CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CLIMAX: 2/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5
How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded a Million Dollar Company has an interesting title and definitely lives up to the expectations of the reader. It is the true story of Varun Agarwal, a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, and how he came to start the company Alma mater. Since the book is based on the true life events of Varun and his journey to fame and success, it is almost a good inspirational read, inciting in the reader an urge to fight the flawed social perceptions about becoming a successful visionary.
Varun Agarwal, the lead character is a guy who has a vision, a vision in which he intends to create a sound and successful business with a nascent idea, in which he stumbles upon one day. His idea is to tie up with schools and colleges and sell their merchandise through an online retail platform, wherein students and alumni can place orders and buy their school merchandise. His dream is big and ambitious but standing between him and his goal in life are two interesting ladies – his mom and his mom’s very best friend “Anu Aunty”.
His mom is portrayed as the typical Indian mother perpetually worried about his son’s future and forcing her decisions on him by using the dark powers of “emotional blackmailing”. On the other hand is Anu Aunty, all starry-eyed about her son and constantly reminding everybody in her circle of friends about how qualified, successful, well settled, hardworking and obedient her son is. The story revolves around how he battles these two ladies and makes his way out of their constant nagging to become one of India’s most read Entrepreneurship stories.
The narrative style of How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded a Million Dollar Company is simple and clear, and the book is an easy read for a non-reader too. With the added wit and humour quotient, the author surely achieves what he intends to; that is to change the way we, as a society, look at first generation entrepreneurs in their initial troublesome years, always discouraging them and asking them to quit and settle for a “handsome paying and safe job”. The characters are interesting too with some side plots which lead nowhere and give the feeling that they have been added with the sole purpose of increasing the number of pages in the book.
I read somewhere that How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded a Million Dollar Company was written in a span of 8 days, while Varun was fighting the flu. Well for that reason and many others, it surely deserves a thumbs up. I would surely recommend it as a good and light read.