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Abhijit Bhaduri
is a Human Resources professional who works in the US. He did his BA (Honours) Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce and then did his Post Graduation in Human Resources from Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur. He also has a degree in Law from Delhi University (don’t ask me why).
A man of many interests, Abhijit has illustrated several books and is an accomplished cartoonist. He loves
the theatre and in the ‘80s was a popular voice on All India Radio
where he read the news in English and participated in a number of radio plays and music based shows. He now hosts a popular radio show in the US, about classic Hindi movies and film music.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife Nandini and their two children Eshna and
Abhishek.
He can be reached at
abhijitbhaduri@gmail.com
The Telegraph
Calcutta, India
Sunday, July 30, 2006
The typical
setting for India’s new-age fiction is the
college campus. And all elements of college life
— hostel humour, bad food, nicknames — are woven
into the story. “Readers write to me saying they
can completely relate to my book,” says Abhijit
Bhaduri, whose book
Mediocre But Arrogant
— is set in a B-school campus.
Bhaduri is clear that he is no Dickens in the
making. “My book is written in class notes
style. I write like I speak,” he says. —
Abhijit Bhaduri
Readers, for one, are not complaining. Bhaduri
claims his debut novel sold 40,000 copies in one
year — which qualifies the book to be a
bestseller. He is already working on the second
part of a planned trilogy. “In part two, my
protagonist works in the corporate sector,” says
Bhaduri, human resource director at Pepsico. —
Abhijit Bhaduri
Moreover, the growth in the general reading
category is coming mostly from younger readers —
people who are suddenly discovering that there
are books on the shelves that reflect their
lives, attitudes and angst. “The market is
driven by young readers. And they want to read
books that they can relate to,” says Basant
Pandey, director, Indialog Publications. —
Basant
Pandey
Publishers have been quick to pick up the cue.
Pandey says Indialog is always on the lookout
for light-read books — literary benchmarks no
bar. “Everyone wants to know about student life
in an IIT or IIM campus. We keep an eye out for
such manuscripts,” says Pandey. —
Basant Pandey
Another big change in Indian writing is that it
is no longer dependent on approval by the West.
“The new authors talk exclusively to an Indian
audience. In fact, a Western audience would not
be able to comprehend the slang and similes used
in their books,” says Bose. Bhaduri, whose book
has liberal doses of Dadu’s dhaba,
Ganauri, the dhobi, addas and Navy
Cut cigarettes, agrees. “The Western audience is
not in focus anymore. Indians want to read about
themselves and write like they talk,” he says. —
Abhijit Bhaduri
Comments:
“Mediocre But Arrogant is a heady and delightful blend of so many flavours; it is funny, sad, touching, romantic, reflective ... One gets spontaneously seduced into living through Abbey's life — with all its exuberance, paradoxes and pains. M-B-A is not just about life in a B-School; it is about the process of growing up into an adult...” —
Dr Madhukar Shukla, Professor (OB & Strategic Management) —
XLRI, Jamshedpur
“...a witty and insightful depiction of the two years in a business school student's life. Using Abbey's classnotes as illustrations is a unique idea.” — Tarun
Sheth, management guru
This may be the Indian answer to Peter Robinson's cult book on MBAs “ Snapshots from Hell” —
Gautam Ghosh
"Took me straight back to my college days!!" —
Shobhaa Dé
To read
best seller title list from (Deccan Herald), click
here
To read
an extract from (NDTV), click here
To read
an extract from (Tribune India), click
here
To read
an extract from (The Telegraph), click
here
To read
an extract from (Indian Express 3rd October 2006), click
here
Read
more about the novel click here
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