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A Wasted Death
Biography of a business baron from Kerala, India.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 23, 2026
A very poorly written book. Looks like the author is only using the book for rattling his complaints against many. What is the learning for the reader who has spent money and time on this book? Almost nothing.
Story of a man (Rajan Pillai) who is brought up in Kollam (Kerala) and rises to become the Chairman of Britannia Industries. There should be some good qualities for Rajan Pillai which should made him to grow to greater heights and also weakness that let his down fall. Knowing these will be a learning opportunity for the readers.
Even the so called conspiracies quoted in the book are half baked. There is nothing much from the book for the reader. If the author wants to make Rajan Pillai a memorable person in the world, he needs to rewrite this book with a professional writer who can present it much more researched, comprehensive and meaningful.
Story of a man (Rajan Pillai) who is brought up in Kollam (Kerala) and rises to become the Chairman of Britannia Industries. There should be some good qualities for Rajan Pillai which should made him to grow to greater heights and also weakness that let his down fall. Knowing these will be a learning opportunity for the readers.
Even the so called conspiracies quoted in the book are half baked. There is nothing much from the book for the reader. If the author wants to make Rajan Pillai a memorable person in the world, he needs to rewrite this book with a professional writer who can present it much more researched, comprehensive and meaningful.
June 29, 2012
Real stories involving high profile characters, their spiraling lives and then the meteoric fall are bound to be interesting. For if fiction with the same ingredients can make thrillers than there is no playground like 'reality' to get a taste of.
Thus, A Wasted Death seems engaging considering it is the true story of one such high flier- Rajan Pillai- who began his journey in a small town of Kollam in Kerala. His dreams were ambitious, his zest for them was feisty and his pace was ferocious. Thus he was soon jet setting around the world, setting up businesses all over and leading a high life until the curtains came down in a rather cruel manner.
This man- Rajan Pillai- which the book claims to be an extremely generous person with rich tastes and mega vision died in a dingy cell in India's Tihar Jail at the age of 47. The book highlights Rajan Pillai's journey from being hailed as a "Biscuit King" to being shunned as a "Fugitive Tycoon".
Now, the book is written by Rajmohan Pillai and it is evident that its purpose is to put across the Pillai's side of the story before the world. More than anything, the book is written by a younger brother (Rajmohan) for his elder brother and guide (Rajan) who died due to the negligence of the Government authorities.
The book presents Mr. Rajan Pillai as an extremely generous and innocent man who got booked for 29 charges of fraud by the Singaporean Government, who then escaped to India to avoid arrest and was abandoned by all his friends at high places for no apparent reason and who then died of "liver cirrhosis" in prison due to the negligence of the authorities.
To conclude, i must emphasize that the truth and the whole truth shall never see the light of the day when people at such high places are involved in a tragic saga. Each side will have their truth and that too shall never be complete. As such, had a complete outsider written this book, i may have been in a position to recommend it.
As of now the only thing that i can vouch for from the book is that had the medical facilities and accountability of the authorities NOT been so pathetic as it was in Tihar, may be Rajan Pillai's life- 'at least' could have been saved but about his crimes... the whole truth has gone away with him.
Thus, A Wasted Death seems engaging considering it is the true story of one such high flier- Rajan Pillai- who began his journey in a small town of Kollam in Kerala. His dreams were ambitious, his zest for them was feisty and his pace was ferocious. Thus he was soon jet setting around the world, setting up businesses all over and leading a high life until the curtains came down in a rather cruel manner.
This man- Rajan Pillai- which the book claims to be an extremely generous person with rich tastes and mega vision died in a dingy cell in India's Tihar Jail at the age of 47. The book highlights Rajan Pillai's journey from being hailed as a "Biscuit King" to being shunned as a "Fugitive Tycoon".
Now, the book is written by Rajmohan Pillai and it is evident that its purpose is to put across the Pillai's side of the story before the world. More than anything, the book is written by a younger brother (Rajmohan) for his elder brother and guide (Rajan) who died due to the negligence of the Government authorities.
The book presents Mr. Rajan Pillai as an extremely generous and innocent man who got booked for 29 charges of fraud by the Singaporean Government, who then escaped to India to avoid arrest and was abandoned by all his friends at high places for no apparent reason and who then died of "liver cirrhosis" in prison due to the negligence of the authorities.
To conclude, i must emphasize that the truth and the whole truth shall never see the light of the day when people at such high places are involved in a tragic saga. Each side will have their truth and that too shall never be complete. As such, had a complete outsider written this book, i may have been in a position to recommend it.
As of now the only thing that i can vouch for from the book is that had the medical facilities and accountability of the authorities NOT been so pathetic as it was in Tihar, may be Rajan Pillai's life- 'at least' could have been saved but about his crimes... the whole truth has gone away with him.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews