What was the inspiration behind writing the book?
There were two reasons. The first was that I wanted to share my 39 years of experience in public life. Six out of these, I spent advising the government, public sector undertakings and public sector banks on disciplinary action. When I retired, I wanted to share my experience because I felt I had some understanding of why people deviate from the straight and narrow path.
The second reason was that I found that people often flounder when they take big decisions. This applies to me as well. The thought of writing this book was to find ways and means to restore objectivity and a sense of fairness to our decision-making.
What would be that one key takeaway from this book for your readers?
Life doesn’t allow success all the time. You have to deal with failure, misfortune and even the death of loved ones. Sometimes, due to no fault of yours, you may incur a business loss but how do you cope with it? Leading a successful life also involves coping with failure. When things happen that one does not like or want, and it happens despite best efforts, one must move on and find ways to accept it along the way.
As a writer which books do you like to read?
I studied history, economics, politics and English literature in college and I graduated in 1969. All these subjects interest me and I’ve been reading classics in these varied fields. I certainly enjoyed books on India though from different authors such as Rudyard Kipling, John Masters, Arthur Koestler and V.S. Naipaul. I liked reading about my country and seeing it from diverse perspectives.
What is your advice for aspiring writers, especially given the digital age we live in?
My advice to young people would be that if you feel you have got something to share, then write and don’t worry whether you will get the fruits which you are aspiring for. We always must do our duty for our karma. That is something we can't avoid because we can't run away from life. If you are fond of writing, then do write.
I have a Kindle at home as well. It saves a lot of space but you lose out on something vital. One reads a book to get the feel of the book which does not happen digitally. I still prefer hard copies to a screen but it is also true that we must change with the times.