Book Review: How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded A Million Dollar Company

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

Author: Varun Agarwal

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Pages: 249

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review: ‘How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-Founded A Million Dollar Company’ penned by the young Varun Agarwal is a true story based on the author’s life. As the title aptly suggests, the book is the saga of the author’s journey from a nobody to a highly successful entrepreneur. However, it would be absolutely wrong to assume that it is a didactic story that preaches about business ideologies or tries to philosophize corporate houses. No, on the contrary, it is very light & easy-to-read book written in simple, pellucid language and presented in a witty and engaging way.

Set in contemporary times, the book has every ingredient which would make a reader hooked. If you have gorged over books by Chetan Bhagat and Ravinder Singh, then this book is tailored for you. Laced with humor and exhibited with an unputdownable quality, the book does take you along through its pages into the life of our protagonist Varun.

Varun happens to be a 22-year old guy with basically no ‘Lakshya’ in his life as he spends most of his day sleeping and most of his night hanging out with his friends. It is not that he is irresponsible. It’s just that he doesn’t feel drawn towards the 9-5 job of a corporate slave. He wishes to live life on his own terms and comes up with a seemingly brilliant idea which, if nurtured properly, may bloom into a lucrative company. 

However, there is one thorn which blocks his path. It is ‘Anu Aunty’, his mother’s best friend and the queen of the kitty party gang. She is the perfect epitome of countless middle-aged Indian women who make their children (and their best friends’ children) lead an idealistic life burdening them with books and responsibilities and without giving them any window to vent their inner desires or to try doing something different.

While on one hand, Varun’s mother tries to fix a job for her son (of course, with the help of the nosey Anu Aunty), Varun goes ahead with his ambitious plan alongwith his best friend Rohn Mal. The two lads have to face a lot of hurdles initially but they eventually surmount them all out of their passion and zeal to set up a million-dollar company.

The way the author has recounted his journey is not just hilarious but also quite informative. There are some practical points which the readers will find immensely handy if and when they wish to start some venture of their own. The book is also inspiring to some extent and bears testimony to the fact that ‘where there is a will, there is a way’.

There are a few other characters sprinkled throughout the pages. Be it the tear-shedding mother or the ‘dangerous Sid (Varun’s friend) or our protagonist’s long-time crush Devika or the ‘autowallahs of Bangalore- every character has been sketched out brilliantly and fits into the story effortlessly.

At 249 pages, the book is short and can be finished in just a couple of days. There are lots of f-words as well (exactly what the Young India reads) and so the readers will associate with all characters very easily.

Overall, the book makes for a pleasant read and has a potential to be made into a ‘masala’ Bollywood film.

Tip-Off: You may not like this book if Chetan Bhagat-type books are not your preferred genre.

[This review has been penned in association with MySmartPrice/Books, the best place to find out the lowest prices of books, mobiles and a whole lot of mercantile products.]