tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90089330646540995122024-02-19T15:56:49.870-08:00River Valley to Silicon ValleyWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-83564465029173535632010-01-06T01:23:00.000-08:002010-01-06T01:24:18.517-08:00Interview given by Abhay K. to Bookwag Literary Journal07/09/2009<br />
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</div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What kind of a writer would you describe yourself keeping in mind the varied writing you have already done?</span><br />
<br />
I am a spontaneous writer as I write what comes to my mind or what I am passionate about. I find magic in poetry, memoirs as well as in fiction and fantasy. <br />
<br />
Autobiography and Memoir writing has been one of the strengths of Indian literature as shown in the works of Fakir Mohan Senapati, Nirad C. Chaudhary, Aubrey Menen or Pankaj Misra and my first book reflects on my own life with the prevailing conditions in the surroundings I grew up.<br />
<br />
Poetry came naturally to me after coming to Russia. My poetry books ‘Enigmatic Love’, ‘Fallen Leaves of Autumn’ and ‘Candling the Light’ were all written during my stay in Moscow from 2005-2007. They express tremendous beauty and inner light I experienced in this new city.<br />
<br />
Spiritual questions have always excited me since the early days of my life and I have co authored ’10 Questions of Soul’ with a Yoga teacher in St. Petersburg. <br />
<br />
The unity of life and the beauty of a small blue planet silently going round the Sun has always inspired me. I have been inspired by writers, poets and philosophers such as Kant and Tennyson who dreamed of a ‘Parliament of Man’ some day in future. My book ‘United Earth’ is about this dream with an Earth Anthem composed by me and my paintings dedicated to Earth along with the path to democratic global governance.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">In a few lines, can you describe the journey you undertook to write your books?</span><br />
<br />
Well, my first book 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' is autobiographical memoir and draws a sketch of my last 25 years. What’s in the book is how I travelled the journey of life so far, my innocent observations of the surroundings I was grew in, the social, economic, political and spiritual forces prevailing in that surrounding that shaped me into what I am today. I did not have to carry any research for the book; it was all inside me and was the story of lived experience. I relived my last 25 year while writing this book. <br />
<br />
It is not only my or my family’s story but India’s story as well as India suddenly found itself leading information revolution and our generation found a new dimension of life in call centres and software parks. This was indeed great because we had missed the Industrial revolution and had to leap forward from the River Valley Civilization to Silicon Valley Civilization.<br />
<br />
My second book ‘Enigmatic Love’ is a collection of love poems I wrote in Moscow. I scarcely wrote poems in my life before coming to Russia. I came in touch with a new civilization, when I arrived in Moscow in 2005, with grand and magnificent architecture, beautiful people clad in latest fashion with deep interest in art and literature, incessant, almost divine, snowfall during long Russian winters and so on… and that I believe transformed me into a poet and words started flowing out of me, in the street, in metro, in garden or wherever I was. Out of that came three books of poetry, ‘Enigmatic Love’, ‘Fallen Leaves of Autumn’ and ‘Candling the Light’. The other two books are on their way to publication.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">How do you balance the life of a diplomat and a writer?</span><br />
<br />
Writing comes to me naturally and I write to relax, enjoy and to fulfil my responsibilities as a world citizen. I am a diplomat from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday. After working hours and on weekends I regularly read, write, paint and contemplate. I feel that art and literature have essential place in the scheme of a full and balanced life. I cannot do without them.<br />
<br />
Diplomats draft letters, make reports and meet people and move to another foreign land on a regular basis. This gives us opportunity to learn continuously. Thus my work as a diplomat compliments my writing and other creative endeavours.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Who is the audience for your books and how have they received your works so far?</span><br />
<br />
My books have been received well not only in India but internationally though they are not bestsellers or commercial successes. This I can make out from the comments I receive from the readers (available at www.rivervalleytosiliconvalley.blogspot.com,www.enigmaticlovebook.com).<br />
<br />
My greatest moment of glory as a writer and poet is when I get to know from unexpected places and from unexpected people who by chance have read my book and have been inspired by my story or my particular poem has made their day. <br />
<br />
As a writer and poet I try to spread hope and inspiration. My books are real and positive. My first book ‘River Valley to Silicon Valley’ is a positive commentary on India’s democratic experiments and economic reforms in which the protagonist (i.e. I) and his brother achieve their goals with hard work, dedication and right means unlike in 'Adiga’s White Tiger' in which the protagonist, a poor boy from the River Valley of Bihar, achieves success in the Silicon Valley of Bangalore after murder and deceit. Adiga’s book portrays India negatively. My protagonist and Adiga’s protagonists come from similar background, from a non-descript village in Bihar but make very different choices in life. While Adiga has written fiction which is being perceived in West as reality of Indian life, I have written the Indian story as it is. The irony is that negative stories about India gain popularity and become commercial successes and win literary awards but positive and inspirational stories do not find a place in the market. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">What books are you working on in the future?</span><br />
<br />
I am working on three books at the moment A). ‘United Earth’- the book outlines the colossal changes that have taken place in the last few decades and explores the possibilities of democratic global governance. B). ‘Colours of Soul’- is about my adventures in the art life of St. Petersburg. I did not know the abc of art when I came to Russia in 2005 but since then I have done more than 50 paintings, visited hundred of exhibitions and got to know and understand the lives of leading artists of St. Petersburg and C). ‘My Seven Wishes & How are they are coming true’ – is about seven wishes that came to my mind in 2004. They are building a primary school at my birthplace, a high school at the place I grew, SAARC University at Nalanda, Flood-free Bihar, South Asian Union, United Earth-successor of United Nation and last to put the seeds of life in deep space. Quite challenging but things are happening in these directions.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Which other authors, books or literary characters have been your inspiration or are your favourites? Not necessarily for this book, but also for your life in general.</span><br />
<br />
Kalidas, Kabir, Premchand, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Haribansh Rai Bacchan, Ramchandra Shukla, Upmanyu Chaterjee, Shakespeare, Chinua Achebe, J.M. Kotzee, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gogol, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Kiran Desai, Kant, Khalil Gibran, Robert Fulghum, Paulo Coelho, Ayn Rand, Mikhail Bulgakov, Orhan Pamuk, John Darwin, Emery Reeves etc.<br />
<br />
Ramayana, Mahabharata, A brief history of time, Glimpses of World History, Ignited Minds, My Experiments with truth, Things Fall Apart, Disgrace, One Hundred Years of Solitude, All I need to know I learned in the Kindergarten, Love Story, Perpetual Peace, Alchemist, Master and Margarita, A Teardrop on Cheek of Time, Snow, After Tamer lane, Anatomy of Peace etc.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Can you recommend five books everyone should read with a one line reason why?</span><br />
<br />
1.‘A brief history of time’ - Stephan Hawking because it takes one on a journey to the beginning of time. <br />
2.‘Short stories of Premchand’ as they are so humane and interesting that everybody will find them interesting.<br />
3.‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand because it exposes the hypocrisy of the society and shakes us out from self serving truths or lies.<br />
4.‘Old Man and the Sea’ by Ernst Hemingway because it explores relations between man and nature and man and man. <br />
5.‘Vincent by himself’ by Bruce Bernard because the book is full of wisdom and paintings that can transform a person.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">What would you say to other first-time aspiring authors?</span><br />
<br />
I would say that write what you want, you must, you cannot do without writing, without caring for awards, recognition, commercial success or even promise of publication. The reward of writing is in writing itself. Rest is not under one’s control and one should not think too much about them.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Which is your favourite place to read books?</span><br />
<br />
I like to read books at home lying in the bed or sofa before going to sleep and on weekends. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">What are you currently reading and looking forward to read?</span><br />
<br />
I am reading Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature edited by Amit Chaudhury and looking forward to read Art of India edited by Fredic Asher, Imagining India by Nandan Nikelani and Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie.White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-3836734076072306302010-01-06T01:16:00.000-08:002010-01-06T01:26:23.008-08:00Interview given to Bhaswati Ghosh, Writer, New Delhi<a href="http://athomewriting.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-relived-my-last-25-years-while.html">Interview with Abhay K, author of River Valley to Silicon Valley</a><br />
<br />
Wednesday, September 05, 2007<br />
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</div><br />
<strong><span style="color: #e69138;">"I relived my last 25 years while writing this book" </span></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">What inspired you to write River Valley to Silicon Valley? Please share the experience of writing the book with us.</span><br />
<br />
AK: I had made a promise to myself that I should have my own book before I turn 25. I was going to turn 25 on 1st March 2005 and I was so anxious to tell the world that how Indian democracy and economic reforms that are taking place in India are bringing real and concrete changes in the Indian society by citing example of three generations of my own family. I wanted to write this book at this stage of my life and not later because I feared that I’ll lose my innocence and simplicity after getting immersed into the bureaucratic world of which I had become a part after passing the Civil Services Exam in 2003. I also wanted to share my family’s story with millions of young Indians who were in the schools, colleges and universities and inspire them to dream big. I wanted to gift a book to my young friends in India and abroad who struggle every day for a better tomorrow, who do not have a level playing field, who want to move forward overcoming all obstacles.<br />
<br />
I wrote this book between November 2005 and February 2006 in Moscow, mostly post mid-night when the city went off to sleep, and I could peacefully take a journey back in time. Those days I was learning the Russian language at the Center of International Education at the Moscow State University and I had to do a lot of assignments everyday. The only spare time I was left with was after the mid-night. I wrote this book almost regularly for four months except the last ten days of December 2005 and a few days in the beginning of January 2005 when I was traveling in Europe with my friends.<br />
<br />
There is a saying that writers live twice and I completely agree with that. I relived my last 25 years while writing this book, as flashes of my past played in mind and turned into words on my notebook. Just to add, I was highly inspired by “The Outsider” by Albert Camus and “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, not only by the content of these books but also by their size. Both these books have around 100 pages each and are easy to read and carry. I too wanted a small book that was easy to read so that a normal reader would not get scared just looking at its size and had the psychological satisfaction of finishing the book in a few days. Somehow, unnecessary details in some novels irritate me and make the whole experience of reading a very boring for me. What really attracts me is a rich story with a flow without unnecessary details unconnected with the story. This is what I wanted to bring out in my book. I must share with you how overjoyed I felt the day I completed my book even while I had no idea whether it will ever be published. I felt triumphant as perhaps there is no greater joy in life than the joy of creating something. Writing itself can be such a joy if it comes from inside, if one has the feeling that one must write.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">I felt the book should be read by every young Indian who dares to dream big. What feedback have you received from the book's young readers? This would include your brother and your friends.</span><br />
<br />
AK: I have received very encouraging comments and reviews about the book from across the globe. In fact I have collected their comments and reviews like precious diamonds and put them together on my website (www.abhayk.com) for readers. One may read all the comments by clicking on the following link-<br />
http://rivervalleytosiliconvalley.blogspot.com/2007/05/readers-comments-about-river-valley-to.html<br />
<br />
Link for the Book Reviews- http://www.abhayk.com/Books.php<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Have your parents read the book? If yes, what did they have to say?</span><br />
<br />
AK: The book is dedicated to my great father who passed away in July 2006, but he knew all along about this book. In fact, he is the silent narrator of first few pages as all that I came to know about the life of the first and the second generation of my family was through him. He was a great story teller like my grandma. Sadly, he could not see its publication and release.<br />
<br />
My mother is waiting for the Hindi translation of the book to read it. Professor Pushpesh Pant from JNU is working on the Hindi translation, and it should be ready by the end of this year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">How are you marketing the book?</span><br />
<br />
AK: These days I am posted in St. Petersburg as Consul of India, far away from my country and I have left it to the publishers to market the book. A thousand copies of the first edition of the book was printed out of which 500 copies have already been sold.<br />
The book can be ordered from anywhere in the world from Linuxbazar.com clicking at the following link http://www.linuxbazar.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_82&products_id=18713<br />
The book can also be purchased from the major bookshops in the big cities of India or can be ordered by writing to Bookwell India at the following address- 24/4800,Ansari Road,Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002, India, Ph-91-1123268786.<br />
<br />
I am thinking of bringing out a second edition of the book with a different publisher by the beginning of the next year. I would welcome suggestions from readers to market “River Valley to Silicon Valley” in a better way.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">What other writing/publishing projects are you working on these days?</span><br />
<br />
AK: I have written more than a hundred poems during the last two years of my stay in Moscow. I have sent publishing proposals to a number of Poetry publishers in UK, USA and India. I am still waiting for their reply.<br />
<br />
Currently, I am working on two books. They deal with different themes. The first book is based in India and tells the chilling story of a young girl from the beginning to the end. The second book is based in the post-Soviet Russia and explores the psychological undercurrents of the Russian society in recent years.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">How did you get your book published?</span><br />
<br />
AK: First time writers have always difficulties in publishing their work, and I had to wait for more than a year after writing the book to get it published. I sent the manuscript of my book to many publishers in India who are still kind enough to receive the book directly from the authors unlike in UK or USA where they only receive manuscripts through literary agents. Most of the publishers in India and literary agents in UK turned it down because they could not find anything sensational in my book. Finally, Bookwell India decided to publish 1,000 copies for of the book in April 2007.<br />
<br />
The publishing industry has its own business interests in mind. so for them good writing or average writing do not make a difference if the writing can bring in good money. Thus, today the world may never get to know many good writers and poets whose precious works keep biting dust for years until they are discovered or forever if not discovered. The influence of big budget publishing houses do distort the writing trend in the world as more and more people want to write that has the commercial value and not essentially humane values.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">How is “River Valley to Silicon Valley” being received outside India?</span><br />
<br />
AK: The book has been translated into Russian and soon a thousand copies will be printed for young Russian readers.<br />
The book has generated interest in UK, USA, Australia, Poland and South Korea. It is also being translated into Korean by a young Korean who wants to share this Indian story with young South Koreans.White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-51797748853239382392009-12-21T15:20:00.000-08:002009-12-21T15:22:36.075-08:00Book Review by Himanshu RavalRiver Valley to Silicon Valley<br />Review by Himanshu Raval<br /><br />River Valley to Silicon Valley<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br />http://www.flipkart.com/river-valley-silicon-abhay-k/8189640399-fw23fyuw0fWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-23481605482580023002009-10-26T02:24:00.000-07:002009-10-26T02:27:11.647-07:00'India can become world leader if it cashes in on youth'-Shri Shankersinh Vagehla releasing River Valley to Silicon ValleyIndia can become world leader if it cashes in on youth: Vagehla Sunday, May 06 2007 13:21 (IST) <a href="http://rss.oneindia.in/"></a><a href="http://lists.oneindia.in/" zoeen="0" gcq4w="0">Subscribe to Newsletter</a><br />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.<br /><a href="http://news.oneindia.in/2007/05/06/india-can-become-world-leader-if-it-cashes-in-on-youth-vagehla-1178438878.html">http://news.oneindia.in/2007/05/06/india-can-become-world-leader-if-it-cashes-in-on-youth-vagehla-1178438878.html</a>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-71389106162428536892009-10-26T02:06:00.000-07:002009-10-26T02:23:19.368-07:00River Valley to Silicon Valley finds its place in libraries across the worldRiver Valley to Silicon Valley has been acquired by the National Library of Singapore<br /><br /><a href="http://newarrivals.nlb.gov.sg/item_holding.aspx?bid=13173740">http://newarrivals.nlb.gov.sg/item_holding.aspx?bid=13173740</a><br /><br />Books donated to the MCHE Library by the High Commission of India on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi<br /><br /><a href="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/">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/</a><br /><br />New additions to Indian Parliament Library<br /><a href="http://164.100.47.134/pdfload/MyFolder%5Ceng-bk-jan08.pdf">http://164.100.47.134/pdfload/MyFolder%5Ceng-bk-jan08.pdf</a><br /><br />Acquisitions by National Library and Documentation Centre, Colombo<br /><a href="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">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</a>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-4816012137333999812009-05-05T14:08:00.000-07:002009-05-05T14:18:06.382-07:00Lindsay Byrnes on River Valley to Silicon valleyWednesday, June 27<br />River Valley to Silicon Valley<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />For more please visit-<a href="http://lindsaylobe.blogspot.com/2007/06/river-valley-to-silicon-valley.html"> Lindsay Lobes </a>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-67128909442679706832009-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:002009-05-05T14:19:23.429-07:00Interview of Abhay K. with writer Bhaswati Ghosh"I relived my last 25 years while writing this book"<br /><br />Please visit for details-<br /><br /><a href="http://athomewriting.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-relived-my-last-25-years-while.html">Interview with Bhaswati Ghosh</a>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-14233917927504701382009-05-05T04:50:00.000-07:002009-05-05T04:54:17.787-07:00Comment about River Valley to Silicon Valley by Svetlana GorshkovaI 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.<br />-Svetlana Gorshkova, Music Connoseir, St. PetersburgWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-3261703922427184572009-01-08T02:09:00.000-08:002009-01-08T02:11:53.465-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Review by Stanislav SavitskiDear 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.<br />Best,Stanislav Savitski, Critic, St. PetersburgWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-35110414203694055962008-05-16T03:11:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:27.948-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Review by Srinivas Reddy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ1OhffqP5D_8Rpu-3VgSEb5YvGzHq0so4HXW1jPHvYQt07eai4tGXp27_NPWMmNqYyRBuDaq_uoDNVnyBty20DWaMb1V_aZjYbIesDpzJGoLobkiaQL0y06CqlkNdlSOZGRZZ2nVLLEY/s1600-h/R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200917009895593074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ1OhffqP5D_8Rpu-3VgSEb5YvGzHq0so4HXW1jPHvYQt07eai4tGXp27_NPWMmNqYyRBuDaq_uoDNVnyBty20DWaMb1V_aZjYbIesDpzJGoLobkiaQL0y06CqlkNdlSOZGRZZ2nVLLEY/s400/R.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>I just finished reading your book "River Valley to Silicon Valley" and left with the feeling that I have known you for a very long time.</div><br /><div><br />It was a pleasure reading the book due to the simplicity of the language used and the clear message delivered.</div><br /><div><br />I share a similar childhood financial circumstances and hence I had spent a long time while reading the book going back to my childhood days and remembering the sacrifices that my parents had to make in helping me get educated. I thank you for this journey back.</div><br /><div><br />It is very inspiring for many Indians with a rural background and would help them to achieve the transformation.</div><br /><div><br />The title 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' carries the whole book in one phrase.</div><div> </div><div>-Srinivas Reddy, St.Petersburg, Russia</div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-66839268955732946052008-05-06T02:02:00.001-07:002008-11-13T04:56:28.100-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Review by Andrey Khlobystin, art expert and artist<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31bPNo_JsZbpHfSRvy6g8ZtsLKEaqRc1Yd3j-Iw5bfTCnXJ5dk6whmXixNPK-uEdXNiW5j_Bpi794p70VvtESDVHn9oZ0p7e_vBVr3eUX617OdWmYAv1ib8lPiocIAATR97YwUgUy3wDF/s1600-h/Rvsv%5B1%5D[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197187982550089858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31bPNo_JsZbpHfSRvy6g8ZtsLKEaqRc1Yd3j-Iw5bfTCnXJ5dk6whmXixNPK-uEdXNiW5j_Bpi794p70VvtESDVHn9oZ0p7e_vBVr3eUX617OdWmYAv1ib8lPiocIAATR97YwUgUy3wDF/s200/Rvsv%255B1%255D%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> For the majority of Russians knowledge about modern Indian culture in whole and Indian literature, in particular, is limited to the already “ancient” Rabindranath Tagore, spiritual gurus of different caliber, Ravi Shankar and Indian cinema with its music. Although one can witness a new tide of interest in India among Russian creative youth, there is no real contact with modern Indian culture and its representatives. “V put Ot Rechnoi Dolini (River Valley to Silicon Valley)”, the book by Abhay Kumar, the writer, poet and diplomat, could be interesting for those “pilgrims to Oriental countries” who are not really satisfied with their knowledge about today’s life of this great country.<br /><br />Russian reader meets here an unknown world and exotic words, but the book turns out to be understandable and easy-to-read, since a reader comes across a genre familiar to us from Russian literature which could be defined as ‘childhood – adolescence – youth, genre. This particular genre elaborated in our literature by such luminaries as Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Aksakov, Gorky and others, is related to Indian understanding of human’s journey in the world as spiritual growth, the one which brings together Hesychasm* with yoga and Vedic tradition. From the first sight one could define destiny of the main character of this autobiographic book with American formulae of a “self-made man”. That is, having applied enormous efforts in his studies, a boy form poor peasant’s family reaches top success in his life and career .However, this American term would be absolutely incorrect. Starting from his grandfather the wrestler (yogi, ascetic?), the whole family, and generation by generation is trying to educate the children and develop their spirituality. The family makes it the essence of its existence.<br />Author avoids mentioning any caste themes, but in Indian tradition it could be called as a “Brahmin’s journey”. Through the whole book one can feel a mighty force of family traditions behind the author and his elder brother (it is for this reason the book has the subtitle: Story of three generations of Indian family”).<br />Abhay Kumar just slightly touches upon his yoga classes and his visits to temples, but in the very “body” of the book one could feel author’s constant analysis and control over his psycho/physical conditions. In the beginning the book makes slightly sentimental and poetic statement, but later you find yourself involved into a book of almost adventurous genre in traditions of the “Golden Donkey”, “Simplicissimus” and “Golden Calf”. Passing through harsh methods of upbringing (only one fact that small children used to be woken up at 4 a.m. for a morning prayer is worth mentioning!), highly confusing bureaucratic educational system with endless tests and exams – all look like adventures of heroes in a suspense novel.(Wheel of Fortune, again, a symbol familiar to Indians).<br />Publishing this book in Russian is a breakthrough in our knowledge about modern Indian literature, its everyday life and world-view of Indian youth.<br /><br />* In Eastern Christianity, type of monastic life in which practitioners seek divine quietness by the contemplation of God in uninterrupted prayer; Quietism.<br /><br />Review by Andrey Khlobystin, Art expert and Artist, St. Petersburg, RussiaWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-58100498880106303882008-05-02T03:17:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:28.243-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- A Review Letter from Oksana Mirovaya<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw331k6gK_FdRlqRjG_5EGBWEK8F6y1m81qSu0Tis5lU__7tIx_JELd4YHAEAblsiIw-HADsu8_HC5IclsnZBAJsQw3Phexnb_Hw4SiMEODjj-104ln5KX9Cx_KDxdMgxX2t81Rx37hxRf/s1600-h/Rvsv[1][1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195723476011565090" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw331k6gK_FdRlqRjG_5EGBWEK8F6y1m81qSu0Tis5lU__7tIx_JELd4YHAEAblsiIw-HADsu8_HC5IclsnZBAJsQw3Phexnb_Hw4SiMEODjj-104ln5KX9Cx_KDxdMgxX2t81Rx37hxRf/s200/Rvsv%255B1%255D%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I think, every person could write the story about himself. Every one of us meets and overcomes difficulties in life, achieving our aims. And we try to do our best. Not everyone writes it down, to share with others though. It’s ok that you did.</div><div><br />I think, the story of your life is worth to be published. You have made a lot of efforts to cross this long way from the boy of the small Indian village in the river valley to who you are now…This story can be the leadership or sample for today`s youth. For russian youth especially, who is in a deep moral crisis now. Russia is becoming capitalistic country. Old socialistic ideals are broken and dirted; new ideals are not created yet. This young generation grows weak-willed, incapable to achieve their goals; they even cannot imagine what these goals should be like. They just live, without putting any goals in front. First of all, crisis of the country reflects on the young generation. I would like that modern Russian young people read your book; it would be useful…although they prefer different books now. </div><div><br />I really enjoyed the style of your writing, simple and innocent. Faith in nobleness and big heart of other people, respect and love to your parents and elder ones, sincere desire to become worth of their hopes, the art to be thankful and value others, good feeling of friendship and humor, always the attitude to climb the higher level, all that makes your book a good manual for young people. And it is sincerely written so easy to read.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div><br /><br /><strong>Oksana Mirovaya</strong>- A Spritual Activist, St. Petersburg, Russia</div><div> </div><div><br />(Disclaimer- The views expressed above are of the reviewer Oksana Mirovaya)</div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-67086130343494265142008-04-29T03:13:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:29.083-08:00Release of the Russian version of the "River Valley to Silicon Valley"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASQbN5H27nkr4-Hdsz11a27iQLB8nUURwD3gOd15tiXF4JhyezY2KywMKKppACKwSbmIXEiOgE4arJiTSqWfQ6JlFBAkddgWccarIo_6L-Ust4pIUIBlak3pBlDgDgbX0COYlLyFIk1-4/s1600-h/mail[16].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194609069437206386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASQbN5H27nkr4-Hdsz11a27iQLB8nUURwD3gOd15tiXF4JhyezY2KywMKKppACKwSbmIXEiOgE4arJiTSqWfQ6JlFBAkddgWccarIo_6L-Ust4pIUIBlak3pBlDgDgbX0COYlLyFIk1-4/s400/mail%5B16%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF1ewamRWQ3oZbVlEUvLPDWkVgtXwZQ18Tq3CJCQCdW1xA5JA51oquzJoUJPl5vmlMZHCrmaqRacWgHNYgQsUNsfbiNO1vQBPzm5v8FiBhlBV3TO1LbGBGd38dmjlQRiAq-GfTrdDIb32/s1600-h/mail[3].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194609335725178770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF1ewamRWQ3oZbVlEUvLPDWkVgtXwZQ18Tq3CJCQCdW1xA5JA51oquzJoUJPl5vmlMZHCrmaqRacWgHNYgQsUNsfbiNO1vQBPzm5v8FiBhlBV3TO1LbGBGd38dmjlQRiAq-GfTrdDIb32/s400/mail%5B3%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Russian translation of the book "River Valley to Silicon Valley" was released on 24th April in St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg Association for International Cooperation. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBkFljTtu3cvM5-7YOzKyvNzQpkI7fdHK0V-I0bQsU8c0xVkW6gqXm9XYrdHP9NdhlsGUMxINanO9ZurCYfmz-fxud0H7esyV8a1VV9hkjfIkPQWKUoktvzZ_onK_Ez3st3tX_k0rjhUE/s1600-h/book.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194609185401323394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBkFljTtu3cvM5-7YOzKyvNzQpkI7fdHK0V-I0bQsU8c0xVkW6gqXm9XYrdHP9NdhlsGUMxINanO9ZurCYfmz-fxud0H7esyV8a1VV9hkjfIkPQWKUoktvzZ_onK_Ez3st3tX_k0rjhUE/s400/book.jpg" border="0" /></a> The book was first translated by Ms. Svetlana Shakhovnina and later it was again translated and edited by Ast.Prof. Sergey Pakhamov, Philosophy Department of the St. Petersburg State University. <span style="font-size:85%;">Book Details-</span><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">ISBN 978-5-98012-044-3</span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Svytoslav Publishers</span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Pages-104</span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Bookblog- </span><a href="http://www.vputotrechnoidolini.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;">www.vputotrechnoidolini.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div> </div><div>The book release ceremony was attended by Indologists, diplomats of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdWhql-ORPOK-l2WaZKUgCfLyDMCk24tSKlp0RScWCks2KPtkjJjyrxcPlHL9x_v8Ye2SZ33_v3pnSKmpxES0IerPKA9e3itKpD4a5umJgkESn6Z0oIWvNwrdQm5nAHSWwavwBu3CWD0u/s1600-h/mail[17].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194608953473089378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdWhql-ORPOK-l2WaZKUgCfLyDMCk24tSKlp0RScWCks2KPtkjJjyrxcPlHL9x_v8Ye2SZ33_v3pnSKmpxES0IerPKA9e3itKpD4a5umJgkESn6Z0oIWvNwrdQm5nAHSWwavwBu3CWD0u/s400/mail%5B17%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> different countries, journalists, students, artists etc. They expressed their happiness about such an initiative taken by me and they felt that the Russian translation of the River Valley to Silicon Valley will bring the two great civilizations of 'Ganga & Volga' closer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hPhpy3z7FkJZFbWxnVgJtDXF6gkE9yZZ0Bfgw4aA2mgwe6eTtclD4PY5CR5ijZRGwDlm_RrM7ENeyD7df23B19-1ZWMBvHNA5dl7M_-2fjha1svkb_GwpkZgfxX3SIok_248UHzSTNcP/s1600-h/f_13902971[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194608828919037778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hPhpy3z7FkJZFbWxnVgJtDXF6gkE9yZZ0Bfgw4aA2mgwe6eTtclD4PY5CR5ijZRGwDlm_RrM7ENeyD7df23B19-1ZWMBvHNA5dl7M_-2fjha1svkb_GwpkZgfxX3SIok_248UHzSTNcP/s400/f_13902971%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Natalia Eleseeva, the President of the St. Petersburg Association of International Cooperation wished that I could continue to write in future -about my impressions of Russia, Diplomatic Service, Moscow or about the Russian people.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXf0J2bx9EOAZWshZDYQ61Hm7gnMtMNUjGzFsYghb94EyXm6KO23wjfIGHAcGy1Z62TFfYDGVgkku7OnPD9Br6hyO17y9_Oobm5V3pDlfLpG_osqFgv0GbSmc0LlfBdTiJY_bBWLYHJBVo/s1600-h/mail[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194608678595182402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXf0J2bx9EOAZWshZDYQ61Hm7gnMtMNUjGzFsYghb94EyXm6KO23wjfIGHAcGy1Z62TFfYDGVgkku7OnPD9Br6hyO17y9_Oobm5V3pDlfLpG_osqFgv0GbSmc0LlfBdTiJY_bBWLYHJBVo/s400/mail%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>The ceremony was marked by warm and friendly atmosphere. The guests mingled <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qv6iW0DNM9l8bC4MU_hCMgyYhXpXrwNdOulsPNRrKV8zL2fJ6sYGbvsFmBSzL6bTB0yyxUy37WIzQcXdNpWVW5KUSinKCM6p_jiLoZzGMXiQnf9ct2Jt0Q8u57sZUo4ixC-oSZlfHiE2/s1600-h/mail[2].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194608455256882994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qv6iW0DNM9l8bC4MU_hCMgyYhXpXrwNdOulsPNRrKV8zL2fJ6sYGbvsFmBSzL6bTB0yyxUy37WIzQcXdNpWVW5KUSinKCM6p_jiLoZzGMXiQnf9ct2Jt0Q8u57sZUo4ixC-oSZlfHiE2/s400/mail%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> with each other over champagne and choclates while I signed my books for them. Later a Russian musical group performed Indian songs and classical dance for the guests.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-16712801498284243252008-04-28T05:42:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:29.235-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley:Book Review by Semira, A Russian Writer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71aqpDhiGM2vxzd1r1qS8ZJLEXgNVh5Icn0KlT2ajXbM97fYxhLLvMn_-F6_AunzI1ZX2h4R5JrWFsSwqyvO38lvcfzSimRqKehYj3PGxVdEJqXiVtH3C0ew8REk0pkYcrISSwXHfJPk6/s1600-h/Rvsv[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194277669760646946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71aqpDhiGM2vxzd1r1qS8ZJLEXgNVh5Icn0KlT2ajXbM97fYxhLLvMn_-F6_AunzI1ZX2h4R5JrWFsSwqyvO38lvcfzSimRqKehYj3PGxVdEJqXiVtH3C0ew8REk0pkYcrISSwXHfJPk6/s400/Rvsv%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The story "River Valley to Silicon Valley" by Abhay K. reflects well the process of transformations in India in the present moment, its technological progress attracting young people in India. But it's interesting that foreign people who fall in love with India, appreciate more its traditional moments: still <span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">well preserved </span>ecology, kindness of people, priority of heart over intention (gain), and of course spirituality of its ancient culture, apparent even in common life. For those people the river valley and small towns will be closer than Silicon valley or Bangalore. Being Russian, what I like the best in the story is the description of his childhood and his sincere poems.</div><br /><div>I am glad to see in India women in <em>saree</em>, new blocks of 4-story buildings (not sky-scrapers) in Delhi. I like the human size of Indian towns, close to nature, and I try to evade megalopolises with traffic congestion. I would like India to keep its traditional character and mode of life and to change minimum - only the necessary things, in spite of western influence and technological progress. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>- <strong>Semira</strong>, <em>Russian writer, member of the Union of writers of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.</em></div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-51891300563323492012008-04-28T05:39:00.001-07:002008-11-13T04:56:29.441-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Reveiw by Yaroslava Troynich, Freelance Journalist<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qXqoIqGMvBtrnFqX4HMjutXAJEH19jnxfCMrK2BmbkOHah6ACqKWT_D5BFs4DsPBUsEYNjtMVbN4MBSeQKwghyphenhyphenPkS-6nd1a21ER8jIMEdaxCByGWIcOMNp44F4XfjuPfY4dC6zMoJ8sc/s1600-h/Rvsv[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194275217334320914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qXqoIqGMvBtrnFqX4HMjutXAJEH19jnxfCMrK2BmbkOHah6ACqKWT_D5BFs4DsPBUsEYNjtMVbN4MBSeQKwghyphenhyphenPkS-6nd1a21ER8jIMEdaxCByGWIcOMNp44F4XfjuPfY4dC6zMoJ8sc/s400/Rvsv%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I just finished to read 'River Valley to Silicon Valley". I have to say that it is very nice small book with a very fair story. <strong>It is written very simply but something about it is very touching.<br /></strong>I liked some small parts about your childhood, your grandma and your new roommates.I love India and your text became one more piece of huge puzzle that I tried to put together for few years.</div><div><strong>I read Salman Rushdi and Arundhati Roy and I liked their magic realism. In your text I found quite similar inner poetry hiding inside meanings of usual words. I liked it.</strong></div><div>- Yaroslava Troynich, Freelance Journalist, St. Petersburg, Russia</div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-23736448344011001532008-04-22T23:43:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:29.636-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book review by Pradeep K. Gaur<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY2xMumcNqMYErGiwUjPabb9rZtwcRsc0ZzuGVW531XMnm3HasIZAKGQh1HC7gH3HIB3XEV8j6nk23XW_Qfmx7G2eVITeg7UI4wCiNnK1Far0g60nG2asharead4Il2XVSR1lvRE0YYWd/s1600-h/Rvsv[1].jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192328252824468994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkY2xMumcNqMYErGiwUjPabb9rZtwcRsc0ZzuGVW531XMnm3HasIZAKGQh1HC7gH3HIB3XEV8j6nk23XW_Qfmx7G2eVITeg7UI4wCiNnK1Far0g60nG2asharead4Il2XVSR1lvRE0YYWd/s200/Rvsv%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I heard much appreciation of this book from those who had read it. Hence, I was keen to read this book. I made fervent efforts and was fortunate to get a copy and began to read it. While reading, I found it really difficult to separate myself from this book even for a moment as its contents are so riveting. I felt completely in the grip of this book and finished it in almost 4-5 days in spite of being busy with my personal works. In my view, I term it indeed a great achievement in the life of the author hailing from a small village with no basic facilities as millions of villages in India are, where proper education is unthinkable and one is forced to head towards city to do even matriculation and higher education beyond that.<br />The book tells how the parents sometime have to take tough decisions keeping aside emotions towards shaping the career of their children. How your unflinching determination, well-thought plan, perseverance, devotion and above all being self- disciplined surely take you onto your own-established target. Hardships usually come but one has to face them until the target is achieved.<br />Father’s sincerity in regularly monitoring the progress of the child and getting alarmed on child’s sluggishness on one occasion in the course of schooling and promptly changing the decision is an example for other parents to emulate.<br />This book is true tribute from him to his father. The books tells that preparations should be target-oriented. One has to do well-judged visualization of the things in the ambience and has to keep abreast of happenings in other spheres as well. It inter-alia carries certain latent aspects which one can imbibe in own life. The book is beautifully and philosophically written; language is very simple and has a great flow of thoughts at many places. Surely, it may also be a handy and vast guidance for a civil services aspirant.<br />I have learnt a great deal from this book and imbibed certain thoughts from it in my life. I really feel enriched after having read this book. In my personal view, this is a must read book for everyone. I am indebted to the person for ever who arranged this book for me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Pradeep Kumar Gaur<br />New Delhi, India</div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-70735849617727731792007-08-09T00:18:00.000-07:002009-05-05T14:00:16.930-07:00Review of 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' published in The Hindu Literary Review on Sunday, 5th August<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s320/rvsv2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 157px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px" height="502" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s320/rvsv2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="justify">River Valley to Silicon Valley; Abhay K; Bookwell; Rs 195.<br />Perseverance is the key. For young Abhay Kumar, who worked his way from a rural background into the Indian Foreign Service, this was the magic mantra. Kumar’s simple handbook tells his story as it is. From the banks of the river’s valley to Silicon Valley, how his brothers and he overcame their handicaps to achieve what they eventually did. This is also a commentary on the tremendous change in India, its values and culture and how education and competition can make way for anybody to break out of the mould.<br />The book outlines some of the gradual and persistent changes in the country. One is the farmer tilling his land and grazing his cattle; the other is the modern young India at ease in a global village, wired into the newest technology and part of the new and dynamic economy. Through his own life and the tremendous difficulties he overcame, Abhay Kumar tries to draw the portrait of a modern young Indian. If it weren’t for the terrible typographical and grammatical errors, this little book could have served many such aspirants.</div><br /><br />http://www.hindu.com/lr/2007/08/05/stories/2007080550120400.htmWhite Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-898116778908223542007-07-04T07:51:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:29.902-08:00River Valley to Silicon Valley- Book Review by Shri Aditinandan, New Delhi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s320/rvsv2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 106px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s320/rvsv2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">I have had the pleasure of reading some real astounding literature of world although I was always interested in reading Hindi novels!</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">With such background it is very natural that when I started reading ‘River Valley to Silicon Valley’ I always unconsciously compared it with works I had read. So, in the first instance my eyes were focused on the certain things like language,clarity of thoughts ,content ,relation of the content with the meaning author has tried to uncover, interesting plots and most importantly flow and <span style=""> </span>the smoothness in the change from one set of events to another.</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">That's why I needed one more quiet reading! Only after that I could have been able to form my opinion!</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">For me it was like a journey of an average Indian child, who during his phases of life turns from a teenager to an adult along with his innocent dreams. I am really impressed by the honesty of the author. I found nothing artificial and things come out straight from the heart. It is missionary in the sense that it wants to let people know the story of struggle and success in the end! As the plot is not cooked, you will miss the drama as we generally find in novels but what keeps one engaged is the simplicity of the book! <span style="font-weight: bold;">It takes you to the world where you yourself find being the protagonist of the novel.</span> Where we struggle </span></strong></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">everyday </span></strong></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">and survive...some times we do meet with the failures but success also comes in our way! But nothing happens overnight. It requires a lot of grit, determination, urge, honesty, focus and most importantly guts to dream high and then to go after your dreams.</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The progression of the protagonist from a very ordinary 'gaonwala ladka' (village dandy)to an Indian Foreign Service officer is a beautiful tale of truth. The initial hiccups in life, coming from some where that one can't find even in the big atlases ,taking admission in one of the most notorious colleges of Patna , doing well and then thinking of coming to Delhi University where the language generally spoken is English, is terrific in it's composure, mind you the author speaks Hindi only till then!</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The growth of intelligence and maturity without distraction in city like Delhi at such a young age tells us the deep inculcated 'samskaras' and firm head.Two brothers with same background and privileges but with different levels of awareness ,thinking and goals is also an important point taken by the author. It shows why inequality exists! It’s all in one's mind and attitude. </span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The love between father and son is another aspect which makes us feel much attached with the story. The constant guide, the lamp post of a brooding child on whom he leaves all his inhibitions, scare and doubts! His constant looking back at father for his questions is the enigmatic relation that we all Indians experience but it some how remains unsaid! True tribute to a father!</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Although, it may sound little off track from the title 'River Valley to Silicon Valley' but when we read the subtitle carefully we understand the relevance and meaning of it!</span></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">In the end, we tend to miss the journey of our beloved country India, this is the beauty of this book .What author tries to express with his story is the 'graph of our development' and the stage where we are today and what could be the impact of such development. But as I said we miss it and when we finish reading it and look at the title we start searching the meaning of it...that's why I needed second quiet reading. Point is there but one must not only involve with the authors journey because his aim is different, his motto is different, his message is different. It's not a book to </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">read and keep aside but rather </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">inquire ourselves what all it asks us, </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">not only to think but to ponder over...</span> </span></strong></span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-6984794471822628202007-06-25T06:33:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.104-08:00Book Review- River Valley to Silicon Valley by Alexander Turkov, Russia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWk7QeFRMPS2IQsgKBlm_RVdiNHhQqFzw7HEIQhIODknk_jbesHHK33M3PUAXyxggCWNx6XcuF6RpXHGY1fURNVZ7QgsZp2L1_H-1j2W_tYy-2Js2Two3LqrfqowIDeSMShlA22leT-ozA/s1600-h/Rvsv.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWk7QeFRMPS2IQsgKBlm_RVdiNHhQqFzw7HEIQhIODknk_jbesHHK33M3PUAXyxggCWNx6XcuF6RpXHGY1fURNVZ7QgsZp2L1_H-1j2W_tYy-2Js2Two3LqrfqowIDeSMShlA22leT-ozA/s320/Rvsv.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079995189560342498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" lang="EN-US">What is Indian culture famous for?<o:p></o:p></span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Let’s say Shiva- the multi-headed and sharp-teeth… <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Then Raj Kapur, the artist<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">And the Yogis- strangest of the all castes…</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">- <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.kulichki.com/vv/eng/">Russian poet Vladimir Visotsky(1938-1980)</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">The poet <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);" href="http://www.kulichki.com/vv/eng/">Vladimir Visotsky</a> wrote these words about thirty years back how his compatriots saw and understood the distant India.<br />How and why the knowledge of the Russians about India has changed since that time?</span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></o:p><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Certainly that iron curtain has collapsed and dozens if not hundreds of thousands of Russians have visited this great country as tourists </span></span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">in the past few decades </span></span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">and not as members of delegations. </span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></o:p><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">However in our opinion while being in India they were looking at India from a different view-point. It is not easy to understand the rarities of India for a person who has grown in completely different conditions and has never come across people, cultures and traditions of India.</span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></o:p><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> The book “River Valley to Silicon Valley” by Abhay K, a young person who recently started his diplomatic career, enables a reader to look from inside at modern India; a dynamically developing country that has become a regional super-power. </span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></o:p><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> As a matter of fact this is a story of childhood and youth of the author with an excursion into his family's history. At the same time the book gives understanding of peculiarities of Indian</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">mentality, comprehension of its surroundings, system of values prevailing in the country and possibly, apart from author’s will, shows the steadfastness of Indian culture that continues existing and flourishing even with the onset of globalization.</span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></o:p><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> We think that the book is about the country where the bondage with its past has not yet disintegrated but yet in a few decades India has been able to enter the era of information technology.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It will be interesting for the Russian readers to see the life in India with the eyes of their young Indian contemporary.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">- Alexander Turkov, Interpreter and Political Commentator, Moscow, Russia</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Original Russian Text is placed below</span>-</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Чем славится индийская культура?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ну, скажем, Шива – многорук, клыкаст...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Еще артиста знаем Радж Капура<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">И касту йогов – странную из каст,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">писал поэт про представления своих соотечественников о далекой Индии более тридцати лет назад. Как и почему изменились с тех пор знания российских граждан<span style=""> </span>об Индии?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Да, конечно, рухнул «железный занавес» и десятки, если не сотни тысяч россиян посетили почти за два десятилетия эту великую страну уже не «в составе делегаций».<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Однако, на наш взгляд, при этом они, будучи в Индии,<span style=""> </span>смотрели на Индию как бы со стороны – реалии Индии нелегко понять человеку, выросшему в совершенно других условиях и никогда не соприкосавшемуся с народом, культурой, традициями и природой Индии.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Книга Абхая Кумара, молодого человека, недавно поступившего на дипломатическую службу Индии, позволяет читателю взглянуть изнутри на современную Индию – динамично развивающуюся страну, которая уже сегодня стала региональной сверхдержавой.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">По сути дела это рассказ про детские и юношеские годы автора с экскурсом в историю его семьи. Попутно книга дает представление и об особенностях индийского менталитета, о восприятии<span style=""> </span>окружающего мира, системе ценностей, принятой в стране.<span style=""> </span>а также, возможно, помимо воли автора, показывает стойкость индийской культуры, продолжающей существовать и развиваться в условиях глобализации.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:18;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Думаем, что книга о стране, в которой не распалась связь времен и сумевшей всего за несколько десятилетий</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >шагнуть в эпоху информационных технологий, будет интересна и российским читателям – они увидят</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >жизнь в Индии глазами их молодого индийского современника.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:18;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="" lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-82354564855687499672007-06-23T11:52:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.164-08:00A Review letter from Malgorzata Kucharska, Poland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s1600-h/rvsv2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AGVD736S5KWmeGVmgstJAwvbMYZhYPVCWrQEnPT8d_eiAPJDnvlwXlctZz1DlGz1Yi9HOmHWkuqRd_Pvg_qoj80zw0lMLiJK9uBVaktEo9xQx9Tv3iYdjZg5j3dgHn5ncamUXjT_mr5r/s320/rvsv2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079335950735112130" border="0" /></a><br /><i style=""><span style=""> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> Brzeg Dolny 22.06.2007</span><o:p></o:p></span></i> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><i style=""><span style="">This is my short opinion about your book. The specific thing is its very easy reading and that is what makes “From the <st1:placetype st="on">River</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">Valley</st1:placetype> to the <st1:place st="on">Silicon Valley</st1:place>” book suitable for people in each age. We can identify with the little boy throw his adolescence until he becomes a successful man. It brings unforgotten memories about the first day in school, first time being on the own, first crucial success and at last the first love. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><i style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span>The book is filled with various emotions, which are very emphatically described. Nothing is hidden. When you were crying of happiness, I was crying with you; when you became disappointed with your defeats – I felt to run and cheer you up; when you were waiting anxious for exam results – my heart was beating faster waiting good news impatiently. But essence of the book is bravery, which describes your names meaning completely – “fearless”. You are an inspiration for everyone; for kids keeping in their desires, for youth who should never give up in gaining their goals and adults – giving reflection and motivation for fighting among all adversities. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><i style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span>You have broken all stereotypes which are showering upon us nowadays – namely, that money is “the lord”. You did not have money, did not have acquaintances in “top bananas”, your parents could not afford you comfort at the University, nevertheless you have never complained and owing to hard work today you can say: “I have made it”. This is “a light in the tunnel” especially for villagers, poor young people, who are languishing all around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span>Finally I have to say this is one of a few books which keep conversing with the reader. While reading, reflections brought lot of questions in my mind, but the main is - can I say “I have made it”? The answer is still unknown, but I can say one thing: This book made me sure of making right choices in my life, owing to this book I am closer to achieve my goals. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=""><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">…waiting for the 2</span><sup style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">nd</sup><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> book</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-89390953018726234302007-05-17T03:21:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.322-08:00Reader's comments about River Valley to Silicon Valley<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEVvbEfiqMuqPru1vtT1AzaFTmZBn4gUXxauY6hbs9UqOEPsQXV7ZEIkovCwCR8ZU2aR1F3iliH9_7c1n_UhR7A3fSZE_IspROuzS4c0G8ANpeyVxjTpuqtuhn0kAFBmutwXH3nkRLhoB/s1600-h/Rvsv1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065474168105094194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEVvbEfiqMuqPru1vtT1AzaFTmZBn4gUXxauY6hbs9UqOEPsQXV7ZEIkovCwCR8ZU2aR1F3iliH9_7c1n_UhR7A3fSZE_IspROuzS4c0G8ANpeyVxjTpuqtuhn0kAFBmutwXH3nkRLhoB/s320/Rvsv1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">This is a sincere, simple and readable account of Abhay Kumar’s journey from the banks of the river Paimar to the portals of the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi. This is a story many young Indians could relate to, those with rural and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds successfully transforming their personal lives and prospects by availing of the opportunities that India’s democratic system and its recent economic growth provide. In its own way, the book is a positive commentary on the process of change in Indian society, on the scope for self-advancement even to the point of becoming a part of the country’s elite through education and competition that now exists. The human content of the narrative will also touch many chords in the readers. The childhood memories of stories told by a grandmother, the venturing out from the family nest in rural India to an urban environment in search for better opportunities in life, and the presence of the father on the emotional landscape of an Indian boy. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">This is not a complicated book; it is an unpretentious and honest narrative of someone who wants to tell his tale and connect it to a rising India. </span></span><br /></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">-K. Sibal, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation</span><br /><br /></span><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">"A TRUE INDIAN STORY,TOLD IN A VERY HONEST,HUMBLE AND INNOCENT WAY WITHOUT ANY DRAMA." </span></strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)">"<strong>I could not believe my self that I just finshed reading your book!! I really don't enjoy reading novels much but your book was such that I could not wait to finish it.</strong>Believe me it was quite tough for me to read it on computer(no, I don't have any eye problems!) but I didn't waste a single minute and managed it with my daily house hold chores..It amazes me that we Indians are so different and still very much same with each other..Your village river and school days are very much same as my husband tells me the stories and your grandma is very very much like my own.. just two days before I planned to write about her and that very same day I found the poem about grandma in your blog and so I feel my grandma from the unknown world made me to reach youur blog! and the passage which deals with your home coming after success made me cry..."</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">-Rachana, author of the blog </span><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)" href="http://www.rachanab.blogspot.com/">FLYING HOPES</a></span></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><strong></strong></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><div align="justify"><br />"I have gone through some pages of your book but my wife did not allow me because she wanted to finish it first.In our nation ladies first rule is there so I have taken the backseat.I can judge how good your book is..... after seeing her so happy.I also liked it as it has opened some pages of my life also of those days.How sweet.... those.... days were".....<br />"Wishing you all the success for your book from both of us"... </div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">-Deepak Bajaj, Rachna's Husband</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,0,153)"><br /></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"><strong>"I just finished reading your novel...a gripping story I must confess, I didn't take a single break while I read it"</strong></span>."</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)">I'm glad you're done, now you can find a publisher, sit back and have him help you with the editing. I must mention that the poems are especially beautiful...<strong>my favorite lines, which i think are profoundly lyrical "I was not born, I did not die"<br /></strong>Keep that spirit up.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">-Sanjukta Parashar, IPS (Hyderabad, India)A writer and a civil servant and the author of the blog </span><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://www.xanjukta.blogspot.com/"><strong>Insanity/Ennui</strong></a></span></div><p><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0);font-size:130%;" ><strong>"As soon as your book is published, I am buying several copies." </strong></span></p></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><p><strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)">-Arulba, (Austin, Texas, USA)A writer, spritual thinker and author of the blog Dance of mind and <a href="http://www.mindfuldistraction.com/">A Mindful Distraction</a> and her latest blog <a href="http://minddance.typepad.com/">Minddance</a></span></strong></p></span></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><p align="justify"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">"Al hamdu il allah...I have already gone through first chapter from your blog..Congrats for completing your first book. I am curious to know about your first reaction, feelings after finishing book.All the Best!!!Keep it up...<strong>Naguib Mahfouz (Egyptian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988 for "Cairo Trilogy") in making".....</strong></span><strong><br /></strong><strong style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">-Rajesh( An Indian Diplomat in Cairo,Egypt)</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">"Please accept my congratulations on completing the book.It seems very engrossing although I must admit that I have not read the entire book.But I must commend you for coming out with <strong>a personal but riveting story</strong>.</span><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">At first glance,it is very interesting as it represents the churning and changes that are happening across India where pedigree no longer matters."</span><br /></span></strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">I hope this is just a beginning. </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)"><br /><strong>-Anjani(An Indian Diplomat in Mexico)</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">"First of all I take this opportunity to congratulate you on writing a very nice book. When the manuscript landed on my table, I just had a glance on the 'Introduction' of the book. It raised interest and <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">I started reading the book, thereafter there was no stopping till the end. I am not a scholar or a qualified critique, but from a common reader's perspective having below-average level of knowledge of language/literature, I can say that it is a well-written book. Sequences are nicely arranged and keeps the reader engrossed till the end</span>. </strong>I liked the story more because it looked somewhere like my own story. I am sure many-many more will relate themselves in the same way, specially the Hindi belt youths. <strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">The story is capable of hugely inspiring the youths having ordinary background specifically Hindi speaking ones and Biharis. Being a resident of Gaya and belonging to a ordinary farmer's family, the story really touched the core of my heart.</span><br /></strong>I felt, the end should have something more. Perhaps something should have been said about the political journey that the country has undertaken during last 50 years, and more specifically during last 20 years, about the energy that was unleashed in Hindi speaking belt among middle castes after Mandal and its impact on such phenomenal success stories. This is just my humble and may be ignorant opinion.<br />I once again wish you a all the best and hope the book will find a good publisher and will be a grand success. <strong>I sincerely believe that it has real potential of becoming a famous book.<br /></strong>I</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">t will be more purposeful if the book is published in Hindi as well. Right now, I am not aware of a person who is good in Hindi writing, but I will keep this in mind and let you know if somebody comes to my knowledge. I shall certainly recommend the book to my friends. I once again wish you all the best."</span><strong><br /></strong></p><p align="justify"><strong>-Manoj Verma( A colleague working in Moscow )</strong></p><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><p align="justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><strong>"</strong>Thanks for sharing the book.<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">I read it two times over and found it very moving.</span> I realized that it really takes a lot to crack the civil services exam.</strong> I doubt how much of patience I have to sit and prepare a second time for the exam. And both my optionals are new to me. Anyway, I am not giving up so easily, will go through the motions to know it for myself. "</span></p><div align="justify"><strong><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">-Ashish Mishra(A Civil Services aspirant in New Delhi and a former employee of a multinational company in Singapore)</span></strong></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><div align="justify"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">"Its nice to know that that four publishers have shown their interest to see your book"Three Generations". Best of Luck! looking forward to attend your first book release function or at least get a signed free copy of your book. I have downloaded the soft copy of your book and read part of it including your JNU days. <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Its interesting read but I think, still better if you can relate your biographical account with something bigger</span></strong>. To give an idea I recently read 'In An Antique Land' by Amitav Gosh He traces a story of a mysterious Indian slave of a Jew Merchant who settled for some years in India in 11th century, married an Indian woman along with his own story ( he did his PhD work in Egypt) , So he is able to tell more than just narrating his own life experience. Arundhati Roy wrote her God of small things from his <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">barsati</span> in Delhi.I am just giving an idea how you can mix biography along with some bigger idea. "</span></div><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">-Devesh Uttam, Diplomat, Damascus, Syria</span><br /><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">"River Valley to Silicon Valley" is a vivid, touching and inspirational account which majority of Indians would relate to."</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">- Dr. Aman Puri, A dentist turned diplomat, Brussels, European Union</span><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><div align="justify">"Just had a glimpse of Abhay's new book.I must tell you Abhay,looks like a promising start. </div><div align="justify">And as they say 'morning shows the day....'so we expect many more from your side.Keep it up.....I am sure that the 'fourth generation' which is the next one will be equally proud of you because of some great work we all expect from you excellency.The <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">"River Valley to Silicon Valley" is simple in style,honest in content and shows the way to millions of Indians how to overcome adversity and achieve their goals.</span></strong></div></span></span></span></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><div align="justify"><strong>-Abhishek Singh( An Indian Diplomat in China)</strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div></span></span></span></div><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><br /></span></span></span><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">You will not believe this I was able to read your book in one sitting.I really liked the simple and down to earth style of telling the story</span>,being a civil service aspirant myself, I could identify myself with the protagonist in various situations.One thing I felt was that the book ended so soon,and suddenly the focus was shifted from you towards your brother,but throughout the book there is no parallel plot running about the struggles which your brother might have gone through.I get the feeling the last chapter was written (which may not be the case) to justify the title Silicon Valley whereas the whole book talks about you as the central character.On balance I would say it is really a appreciable attempt,I enjoyed lovely poems which were put at the appropriate places,I would call your book a memoir,true life story.<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">I also suggest if you could go for a Hindi translation of your book it will be inspiring to all those young Hindi speaking people who have a dream to fulfill, in one line if I have to express my opinion</span> I would say <span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0);font-size:130%;" >"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">Its a simple child like account of a dream coming true despite all obstacles</strong></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0);font-size:130%;" >."</span></span></p><p><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">-<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)">Dr. Sumit Seth, Diplomat and author of the book "Review of the Forensic Medicine"</span></span></p><p><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)"><br /></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; COLOR: rgb(0,0,153); TEXT-ALIGN: justify">I deliberately caught the train to work rather than drive (I have a company car) as it provided time to read your fascinating book. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">I must say for me River Valley to Silicon Valley is written in the style of a master story teller, it captivated my interest on the train so that I was totally absorbed and unaware of passing stations and stops</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">.</span> <span style="font-size:0;"></span>I quickly became interested in your early family life, your aspirations and that of your family, struggles to matriculate and later life at college. I immediately felt as if I was walking with you in your life and hence have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The footnotes are also an excellent idea, as is the beginnings to quote a distinguished poet. </p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">-<span style="font-size:130%;">Lindsay Byrnes</span>-Author of the Blogs Lindsay Lobe & Malawi Group, Melbourne Australia</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span></span></p><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">I started reading it and must admit, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">you have done a fantastic job</span>. I was taken to your father's village and the charming atmosphere you paint so vividly. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Rural India has always drawn for its simplicity and mystique quality, and your book has a touch of lyricism that brings about those facets in a wonderful way.</span></span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><span style="font-size:130%;">Bhaswati Ghosh</span>- <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Author of blog "At Home, Writing and of her forthcoming book "Making out in America"New Delhi, India</span><br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><i>In my opinion this book is good inspiration for young people all around the world, who does not have anyone for supporting. They need to be driven by this book to achieve more</i><span lang="EN-US">.</span><i> It was easy to read it, very touching, amazing relations with friends and family too.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></i></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><i>You want to know what the book has changed in me- </i><i>it showed me the way I want my kids to bring up.</i></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: rgb(255,128,128)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">I can not turn things back, I can achieve off course more, but if i had another chance, if I got your book when I was teenager, perhaps I would not be who I am today. Such people like you show that we can achieve more, may be not to become a diplomat, president or top cat, but to achieve even small things, just to know what really are our goals and do all the best to achieve them.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><i>- <span style="font-size:130%;">Malgorzata Kucharska</span>, Wrocklow, Poland</i></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">Hi...nice to go through your book...enjoyed reading it and finished it in one go...I must say, lucidity is its hallmark as also the honest expressions...best wishes always...</span><br /></div><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">- Swati Sharma IAS, Chandigarh, India</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">River Valley to Silicon Valley is about first transforming the dreams to reality and then to recapitulate the journey in a brief but pertinent print work, for the benefit of the millions of other budding dreamers to emulate the success story in their quest for leaps outside their restrictive environs to the fabled valleys !</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">- J.S.Dua, Civil Servant, Moscow, Russia</span></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-US"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">"River Valley to Silicon Valley' will make an excellent inspiration for the youth. The book develops extensive determination in readers. A real example for students from all classes.The author proves that the result of hard work is great." </span><o:p style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"></o:p><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">As a reader, I await second part of your story of success. Wish many more such laurels in future too. </span><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">-Gokulakrishnan P</span><o:p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"></o:p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">, Military Wing</span><o:p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"></o:p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">, Embassy of India</span><o:p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"></o:p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">, Moscow</span></span></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">TheBook'River Valley to Silicon Valley" was good, some portions reminded of the good old days at the college............a very good effort to summarize around 25 years in just a few pages............Congrats.Keep it up and give us some more such stuff to read.</span><br /></div><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">-Sultan Khan, New Delhi<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">Just got over with "River Valley to Silicon Valley"... It’s a tough job to keep a book simple .You did it with mastery… The narration is very lucid and gripping. To say the least- it is inspirational and I was reminded of Paulo Coelho's writings… fits in a way in that genre. Good luck and keep writing… for the benefit of your readers…Congrats for the job once again!</span><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)"><span style="font-size:0;">-<span style="font-size:0;"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">Sonam Chombay, IRS, Kolkota, India</span><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:0;"></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">I liked ‘River Valley to Silicon Valley’ a lot....finished reading it at one go...but I think it was too short....I wanted to read more....maybe you should start work on the sequel!</span><o:p></o:p><br />-<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)"> Maitreyee Buragohain, Suwan, South Korea</span></span></p><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">Thank you very much for you book.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">I just came to Delhi after a month long external tour.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">I finished your superb book within few hours. It is very inspiring.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,0)">Hope it will motivate lakhs of River valley kids to reach Indian Foreign Service and Silicon valley.</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">- Dr. A. Prabaharan, Students for Harmony, New Delhi</span><br /><br /></span><br /><div style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Hi,</div><div style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">I liked your book. It is very spontaneous and endearing...very lucid. Smart first book.</span> Strangely enough I know more about you now than when we were in CSRD(Centre for the Study of Regional Development, JNU). Very nice to know that your </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0); FONT-STYLE: italic">bhaiyya (elder brother) </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">is doing so well. My dad is really appreciative, he thinks its very commendable that you overcame initial disadvantages . <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">I'm sure it will really inspire Civil Service Aspirants.(Vajiram might just distribute it with their notes.</span>..and Jawahar Book Depot will gladly publish it) and that is where the problem lies...you've focussed more on how you got into the bureaucracy rather than the 'Silicon valley' part..your brother's experiences would have made an interesting read too, would have made your book richer. The writing is crisp but sometimes I thought I was reading an examination answer! That problem would probably get fixed by some formal training.. do some creative writing course.. get a hang of the techniques..and I'm sure the sheer passage of time and the incremental reading that comes will be good for you. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">But overall, I loved it.. especially because it is so unpretentious and non-bitchy. Best of luck for the next one. </span></span><br /></div><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)"><br />-Rajasree Banerjee, Lecturer, Kolkota, West Bengal, India<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;color:#3333ff;" >River Valley to Silicon Valley takes you to the world where you yourself find being the protagonist of the novel.</span><br />- <span style="color:#33cc00;">Aditinandan, New Delhi<br /></span><br /></span></strong></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">hi ,</span> <div style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">I have finished reading River Valley., it was an interesting read and i really was envious of you for being able to live such a fulfilling life.(esp Sidharth part,how much i like him)</div><div style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">Really when one is focused in life ,nothing is impossible.</div><div style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">I am sure your friends and folks are very proud of you.</div><div style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">Your story is so much like story of so many people who are making big ,coming from small places.</div><p><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">In fact in my opinion the children living in small places and small towns are doing much better than children in big cities,since availability of resources makes them complacent and there is absolute lack of motivation in there life.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153)">-Taranjit Kaur, Hubli, Karnataka, India</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">Great to know that the book is making impression in the Indian media. Have got the book and tell you what, I finished it in a day! It is inspirational. </span><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">- Prince Thomas, Economic Times, Mumbai, India<br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#660000;">Just finished reading your inspiring masterpiece. I have no words, except to say, I'm proud to have known a person like you.</span></strong></p><p><span style="color:#993300;">- Sadia Khan, Banglore</span></p><p><span style="color:#3333ff;">I am happy that you wrote such an honest account of your life.It is very much like my own generation's story with different characters and different twists. I can easily identify myself with your story.</span></p><p><span style="color:#993399;">-Vishvambhar Nath, USA </span></p><span style="color:#993399;"></span><span style="color:#993399;"><p align="justify"><br /></span><span style="color:#993300;">I think you write something very brilliant with exact and keen expressions!<br />Your work has clear and honest ideas about India so that it wasn't difficult to understand the culture, society, atmosphere of Indian education(hmm..that's why Indians are so clever), mentality of three generations,... I'll happily translate your work from English into Korean. </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="color:#3333ff;">- Youjin Huh, Freiburg, Germany</span></p>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-4256452882694369642007-05-17T03:11:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.598-08:00Introduction of River Valley to Silicon Valley<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeuYwk3lPDkZ3Y5DvQZt5OnC_7-N8DLsBh1HgziyS7igSlC0gIHJPNi9IKgrhbcxoHAOOkVJDUU77fTetLLkN7cG7Yp4v9Kqt4JE1WzYFozkJQaHbDkOUTqDMZ_wK93p3Cx3c-_U3Ipan/s1600-h/Rvsv1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065470538857729058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeuYwk3lPDkZ3Y5DvQZt5OnC_7-N8DLsBh1HgziyS7igSlC0gIHJPNi9IKgrhbcxoHAOOkVJDUU77fTetLLkN7cG7Yp4v9Kqt4JE1WzYFozkJQaHbDkOUTqDMZ_wK93p3Cx3c-_U3Ipan/s320/Rvsv1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#660000;"> India is an enigma wrapped in several layers. It opens as much as one tries to get into its depth.<br />India is known to the world since the time of the Greek Historian Herodotus who believed that gold-digging ants existed in India. India since then has always been a blend of fact and fantasy for the outside world. Megasthenes, the Greek envoy to the court of the great Indian emperor Chandragupta Maurya (320-297 BC) wrote a firsthand account of India in which he painted an idyllic picture of life in India. In the medieval times Arab travellers Al Beruni and Ibn Batuta wrote the greatest accounts of India. Despite these accounts by great travellers and scholars the myth and legend of India continued in absence of concrete information about this vast and diverse land.<br />The mysterious veil that covered India was lifted with the opening of the sea route to India from Europe and the arrival of the traders. These traders encountered a civilization with such a great diversity that they found it difficult to grasp the essence of India. The legend of India’s enormous wealth that had brought them here was real but they found a society ridden with great complexities of multiple castes, religions and languages and formed their own assumptions and prejudices over a course of time about India.<br /><br />Since the time of the ancient Greeks to modern day, a variety of assumptions and prejudices about India have persisted in the mind of the outsiders. This is strange that the same assumptions and prejudices have lasted over two millennia.<br /><br /> ‘River Valley to Silicon Valley’ is an endeavour to go into the depth of the enigma that is India through a story spanning over three generations of an Indian family. India over this time span has transformed itself from a slow growing backward British colony into a successful and modern secular democracy. Today India is a dynamic economy with one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world. It has emerged as a global economic power as the world’s third largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. The economic transformation of India has been miraculous in the last few decades. The percentage share of agriculture in the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country has slid below twenty percent while the percentage share of services amounts to more than fifty percent of its GDP.<br /><br />India is now the focus of the global media attention. Its contributions especially in the Information Technology (IT) sector accompanied with its fast economic growth rate have brought India to the centre stage of global media attention. India’s fast rise in the IT sector has been noted by the world to such an extent that there is a threat of extreme stereotyping an Indian as a computer whiz kid or a software engineer. India’s world renowned success in the IT sector has infused positive energies in Indians and now this success story is being repeated in other areas including some more noteworthy ones like pharmaceutical, steel, space, and automobile industries.<br /><br />Outsiders often think these changes to be superficial as millions of Indians still live below the poverty line; almost half of its children grow up malnourished and tensions persist in many forms and shapes in the society throughout the length and breadth of the country with a constant fear of rise of insurgency, outbreak of a riot etc. But India has undergone through some real and irreversible changes on the path of becoming a modern secular democracy with a fast growing dynamic economy.<br /><br />‘River Valley to Silicon Valley’ is an account of such gradual and persistent changes that India has undergone in the past few decades. The greatness and beauty of India is in its diversity where grandpa in the River valley and grandson in the Silicon Valley coexist side by side. One at ease with grazing cows and growing vegetables in the green fields by the river and with his ‘river-valley civilization life style’ in the ‘agricultural age’ as he has been there since centuries, since the very beginning of mankind’s arrival while the other at ease with a new era of ‘information age’ where space and time hardly matter, jobs are available across the globe and business is conducted 24X7 online. </span></div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-69547303117364511582007-05-17T02:23:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.762-08:00Foreword of River Valley to Silicon Valley<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk44RasILdgvhivh7T11fIYTMalpq1zS_9wNQ2mqsIjwcbJXo5_BOyPpt7HAYb45VMCtPXsMfJQBM9dgxdiQdsBaVv-6FWvwNA1J6yFOxObj2UewHJQWUaPZyvl5WYmY0rUQ0wluCc-qG6/s1600-h/Rvsv1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065458225186491410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk44RasILdgvhivh7T11fIYTMalpq1zS_9wNQ2mqsIjwcbJXo5_BOyPpt7HAYb45VMCtPXsMfJQBM9dgxdiQdsBaVv-6FWvwNA1J6yFOxObj2UewHJQWUaPZyvl5WYmY0rUQ0wluCc-qG6/s320/Rvsv1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">This is a sincere, simple and readable account of Abhay Kumar’s journey from the banks of the river Paimar to the portals of the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi. This is a story many young Indians could relate to, those with rural and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds successfully transforming their personal lives and prospects by availing of the opportunities that India’s democratic system and its recent economic growth provide. In its own way, the book is a positive commentary on the process of change in Indian society, on the scope for self-advancement even to the point of becoming a part of the country’s elite through education and competition that now exists. The human content of the narrative will also touch many chords in the readers. The childhood memories of stories told by a grandmother, the venturing out from the family nest in rural India to an urban environment in search for better opportunities in life, and the presence of the father on the emotional landscape of an Indian boy. This is not a complicated book; it is an unpretentious and honest narrative of someone who wants to tell his tale and connect it to a rising India.</span> -<span style="color:#000099;">K. Sibal, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation</span> </div>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008933064654099512.post-42995961674596546122007-05-08T06:56:00.000-07:002008-11-13T04:56:30.944-08:00Release of River Valley to Silicon Valley<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJp5eotP5kBPK9K5LClVMigQ1uwuF3Z6Jkc0oHV2hCDhic_7MOqT2pXSFNJMEkeoVFgSlaOHg1o4DALxwfZ87CFpuqA84N-cwf7Hiq7Dm3Vm_e6YMCo7tdShe5zXgd7i_JULI6anlChMKY/s1600-h/bookreleasefunction1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062189300283442882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJp5eotP5kBPK9K5LClVMigQ1uwuF3Z6Jkc0oHV2hCDhic_7MOqT2pXSFNJMEkeoVFgSlaOHg1o4DALxwfZ87CFpuqA84N-cwf7Hiq7Dm3Vm_e6YMCo7tdShe5zXgd7i_JULI6anlChMKY/s320/bookreleasefunction1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#990000;">River Valley to Silicon Valley -Story of three generations of an Indian family<br />Author- Abhay K.<br />ISBN-8189640399<br />Published in 2007 by BOOKWELL<br />Pages-208 Price- Rupees 195<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Yesterday my long cherished dream came true when my book "River Valley to Silicon Valley" was released at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi by Shri Shankarsinh Vaghela, Hon'ble Minister of Textiles of India.<br /><br /><br />The book was introduced by Professor Pushpesh Pant, School of International Studies, JNU. Professor Pant was at his best while he introduced my book. His insight into the book even touched me as I could see my own book with a different light. It was an evening like no other. I was flattered by the presence of my friends and colleagues as well as my teachers who taught me at both Delhi University and JNU. </span>White Squarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091445212688733015noreply@blogger.com0