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Breaking Barriers: Success Stories of India's Leading Business Women
Success Stories of Indias Leading Business Women Includes stories of: SHAHEEN MISTRI, VANDANA LUTHRA, RENUKA RAMNATH ZIA MODY, KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAW and others The stories of ordinary women who went on to become extraordinary BREAKING BARRIERS is a book chronicling the lives of some prominent Indian women entrepreneurs, who have followed their dreams and fulfilled their ambitions. They refused to succumb to the pressures and established norms that society insists on imposing on women. This book has been written to encourage girls and women (and indeed anyone who aspires to do anything out of the ordinary) to know that they are the sole arbiters of their lives. They have the Power.
- GenresNonfictionBusinessEbooks
212 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2012
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86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 27, 2016
I'm totally in favour of women empowerment, and the stories written in this book are of inspiring women from the corporate India. But, what disappointed me is that the book is loosely written; it seems that the writer was compelled to put the pieces together.
The bad part is that the writer has put on glasses of gender discrimination and written on those lines. She didn't take into account the fact that these are stories of women who established themselves in the period of early seventies to late eighties - the taboos of that era no more exist in the society today. The modern women is confident, competent, and as good as, or even better than the men.
The book is filled with lots of unnecessary details and cliches. It reads more like diary entries of the protagonists (She was born in 1955, had three brothers and sisters, went to local school, did engineering......).
It would have been a far better read if the writer would have tried to work on other common threads between the stories say dedication, hard-work, right mindset etc, rather than gender discrimination.
The bad part is that the writer has put on glasses of gender discrimination and written on those lines. She didn't take into account the fact that these are stories of women who established themselves in the period of early seventies to late eighties - the taboos of that era no more exist in the society today. The modern women is confident, competent, and as good as, or even better than the men.
The book is filled with lots of unnecessary details and cliches. It reads more like diary entries of the protagonists (She was born in 1955, had three brothers and sisters, went to local school, did engineering......).
It would have been a far better read if the writer would have tried to work on other common threads between the stories say dedication, hard-work, right mindset etc, rather than gender discrimination.
September 24, 2013
The Introduction started off with a lot questions about the gender bias the female gender in general faces about the ability to make choices. But the following chapters just told me stories of people. They were not even stories mostly career growth time-lines filled with corporate jargon. Why would anyone want to know of the marketing methodology or the drug situation in India when reading about corporate gender bias? I understand that certain details are necessary for the narrative, but that can't only be the content with the kind of questions asked in the Introduction.
It would have done some justice if the stories had any discussions and opinions and from the people featured rather than simple growth stories. The real issue which the book was supposed to tackle was just less than 10% of the content.
It would have done some justice if the stories had any discussions and opinions and from the people featured rather than simple growth stories. The real issue which the book was supposed to tackle was just less than 10% of the content.
July 13, 2024
Detailed review here https://www.anuradhagoyal.com/breakin...
February 2, 2013
By Janaki Krishnan. Grade B+
Breaking Barriers is a must read for aspiring entrepreneurs and an eye opener for those who consider women to be less efficient than men in terms of their working efficiency. A book not on poster girls of successful career women who have reached the top like Indra Nooyi or Chandra Kocchar, but a book which gives an altogether different perspective talking about women entrepreneurs who gave up their well-paying jobs to start from scratch and make it big.
Breaking Barriers by Janaki Krishnan
“Breaking Barriers is a book chronicling the lives of some prominent Indian women entrepreneurs, who have followed their dreams and fulfilled their ambitions. They refused to succumb to the pressures and established norms that society insists on imposing on women. This book has been written to encourage girls and women (and indeed anyone who aspires to do anything out of the ordinary) to know that they are the sole arbiters of their lives. They have the Power. "
Breaking Barriers is a compilation of 11 essays on various women entrepreneurs from diverse fields like e-commerce, education, biotechnology, real estate etc., which gives food for thought to a diverse audience. It is a quick read and keeps the reader involved throughout.
In the first few pages of the book, the emphasis is on the paradigm shift required in the mental setup of the society towards working women which will ensure level playing field for such women. The misrepresentation of women in the total workforce and their skewed numbers at different levels of organisational hierarchy have been largely attributed to lack of adequate choices with women. Their decisions are often influenced by tradition, convention, society, husband, family and co-workers which leaves them with little flexibility in decision making.
All the essays have been narrated vividly and engross the reader well. As the book progresses it gets better and you don’t feel like putting it down. There is a perfect equilibrium in use of first person and third person, which creates a riveting impact. The language used is regular and each story is explained artistically in few words making this book a quick read without signs of boredom.
---
While the book succeeded to attain my every bit of attention right from the beginning, I reached a no-go zone when 16 crucial pages were missing from my review copy! This played as a spoilsport and I bit back a curse. Putting that bit of annoyance aside, there is no doubt the book was a treat to read. However, I find that I could not agree with the selection of start ups by the author and would have preferred to read about more prominent ones. The lack of financials and facts made it harder to judge their successful ventures. Dearth of in-depth information on start-ups left some of my questions unanswered and curiosity unsettled. Ms. Krishnan accredits hard work and determination of the women entrepreneurs for their success without stating any substantial facts about the same. The argument presented for their success appears vague and of an utopian world which makes some of the success stories sound overrated. In a few stories, Ms. Krishnan also fails to add freshness and reproduces the content as stated by the entrepreneur, which gives a dull reading experience.
The essay on Kalpana Saroj gives an impeccable ending to this book. The story of Kalpana Saroj, a dalit entrepreneur who revived Kamani Tubes Ltd, sinks your heart in despair in the beginning but later it teaches a hard lesson which acts as an eye opener.
“Kalpana’s story reads like a fairy tale with all the ingredients of a rags-to-riches fable – but the fabric of the fairy tale has been woven, not with magic wands, fairy godmothers or bottled genies, but with hard grit, determination and unremitting toil against extreme adversity. “
To sum up, I'd say that no matter how emancipated an Indian woman is today, this book provides the right lessons to the society and remarkable motivation to the women entrepreneurs. It is a must read for all and especially for those who take women lightly when it comes to work.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
Breaking Barriers is a must read for aspiring entrepreneurs and an eye opener for those who consider women to be less efficient than men in terms of their working efficiency. A book not on poster girls of successful career women who have reached the top like Indra Nooyi or Chandra Kocchar, but a book which gives an altogether different perspective talking about women entrepreneurs who gave up their well-paying jobs to start from scratch and make it big.
Breaking Barriers by Janaki Krishnan
“Breaking Barriers is a book chronicling the lives of some prominent Indian women entrepreneurs, who have followed their dreams and fulfilled their ambitions. They refused to succumb to the pressures and established norms that society insists on imposing on women. This book has been written to encourage girls and women (and indeed anyone who aspires to do anything out of the ordinary) to know that they are the sole arbiters of their lives. They have the Power. "
Breaking Barriers is a compilation of 11 essays on various women entrepreneurs from diverse fields like e-commerce, education, biotechnology, real estate etc., which gives food for thought to a diverse audience. It is a quick read and keeps the reader involved throughout.
In the first few pages of the book, the emphasis is on the paradigm shift required in the mental setup of the society towards working women which will ensure level playing field for such women. The misrepresentation of women in the total workforce and their skewed numbers at different levels of organisational hierarchy have been largely attributed to lack of adequate choices with women. Their decisions are often influenced by tradition, convention, society, husband, family and co-workers which leaves them with little flexibility in decision making.
All the essays have been narrated vividly and engross the reader well. As the book progresses it gets better and you don’t feel like putting it down. There is a perfect equilibrium in use of first person and third person, which creates a riveting impact. The language used is regular and each story is explained artistically in few words making this book a quick read without signs of boredom.
---
While the book succeeded to attain my every bit of attention right from the beginning, I reached a no-go zone when 16 crucial pages were missing from my review copy! This played as a spoilsport and I bit back a curse. Putting that bit of annoyance aside, there is no doubt the book was a treat to read. However, I find that I could not agree with the selection of start ups by the author and would have preferred to read about more prominent ones. The lack of financials and facts made it harder to judge their successful ventures. Dearth of in-depth information on start-ups left some of my questions unanswered and curiosity unsettled. Ms. Krishnan accredits hard work and determination of the women entrepreneurs for their success without stating any substantial facts about the same. The argument presented for their success appears vague and of an utopian world which makes some of the success stories sound overrated. In a few stories, Ms. Krishnan also fails to add freshness and reproduces the content as stated by the entrepreneur, which gives a dull reading experience.
The essay on Kalpana Saroj gives an impeccable ending to this book. The story of Kalpana Saroj, a dalit entrepreneur who revived Kamani Tubes Ltd, sinks your heart in despair in the beginning but later it teaches a hard lesson which acts as an eye opener.
“Kalpana’s story reads like a fairy tale with all the ingredients of a rags-to-riches fable – but the fabric of the fairy tale has been woven, not with magic wands, fairy godmothers or bottled genies, but with hard grit, determination and unremitting toil against extreme adversity. “
To sum up, I'd say that no matter how emancipated an Indian woman is today, this book provides the right lessons to the society and remarkable motivation to the women entrepreneurs. It is a must read for all and especially for those who take women lightly when it comes to work.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
December 22, 2012
Breaking Barriers is a must read for aspiring entrepreneurs and an eye opener for those who consider women to be less efficient than men in terms of their working efficiency. A book not on poster girls of successful career women who have reached the top like Indra Nooyi or Chandra Kocchar, but a book which gives an altogether different perspective talking about women entrepreneurs who gave up their well-paying jobs to start from scratch and make it big.
You can read the complete review by me on vaultofbooks.com by visiting http://vaultofbooks.com/bplus/review-breaking-barriers
You can read the complete review by me on vaultofbooks.com by visiting http://vaultofbooks.com/bplus/review-breaking-barriers
June 29, 2013
Nice collection of biographies of women entrepreneurs from India. Even if we remove the gender related problems and bias these women faced, their stories are an inspiring read for any aspiring entrepreneur.
I was surprised to learn that some of these women are founders of well known organizations like VLCC and Teach for India.
I was surprised to learn that some of these women are founders of well known organizations like VLCC and Teach for India.
July 14, 2013
A great motivator for women who wonder "why me". Takes you through journey of one the best business women coming out of all the turmoils, struggle, abuse and situation and yet reaching where they want to. This will make you think that if they could, why not you?
December 5, 2012
Its about successful women in various areas. Its general account of women and their achievements. Some how this book is a quick read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews