Happiness

Happiness means different things to different people. We all can be happy in our own way. Happiness is by choice.
Here is something which I wrote almost three decades back and I found today in my old papers. 

Watch Dogs, #HumorinDesiLife

Watch Dogs

Desi was walking his two dogs in Cupertino, Calif. American asked, "What are their names?" Desi replied, "Rolex and Omega!"
"Wow! I have never heard those names for dogs. Desi replied, "These are watchdogs".

Andean Cosmovision and Diplomacy for Life

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09700161.2016.1209915

Recent political upheaval in Bolivia brought back memories of my association with Bolivia and the visceral relationship of the Andean people with Nature. Regretfully, the article published by Routledge in 'Strategic Analysis' has a paywall, but the introduction gives a flavour. 

Indian-Chinese Food in New Jersey, #HumorinDesiLife

In India, we have redefined Chinese food with innovative dishes such as Gobi or Chicken Manchurian and Chili Chicken, dishes as strange as vindaloo is to a Chinese. Indian-Chinese food has been taken to a superior level by so many restaurants in India such as Mainland China who dish out standard fare that appeals to the Indian palate while pretending to be authentic. We pretend as if Chili Paneer is just a twist in a traditional tofu preparation not realizing milk or milk products have no place in Chinese cuisine. In the US however, Indian-Chinese food has been taken to dizzying heights. 

During a recent foray to a desi stronghold of New Jersey, my desi mind craved  for desi Chinese. We went to a seemingly well regarded popular place, in plain view of the desi hub of Edison. The restaurant (cannot name it although some clues are interspersed herein) has recently changed it's name to something more cultural from its earlier geographical denomination. The eatery has imparted an altogether new meaning to Indian-Chinese food. While in India, Chinese food means, dishes prepared to suit Indian palate, in this spice joint, it means a happy blissful co-existence. The lunch had a buffet menu, with both Indian and Chinese dishes being available at the same fixed price. So I could see plates of esteemed clients populated with both Chili Chicken and Dal, side by side without any LAC (the India-China border) dividing them. Of course this was anathema to the wife and her pal, who promptly decided, seeing the culinary harakari, to go a la carte. So the steward was sternly given an order of 'authentic' Chinese dishes ranging from Chili Chicken to Fried Rice and Hakka Noodles. The steward dutifully noted down the order and while summarizing had the impudence to suggest if we  would like to have tandoori roti and naan to go along with the Chinese curries. The look on the ladies faces were redder than the Sichuan chilies of China. The men intervened to douse the flames and we waited impatiently for the food. In some good time, the food appeared, in true desi style colorful and appealing. The server did his best to lay the food on the table. But his parting shot turned the tables. He asked rather innocently- Sir would you like some onions ( pyaanz) or  pickles (achaar) with the food? It was then the realization sunk deep, here in deep New Jersey, Indian- Chinese food doesn't mean Chinese food made in the Indian way but in the true American way, it is a melting pot, all nicely mixed up. Hakka noodles with paneer mattar masala is as theek hai as is Chinese fried rice with dal makhani in Des Pardes. 

India As A Leading Power

"Next Steps for India’s Growth &
Development"
Symposium at Harvard Kennedy School,
December 6, 2019

India As A Leading Power

The University of Chicago historian William McNeil has described the nature of power and its relationship with notions of fairness and ethics in the following words: “It seems unlikely that recent and prospective enlargement of human capacities to organise and exert power will be permanently arrested by scruples against its use. Power in short ingests weaker centers of power or stimulates its rival centers of power to strengthen themselves.

This fact has dominated the whole history of mankind. This represents the realist school of international relations where any ethical anchor is dispensable but does reflect current geopolitical reality substantially. In aspiring to be a leading power India too is placing its bet on sinews of power, current and prospective.

In India’s case the likelihood of being ‘ingested’ by a more powerful entity can be rejected. The question is whether India can be or is stimulated to emerge as a center of power.

McNeil has described how such a transference of power may take place from an established to an aspiring one: “No population can overtake or surpass the rest of the world without using the most efficient and powerful instruments known anywhere on earth, and by definition such instruments are located at the world centres of wealth and power- wherever they may be. Thus any geographical displacement of world leadership must be prefaced by successful borrowing from previously established centres of the highest prevailing skills. We have several examples of this from history. The Roman empire borrowed heavily from the Greek civilization and culture in its march towards pre-eminence. During the pursuit of dominance the Arabs borrowed heavily from the Indians, Chinese, Central Asians and Persians, particularly in mathematics, astronomy and medical science. The numerals that are commonly known as Arabic numerals are in fact of Indian origin.

In more contemporary times we have seen US building its strengths on the basis of skills and technology originating in Europe. The Meiji restoration of Japan is yet another example.

But the most recent example is a spectacular one, i.e of China. In its 4 decades of opening up it has soaked in Western knowledge and technology not unlike a giant sponge. During this time it has been a student and a good apprentice. It has bided its time.

In McNeil’s terms, a geographical displacement of power from the trans-Atlantic to the trans-Pacific is happening with China at the centre of power. The most obvious and consequential manifestation of the shift in power from the West to the East is the geopolitical competition between the United States and its challenger China. While the US remains the predominant power China is obviously not satisfied with the status quo and intends to displace the US from its preeminent position.

Let us try to understand how the displacement of power happens:
1) Countries borrow knowledge systems and advanced technologies from apex centers and adopt them;

2) this is followed by a phase of assimilation, mastering and internalizing of borrowed technologies and knowledge systems;

3) the emerging center of power is able to generate new knowledge and technologies in a relatively autonomous manner.

This is when the displacement of power becomes a reality and contestation between the established center of power and the emerging or emergent center of power begins to become acute.

China is probably in the second phase going to the third phase. In some areas it may well be in the third phase such as AI or quantum computing among others.

Where is India? In my personal view, I think India is mostly in the first phase while we have our centers of excellence in the second phase be it in our space programme, computing, nuclear technology among others. Our aspiration is to graduate comprehensively to the second phase and have our presence felt in the third phase.

Geopolitical factors favour the emergence of India as a leading center of power, co-existing, collaborating and competing with other major powers. India’s Indo-Pacific vision exemplifies its ambition of being a "leading power". At the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “destiny of the world will be deeply influenced by the course of developments in the Indo-Pacific region”. Sheer numbers alone elevate the importance of the Indo-Pacific and its influence across the world. It is now home to more than 65% of the world’s population who collectively produce more than 60% of global GDP. Over half the world’s trade passes through this region, and it hosts the fastest-growing armada of naval fleets along with seven nuclear powers. This region will also have a disproportionately high contribution to global growth in the decades ahead and will therefore script the new terms of trade, financial flows and investments, growth, humanitarian assistance, peace and security.

China, which was the first mover, now finds itself having to deal with pushback of several kinds to its own expansive plans. There is little doubt that new pathways to a new order needs to be discovered soon.

India accepts this reality, and is willing to embrace greater responsibility in anchoring a "rules-based democratic order" in the region. India’s geostrategic vision for the Indo-Pacific is unique. We are against pitting against any country or participate in zero-sum competitions "between free and repressive visions of world order". We also do not accept propositions which creates perverse dependencies through economic statecraft and military coercion in a manner better suited to the Cold War era.

Instead, India is positioning itself to take a different path - one that does not see the world in binaries, bifurcated between partners and allies on one side, and competitors and adversaries on the other. India offers an opportunity for engagement and dialogue to all states, big and small, democratic and authoritarian, advanced or developing.

The new vision moves away from conceptions of non-alignment or strategic autonomy, tools of foreign policy that may have outlived their corresponding geopolitical utility. When Prime Minister Modi stated that "the Indo-Pacific region is not a limited club of members", he signalled India’s intention to lead a new configuration of states, guided by communities that yearn for development, markets that require connectivity and nations that seek security. Despite its aversion of alliances, India is a keen player in the evolving security architecture in Asia. The new American focus on Indo-Pacific has brought India at the center.

To put in place a vision that shapes the region and attracts others, India needs to script its own expectations from four key relationships i.e. with China, US, India’s Neighbors and the Global Institutional Networks .

The Asian story cannot be scripted by China alone, whether it is on infrastructure connectivity or managing security disputes. The economic prosperity of the region will be implicated by the strength of the India-China partnership. It is in this context that the engagements with China embodying the Wuhan and the Mamallapuram spirit need to be seen .

The US is a key partner and will be instrumental in making India a $ 5 tn economy. There is enormous ballast, momentum and dynamism in this relationship and this will be the key to India’s emergence as a leading power. I will not get into details of the transformation that has taken place in our relationship in the last two decades. Suffice to say it is a mature relationship bringing benefits to the people of both countries.

India is actively engaging with its neighbours and except for Pakistan, India is now scripting new chapters in cooperation with all of them. A good example is the transformation in India-Bangladesh ties, of which I speak from personal experience.

Our multilateral engagement is also vigorous with the global institutional framework. So while we will be patient for getting a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, our participation in other forums be it G-20, BRICS, SCO or IBSA is active and purposeful. A particularly appealing product of our multilateral engagement is India’s leadership in the Paris Climate Change Accord and the setting up of the International Solar Alliance.

The world has a stake in India fulfilling its immense potential. This needs to be critically leveraged to encourage a critical mass of capital and technology to flow into India to accelerate the Indian growth. As a vibrant and pluralist democracy, India shares political values of its more powerful partners and this is an advantage. The cosmopolitan temperament of India’s people and their ability to handle immense diversity and adversity are unparalleled civilizational assets in dealing with a globalizing world.

We are at a rare moment, at a specific juncture in history, when I feel the conditions are propitious for India to emerge as a leading power. India has already been a leading power of sorts for quite a while. With our size, population, GDP in PPP terms and also in dollar terms, we have significant power projection capability in our immediate region, some nuclear capability, impressive space capability, an increasingly influential 35 million and more strong Diaspora, it can hardly be denied that India is not a leading power. But more has to be done, particularly in improving the lives of our people and providing services for the global good and to the global commons. But transformation of India is on and we have to work on this assiduously.

Let us see what could be inter alia the factors in the transformation of India:

• Ruling political dispensation enjoys unprecedented political capital.
• Strong, charismatic, focussed leadership. Absence of dissidence which used to plague previous governments.
• Ambitious goal setting: making India a $5 tn economy in the next five years, 100 million toilets by 2019, drinking water to all homes in next 5 years, all homes electrified by 2019.
• Economy: India is a $ 3tn economy and about to become the 3rd largest economy in the next 5 years.
• There is a willingness to make difficult choices- demonetization, GST, IBC, corporate tax reduction, ambitious social sector spending, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Universal Health Care for 500 mn Indians under the Ayushman Bharat program, Housing For All, Electricity for All, Connecting All villages, Financial Inclusion as part of the Jan Dhan Program among others ( India’s Finance Minister recently said in New York that the huge mandate given to the Government provided the basis to the government to make deep and far reaching economic reforms. A bold step was taken in terms of reducing corporate taxation to 15% for new companies which is the lowest in the world).
• Frontal attack on corruption in high places, reduction in mega scams.
• Demographic Dividend: in 2020, the average age in India will be 29 years old (compared to 37 in China) -
• Making India a compliant society - making India an honest country.
• Cleaning up the banks, balance sheets, saying no to crony capitalism.
• A problem solving approach of the Government. Bringing closure to issues, Ayodhya verdict, changing the narrative and trying out a new development oriented approach in Kashmir
• Military: Strong military, third largest in manpower, strong in defence acquisitions, creating relationships with major powers such as the US. Has power projection capabilities in HADR roles. The 2004 Tsunami was a good example.
• Technology: India has been a target of technology denial regimes such as NSG, MTCR, Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangements. We have now become signatory to all except NSG. India is now in a more comfortable position with respect to accessing technologies. Greater IPR protection also available.
• Domestic Technology and Innovation is being given impetus. There are several pioneering initiatives in place and India’s world ranking in innovation is rising.
• Soft Power: India has unparalleled soft power attributes. Whether it is Yoga, Indian Cinema, Music, Cuisine. It generates tremendous goodwill and support for India all over the world. In Soft Power I daresay we have a big advantage over several world powers. Our challenge of course is our ability or inability to monetize it to the advantage of our peoples as efforts are sporadic and insufficient.

The scenario that will emerge as this transformation is underway is illuminating. In economic power there are or will be only two countries ahead of us i.e. US and China and there are much ahead so we are not in competition. In fact with the US our aspiration is to work closely with the US to achieve our ambitions as there are remarkable coincidence of values and views on how we see the world. Russia, and Japan are witnessing demographic decline and Europe, too, is a fast ageing continent. Africa, the LAC , ASEAN and are competition but may lack India’s depth of strength in terms of economy, market size, demography, technological and innovation prowess.
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In the ultimate analysis it is how the country concerned grows strong internally and is thus enabled to project its strength externally that matters. How this happens and how it is done has to be discussed ad nauseum everywhere. It is like being on a cycle. We need to keep pedalling for not stalling and falling down. There is no leading from behind. Even so, it is merely the beginning of a decadal journey, which will see India shoulder the expectations that befit the world’s largest democratic economy.

ConclusionAfter independence India had the choice to be satisfied with economic progress and leave its security questions to be addressed by other major powers. Countries like Australia, Canada and Japan followed this model. India could not accept this for the simple reason that its economic, political and security interests are a function of its unique history, geography, polity and society. India’s ambitions of shaping the international order to its own advantage are driven by the desire to transform India into a modern country and abolish poverty, hunger and illiteracy. The strategic elite sees foreign policy primarily in light of domestic priorities.

India, as a rising power, has a different set of interests, capabilities and strategic culture from other major powers. Former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon summarizes the Indian way of conducting foreign policy “as a combination of strategic boldness in conception and tactical caution in implementation, by a fundamentally realistic approach masked by normative rhetoric, by comfort in a plural and diverse world and by a consciousness of India’s destiny as a great power”. Till the time India becomes a great power, the world will see an India focused on increasing its power as well as taking more responsibilities globally.

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References:

1. India's emergence as leading power, Shyam Saran, Business Standard, November 13, 2019.

Rooting for Failure, Astrological Prediction

Met Mr Bhaumik, a well regarded Kolkata based, astrologer in New York on Nov 24, 2019. According to him on December 26, 2019, seven planets are going to be aligned. Astrologically speaking it is an ominous development. So the world in general can expect a great deal of turmoil, starting from one week before December 26 and then lasting for sometime. Unrest will grip several parts of the world and there may be natural calamities.
He also says that world economy will not do well for next 3 years.
He also spoke of a 30 year cycle. Similar turmoil was present in 1989. Well 1989 wasn't a very good year.
How much I wish this prediction fails.
Has anyone else heard anything similar?

The Best Thing About Anupam Kher is Anupam Kher

Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography by Anupam Kher, A Review.

At best of times, reviewing a book is a challenge. There are several aspects to a book: literary style, story, language, choice of words and idiom, personal likes and dislikes of the reader among others. I remember years ago I was moved by the book 'Bridges of Madison County' by Robert James Waller. I thought to myself "what a nice little romantic story". I shared the book with a poet and writer colleague and encouraged him to read it. After reading he demolished it on technical grounds that it lacked the basic elements of a good story. It is too far removed in the past for me to remember what exactly those elements are, except that it lacked the characteristics of a good story. The challenge is more daunting when one attempts to review an autobiography, that too of a person whom one knows and respects. The challenge intensifies when the author himself has been rather candid and frank about his origins, struggles and failures of life and not pulled punches on many individuals who have crossed his path. 

I read Prathyush Parasuraman’s review of the book  in the Indian media. Personally I think Parasuraman has been harsh in judging the book on its literary merit. Kher doesn't have literary pretensions. He is candid throughout his narration that he was rather weak in studies, failed some of his exams and barely managed to pass the others with 38% marks. His lack of educational skills is more than compensated by his talent as an actor and his passion for living life, connecting to people, making friends and taking on new challenges. What is most impressive is his almost photographic memory which enables him to record his life's events. Also for a person who studied in Hindi medium to bring out a 432 page volume in English itself is very creditable. And LLTMU comes after the best selling "The Best Thing About You is You", Kher's first motivational book. He can be criticized for giving long names to his books (LLTMU & TBTAYY) but not for writing them. Also a balding, if not bald, wiry framed man without any pedigree in films, making it big in Indian cinema, is in itself a story worth telling and reading.  

Before we go ahead, a disclosure is in order. Since the last year or so, Kher has made New York his home. He has settled in comfortably into the professional and social milieu of this city and is now a frequent and inclusive part of New York's Indian-American social life. Consequently, I have interacted with him and learnt about him and his life. Reading his book now gives me an advantage in our future conversations. Also having spent five years of my youth in the Mandi House area, the cultural capital of Delhi, a place whose vicissitudes Kher describes vividly in his book, brings another area of coincidence in our lives, kindling my interest in reading LLTMU.

LLTMU to me is inspirational. It makes one believe in  'kuch bhi ho sakta hai! or 'anything can happen' as the author reminds us time and again. Belonging to a middle class background myself and with modest academic accomplishments, I am able to immediately and intrinsically connect to the protagonist and root for his success. The leitmotif of the book, that failures make a person and they are stepping stones to success is resounding and convincing. This message strings and ties the tales of the book. The author is often down but never out. He sustains and reinvents himself and this is his mantra for success which will inspire any reader. No wonder the book is dedicated to “those who dare to dream. And succeed!”

Kher has been through much in life. Coming from an extremely humble background with a joint family, he wasn't academically talented in the classical sense. Yet he had the innate theatrical talent of being able to act, mimic and sing. This sustained him in his childhood and he somehow seemed to know that if he had to make it in life, it had to be in the arts, dramatic arts. LLTMU therefore is a  compilation of a litany of failures faced by Kher but overcome by grit, determination and perseverance. 

The book is an extraordinary compendium of Kher's memories. He remembers every minute detail from his childhood and later in life. As he himself says, he has a photographic memory. It's not that he has maintained a daily diary but has captured every event in his memory.  Kher remembers Garcia Marquez who said "life is not what one lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers to recount it.'' There aren't many like Kher who can recount life so vividly, every detail, every vicissitude. As he says himself in the beginning "I had a joyful childhood mainly because many of my relatives were an unusual lot- comical characters.....for me, not only my family members, but also my neighbours, my friends and my teachers, were all akin to comic book characters". He has wonderfully captured these characters in LLTMU.

Truly, the book is about persons and personalities. To put it upfront straight and simple, and I told the author so, the most enjoyable part of the book is the description of the tales of the persons who has touched his life in the formative years, his family and friends who have sculpted his personality and value system. Standing tall here is Kher's grandfather Amar Nath Kher who has had transcendental  impact on his personality, value system and moral compass. His pithy yet telling advice to Kher "bhiga hua aadmi baarish se nahin darta" distills the advice of many self-help motivational books into just one simple phrase. One easily likes this part as one relates to them and one roots for the young, poor but ambitious Kher to succeed. This extends from his childhood days in Shimla, to his days at theater school in  Chandigarh, drama school in Delhi, and the relentlessly difficult days in Mumbai till Saaransh happens. And Indian cinema is all the more richer that Saaransh happened. It needed to happen for Kher to emerge and it needed to happen for Indian cinema and for Mahesh Bhatt to make it. Saaransh so wonderfully transcended the space between commercial films and art films. For obvious reasons Saaransh made Kher what he is. And for his part, Kher gave everything he had to the character of B.V. Pradhan, one of the most unforgettable characters in Indian cinema. It doesn't seem to be an exaggeration that Kher rates the scene where Pradhan goes to collect the mortal remains of his son to the Customs office, as perhaps one of the ten best scenes of Indian cinema. 

One can easily to divide the book into three parts of Kher’s life, pre Saraansh, his success post Saraansh and life after success. The pre Saraansh stage is middle class, disappointments, failures, fun, humour, escapades, crushes, love, idiosyncrasies in his immediate families among other earthy tales. When Kher describes his family members, friends, lovers, and  teachers, they come to life in an incredible yet natural way. Kher owes a lot to his family and friends and says very clearly that his stable childhood taught him above all that it is family that he treasures the most. He has inseparable bonds with many including his mother Dulari, brother Raju and friends. Friends stand out in the book, be it Nav Prakash Parihar who shared his school lunch with him or Vijay Sehgal his best friend over half century whose only solution to all the problems of the world is eating food, and Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik in the Mumbai part of his life. The romantic interludes in school also come out in a heartwarming way particularly the author’s disastrous first kiss which landed in the girl’s ear. 
Kher's relationship with his wife Kirron and her son Sikander also stands out. There is great deal of affection and respect in the relationship. The author succinctly describes the relationship when he says "we are the epitome of the modern family, each pursuing his or her own dreams-connected by our relationship but free to blossom and flourish". Perhaps even here there is a message for modern professional ambitious couples on how to make their marriages successful.

It’s quite unbelievable how despite having a flair for theater, Kher couldn’t land the job of an announcer in All India Radio due to stammering and stuttering with his first announcement. Luckily for all he failed there. Similar meltdown is seen later when he auditioned for the role of Nehru in front of Richard Attenborough. One wonders what seized him then? He doesn't explain. 

One can also easily relate to familial characters Kher describes as such people exist in our own lives as well. Rarely have I laughed out loud reading a book or re-read a piece aloud for the benefit of my family members. Yes! LLTMU is quite a gag bag. I can even sniff a film or a mini series script lurking somewhere in this part. Some of the characters such as Kakaji who was worried about losing hair so “he  resorted to a curious fix for fighting nature's way: every night, Kakaji used to sleep with a comb, mirror and hair spray under his pillow and in the middle of the night, he'd get up, adjust his hair, and sleep peacefully thinking this was doing him a service for his scalp!”. The author's father Pushkar Nath Kher and his superstitious nature brings many a smile to the reader. The anecdote about the 'Bread & Bun Man' is truly hilarious and one can visualize the father with his eyes closed stepping on people’s hands and toes and opening the door so that he can see the lucky face of the bread seller. Yet even Kher's father whom he describes as a 'simple man of simple wisdom' gave him profound lessons, lessons I believe every father should give their children.  Treating the son to a hearty meal when the son had failed the matriculation examination is a rare display of fine character in a man. That evening Kher learnt his most precious lesson from father Pushkar Nath Kher that "failure is an event, not a person". This has kept Kher in good stead. Even his mother Dulari, whom we see and know from Kher's videos, is an archetype of an Indian mother, strict yet loving and a bundle of fun. That she'd escape to a temple when angry with the family members and then need the coaxing of Kher's brother Raju to come back home is cute and funny. Dulari’s strictness with Anupam Kher is with reason, she did not want her son to become just like the others in her big family. She wanted him to rise and be different and make it in life.  

Interestingly, Anupam Kher is not the only person who had a tryst with failures in the family. His uncle Dwarka Nath Kher who lived under the same roof  failed seven times in the eight grade and was promoted to ninth grade on 'compassionate' grounds as his classmates had started calling him Uncle. 

The book has an underlying emphasis on values. One is touched by Kher’s respect and affection for his Gurus- be it Balwant Gargi in Chandigarh, or Alkazi Saab in NSD and then of course Mahesh Bhatt in Mumbai. They have had a lasting impact on his life and made him yearn and strive for bigger scenarios in life and on the stage. His belief that if we keep making space for everyone else, on stage and in life, we will never make space for ourselves, comes through again and again and is perhaps a good mantra to emulate for all aspirants. 

Cutting the act to Mumbai, Kher’s real Karmabhoomi, the personalities or the characters appear distant. They are stars in the real sense of the term. Good from afar. One is not able to visualize them in flesh and blood. Nonetheless one gets to know them in vivid detail as not much is written about our larger than life film personalities. One only gets to read gossip about them, some of which is self generated to create a buzz about them or their films. In LLTMU one gets a ring side view, knowing how they are in real life, how they behave and how they relate to their colleagues. Reading about Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar and their idiosyncrasies is fascinating. One wonders which other profession can be so accommodating? While Kher describes the world of cinema in Mumbai to be cruel and merciless, yet he owes his success to the kindness and generosity of several persons starting from Mahesh Bhatt, Yash Chopra to Sooraj Barjatya among others. As this is the nature of life everywhere, Mumbai and its film world is no exception, yet one childishly yearns the world of make of believe to be different. 

It is sad to learn that his relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, whom Kher quite unabashedly calls his guru, mentor and person who made him in Mumbai, has soured and is today at best cool. Kher blames the estrangement on ideological differences but remains unflinching in his admiration of this mentor. Here again one can glimpse a very admirable character of Kher. He owes his success to several persons and gurus and is unselfish in his praise of others be it Balwant Gargi at the Chandigarh acting school, Amal Allana and his many teachers at NSD. Ibrahim Alkazi whom he calls as the emperor of theater and then Mahesh Bhatt in Mumbai. Kher is unabashed in heaping praise whether it is on David Dhawan, Subhash Ghai or Sooraj Barjatya or his Hollywood idols starting with Robert de Niro. He is even sentimental about Datta Sawant or Datto as we know him, the little boy who started first with Suresh Oberoi and has been a steadfast companion of Kher since then. 

I believe that more than the anecdotes the book is about lessons. How to keep going when the odds are against you. How not to be deterred by failure. The way Kher embraces failure time and again and picks up the threads is the greatest takeaway of reading the book.  One can pick up several lessons for live and internalize them. The book is truly all about Anupam Kher and that’s the best part of it.

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