislav Savitski

Dear Abhay,I’m about to finish reading your book. Possibly I’m its perfect reader because unfortunately my knowledge about India is far from being below average. It is really interesting to read your story first of all as a sort of introduction to other culture. Meanwhile, I feel myself not an “ordinary” foreigner completely alien to life described in your text. This is the education novel I remember from the Russian-Soviet tradition where the Enlightenment ideals and dreams remained the very essential and productive values for many decades. Surprisingly (or may be not surprisingly) one can find in your book the plot from the Realistic prose of 1930s-80s. I’m not sure that I like this tradition as such but no doubts it attracts me a great deal today when the boundary between the Socialist past and the contemporary life is evident. I’m really interested to find out how the story of education and career of the “simple man” might be told now and moreover how it may be expressed in the manner unusual from my point of view.
Best,Stanislav Savitski, Critic, St. Petersburg