5 Questions with Varun Agarwal

Before I plunge into the interviews I make some time to research on the author, book, subject etc. Even though I knew some of the answers to Varun Agarwal's interview, when I received his reply  it was like a fresh read. It's the one reason you should pick up the book - simplicity ! 

How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-founded a Million Dollar Company is is the story of entrepreneurship in Young India. Of the courage, foolishness, and luck it takes to succeed. Surprising you with unexpected wisdom and flashes of brilliance

How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-Founded A Million Dollar Company

by 

Varun Agarwal

http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9788129119797

Price: Rs. 140/-

After 10% Discount: Rs. 126/-

1. What made you take the plunge into writing a book ?

   
   
   So I used to write a lot of blogs on my Facebook page about how we started our company Alma Mater. The way we started this company was nothing short of a Bollywood adventure. My blogs started getting very famous and I sent some of them to Rupa Publishers. So they loved the blogs and asked for a complete manuscript.
   That’s when the problem started. You see I had only written a few blogs until then and the most number of words I had ever jotted down was around 200-300. A manuscript needs 50,000- 60,000 words. So I was in real trouble.
   So I fell ill for a few days sometime last year and was totally bed-ridden I couldn’t work so I decided to give a shot at the manuscript. I was under some really crazy medicines which somehow kept me going. I was done exactly 8 days later with the finished manuscript (which I completely hated) with some 50,000 words. After making a few changes I sent it to Rupa and completely forgot   about it. A month later they sent me a mail saying I’m now an author.
   
   

2. I've been following your Facebook page on the book and have seen a few covers. Tell us a little more about how and why you zeroed in on this book cover?
   Well so I got this awesome artist Alicia Souza to do the cover first . But Rupa only uses in-house designs for the cover. So they got their in-house team to get in touch with me and I gave them a rough brief of what I wanted . Thats how the cover was finally done and I'm really happy the way it turned out.
   
   
3. Alma Mater has been chosen as one of the 25 most promising E-Commerce companies in India. How does it feel when you face a true 'Anu Aunty'?
   Not much has changed. Nobody gets this "E-Commerce" business. All the aunties think its a big scam. But I really dont care now.
   
   
4. You are also the Co-founder for Reticular and founder for Last Minute films. How do you find the time for all three companies ?
   Well everything is somehow related to one another. I was a filmmaker before anything, thats how Last Minute Films happened. And once I started marketing Alma Mater on FB I realised the power of social media and thats how Reticular started. Though I have little time to make films now I just about manage.
   
   
5. Lastly what should Anu Aunty expect to hear about you after this book ? 
   So she knows everything about the book and she's totally cool about it. I dont think anythings gonna impress her until I get my MBA and get a proper job :)

5 Questions with ArtbyAarohi

In keeping with our new theme of an interview every week here's an interview with Aarohi Singh. Aarohi, better known by her blog ArtbyAarohi, is a versatile artist in terms of mediums, forms, styles and ideas. She's full of life and exuberance. She also happens to be one of our favorite customers at Axis Books.  Happy Reading !

1.Tell us about initial years.

I have a post- grad degree in History from Hindu College, Delhi University. I am a History major by education, an Information Architect by profession and an artist by passion.

2. Your versatility in terms of mediums is unmatched. You have explored all kinds of mediums from oils to pastels to water colors and on different kinds of surfaces; pots, furniture, accessories, canvas etc. What happens you hit a technical road block with a certain type of paint on a particular medium ?

  

    Singh is king kettle                   Painting on wardrobe      Acrylics on canvas (10×12 in)    

I do a lot of experimentation on things. I remember the first time I painted on a kettle, I had not primed the surface. Big Mistake! Everything could be scratched off with a finger nail. So I actually scraped the whole thing off and started again.

Often times, I do a lot of reading online and through books to see what will work or not. I also tell people what the limitations are in various supports and materials. For example- ink, watercolor, sketch pen (no matter how good the quality) will fade over time if it is placed in direct sunlight or even in an area that receives a strong reflection of that harsh light. The same way, oils and acrylics will crack with time. There are of course ways and means to maintain the art that one buys. But that is a whole different topic 

3. What can your audience expect after the theyyam piece and the pooch collection ?

  

The Poonchh Collection is an ongoing project. I hope to have another exhibition to support the cause later this year. But, currently I am working on an ArtByAarohi line in my trademark style with which I hope to introduce newer 'products' that are derivative of my art. Along with the art itself of course.

4. The video of the theyyam piece displays a huge shelf of books. What are you reading presently?

Most of the books that are in that bookshelf pertain to art. Most of my learning has been through these books. I buy books which feature not just technical information but works of people whose style or color sense I admire. I find myself spending hours trying to break down that one thing that appeals to me in a work and why. On a lighter note, I am currently devouring a bunch of romantic novels  and listening to some great music. I am revisiting the music I heard growing up at home.

5. What is the one idea you are itching to explore as an artist ?

Ever since I did the Theyyam and Kathakali canvases, I am itching to do huge faces on canvas... really large. 

Here are a few books that will keep the inspiration going long after you read this blog

A Treatise On Painting

by : Leonardo Da Vinci , John Francis Rigaud

http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9780486441559

Price: Rs. 528.34 

After 10% Discount: Rs. 475/-

Decorating Furniture: Texture, Paint, Ornament And Mosaic Projects
by : Sheila Mcgraw

http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9781552976180

Price: Rs.700/-

After 10% Discount: Rs. 630/-

All About Techniques In Acrylics: An Indispensable Manual For Artists
by : Parramon's Editorial Team
http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9780764157103

Price: 1592.47/-

After 10% Discount: Rs.1433/-

Five Questions with Dhiraj Kumar (Author of The Asocial Networking)

Available at Axis Books OnlineClick here http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9789381115879 to buy. Before Discount: 195/-After 10% Discount: 175/-

1. How did you come up with the title?

The title was not very hard to think of . There is so much of social networking in everybody’s life that I thought of writing a book on social networking  itself. I tried my best to present a balanced picture of social networking, but somehow I felt that this business of social networking is tilted towards creating a user base and getting them hooked forever,  and milking their involvement with the network, without giving them any clue of what is happening. So my writing was perceived to be eschewed towards negative aspects of social networking. And thus I chose this title, asocial networking.

2. What is it about social networking that interests you the most ?

Social networking is an infinite platform that gives the users a high-feeling whenever they are involved with the network. And this tendency is effecting a great psychological  change in the day-to-day lives of the users. There will be more and more innovations in the way we network and internet is just the leading platform. It presents to us so much of possibility, that it becomes a very fascinating subject.

3. The chapter on FIPRA (Facebook International People Rating Agency) has received a lot of appreciation. Tell us more about the Idea?

With more and more people spending considerable amount of time on social platform, It is all but obvious that people would be judged on their online behavior. In fact, we have already seen recruiters going through the online footprint of the candidates before selecting them. so FIPRA is just a thought that could  become a possibility, when we would be required to reconcile our online behavior with the offline status.

4. Any intentions of starting a FIPRA styled company ?

I have not thought of this but I would like to work on a project of this nature that has the possibility of getting scaled up.

5. Any new projects in the pipeline ? 

I am working on my next book which is based  on quotes and oneliners.

Gladiator #1 : Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow

Available at Axis Books Online 

Click here 

http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9780141335100 to buy. 

Before Discount: 350/-

After 10% Discount: 315/-

It's Rome, 61 BC. Recruited as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior. But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father's old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free. Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape...

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Available at Axis Books Online 

Click here 

http://axisbooks.in/product.html?productKey=9781444757187 to buy. 

Before Discount: 350/-

After 10% Discount: 315/-

Calico Joe - John Grisham

Calico Joe is the new John Grisham book and is his 26th full-length novel. 

Calico Joe was released on April 10, 2012 and is yet another bestseller by John Grisham.

Calico Joe will initially be published in hardcover, large-print paperback, 

ebook and audio book formats.

Calico Joe Book Description:

John Grisham - Calico Joe is a stunning and poignant novel about sons and

their dads, the forgiveness and redemption that can be needed in these 

relationships, all set in the world of Major League Baseball.

It all started innocuously enough. The first baseman for the Cubs Minor League 

team pulled a hamstring while rounding third trying to score. The following day, 

the first baseman for the Cubs - Jim Hickman - hurt his back.

With two first basemen out injured, the Cubs urgently needed someone to replace 

them, so they called up Joe Castle from their AA club in Midland, Texas. Everyone 

was buzzing about Joe's talent and he'd become the hottest player in AA.

So in the summer of 1973, Joe Castle made an even bigger name for himself. He became the best rookie player Major League Baseball had ever seen. This boy from Calico Rock, Arkansas blew the Cubs fans away as he scored one home run after another, always tipping his hat politely at the fans, on the road to breaking every rookie batting record.

It didn't take long for Calico Joe to become the idol of every baseball fan in the US. This includes Paul Tracey - the son of the Mets pitcher who partied as hard as he threw. Warren Tracey eventually faced Calico Joe, with his son Paul watching in the stands. Paul was cheering for his Dad, but also rooting for everyone's new idol.

But then Warren threw a fastball that would change all their lives. Forever.

This new John Grisham book has thrilling baseball, but what makes Calico Joe a 

classic is what happens off the field.

You can buy Calico Joe by John Grisham now, so order it today!