Sunday, August 14, 2016

Book Review : She Walks, She Leads - Gunjan Jain

She, who is she? A question that will fetch you answers as different as the colors, colors of perspective, the perspective of people, people who have an opinion and viewpoint to share, but how do you know which of these viewpoints are equitable, advanced and demonstrate positive approach. The variety of opinions will give you conclusive results for sure, which, when you measure falls short to even qualify as progressive, because since time immemorial, the patriarchal approach has been worshiped.

It took some time for 'she' to tell the world about her arrival, but better late than never. She has left the closet that was meant for her, she has come out of it and is exploring the dominance with much grace, brevity and confidence. She is self-assured, believes in herself, courageous, fearless and high on positive energy.

I recently read an anthology about the women who inspire India, She Walks, She Leads, written by debut author Gunjan Jain. The book is an authorized collection of growth story of 24 Indian women across various fields like sports, business, entertainment, etc. Apart from the 24 Indian women, more than 130 other Indian personalities, their family members, their colleagues and their friends, have also shared some insights about the 24 Indian women.

She Walks, She Leads is a celebration of the individual lives of the 24 Indian women, their success and their journey of rising up from nothing or something to achieving almost everything. The Author, Gunjan Jain, wants the reader to have at least 3 copies of this 584 page long book, one to keep by the bed table, one for the office desk and one to gift "inspiration" to someone.
Book Review  She Walks, She Leads - Gunjan Jain
Book Review : She Walks, She Leads - Gunjan Jain
The book She Walks, She Leads features the following list of Indian Women across 6 different categories. I am sure, you would already heard about a lot of these women, but in case if you haven't, click on the links that take you to author, Gunjan Jain's website to know more or a read a small snippet from the book about them.
  1. Altruism And Other Interests
    1. Nita Ambani
    2. Parmeshwar Godrej
    3. Sudha Murty
    4. Yasmeen Premji
    5. Rajshree Birla
  2. Corporate, Banking And Law
    1. Indra Nooyi
    2. Zia Mody
    3. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
    4. Swati Piramal
    5. Chanda Kochhar
    6. Naina Lal Kidwai
    7. Anu Aga
  3. Fashion, Arts & Empowerment
    1. Anamika Khanna
    2. Ritu Kumar
    3. [Late] Jyotsna Darda
  4. Media
    1. Shobhana Bhartia
    2. Indu Jain
  5. Sports
    1. Sania Mirza
    2. Saina Nehwal
    3. Mary Kom
  6. Entertainment
    1. Priyanka Chopra
    2. Kareena Kapoor Khan
    3. Shabana Azmi
    4. Mira Nair
Isn't that a vast list already? Now, why did the author, Gunjan Jain, select only these 24 women? She answers this in the book about the reason and the process that she followed. The individual write up's by Gunjan Jain are a perfect mix of an interview and the story format, followed by a detailed interview by one of their family members (husband, in most cases) or friends. The stories may not speak volumes about their personal life, but it speaks volumes about their work, from being inspired to inspire the new generation.

There are many things common in all these women, and the will power to achieve their dreams was dominant. All of these women have been able to strike the perfect balance between their personal and professional lives without a hassle, with the support of their families. Their high spirits and energetic outlook towards life have helped them achieve what they have, the book She Walks, She Leads is more about the why and how and less of what and where. Needless to say, the book also features some never seen before photographs of these 24 Indian women.

I must say that She Walks, She Leads is a very well researched, explored, articulated and documented book. It gives us a totally new perspective on the individual lives of these 24 women who have excelled in their respective area of interest, leaving behind the herd mentality, the traditional and orthodox thinking of men means work and women means support to men.

The introduction section of the book is very interesting too, as it is like a movie trailer which sets your expectations, but unlike the movies the book doesn't disappoint and is a very inspiring read. Another thing that I liked about She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain is the minute detailing of the interviews that she has done personally with these 24 women. According to me, Gunjan Jain has been able to pen down the inspiring and complex stories in a very simple and equally inspiring way.

I would recommend She Walks, She Leads to anyone who likes to read non-fiction, particularly biographies and someone who is looking for an inspiring read, especially featuring the Indian women, who have soared high in the skies of success, glory, achievement and are above or at par with men, yet very deeply rooted to their culture, mission and goals.

Other Details:
Copyright: Gunjan Jain
ISBN: 978-0670088850
Genre: Non-Fiction
You can order a copy of the book from Amazon and Flipkart.
5:06:00 PM / by / 2 Comments

2 comments:

  1. Looks like a definite read. Will soon start reading it.

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    Replies
    1. Glad to know. Do share your thoughts about the book when you have read the book. Thank you!

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