September 10, 2006
Hours of scribbling away furiously for those terrible term papers. Some endearing moments — playing guitar in starlit nights, lazy sessions for rum and debate at the local dhaba, singing Bob Dylan numbers, eyeing pretty girls….
July 31, 2006
The typical setting for India’s new-age fiction is the college campus. And all elements of college life — hostel humour, bad food, nicknames — are woven into the story. “Readers write to me saying they can completely relate to my book,” says Abhijit Bhaduri, whose book Mediocre But Arrogant — is set in a B-school campus. Bhaduri is clear that he is no Dickens in the making. “My book is written in class notes style. I write like I speak,” he says.Readers, for one, are not complaining. Bhaduri claims his debut novel sold 40,000 copies in one year — which qualifies the book to be a bestseller. He is already working on the second part of a planned trilogy. “In part two, my protagonist works in the corporate sector,” says Bhaduri, human resource director at Pepsico.
June 24, 2006
My first impression after reading the initial 10 pages of the book was that like Shobhaa De's (referring to her comment about this book), this one took me back to my college days. For starters, I haven't heard the word "super-senior" in a long time. And it’s been a while since I heard the many slang words and all the very believable nicknames that Abhijit makes liberal use of in his book. It brought the college canteen/hostel back to life in my mind.
May 5, 2006
The Boys Hostel in the neighbouring block reminded me of the army barracks built to keep everyone alert and on their toes. “If you do not feel comfortable and relaxed you will learn to be a fighter. Luxury will dull your desire to excel.” That was what my father said every time I desired but was denied something that was even remotely classified as a luxury. MIJ operated on the same philosophy.
March 19, 2006
The Deccan Herald's list of Bestsellers dated 5th March 2006 features once again Mediocre But Arrogant as a Bestseller - but under the Non Fiction category ... along with other pieces of "non fiction" such as...
February 20, 2006
A recent novel, titled Mediocre But Arrogant on the making of an Indian MBA, has a lass scribbling a message to a lad during an OB (Organisational Behaviour) class that “Go on like this and you’ll get a D.” To which the response is “I’d rather have an F from you.”
February 18, 2006
Q. What inspired the storyline of your book ‘Mediocre But Arrogant’?
A. Mediocre But Arrogant is story about love and life in a Business School. It is a story about college life, about good times with friends, about falling in love and about growing up. The protagonist Abbey is an unambitious and directionless person who lands up in the highly competitive and fictitious Management Institute of Jamshedpur. The story is about how the two years there change him and his relationships. The story is not autobiographical. The characters are fictional. But they are real and will prompt every reader to say, “I knew someone EXACTLY like this character.”
December 17, 2005
December 1, 2005
"... I think Abbey should find someone whom he really really loves ... neither of the three ladies have the real thing in them ... Priya does love him unconditionally but love should be reciprocated... it shouldn't be a compromise...abt Ayesha , well she was never serious about it , she is out of question...and Keya , well her character isnt too well described. she is one of those mysterious chracters , i feel so...but u r the author so i guess u will figure it out :-)"