Review in Economic Times:

22 JUL, 2012, 02.44AM IST, TV MAHALINGAM,ET BUREAU

Indian authors' book sales in health & management categories steadily growing

Ranjeev C Dubey doesn't sound like your average self-help guru. He doesn't speak of the world with saccharine optimism, nor does he offer any instant rope tricks for success.

"In much of life, everything is projected differently from what it is," says Dubey, managing partner with a Gurgaon-based corporate law firm. Neither does his upcoming book, Bullshit Quotient: Defining India's Corporate, Social and Legal Fingerprint, sound anything like a self-help book.

Yet, in bookstores, Dubey's book will most probably be stacked along with titles like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Who Moved My Cheese and One Minute Manager. How does Dubey feel about it? "Seven Habits said nothing that affected your intellectual applecart. I don't plan to be politically correct," says Dubey.

Bullshit Quotient will educate readers about the grease and grime of how things really work in India — from the stock markets to politics — and therefore navigate these world's better, argues Dubey. "In that sense, it's a self-help book," he adds.

Help on Your Shelf

Dubey's book is symptomatic of the change that's happening in the self-help books category in India. In the past, the self-help book segment could be broadly classified into three large sub-categories: spirituality, personal/business skills and health.

Not anymore. Indian publishers are now looking beyond the standard 'get rich quick', 'unleashing your kundalini' or even 'cracking the big interview' formats, even though these themes continue to be as popular. More interestingly, they are looking for India-based authors.

India has always been a big market for self-help books. "The genre is a steady seller and has a solid backlist that doesn't go out of fashion," says Arunima Roy, a spokesperson for Hachette Book Publishing India. "Essentially, it is the backlist that sells steadily and most of them have been motivational speakers, successful businessmen with their rags-to-riches stories, and so on," adds Roy.

So how big is the self-help segment in India? Numbers are tough to estimate as the definition of a self-help book is pretty nebulous. However, most book store chains and publishers agree that this segment is among the fastest growing in the publishing business. "The segment is growing rapidly, almost 10% year-on-year. This is largely lead by business and health self-help books," says Kinjal Shah, COO, Crossword Book Stores, adding that of the top 30 bestsellers of 2011, six were self-help books.

Data from Nielsen BookScan, Nielsen's book sales tracking service, reveals that sales of self-help books grew 31% in volumes and 25% in value across the panel of retailers it monitors in the first six months of 2012 compared to a year ago.

"The self-help books category is at double the pace of other book categories," says Sanjay Bhatnagar, general manager, Times Group Books. Bhatnagar believes that there is a great demand for books that extract 'practical management lessons' from Indian mythology.

Potter and Weight loss

Self-help books though have a long way to go before they catch up with sales of genres like fiction, not just in India but also abroad. "Whilst fewer books from the self-help genre immediately reach the phenomenal sales figures of some popular fiction like a Dan Brown, Harry Potter or even Fifty Shades of Grey, there are still some standout successes which continue to sell worldwide," says Caroline Newbury, a spokesperson for Random House India.

However, self-help books have a different sales trajectory. "Many sell by word of mouth and therefore continue to sell solidly and at a consistent level for years and years. For instance, How to Win Friends and Influence People was first published in the 1930s but still sells well today," adds Newbury.

In the past, books penned by international writers like Dale Carnegie, Paulo Coelho and Indian writers based in the West like Deepak Chopra and Robin Sharma have dominated sales in this space, with the few exceptions like Shiv Khera.

But in the past four years or so, sales of self-help titles from Indian authors have taken off. Books like Rashmi Bansal's Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish, Rujuta Diwekar's Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight and more recently, Anupam Kher's The Best Thing About You is You have sold tens of thousands of copies. For instance, Diwekar's book on weightloss has sold over 2,50,000 copies since 2009.

New Voices

Does this mean that Indian authors are ready to upstage sales of the Dale Carnegies and the Paulo Coelhos in the self-help segment? Not yet. A new Paulo Coelho book sells about 1,00,000 copies in India.

The average bestselling Indian author on the other hand tends to sell about 30,000-50,000 a year, says Lipika Bhushan, head of marketing, Harper Collins India. But that's changing as Indian author book sales are steadily growing, especially in the health and management categories.

"India is a different country, socially, culturally and in the way we live. We need authors who understand how we live and what our specific aspirations are. It's hardly surprising that self-help books by Indian authors are doing well," says an editor with a foreign publishing house, who's not authorised to speak to the media.

Keeping this in mind, Harper Collins is launching an imprint that will specifically cater to this genre. And who are the authors that publishers are looking for? "Our editors' look for achievers and people who know their subject matter well," says Bhushan. What about literary prowess?

You don't have to write like the bard to get a self-help book published. As publishing consultant Vinutha Mallya puts it, "People don't buy self-help books for the joy of reading. Self-help books are bought to acquire a specific practical skill or knowledge." So, don't be surprised if that section of your neighbourhood bookshop gets bigger every year.

Review in Post Noon, Hyderabad:

Book Review: Bullshit Quotient
Syed Shoaib | October 6, 2012 |

Must say, author Ranjeev C Dubey has taken powers-that-be in India by the horns. In his cut-and-dry style, the writer makes us aware of what’s wrong with our nation today.

For a journalist, for whom un-publishable notes surpass the printed safe word, this book is not a shocker. But if you live in a safe corporate world and believe that the dark bellies of your office need to be hidden away in an already stinking alley, then you realise there’s a black world out there. Go fetch a copy of this book and unleash the hidden agendas.
Like Dubey, I’m not a lover of ‘mere’ fiction, and hence admire his courage at stating things that far too often become obvious and do not raise people’s eyebrows. What makes the stock market tick? Who steers the corporate ship?

Born into Post-Independence India on September 14, 1957, his job profile gives us a peek into the inside information holds about the so-called hierarchical departments of a country, which many say poses a threat to China, and sometimes even the United States of America.
He is the managing partner of an independent full service law firm. His forte and team leadership skills are reflected in the simple explanations given to the complex phenomenon of cattle crap that is all-pervading in the higher echelons of modern Indian corporate, social, political and legal life. Everything Dubey talks about — the unflinching faith we have in power-based authority, including ‘scamsters’, the label culture thanks to multinationals and questionable sources being the wannabe powers of our industries, the actual movers and shakers of this democracy… is real, true, if we care to not just look around but actually see and perceive, between the lines.

I’m also interested in the anecdotes Dubey might not have included in this book. Bullshit can be understood as a noun or a verb depending on which end you are at.

Bullcrap might be an expletive, but what Dubey conveys at the end of it is no nonsense. In fact, after Intelligence and Emotional Quotient, those in the know-how of what actually goes wrong in India, including all of us, should be assessed for Bullshit Quotient! Reality-based readers will look forward to his updated and rewritten edition of Winning Legal Wars, slotted for release in late 2013.

Name: Bullshit Quotient
Author: Ranjeev C Dubey
Pages: 248
Publisher: Hachette India

Sonia Jaspal's Risk Board:

Sep 27 2012

A Book Review: Bullshit Quotient

Ranjeev Dubey’s recently published book “Bullshit Quotient” (I am literary correct, and haven’t resorted to swearing on my blog) pulls the wool from the eyes. The lines in the introduction pages are – “Absurdly, in our cultural fabric, spotting the little lie is a skill called wisdom; spotting the big one is a sin called cynicism”. Hopeful idealists, who believe the world will become a better place to live, will be disillusioned and disheartened reading this book. The jaded cynics will find it provocative, amusing and ruthless. If you are willing to get your rose-tinted glasses peeled off, then read this book.

http://soniajaspal.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/book_bulshit.jpg?w=593

Ranjeev, an attorney by profession, wrote this diatribe on Indian corporate, legal and social world to call a spade a spade. It is rare in India, that an author chooses brutal honesty over the delicate footwork of political correctness and diplomacy. Below are my three main takeaways from the book.

1. The Cost of Economic Growth

Fittingly, Ranjeev has narrated the excessive cost of industrialization paid by economically backward and tribal communities (Adivasis) of India. Government on the pretext of acquiring land for development, irrigation etc. has made millions homeless. Without farming land and an education, these poor people have become slum dwellers in cities, and do menial tasks to make a meagre living. Those outraged by the injustice meted out to them, have joined Naxalite groups and terrorist organizations. Their anger has led them to a path of self-destruction, as after a couple of years they are either shot down in a police encounter or spend their life in prison. The urban class is completely apathetic to their plight, as they are focused on catering to their latest self-indulgence.

Nearly one-third of Indians live below poverty line, and India cannot become a powerful nation unless these poor people start earning a reasonable standard of living. Two big ones are required to change the situation. The anarchic land acquisition act needs to modified to give a fair price to land owners. Political will has to be strong to re-locate the displaced people.

2. Dependence of Independent Directors

Ranjeev has raised the same question as I did before – Are the independent directors really independent. Ranjeev’s strong opinion is – “In truth, independent directors are wall flowers, perching uneasily on the tenuous board seat, good to topple any time the promoter choses. They can’t protect themselves, leave alone the small shareholder”.

Aptly described; the independent directors appointment and continuance is dependent on the good will of the promoters. They are not in a position to take a strong stance, as they will be labelled troublesome and jeopardize other appointments. Even well-reputed industrialists sitting on other company boards restrain from rocking the boat. In the elite club, no one wishes to spoil the business equations. Hence, it is just a mirage that independent directors are the bastions of corporate governance and will defend small investor interests.

3. Auditor Role in Fraud

Objection, my lord; here, I beg to differ. Ranjeev has rightly pointed out auditors primarily responsibility is not to detect frauds. Auditors cannot be held responsible if a fraud remains undetected. But there are two statements, where my readers will have to defend the auditor’s reputation. Below are the extracts:

“It is not the auditor’s job to get into the details of books, records and documents. It follows that the auditor’s only job is to take a leisurely glance at the papers of the company puts before the auditor while daintily picking the sumptuous kebabs over the working lunch at the company’s office.” The lunch dig is true, it happens in India but auditors have to bury their noses in the books of accounts of the company.

The second one is more disparaging –

“He does not understand the company or its business, does not understand the environment in which the company operates and does not understand what is going on in it. His job is to look at the books and create more papers. Auditing is about reconciling paper trails, not truths.” Whoa, if an auditor hasn’t got his fundamentals right, then most probably he is delivering this poor quality work. Auditors need to figure out how to break these negative stereotype images and get appreciated for the value they offer.

Closing Thoughts

As we are given a choice between being an optimistic idealist and pessimistic cynic, I choose the former. Idealists are happy, cynics’ worldview is miserable. Nonetheless, we can’t ignore the atrocities, injustices and differences in our world. An idealist is better equipped to bring about a change, when the plans are grounded in reality. If reality stinks, we have to acknowledge and accept it before we devise a strategy for change.
This book describes the smelly portions of our society, which we want to close our eyes, ears and nose to. Besides it, the book has amusing wordplay. Here is line I liked – “Of all the bibulous ballyhoo that emerges from the loquacious lips of corporate kookaburras, the weirdest is the idea that the business of a company is delivery of value to its customers.”

Review by Yatin Gupta:

Book Review – Bullshit Quotient – Ranjeev C. Dubey

By Yatin Gupta on Oct 11, 2012 in Book Review | 0 Comments

To begin with and to say the least Bullshit Quotient is my kind of book because of its simple and straight forward writing. The cover of the book says “Decoding India’s Corporate, Social & Legal Fineprint” and it does and that too in Ranjeev’s no bullshit style. The title of the book was interesting enough to pick it up and and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this 248 page book. It is witty and at the same time throws a harsh light on the current problems that India is facing and I completely agree with whatever Ranjeev has come up.

Right from the introduction of the book, the book has a solid grip on you. It is divided into 5 parts namely

1. The Root Of All Bullshit

2. Corporate Bullshit and Legal Dodges

3. Real World Legal Bullshit

4. Social & Political Bullshit

5. Alienation & Self-Loathing Bullshit

and these five parts are further divided into a few chapters in each and sums up many things that are going around and are responsible for hindering the progress of the country. Ranjeev doesn’t sound like a cynic in this book and this is what makes this book a bit more interesting.

My favourite chapters from this book are chapter 2 of part 1, Branding Frauds, IPR & Manipulative Marketing, chapter 8 of Part 2, Bankers and Bankrupt Customers, and all the three chapters of Part 5, Bitching Elites & Alienation Tales, The Buttons Of Our Minds, The Past and The Road Ahead. These were the chapters I could relate to and understand what exactly is going out there. Being from the marketing industry, I could easily connect with the kind of bullshit we do and are forced to do. Bankers and bankrupt customers because, seriously banks and bankers get on your nerves almost all the time and the entire part 5 because it was something that we all see on daily basis.

This book is something that you might not be able to finish it in a single day. If you are good at observing things going around you, then only you would be able to understand what exactly the author is trying to say.

Book Source : Hachette India

Review in Asian Age:

Home » Books » The corporate myth busted

The corporate myth busted

By editor
Created 21 Oct 2012 - 00:00

Nandita Rao		Bullshit Quotient: Decoding India’s Corporate, Social and Legal Fine Print, as the name suggests, is a book that takes a macro view of India’s corporate, social and legal institutions and the modus operandi of people that captain these institutions to highlight the basic premise of the book — Indians, on account of our historic and religious background are fatalistic, naïve, often lazy and cynical who are capable of accepting unlimited “bullshit”. Ranjeev C. Dubey’s book does an excellent job of dispelling certain myths that have dominated the political spectrum in the past few years with the anti-establishment space being taken over by an essentially middle class, anti-corruption movement. This movement has effectively drowned the protests of workers, women and dalits demanding structural changes from public view. And it has dominated the discourse with the idea that elimination of corruption in politics and government would ensure justice to all. Through the book, Dubey effectively exposes the myth that the corporate world is not what he calls a “shiny example of ethical high thinking”. He exposes the corruption, nepotism, subversion and blackmail that define corporate life. The second myth the book exposes is the wide gap in privilege, mindset, opportunity, sense of duty that exists between the different layers of the “aam aadmi”. Through a touching anecdote the author exposes this reality by showing us the willingness of his driver to risk poverty and starvation to return to his village and look after his father, with the refusal of his NRI relative to return to India and care for her mother.
By Ranjeev C. Dubey Rs. 350
Using his legal acumen and experience, having been a practising lawyer and partner at an all-service law firm for several years, Dubey makes a nuanced argument that apart from the misuse of the law as a blackmail tactic, including the misuse of “public interest litigations” by rival corporate groups to expose benefits that may be accruing to each other, the law itself is not neutral. Dubey argues this nuanced point through a study of the medical system and myths of medical insurance. He says that the law itself is often framed, by lobbying of certain corporates, to legitimise certain unjust conduct, unduly benefiting a certain group, thereby making the financial corruption in politics debate too simplistic. In part 3, Dubey tries to show how corruption in politics is inevitable to foot the bill of “democracy” on account of the huge expense that winning an election involves. Though offering no solutions, the authorruns the risk of furthering the alienation and cynicism that may already be effecting the reader, but he does contribute effectively to the realisation that the problems that afflict the country and its various institutions will not get washed away in one stroke because the misuse has reached such a sophisticated avatar that often it is hard to distinguish the legal from the illegal, the irregular from the regular, even though in the pit of your stomach you know that all is not well! The social critique of the book is probably the weakest section of the book, based on the admittedly top-down view of the author. Dubey sees Indians from the eye of “an outsider” as rustic, dominated by identities of the past and irreverent to the law. Though he refers liberally and repeatedly to the colonial past, it isn’t clear from a reading of the book how he thinks this past has affected the psyche of the people. Also, Dubey doesn’t manage to make an effective chain of consequences between religion and colonialism, both of which he argues affect the behaviour and social mores that people have today. His conclusion that “none of us urban elite deserves what we have today” which stumbles into a factual assertion that, “Yes, we have our problems, but the trick is to see it with perspective. India is progressing under our very noses and may have so radically transformed that, unseen, it is already unrecognisable to most of us” is in the words coined by the author himself, incomprehensibly incomprehensible. Written in a conversational style, each point is sought to be buttressed, illustrated and often substantiated by Dubey’s personal anecdotes and experiences. The book is an easy read, the writing style is unusual and at times readers may feel that they are reading a transcript of an after-dinner, drawing room conversation of a family in south Delhi, after it has consumed the daily dose of expert views on the 24x7 channels. The primary critique of Bullshit Quotient would probably lie in its premise that often in India, we accept very low quality of work (Bullshit!). Through this book, Dubey has made sweeping generalisations about India and Indians, our history, character and motivation. These generalisations, some of which may be partially true, are not backed by hard facts, statistics or any real evidence beyond personal anecdotes, which may leave the discerning intellectual reader feeling a bit short changed.

Review by the Editor of BusinessWorld Online:

SELECTION10 Nov 2012
The Right Fixer Mix
Ranjeev C. Dubey dissects a number of issues to come up with their 'Bullshit Quotient'

Prosenjit Datta

Bullshit Quotient: Decoding India’s Corporate, Social And Legal Fineprint By Ranjeev C. Dubey Hachette India Pages: 256 Price: Rs 350

Towards the end of the introduction titled ‘Of Bullshit Basics And Holy Cows’, Ranjeev C. Dubey mentions some sage advice his lawyer guru and intellectual mentor P.S. Dasgupta gave him. “Never call a spade a spade,” Dasgupta apparently told him. “Call it a golden toothpick.” While writing this book, Dubey decided to ignore that advice — and instead call the spade a bx*%$y shovel.

Dubey, a corporate lawyer, has written an interesting book — and there is a fair amount of truth in many of the issues he picks up and dissects to come up with their Bullshit Quotient. That said, one suspects that the central tenet of the book — that Indians have an extra credulity quotient and that they have an appetite for swallowing bullshit built into their genetic blue print — is not really true. There are very few people, for example, who would really believe that healthcare is not a business in most cases. Or that the small shareholder actually has any real rights or powers, or that independent directors are really independent.

Similarly, while many people in the current generation admire successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, few are under any illusions that one can become enormously successful without persuading some politician or the government to give him some land cheaply or similar favours.

Having got that out of the way, the great virtue of this book is that Dubey takes a merciless look at a host of subjects that are often not discussed very openly. Whether it involves looking at just how enforceable a contract really is, or debunking the argument that development and industrial progress is good for the population of the country in general, he makes his points forcefully and pithily. Also, just in case you are too confused at the end of the chapter to remember all his points, Dubey helpfully summarises everything in a short paragraph.

Consider, for example, the chapter called ‘Nothing Succeeds Like Sleaze’. Dubey discusses the Lalit Modi and Indian Premier League scandal, the Nira Radia case, the rise to prominence of Amar Singh at one point, and many similar instances to discuss how the ability to “fix” things is the most important attribute for a modern businessman to have. At the end of the chapter, Dubey helpfully sums up the issues — business continues to be heavily dependent on government, and relations with the government depends on one’s ability to find the right fixer mix. Sleaze is the grease that lubricates the world of business.

Dubey, obviously, feels very strongly about each of the topics he picks up. But what really adds a lot of zing to the book — which could have just lapsed into a rant about his pet topics — is the colourful prose he uses from time to time. Consider the first sentence of chapter two: “Of all the bibulous ballyhoo that emerges from the loquacious lips of corporate kookaburras, the weirdest is the idea that the business of a company is delivery of value to its customers.” One can almost imagine Dubey as a modern-day Captain Haddock (of Tintin fame) cursing at the billions of blistering barnacles...

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 19-11-2012)

IBN Live Chat on October 15th, 2012:

Chat

Ranjeev C Dubey
Corporate lawyer & author

Oct 15, 2012

On his book 'Bullshit Quotient: Decoding India's Corporate, Social and Legal Fine Print'

Author Ranjeev C Dubey sets out to dissect the bullshit that surrounds aspects of modern Indian corporate, social, political and legal life. In doing this, he asks and answers basic questions about our society. Who runs the corporate ship and why? Who is making the stock market tick and how?

*	Hello Sir, Why is India unable produce Entrepreneur like Mark Zuckerberg who was in his graduation when he started Facebook. Is this a lack of skills or we as a country do not have encouraging laws for our budding Entrepreneurs? Asked by: Zareef Ahmed
*	India is filled to the brim with budding entrepreneurs. I see them all around me in Gurgaon. Yes this is a difficult country to do business in but that has never restrained entrepreneurship, just made success a bit harder.

*	In your book, you set out to dissect the bullshit that surrounds aspects of modern Indian corporate, social, political and legal life. So what are your views on Kejriwal & Anna movement? Asked by: Monty
*	A laudable task, a difficult job and success a big mountain to climb. Traditionally, corruption has never been an electoral issue as T.N.Seshan found to his great surprise.

*	How challenging was to write on such a topic? Asked by: Honey Singh
*	Very simple. The material is happening all around us. What is in the book is what is in the newspapers these days.

*	Who target readers for this book? Asked by: Honey Singh
*	If you want to understand what is really going on in India today, this book is for you.

*	What’s your take on Vadra & DLF controversy? Is it in accordance to corporate governance? Asked by: Himanshu
*	Land acquisition is one of the biggest generators of political funding in India today. There is no purpose in taking one name and demonizing him. A large proportion of the political classes are deep in similar activity.

*	What is this new book about? Asked by: Anu
*	This book is about how India works and who funds our democracy. It is about what companies do and why they do it. It is about who we are as a people, a society, and a culture. It is about Indians and the India we have collectively created.

*	What’s the price of the book? Where can we buy it? Asked by: Anurag
*	Flipkart, Infibeam, stackkart...it is all over the internet. It is also in all the major book stores but you will find better prices on the internet.

*	Why this provocative title "Bullshit Quotient"? Asked by: Raheel
*	This book is about the central essence behind all the misleading sanctimonious bullshit you hear about how our country actually runs. I couldn't find a better way to put it.

*	Why "Bullshit"? Does this description really summarizes all the current economic and corporate scenario? Asked by: Abhimanyu
*	No it doesn't. Elements of the description are bullshit but the truth is out there if you want to understand it. The book tries to reveal the truth behind the claptrap you hear about what is really going on.

*	What the book is all about Asked by: anjali
*	The book is about how the corporate world works and why. It then is about how the legal world works and where it is headed. It is then about how we have organized our democracy and who pays for it. Finally it is about what it is to be Indian and how it has gone to shape what we have become. You will find in it an explanation of who we are as a people and as a nation. It will also explain what is really going on today and what the scams for instance are really all about.

*	"Power will go into the hands of Rascals, rogues and freebooters...." Sir Winston Churchill. Your article is brilliant and couldn’t have come at a more apt time. Asked by: Atul Bakshi
*	Churchill was a white supremist so I have my reservations on what he says.

*	Would you term this book as a blatant satire on the big guns of our society? Asked by: Abhimanyu
*	I am trying to explain India. I am not laughing at anyone. I am trying to tell my readers why they behave the way they do. Sometimes, I sympathize with these 'big guns' even though I don't agree.

*	Have you also discussed ways to remove or minimize all these economic and political irregularities in your book? Asked by: Manish Bansal
*	Up to a point yes. My main argument is that we have become what we have because of (a) who we are, and (b) our inability to make certain hard choices. To solve some of these problems, we would have to evolve as a people.

*	What's your take on judiciary today? Asked by: Sneha
*	The judiciary has spearheaded a great deal of social change in India. At the same time, it’s a human institution. The Judiciary is very conscious of the issues we face but its power to intervene is limited. I am rather more sympathetic to the judiciary than I am to most other institutions in India. But at another level, I see all of us and every institution struggling to address the challenges that face us as a society. And we are reacting, each of us, in the way we are, because we all have our individual compulsions.

*	Could you reiterate one instance in particular which inspired you to write this book? Asked by: Abhimanyu
*	I have been writing a column for Business World magazine for seven years. Over the years, I found both that my viewpoint differed from most other people and that I did have a committed audience. When the 2G scam broke, I know that I had to share my view of it and put the story into its correct political and historical perspective as I saw it.

*	Who is to be blamed for high inflation today in India? Asked by: Anurag
*	The combination of a difficult global situation and a paralysed domestic leadership. But we should not worry about it too much. India is very good at own goals and self-inflicted wounds. It is also very good at solving problems it shouldn't have had in the first place. We will fix this also but there will be pain on the way. The trick is to have a sense of history and not be caught up too much in the day to day here and now.

*	As a corporate lawyer, what advice can you give to DLF shareholders if they were your clients regarding favouring Vadra? Asked by: H S
*	Let me not talk about what I will tell my client. Let me talk about the problem. How do you acquire land in India? The government can do it for you or you can buy it for yourself. If you wish to buy it for yourself, you will have to find someone to persuade 20 families to sell it to you. Each of these families will have ten brothers, uncles, daughters and sons as owners. You need a consolidator. The consolidator will only be effective if he has political power or no one is listening to him. So you will have to deal with a mover and a shaker. It doesn't matter whose son in law he is. A great many consolidators are no body's sons in laws but companies still have to deal with them. You can be sure that given this situation, no company will be seeking their lawyers advice on whether to deal with a consolidator or not. So it is with facilitators. When you need government intervention so that you can make a lot of money, person on the other end may not want to give it to you for free. You may need to get someone to persuade him. A price will be quoted, a deal made. This is the way it goes and this is what Bullshit Quotient is about.

*	Can you please summarize your book in one sentence? Asked by: Manish Bansal
*	Sleaze, grease, sex, lies and graft powers India into the league of great nations even as our elites bitch and moan despite enjoying a disproportionate status in our society.

*	Have you given remedies for the deep rot in our system? Asked by: Atul Bakshi
*	Well, I have put out my explanation for "the rot" as you put it. I actually believe that many nations go through this state before they mature as societies. I am a believer and an optimist.

*	Is there any chapter in your book which is specifically dedicated to the scams in the Indian share market? Asked by: Raheel
*	I have an entire chapter on how the stock market is a colossal scam. I also talk about the IPO scam going on right now right here which the public still does not know about.

*	What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Asked by: anjali
*	Yes, three hours a day, every afternoon, in the office, while my lawyers work to pay the bills!!!

*	What inspired you to write this book? Asked by: anjali
*	I have a clear sense of what is powering our society. Most people don't seem to have the same sense of it. I thought people would like to know what I think. Also, so many of us are so confused about the state of the nation. Many are angry as a result. I think there is hope. I wrote this book to explain what I think and why I think that we have a great future.

*	Do you think your book offers an insight to foreign investors looking to invest in India? If yes, do you think they might be dissuaded from investing in India after reading the book? Asked by: Inder
*	Well it will certainly help them understand India a litle better. Their investment decision probably flows more from their compulsion than anything I might say but if I can help them see India better, the book would have been worth writing.

*	What books/authors have influenced your life and writing? Asked by: anjali
*	Off the top of my head Fiction: John Fowles; Non Fiction: Colin Wilson and George Orwell.

*	Thank you for your candid responses here, Sir. In your view, is India's corporate sector comparable to Global best as a sector? Asked by: R Krishna
*	Yes. We are on our way. For a third rate country with fourth rate politicians and fifth rate infrastructure, we are still one of the fastest growing economies. If we cultivated a greater sense of history, we would be much more proud of what we have achieved.

*	Might be contrary to the theme of your book, but please indulge me. Would you name the top 3 best aspects of India's Corporate sector? :) Asked by: R Krishna
*	I think flexibility, the hunger for success and the ability to think laterally. Indians really do have really sharp minds. It’s just that our environment requires us to spend a lot of that creativity in stuff that we wouldn't need to do in another society and another polity.

*	What would be your advice to budding authors? Asked by: Rk
*	You can only write about what you see. You can only see if you know that such a thing exists. So to write, you first have to know. To be a writer, you first have to be a very good reader. Good Luck!

*	Sir, speaking of "history", as an achiever that you are today, may I request you to let us know a few features of your CV when you were 30 years that make you proud today? Asked by: R Krishna
*	I was thirty, I didn't know anyone in the legal world, I went to the trial courts and I learnt basic advocacy and I hung in there in that difficult world and I paid my dues. I am proud today that I had the courage to survive that because today, all that I am goes back to a direct first person understanding of how the law impacts the average Indian. The rest of my understanding flows from that one.

*	Does the criticism you face as an author make you cynical of the choice of topics to write about? Asked by: Abhimanyu
*	No. I reserve for myself the right to be wrong. As a liberal democrat, I defend your right to disagree with me. I choose my topics based on my ability to say something worth saying. I don't do this for a living nor do I have an agenda. So if I think I am worth hearing, I will say it. If you don't like it, I can understand that.

Indian authors' book sales in health & management categories steadily growing

Book Review – Bullshit Quotient – Ranjeev C. Dubey

The corporate myth busted

This is Serious BS

Chat

On his book 'Bullshit Quotient: Decoding India's Corporate, Social and Legal Fine Print'