Engeseth starts off by explaining the rather mysterious concept of Detective Marketing. The concept is basically an attempt to take the science of marketing to another level. The author says detective marketing is really an attempt to simplify the otherwise complicated marketing discipline. It's all about unlocking ones' own creativity, building bridges between people with different backgrounds for better communication.

The author says much of the noise you hear from the marketplace is the sound of money being flushed down the toilet. Not many brands manage to win a place in the mind of the consumer, inspite of the best marketing efforts. The reason being everyone involved in marketing knows very little about human behaviour. That's where detective marketing comes in.

It's all about following ones' own instincts in order to get the breakthrough. Also, it's all about building better communication. To quote the author - 'when you work to build bridges to other peoples' know-how, your understanding of the other side of the bridge increases.'

Here Engeseth brings in his '1+2=4' formula. The formula means that one and two factors come together to give birth to a third factor. Then, additionally, there is also a desired, unexpected and synergistic possibility of a fourth factor which makes 1+2=4.

The book cites various examples from companies such as CNN, Sony, Coca-Cola and Nokia to drive home the concept. From connecting people, Engeseth then moves on to the importance of actually being 'one' with the customer. The 'one' theory is all about increasing interaction between the manufacturer and the consumer by using a common platform such as the internet.

In the later chapters, Engeseth turns his attention to products and how product image can actually push up sales. In the chapter on Marketing The Product, the author introduces two innovative ideas which are actually derived from the product image and characteristics.

For better results, the book recommends the use of Information Technology and the World Wide Web extensively as platforms to catch on the pulse of the consumer.
The author brings in industry examples from CNN and Napster's online community of music lovers to drive home the point.

Thinking realistically, one would wonder how such ideas would survive the boardroom heat?

Well, in all, the book doesn't offer too many original concepts or ideas. But, somehow his ideas can be used like an detective's endless search for clues and answers in the business world.

By: Raman Kumar
Partner, Director - Tracinema

I spent the early years of my life in Amritsar. As a child, my uncle, who was a Sanskrit scholar, left a deep impression on me. He had a huge collection of books and, in fact, he used to seek inspiration from books. Under his influence, I grew up to be a voracious reader.

As a child, I would visit all the bookstalls in Amritsar to find the right books to read. Sometimes, I would walk for a few kilometres or even for a few hours in search of the right books.

I grew up reading short stories, fiction and magazines. I have fond memories of reading my favourite Hindi magazine Parag. Since it was not easily available anywhere in Amritsar, I used to walk to the local railway station every month to grab it.

During my college days, I grew fond of a Hindi magazine called Sarika. Slowly, I graduated to poetry and as I got involved in the theatre scene I moved on to authors like Anton Chekhov. So, reading became a daily habit. After coming to Mumbai, I continued to read while commuting. Till date, I always carry a book and read whenever I can.
Earlier on, I could finish reading a book in three to four days as there were no other distractions like DVDs and television. But, now due to lack of time, I take a long time to finish a book.

My favourite books
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is my all-time favourite book. The character Heathcliff has stayed with me forever. I would say, it's not just a pretty love story but a tale of madness and revenge. I would love to make a film based on it one day.

An English novel,The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks has also inspired me immensely. Shekhar, Ek Jeevani by Ajneya is my favourite novel in Hindi as at different stages, it portrays the philosophy of life.

Some other authors who have caught my fancy are Amrita Pritam, Surendra Prakash, Rajendersingh Bedi and Narendra Maurya. I am also passionate about Hindi and Urdu poetry, which celebrates love, compassion and human equality. Kaifi Azmi, Nida Fazli and Rajesh Reddy from the new lot are my preferred poets. I also love ghazals by Gulzar.

Books that do not hold me
Self help and spiritual books do not hold me. The only self help book which I managed to finish was Who Moved My Cheese? An amazing way to deal with change in your work and life by Spencer Johnson. I like to read literature published by Osho Rajneesh whom I consider as one of the best scholars of this century. In fact, I subscribe to the Osho magazine and read it regularly.

Apart from this, I have a large collection of books at home but it's not really organised as a proper library. I have a person who delivers Hindi books to me at home. I also get a monthly catalogue to choose from all the new books in the market.

Currently, I am reading...
I've just finished reading Pukhtan, a collection of poems by Gulzar. Just started on with short stories titled Nine O Nine by Nandita Puri which is very good. I am a lot into reading short stories and fiction. Two of my films Saath Saath and Parbat Ke Us Paar have also been inspired by short stories published in magazines.

Browsing and E-reading.
I am also into E-reading. I think the concept of e-books is a wonderful concept. Recently I had ordered a book from firstandsecond.com, an interesting online book store. Also, another interesting concept is that of audio books which I've discovered on a site called audible.com.

About the Author

The author Dinesh Kumar is a consultant and a visiting faculty at various business schools in the country. Apart from specializing in areas like total quality management he teaches on leadership, executive emotional intelligence, business communications and public speaking.

Book Review - By Yati Doshi

The book is a classic treatise on what they don't teach you in management schools but what you really need to know in the practical business world. On a rather chatty note, Corporate Capers deals with those aspects of the corporate world that are normally never spoken - about boardroom politics to the real truth behind the meaningful glances. Nothing is sacred or sacrosanct here, from the boardroom to the dining room to the allusions of ever-obliging personal secretaries. There are references to Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, C. K. Prahlad and others; as also apt quotations from various management gurus.

With chapters like Balance sheet botoxing, Seven habits of highly perfidious people, A deadly disease called founderitis or Fear is not the key - in all it the book makes for a highly interesting read. It is understandable, under these circumstances that no names can be mentioned either of the people or of the companies dealt with.

One wishes though at least some names could've been mentioned, as at times the books read more like an expos?. The author's style is a bit reminiscent of the way Khushwant Singh writes. What stands out is the light hearted earthiness and self-deprecating humour in the entire book on certain important and ethical issues.

A well-rounded book, Kumar scores points without sounding as if he is speaking from a pulpit. In fact, the chapters on dining etiquette and corporate dressing are interspersed with biting British humour. Then, on a philosophical note there are chapters on the Karma of Business and the Business of Karma. Without sounding too preachy at all, the author poses a question on can whether profit-making organizations be spiritual. They get you thinking about what is and what should be.

The last section of the book veers away and tells us how things should be, busting popular management myths and bringing home rarely mentioned facts. It's in this section that the author supplies the healing balm for all the rot that has been exposed in the other chapters.

Insightful, funny, hilarious, philosophical, realistic and thought provoking. In all, this book makes for a good read and caters to a wide cross-section of people from businessmen to middle-level managers from students to professors.

About the Author - Asha Kaul is Associate Professor, Communications Area, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She has previously been a communications consultant to several public and private sector organizations. Dr Kaul has designed and developed workshops on training material in communication and presentation skills for various corporate houses in India. She has earlier on authored two books - Business Communication and Effective Business Communication.

Book Review

All of us at some time or the other have been asked to make presentations. And almost all of us have experienced a rather uncanny feeling after having gone through the ardous process of researching, writing and then finally presenting. The obvious thoughts- did I communicate my thoughts successfully? Could I have done better?
How can I make my presentations more effective?

Designed to respond to the growing needs of professional and those in academia, the book is a comprehensive guide to make effective presentations. Written in a clear and accessible style, Kaul provides a very friendly approach to a process that is often a nerve-wracking task for many.

With a multi-level step-by-step approach the book explains us how to plan a presentation across disciplines, the delivery along with visual aids design and aesthetics, with helpful tips throughout. Over the chapters, the author gives us various points for planning a better presentation - How do you go about collating and then the sequential logical arrangement for maximum impact.

Before getting on the actual research, the author suggests an audience analysis first which gives one the size of the audience, their level of understanding and knowledge base. The presentation styles should not just be informative but even persuasive.

Strategies to avoid common pitfalls. Apart from this, the author gives tips on how to use our body language effectively, adopting positive gestures, bonding with the audience

In all, the author feels it all boils down to communication skills which are so important to climb up the corporate ladder. Talking or presenting is one sure way of scaling great heights. So, the guru mantra is honing your communication skills which will help in better understanding. The book offers a scientific and objective understanding of the skill helps in acquiring, polishing and honing already existing capabilities.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in making the most of their presentations. Highly practical, and with illustrative examples, it will be invaluable to professionals in the corporate world, as well as to scholars and students.

About the Author - June A Valladares started her career as a journalist, but soon switched to a relatively short but exciting career in advertising. June has worked at Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA), at J Walter Thompson and later at Lintas India Limited, now Lowe.

Written in first person, Ideate with June a Valladares takes an insightful look at the process of creativity and deliberates on the very idea of ideation.

Through this book, the author zeroes in on the fact that the creative process is inherent to everyone. The author also dwells on diverse elements like religion, spirituality, psychology and sociology and underlines simple qualities like patience, imagination, and faith. And it is through these illustrations that Valladares arrives at an even simpler truth that creativity is intrinsic to us all. It's just that we often overlook the very instances that lead us to it. The book is an attempt at showing the readers how they can ideate better than they already do.

Another aspect of the book is that it has an array of inspiring quotes from the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jacob Bronowski and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Interspersed with examples of some real-time brilliant ideas, which may seem mundane or otherwise impossible, the author drives home the point that a discerning idea can pop up from nowhere. One just has to recognise it and believe in it.

The author also dwells on basic questions like what are ideas, who needs them and how does one get them? The book serves as a one-stop-shop for those who are looking at creating altogether new ways of thinking and living.

It illustrates ways to tap into a sustained flow of good, solid ideas that will help in both, our personal and professional lives. It introduces not only an altogether new way of thinking and living but, more significantly, prompts each one of us to delve deep into our self so that we can discover that creative spark within us.

Simple language and explanations makes this an easy read and is a must for those who believe in the power of ideas.

Short background about the author
"William Dalrymple understands India, Indian history and his readers in
ascending order. That is what makes him a very good writer and a reasonably sound historian writing on South Asia. The fact that his writing is not determined by academic exigencies such as the pressures of a thesis, the load of a prejudice or the hassles of artificial deadlines allows him the supreme freedom of choosing a topic and going all out to collect sources. And the fact that he deliberately writes for a larger audience than the incestuous circle of South Asian historians, allows him to present history in a form that is at once not intimidating to the layman and very challenging to the more professional practitioner of the craft.

"The Last Mughal"
It is a biography of the last Mughal Emperor (that is the romantic side of Dalrymple) but it is firmly rooted in the social, political and cultural changes of the times (that is the historian and the story teller in Dalrymple). It is a voluminous book, but its essence both as a literary and a history treatise can be captured a few short paragraphs:

1. It fills up a major lacuna in the historiography of India in the
sense that it supplements the works of Erick Stokes (for Northwestern
Provinces, modern UP) and Rudrangshu Mukherjee (Awadh) among others,
who have undertaken in depth regional studies to bring to light the complexities
of the Uprising of 1857. Before "The Last Mughal" Delhi was, rather, strangely, left out of such in depth treatment.

2. For less strange reasons, Bahadur Shah Zafar never enjoyed the
attention that his more illustrious forefathers received from Indian historians. Although, in many senses, he presided and lived through over a complex socio-political transformation that few of his predecessors except perhaps Babur did. Dalrymple successfully puts the focus back on this "black sheep" of the family.

3. Finally, and this is very important, Dalrymple clearly shows how complicated simple social divisions like class, caste, race, gender and loyalties were before, during and immediately after the mutiny.

4. In terms of substance, the book is rich is use of sources, nuanced in its arguments and very textured in the way that arguments and substantiation are knitted together.

From a historian's perspective:
Another new regional study on the events of 1857 - filling up a major void; unearthing of new sources - another big contribution to the historiography. But nothing new in terms of argument. Believe you me, we already knew the broader arguments around race and religion. In fact, Dalrymple's extra leap to connect the Jehadis of 1857 to
their current cousins seems like what it really is - a giant and unnecessary leap.

From a reader's perspective: That is the way to write history, each
character stands out on its own. And although it will not be apparent
to an ordinary reader, a trained eye will not miss the hard work that must
have gone to flesh out each character with such meticulous detail. And Oh
boy! What a style of writing - captivating to say the least. It does read like a
best selling thriller.

Lessons for the historian: "Isn't that the way we should write our
history so that more and more people read and understand what really happened and how?"