It’s not just the human brain that is complex but also the human nature. As someone who is curious about human nature, I have always wondered if one could develop a playbook which will help one gauge what the true intentions of the other person are. I know that is a very wishful thinking but after reading Maugham’s books, I came to realise that nothing is more unfathomable and enigmatic than that of human nature and a desire to master it is not just wishful but near impossible task!! Perhaps, this uncertainty is what makes us feel vulnerable but at the same time gives a ray of hope that things will change for better. This post is just a sample collection of gems from the treasure trove of his writings compiled in the “Collected Short Stories- Volume 4”. I am sure that if you are someone who has interests in understanding people’s behaviour, reading this post would make you devour on Maugham’s collection as his words evokes a mélange of emotions, by laying the intricacies of human nature bare before the readers. 

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Since late 80s, the world has witnessed rise and fall of many tech companies. While some still thrives, few of then successful companies have vanished into thin air. Melissa Peri, the CEO of Produx Labs that develops next gen Chief Product Officers, through her book Escaping the Build Trap addresses various issues, based on her experience, that a typical product company faces and how the organization can overcome them by developing right product management processes and putting people in place. 

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All of us aspire to become rich but few of us get there. I used to wonder why that’s the case and I started figuring it out as I started paying attention to the financial habits of people and began reading about investing. These two dramatically changed my understanding about the steps to getting rich. Let’s talk money by Monika Halan is a rich knowledge resource that would help a working individual, especially the salaried class, to understand the importance of sound financial planning, specifically suited to Indian context.  ...[Continue Reading...]

Have you ever bought a product based on the claim that it is 99.99% effective and it is proven by some renowned research lab, only to find that life was better before you bought this product? This book “How to lie with statistics” is for you as Darrell Huff, its author gives a heads-up to the readers on the ways and means through which one is tricked by the statistics and how to ward oneself off from these fraudulent attacks. ...[Continue Reading...]

Most of us know or atleast would have a broad idea as to how Indian courts function. Undue delays, huge costs, multiple adjournments and resulting frustrations are some of the characteristics that define our Judiciary. While we accord great respect and look up to courts, are they living up to the expectations? Are they delivering the right judgements and more importantly, are they monitoring the adherence to such orders issued by them? Arun Shourie raises more such relevant and valid concerns in his book “Anita Gets Bail- What are our Courts doing and What should we do about them.“

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