Book Review: The Sales Room by Manu Ramesh

About the book:

Rajesh Iyer, a young, ambitious salesperson, returns to ñThe Sales Roomî of Oregon Software Technologies after an aborted attempt at getting into a business school in the US, only to notice the metamorphosis of the software start-up which he had earlier been an integral part of. What used to be a rat-infested hole in the midst of a vegetable market is now a swanky, state of the art facility owned by an upcoming Bollywood star. The enthusiastic and compact team firing on all cylinders is replaced by a sclerotic and bureaucratic set up. Sales review meetings, once rife with passionate discussions, are now replete with profanities. The ill tempered angel investor's scream can be heard all the way from his villa in New York.Rajesh, now shunted into an innocuous role finds every effort made to alleviate the condition of the demoralized sales team, met with resistance. As revenues dwindle and tempers rise, Rajesh realizes he is running out of time and options. He either toes the CEO, Venky's line and becomes party to a sham or quits citing a host of plausible reasons. This hilarious narrative takes the reader from plush corporate boardrooms of Bangalore to the seedy hotels in Delhi as Oregon meanders in search of illusory customer wins. Rajesh meets several interesting characters ranging from the busty Polish graphics designer to the loquacious pimp masquerading as a taxi driver. (less)

Paperback, 196 pages
Published January 30th 2014 by Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

My Review:

Here's a very different genre of book: it is fiction blended in with as much bitter truths of sales profession as possible. It is not unknown that salespersons are the most dishonest people you'll ever come across in your life. "The Sales Room" is nothing less than a satire on the sales scene in Indian IT sector. Rajesh, our ptotagonist makes no effort to be innocent, which he obviously isnt. The software start-up, Oregon has now scaled up from the humble start-up business that it previously was.

Profanities, expletives and sexual talks are intermittently and casually invading the conversations, making the job of working there even more impossible.
It is hilarious with all these elements, but one questions how much is too much? As far as the moral compass for the book goes, the score is a negative, even for a sales department, for there are clearly more profanities than necessary.

The good part about the book is that it is very insightful. Through various instances and events, the reader gets an idea of how the things actually work in the start-up/sales/investor scene in India. How the marketing centralization delays decision-making and holds the projects in an infinite loop of approvals and rejections. How when the product has failed to deliver any purpose, but still needs to be sold to gullible customers. And how such practices ensure that the organisation shall not survive in the  long-run. As the narrator himself remarks about the customers at one point, "They would not waste money on us if they could help it and if they were blessed with even a modicum of intelligence"
Oregon is a quintessential example of how when one department lacks skills and talent, it takes away all other departments as it drowns and hence the company never progresses.
The result is predictable: not many people stay with the organization, whether as customer or as employee, and those who do stay back for lack of alternatives, suffer from a low morale. In short, there is no hope for Oregon.

All the theory you learnt in your business studies textbook is there in front of your eyes happening among the vivid characters. From HR to marketing to sales tactics to need for diversity in workplace to sexual harassment and extra-marital affairs, there is nothing this bool doesn't cover.

I might do with little less expletives and at little more appropriate places though. I don't mind them using real life slang but then there's only so much you can take.

Links to the book:

I Thank the author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Author Spotlight and interview: Priya Narayanan

Priya has two published children’s books to her credit. Her first book for 5-8 year olds titled ‘The 

Moon wants to be Spotless White’ was released in May 2013 by Leadstart Publishing and has 

been received well by readers and reviewers alike. Her second book, ‘When Grandma Climbed 

the Magic Ladder’ was recently released in the e-book format, with the paperback expected to 

release later this year. Priya is currently working on a couple of ideas for picture books as well 

as a book for tweens.
(Our review here.)

Author website:

http://www.priyanarayanan.com/

Today she joins us for an interview. Read on, and you are sure to find her poetic. personally, I love the stance she takes on different things, and well, we love children's authors because they bring words to life at an age when we need them the most!

Here we go!

Interview: 

Ques: What incited you into authoring a children's book?

PN: Well, I’m basically a poet at heart and writing poetry is an impulsive and ongoing thing for me. 

And then, I also write short stories when I find something interesting to write about. So when I 

became a mother, I instinctively started conjuring a variety of stories for my kids – stories that 

were rooted in the cultural and geographical context of our country, but just as fantastic as 

your Enid Blytons or Hans Christian Andersons. 

The thing is, even though writing for Indian children has picked up in the last decade with a 

number of dedicated publishers doing a wonderful job, the first books that jump out at you at 

any bookstore are Western publications. You’ll find a Ruskin Bond or Sudha Murthy or Anushka 

Ravishankar book nestled comfortably in the rear racks, while the front row is stacked with 

Barbie, Dora, Geronimo Stilton and the Wimpy Kid. And while I’m not against them at all, I feel 

that children here could do with more stories that they can identify with, stories that have 

Indian protagonists doing some fantastic or even crazy stuff! 

So, coming back to your question, the thought of contributing in a small way to the pool of fun-

filled but meaningful stories with an Indian context was what egged me to write for children. 

And to be sure, I found it a whole new ball game! It was exciting to step into the mind space of 

little children and start to think like them.

Ques: The story is very subtle and simple with minimal characters, endearing ones at that. How did you go about the plot etching and character-sketching?

PN: When writing for children of the 5-8 year age group, it is important to keep the plot simple and 

characters to a minimum so that the readers don’t get confused. At the same time, the characters should be strong enough to leave a lasting impression. When I first had my story idea, I was clear about two things. One, that the story would be set in small-town India, because there is an irresistible charm associated with a quaint little town flanked by a river on one side and hills on the other that I hoped to reveal to my urban readers and two, the protagonist would be a girl, because – why not? After that, things kind of just flowed. I spent a lot of time getting the ‘voice’ of the characters right, specially the Moon’s. I wanted him to be the one to add the necessary humour to the story, while Dhobi kaka would add the mature bit. As for Mitu, I wanted my readers to identify with her; so I kept her as real as possible in her moments of wonder, dilemma, gaiety, fright and other emotional ups and downs as she encounters various twists in her adventure. 

Ques: Moon has long been a subject of children's fondness with its  being called the chanda mama, yet it hardly found a place as a character. Your book brings a different side of Moon, and features it as the protagonist. What is your take on this?

PN: That’s true. Even in the best of children’s books, the moon is just the moon. Children’s books 

are filled with animals, trees, toys, vehicles and even maps and backpacks that talk! But never the Moon, even though it’s the one thing that all children are enamoured by in the night sky. However, that never was the case with me. Growing up, I’ve imagined the moon to be so many things – a giant idly, secret door to a parallel universe, a giant’s mouth and what not. So when I was discussing the Moon with my five year old in that vein, I thought -what could be more exciting than having the Moon talk to you? 

And I continue to push the limits of my imagination even now. For instance, in my second book – When Grandma Climbed the Magic Ladder, I’ve come up with a completely different explanation to what the dark spots on the moon are . . .it’s really fun to see things in a different light. Finally, truth be told, I do have a special corner for the Moon in my heart –and he somehow finds himself in every story I write, be it for children or adults!

Ques: Inculcating the habit of reading among children in this age of reliance on devices that have invaded even childhood, your views, observations and endeavour?

PN: Well, there are two sides to your question. The first is inculcating the habit of reading, for which 

I feel we shouldn't restrict the medium –be it an e-book or printed book. This is because the moment you put that kind of restriction, a child will stop reading! So as far as children are ‘reading’ a book and not ‘watching’ an animated version of the book, I think e-books are just fine. And they offer variety for children who get bored too soon, allowing them to switch between the digital and print books. 

To answer the second part about the invasion of devices in our lives, frankly, I don’t think that 

can be stopped now. Technology is a double-edged sword, and it is up to parents to regulate 

how much their children use these devices. As for me, I believe everything in moderation is just 

fine. That said, there is a certain charm to print books that can be touched, smelt and toyed 

around with, that an e-book does not offer. Picture books come in various materials – cloth, 

plastic, paper, hard board- and with a play of textures, smells and sounds . . . infants and 

toddlers cannot get these important experiences through e-books. 

So parents should aim to use digital media as tools to complement print books rather than use them in isolation, and help children value and love print books rather than be wary of them. In my opinion, e-books should ideally be introduced when a child is already reading chapter books. That way, since they’re at an age when they can appreciate the pros and cons of things, they can decide for themselves the medium that best suits their sensibilities.

Get to know more here:

Book Review: The Moon Wants to be Spotless White By Priya Narayanan

About the book

The vain Moon is devastated when he finds out about the dirt patch on his otherwise pristine white self. He wants to be scrubbed and cleaned by Dhobi Kaka to regain his spotless beauty. The Moon cunningly manipulates Mitu into helping him out in this mission.

But how will Mitu get the moon down to be cleaned?

Will kaka be able to restore the moon’s spotless beauty?

Will Mitu be turned into an owl for not keeping her promise?

Join in the fun-filled adventure of the Moon, Mitu and Dhobi Kaka, as the trio set out on their mission to help the Moon become spotless

Paperback, 46 pages

Published May 24th 2013 by Leadstart Publishing

About the author:

PRIYA NARAYANAN is an avid traveler, voracious reader, passionate designer, and doting mother of two. Clearly, she loves her adjectives! While as a child, she loved to dream, she now has to make do with daydreaming over many cups of coffee and chocolate chip ice cream. She believes that there are stories lurking around every corner, waiting to be captured and revealed to the world and she hopes to be doing just that year after year after year.

My Review:

First thing of all, I fell in love with the premise of the book: how the moon is vain and superficial, and he wants his beauty to be restored. He asks Mitu for help who, with the help of the Dhobi Kaka, grants his wish. But is a wish getting fulfilled just as delightful as the expectation of it?

This is what a quintessential childrens' book should be. A moral lesson hidden in a simple story which the kids will realize when they grow up, has a symbolic significance that cannot be overlooked. And yet, it makes sense even when you read in the innocence of childhood.

Kids will definitely find the character of Dhobi Kaka endearing, and rightly so, because this character has an old-worldly(no pun intended) charm to it, true to the format of childrens' stories we have been reading till date.

Some dimensions I deem befitting for a mention in the review. One, it emphasizes on the acceptance of imperfections, and flawlessly so. While we must not stop working on ourselves to become a better person, at the same time it is not possible for us to have it all. Striving for perfection is a good thing only as long as it doesnt interfere with out fundamental character.
The book secures brownie points from me for touching on the subject of exterior beauty. Pulchritude is not the be-all and end-all of it all. And this is a lesson kids need to learn as soon as possible in their lives.
Also, going through life, being with loved ones, fighting for your ideals leaves scars on you. We are not our skin. These scars are something to be proud of, not something to be shunned. I cannot thank the author enough for writing so beautifully about these things.

Coming over to the graphics, the accompanying images were so relevant and so accurately done, I reveled in the joy of being a kid back again.

My Judgement:

Brought back the unalloyed innocence of childhood and the lessons I always wished I learnt sooner in my life. Believing plays a great role in the plot, and hence this is a great book for kids!