Join a Business Book Club (For students of B-school).

Would you like to develop a reading practice?

How about resolving to do it today on Gudhi Padwa?

We start/begin good things on the milestone days like 1^st January, our birthday or so.

Gudhi Padawa is also the beginning of the new year for Maharashtrians. And why not start something useful on the day?

(Behavior science of the "Fresh start effect" supports starting of activities/habits/practice on such milestone days like 1st January or Gudhi Padwa).

So, let’s begin developing a reading hobby/habit as a business school student.

Idea is to focus on "business/management" related books. So, this reading will double up to build knowledge in the area of business/management. (However, you can choose the books as per your interest/liking, there will be no compulsion). Moreover, once the practice is set, you may choose the books in your specialization area like HR, Marketing, Finance, or/and Entrepreneurship, and continue deepening your reading practice.

Thus:

· If you wish to develop a reading practice.

· If you are willing to invest little time on it – from as little as 15/20 minutes to 1 hour. (Regularly investing just 15 minutes will result in a reading of 4 to 6 books per year!)

· If you are willing to invest a little bit in books. (You can buy, borrow from any library, or borrow from friends. Anything is fine). (Popular non-fiction paperbacks generally cost 300 to 500 Rs per book. To start with you may read a book or so per month).

· If you are BBA/MBA student currently. (Preferably have studied with me).

 

Then I invite you to join.

 

This will be a sort of book club. Modalities and details we will chalk out soon.

Remember this is not a class/course and will not have any tests/exams/assessments 😊.

It is informal activity, not linked to any entity/organization as of today. 

Reading is my hobby and I love helping others to develop this hobby. That's it!

But to take benefit and learn, you must be interested and willing to read and learn.

 

Currently objective is to read books that are useful as BBA/MBA student and leverage them to be a better student. As I have little/some experience in coordinating book clubs and reading books, I will be able to help you to select books, read them in a better way, and leverage them to improve desirable competencies (KSA – Knowledge, skills, and abilities. For starters- competency – is an HR Jargon 😊).

If things turn out well, you may be able to add a line or two to your resume.  

Ultimately it is expected to groom you as a better student.

So, if this excites you, do join! 

(Image Source: Via Google: https://stdennisparish.org/all-ways-to-Connect-and-Serve/book-club/ )

 

Reader Spotlight - Reflecting on the reading journey!

I joined Aniket's reading program "The Reading Habits"

In its simplest form it is GRP - guided reading program. 

I was curious to know, how he runs it & hence joined it. 

And over the period of last few months read really sizable number of books with him. 

B J Fogg's Tiny Habits, David Allen's Getting Things Done, Scott Adam's How to fail at almost everything and still win big, Steven Covey's 7 Habits of highly effective people, Paulo Coehlo  Alchemist,  Jake Knapp's Make Time, Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow. And soon will be reading "Anxious People" as well as "Old Man and the Sea". The journey is surely enriching. And his book selection never fails.  Overall I became a disciplined & better reader.

( I couldn't enjoy only "Getting things done". But that may be my own way of looking at time and productivity management.)         

As a part of his reading activity. He chooses a reader, asks him few questions and they respond to it in the group. He calls this "ReadAR Spotlight"  (That's not typo !). 

I was part of this recently on 9th July 2021. 

But the way I wrote answers to those questions, I felt like preserving and sharing them to the others outside that group. Hence this blog post! 

Particularly to with my friends and families - who may be knowing me as a reader. 

Here is that "written Q-n-A" 

This is primarily written on Mobile for WhatsApp, hence pardon for any typo/spelling or punctuations! 

Links are added in the blog!   

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*9th July 2021*

*ReadARs Spotlight - Santosh*

@⁨ReadAR Santosh Sali⁩ , we would like to know - 

*A. Your life as a Book Reader.*  

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Where do I start? 

I started reading I think, sometime when I was in 2nd std. With comics. Amar Chitra Katha. Then Marathi books, sometime in Engineering with English books, n then with English non fictions. I think that's the only thing I have done confidently to speak in CV. 

*B. Since you are heavily tilted towards Nonfiction, what is it about reading Fiction books that scares you* 

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Not really, in fact I have always read fictions. Non fiction is much recent entry in life. See reply to previous question. Non-fiction is most recent entry. But being in Organizations Behavior specialization, even most of my area books are widely read n referred for self development. It's much closer to self help. Hence I *deliberately developed taste* for non fiction. 

My getting lost in non fiction scares me. 

I once took Netflix subscription, n proved to be heavy time killer. I cancelled in trial period itself. 

That's what I fear about non fiction. In school too, I use to read it even during exam days . Till last week, I was following @⁨Readar Aniket Rai⁩ plan of kane n Able. Suddenly two days back. I read it intermittently during day. N in evening I started n continued n finished by night 0230. Completed book!!. I fear this. I often get lost in reading fictions. There are many instances that I read books continuously, without any long break. This scares me . 

(Just few days back, I read "When breath becomes air" at a stretch, in one sitting, at night. Check link). 

*C. Most memorable Fiction book(s) that you have read till date* 

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I think Kane n able will come on top. Then Alchemist, Jonathan living Seagull, Animal farm, 1984, Old man n sea,  Flowers for Algernon, The Reader, 

I have certainly much longer list in Marathi. But as most of members are English readers, not sharing it. 

But if you ask me just one or two out of this then.. 

1. Old man n sea. 

2. Animal farm 

3. Shodhyatra (Marathi). 

First two are already on top of variety of booklist. 

*D. How do you read Fiction Books, where do you read them, what time do you prefer? What do you do after finishing a Fiction Book?* 

No rule rules   

I start, n if book grows on me, I just go on till I finish it. I don't stop even for food or washroom (). I just multitask. I remember reading books even in nightshift on job (Good that I quit IT ). 

I normally don't do anything after reading book. It just lies in my room somewhere. 

But recently I started thinking I shall do something. 

One member talked about character arc, or story line. Aniket spoke about character s drawing them in relation to each other. 

My daughter too read. She dreams of writing fiction . N she is trying n keeps me asking questions. That I don't understand. Plot, climax, n storyboard etc. So I seriously think of looking into backside or mechanics of novels n fictions. (Any help/books/course will immensely help ). 

*E. What is the one thing that you would like all of us to do over this weekend as we read "Kane & Abel"?* 

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As in last answer, I would love to understand mechanics or how fiction writers create this magic. Plot/character arc/storyline/storyboard/climax so many things are there to get under the skin of fiction. Can we start doing it slowly n learn more how to READ fiction ? 

*F. Beyond Books & Reading, how will you introduce Santosh to the big bad world out there...* 

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I touched 50 this year! 

Suddenly it dawned on me. Probably I am in last phase of life. Even with % optimism 50% life is done!! 

So I have changed life gears from living life to enjoying life to its full extent. 

Now I want to live life on my terms. Not dictated by any external agency. N I have already started taking steps to realize it. 

Reading is love of Life. I wonder how do I spread it. How do I make people realize its beauty, it's flow, it's elixir. I keep on thinking. N probably will try to develop something that will help others to really *appreciate* beauty of reading. 

*Every hobby has its sports equivalent, there isn't one for reading, my dream is to build that sport equivalent of reading*. 

On side note, I have developed my knowledge in Organizational  Behavior n HR. So I genuinely try to mentor/coach/help others in career development either in job or in entrepreneurship. 

[Anyone need help/assistance, do connect]

And a small portion of  mind is obsessed with yoga/Vedanta n spirituality. So trying to get drizzle in it. 

N attempt currently is to develop a life style that will help me to do all three of this. . 

Hushhh.. 

*That's long isn't it? * 

When Aniket asked me, I thought I will write over a weekend n post. But then he said do today quickly n then expand later. 

So I tried to do this QUICKLY . 

Hope you guys will enjoy it. 

*Thanks a ton*. I wonder how many times, I will say THANKS to you. 

Your today's prompt help me in reflecting. N dive deep inside me for last may be 30 min.

I typed this on my android. I HATE it. 

Hope it is readable n to some extent enjoyable too. 

Friends feel free to give your comments/feedback. Whether it is good,bad,ugly. No problem.  

Will take this further on my blog or LinkedIn. 

Thanks a ton. 

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Please feel free to comment on this.. Thanks.  

[ Image Source: Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Spotlight_Logo.png ]