On the Open Road: Three Lives. Five Cities. One Startup.

by Stuti Changle

Alternate cover edition for B0778V79L6

Myra wishes to break free of her cubicle.
Kabir wonders what life would be to build on his own.
Sandy drops out of college to work on the next big startup idea.
Ramy inspires millions of his generation on his travel blog - On the Open Road.

On the Open Road - Three Lives. Five Cities. One Startup, revolves around the lives of these restless and dreamy 20-somethings as they battle their inner demons and the societal taboos to live life on their terms. It is an emotional journey of following one’s heart. The journey entails undying friendship, love and loss, happiness and depression, fear and conquest, dreaming and achieving.

Will they be able to embark on the hard yet empowering journey to startup a company? Or succumb to the hardships on their road to freedom?

Genres: Fiction

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2017

About the author

Stuti Changle is a national bestselling author and speaker whose words have inspired an entire generation of readers to chase their dreams. Leaving behind a corporate career, she set out on a journey to share life-changing stories with the world, one book at a time. Over 200,000 copies of her books have found their way into readers' hands, touching more than a million lives and making her a voice of hope, adventure, and self-discovery.

She is the author of You Only Live Once, On the Open Road, Where the Sun Never Sets, Make a Move Boxset, Lost & Found and Stars Will Guide You Home. Her book You Only Live Once continues to resonate deeply with readers, and has earned a place in The Economic Times’ ‘11 Best Books to Shape Your Thinking as Your Ideal Self’ in 2023, alongside other modern classics.

Stuti has been a sought-after speaker at leading corporate houses and esteemed educational institutions like IIT, IIM, ISM, SRCC and The Shri Ram School, where she inspires young minds to dream fearlessly and embrace life to the fullest.

Her work has garnered widespread recognition in major media outlets, including The Economic Times, Live Mint, India Today, Zee News, Dainik Bhaskar, Deccan Chronicle, New Indian Express, YourStory, Deccan Herald, Harper’s Bazaar, Scroll, Business Standard, Entrepreneur, She The People, Sheroes, and ET Edge, and also featured in prominent book festivals across the country.

Stuti’s hometown is Indore, but now, home for her is New Delhi, where she lives with her husband Kushal Nahata and their daughter Avyana. A traveler and seeker at heart, she values experiences over possessions. Wandering through sunlit streets, bustling cafés, and quiet corners of the world, she finds stories waiting to be told.

When she’s not writing, Stuti’s either immersing herself in nature or losing herself in creativity; reading a book, strumming her ukulele, dancing her heart out, running uphill, cruising down the highway or swimming in the sea. She finds joy in life’s simple pleasures like skygazing, gardening, painting, creating and decorating. She could dance all day long; for her, dance isn’t just movement; it’s pure freedom, a celebration of life itself.

Stuti loves to talk to her readers. Connect with her:

Instagram: @stutichangle
YouTube: @StutiChangle
Facebook: stutichangle1
Linkedin: @stutichangle
Threads: @stutichangle
X (Twitter): stutichangle

For updates about meetups, book signings, storytelling workshops, speaking engagements and exclusive content, subscribe to her website or simply DM on Instagram.

Join Stuti’s newly launched IG channel “SC Family” to catch up with fellow readers!

Reviews

[Sadaf sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book by an Indian author which is refreshingly about self love , entrepreneurship and passion . The language is soothing and action is swift and fast . The narration changes between the major characters . This mode of narration acts as means to keep the readers glued by giving insights of the working of the character's mind , the struggles and joys.The characters are down to earth and relatable .
Overall a good and inspiring book about start up and dreams .

[Bandita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Myra, Kabir, and Sandy. All of them are unhappy with their 9 to 5 corporate jobs and are fed up. They want to start their own venture and be entrepreneurs. And so, they leave their jobs behind and starts to travel.

Myra and the boys don’t know each other at the start of the book, they meet while they’re traveling. They soon team up and come up with their ideas of starting their own venture.

This was an adventurous story about three young people exploring themselves and following their dreams. I liked the premise of following your dreams more than the execution. This is a short book and we don’t get to see much of their journey towards starting this venture. It was very brief and they found success fairly quick. I’d have liked to see more of their struggles because in reality starting your own venture is not this straightforward as was shown in this book.

I appreciate the fact that this book tried to be courageous and uplifting. This story tried to tell us to follow our dreams, but I wish there was more depth to the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this book and I’d definitely recommend this book if you love traveling and want something uplifting to read.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was more complicated than my mathematics syllabus xD



Anyways,

“3 lives,
5 cities,
1 startup.”



This book was a delightful read, slow yet intriguing.
There were two POV’s all together.



Our three protagonists,

Myra – A software engineer wanting to start her own startup and break free from her cubicle.

Kabir – A shrewd business man. CEO of his father’s huge company, who wishes to live his life like an adventure and have a brand name of his own.

Sandy – Kabir’s childhood friend and partner in crime. A part-time app developer (more like a hobby) Both wish to have a startup of their own.

All three of them have one thing in common, they have big dreams and want to break free from their normal, regular routine into something completely different and, along with many other entrepreneurs form a new and better India.

The struggles of finding a mentor then an investor and then some good clients was a big task and not many have that patience to keep looking, to keep searching and not give up just like that.

All three of them had met at a trek which Myra was heading to start her new life after leaving Mumbai in search of ideas.

On the other hand, Kabir left his wealth and fled Delhi with Sandy and ended up in the same camp as Myra which led all three of them to form a partnership.
From the huge terrain of Himachal Pradesh (where the camp was) started a partnership of three young and bright people with big ideas.


Now this book didn’t just show us the “business” but also showed the reader as to how the trio had to face many hardships individually.

Myra’s roommate, parents and fiancé were straight up disappointed by her ideas, while her colleague-cum-friend who had helped her to stand up and start a partnership with her, had died at the last moment.


Kabir’s girlfriend (who, as a matter of fact was with him just because he had that richness she was seeking) and uncle were also against his idea to start a start-up thinking that it was useless for a man, who was born with all the luxuries in the world would give them all up for a mere childish idea.


Sandy, he had left his hometown, Indore and had many disappointing results with his apps and wasn’t ready to take more risks.


There was also the cute romance between Myra and Kabir who had started building feelings for each-other. Oh god! They looked so cute together!
The side-characters were beautifully portrayed and had a huge impact on the story.



The ending was a bit predictable and I had already expected a crisp speech at the end which was delivered by Myra.

Kudos to the author for letting each and every character shine~!

Overall, this was a beautifully written novel, which did took a lot of time to understand. But still, the time spent was worth it and I am so delighted to have picked this book!




Final Rating – 4.5/5
Recommended.

[Adeena Syed · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I am thinking after reading this book is to hit the open road. This doesn’t mean that the book is all about the travel and fun, no, it is more about courage, giving up stupidity, fighting for dreams, knowing yourself better and have loads and loads of quotes. I’ll call it a inspirational and quote book supported by a story.
I’d like to write this review in points. And things I won’t put in points will go in simple paragraphs after the points. So here we go.
The things I liked/loved about the book:
The writing was my most favourite of all the things of the book. I loved how the author, even with keeping the story fast made it interesting and holding me to the very core.
The characters were strong and each have their own specific characteristic which bound them together beautifully in their work and upcoming events. This was the trio I dream to be part of.
The quotes that author have put in the book are so full of reality and inspiration that I can’t help highlighting them and making my book look like my college textbooks.
The blog, on the open road was actually made reality into the book and the posts convinced me the feeling of the characters towards it. Because I have seen books mentioning the specific thing (fiction) and unable to make it real in the book or if they have made it in the book, the author fails to make it convincing. But here, the blog totally became my favourite and I wished that Ramy was real.
Things I did not liked about the book:
The pace of the book was so fast that it sometimes missed the details of the characters. Also sometimes missed to create the scene the story was unfolding into and also skip the regular lines like: she traveled down the café, the expressions, the gestures which made easy for a reader to create a scene in head.
The author skipped the travelling part most of the part which was hated by the nature and journey lover inside me. The author did not create the scenes of the journey and skipped for two months to bring the character directly to the point where the story was more important.
So that was my liking and not liking part. Others things that I want for the book to say is: the writing way, the charters and conversation reminded me the style of Paolo Coelho whose characters are deep and strangers plays a big part.
On the Open Road by Stuti Changle have became my new favourite among the Indian writings.

[Vidhya Thakkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

check @ http://www.vidhyathakkar.com/bookrevi...
On the open road, is a story of Myra, Kabir and Sandy. Each one of them has their own struggles, their own reasons, but have a common dream, to have their own start-up. Myra- a developer, Kabir- Who runs his family Business, Sandy- who leaves college to work on his startup creating Apps, which isn’t successful. Will they step out of their comfort zone? will their dream of a startup come true? And there’s Ramy- who inspires millions from his blog, but no one has seen him, who is he? There’s lot more to know.

First of all, I love the title and the cover. It’s super attractive. The plot of the story is amazing, I loved how it has so many twists and turns. The narration of the story is Crisp and smooth. I loved how the author narrated everyone’s struggle in a wonderful way. The way the author projected the situation, mindset of youth, thinking of families and social culture is commendable. She wonderfully narrated the battles, the social taboos. How women entrepreneurs are not encouraged, how startup ideas are rejected, how the struggle is. The language used by the author is fresh and simple. The author has narrated the reality, that is something I loved the most. The pace of the book is little slow, but then it’s worth. The way all three met, the way they portrayed their idea is amazing.

Also also, the author wonderfully appraise the power of Social Media. The flow of the book is smooth. one can easily connect with the story from the very first page. The characters that the author developed were amazing. I loved Mr Kashyap’s character the most. Well, each and every character had their own way of thinking, their own mindset, and the author portrayed it in a strong and beautiful way. The story as it proceeds becomes Interesting, and the end is something unexpected, something we cannot think of when it came to who is Ramy. There are various themes that you’ll notice. Love, heartbreak, friendship, depression, fear, ego, Suspense and lot more.

Well, it’s the most inspirational read in form of fiction. There are so many inspiring lines, phrases which I loved. Overall, Its a wonderful book with a strong plot, crisp narration, simple language and amazing characters.

[Ramesh Thampi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel from a new young writer, who knows all the tricks and terms to keep youngsters glued to the book. This is what modern fiction writing in India is going to be like, and thankfully it's not a love story, but a story of self-discovery and entrepreneurship. And travel. And blogging. And finding your true purpose. Or fighting to realize the same.
And soon, this will be made into a Bollywood movie, for the ingredients are all right there. If not, a web series, perhaps.
This book should be a hit among the techies, and as per the Amazon Kindle statistics, it's already a bestseller within a few days.

[Pankaj Giri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have known Stuti ever since she was a fellow participant in the Amazon Pen to Publish Contest 2017 and won a notable mention at the end. I have seen her progress over the past two years—her book became a bestseller, she got nominated for awards and invited to several big events—and it has been nothing short of outstanding. I had been thinking of reading her book for a long time, but I finally got a chance only a few weeks ago.

The story starts off well as we are introduced to the protagonists, Myra and Kabir, who want to try something new other than their current jobs. I belong to the category of people who don't like to take too many risks and are happy with stable jobs, so perhaps I could not identify myself with the protagonists' desperation to risk everything and start anew, but I'm sure that aspiring entrepreneurs will be able to relate to them.

However, I was invested in the characters and wanted to know what happens next. From Stuti's Instagram posts, I know she loves traveling and that aspect is reflected in the protagonists' journey through picturesque locations in the quest for a feasible startup idea. I loved the descriptions of the ambiance and the locations; it was poetic and vivid, which shows the class of the author and makes it different and much better from the bland commercial fiction books that rule the market. I also found the quotes, especially the ones appearing at the beginning of each chapter, to be quite inspiring.

Stuti has portrayed the struggles of the protagonists well, and I could feel their frustration and anxiety as the journey progressed. The ending was the icing on the cake, with a revelation that totally took me by surprise. The characterization is good, but the characters could have been better fleshed out, especially with some more details of their family background and their past.

The language is excellent. Stuti certainly has a way with words, and I loved how she plays with nouns and verbs to create stylish, beautiful sentences. The only flaw in the writing, I felt, was the punctuation errors, especially the punctuation of action tags in dialogue (they were incorrect most of the time). I would advise her to work on it.

However, overall, I liked this book. Armed with her raw talent and the success of her debut book, I'm sure she is destined to even greater things in the future. 4 stars and best wishes from my side.

[Astha Vyas · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We are born several times in a lifetime. Mostly in darkness. Sometimes, we’re lost for days before we can spot the light.”

Like any other Millennial, I too always wanted to start something of my own; something that I would strongly associate with. Did I? Yes, and I am moderately proud of it; there is indeed a long open road ahead.

This book addresses the very question which our generation hates and loves at the same time; whether to leave the secure job and start your own? It is not easy and never will be, there is so much at stake and yet nothing at hand.

"Somewhere between the right and the wrong, the past and the future, there lies a now. Dont let it go. For now often leads to a new road!"

Stuti Changle has woven this dilemma with a quest of finding oneself through travelling, in a story of three people- Myra (who wishes to break free of her cubicle), Kabir (who often wonders how life would be to build on his own) and Sandy (who drops out of college to work on various start up ideas).

These three characters start their journey with individual stories having a common thread, a blog- On the open road. Ramy, who writes the blog has been a constant source of inspiration to Myra and Kabir. The stories start to converge when they decide to leave everything and travel. They meet on a trek somewhere in Himachal and decide to go on a soul searching mission. Will they find a Start up idea? Will they be able to get the funding? Will they be the next big thing?

The story unfolds and takes a shape when Myra, Kabir and Sandy unleash their inner hippie to find a vision, they all can be together a part of. Silence of the mountains can be a real mind opener, which they learn throughout the journey. Aren't entrepreneurs, hippie? Free spirited, non conformist and full of unconventional ideas.

"We belong to a generation full of broken hearts and wandering souls, just blank from the inside, in a constant search for ourselves, looking for something we don't know yet, in the empty spaces of life. It is not that we can't do great things, but we're raised to believe - we can't!"

The book also provides a gritty take on the difficulties of pitching the product and getting the funding. It's not always rosy; on a second thought, it's almost never rosy. The countless pitches, rejections and drying up resources makes the larger picture, a little blurred and far fetched. The people who succeed are those who keep at it and survive the trauma.

Over all, the book connects; it follows a truer path and hence makes you wonder of your own professional choices. The last 20-30 pages came as a surprise and a pleasant one. The twist was well thought of, though I would have liked a little more narration on it (for a reader like me, it's never enough).

"When you work on what you love; it acts like meditation. If each one of us does what we love and pour our heart and soul into it, we would not have to meditate elsewhere at any point in time."

Book Information

Pages: 182

Language: English

Genre: Fiction

My Rating: 3.5/5

[Ankur Shrimali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational and Driven!

I came across the LinkedIn post of the author few days ago and started reading about her. I was mesmerized by the intro of the author and when I congratulated her on it, she recommended me to read this book. It took me 1 week to complete the book but boy! It has been such a wonderful and delightful treat! I have taken so many quotes from this book. It is an open testament to all the young and budding entrepreneurs of India who wish to make it large in their life. It is for all those who dream to do something in their life but are stuck to mundane corporate jungles. It is for those young female entrepreneurs to feel inspired and encouraged to achieve what they wish to. It is for every single indian who is young at heart and passionate about life!

[muku · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about three poeple Myra, Sandy & Kabir who meet on a trek, having one thing in common, their dream of a startup. Three people stepping out of their comfort zones, taking some risks & achieving their dream.
The book has been divided into several chapters & are mostly written from Myra's & Kabir's point of view. There are various other characters too, differing from each other & depicting their own little stories. The characters have been well defined by the author & the character development of Myra is written very well. The book ends up inspiring you to do great things in life, mostly to achieve your dreams.

The author has depicted some real problems that youth of our generation undergo when it comes to doing something unique from the crowd. A simple realistic story something you could relate to. Also it inspires the youth to follow their dreams as there's nothing we can't achieve.

This book will definitely inspire you to do something great & awesome.

[Dhara Rajput · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Impending Doom

“Always remember, entrepreneurship is not a profession. It is an attitude! You may never start up a company but don’t ever let the entrepreneur in you die!”
This is a line which sums it up for me. Though spoken in the first chapter of the book, this carries the ultimate spirit which the author is trying to breathe into us through this small but inspirational book.
“On the open road” is a story of finding one’s passion, amidst the monotonous society where everyone is thrust into an unsatisfactory job, and working towards achieving those goals. It is about the journey of Myra, Kabir, and Sandy, ordinary people who are looking to start their own business.
This beautifully written book is filled to the brim with raw emotions. Every character is going through their struggles and hardships to prove to their worth to the society. Myra, a brave soul, scared at first lets go of all her inhibitions after facing a great tragedy. Kabir struck in his comfortable life is jolted awake into action. Sandy a scattered soul with talent gets streamlined into action. Remy the breath of fresh air in every few chapters is a traveller in a land of tourists. All the characters were relatable and people whom we come across in our everyday life, which makes this story so motivating because it urges all of us to act like the heroes in this book and achieve all the dreams we aspire to. The author does not shy away from the struggles and failures of entrepreneurship but wears them as a medal of honour on her chest. The ending was a twist I never saw coming. It just brought the whole book together.
The description of all the various cities and stops are picturesque. The book almost makes you to pack up a bag and go on a solo adventure to find yourself in the lap of Himalayas.
Keeping aside everything positive, this book still needed a better editing and a thorough stream of thought. At places it seemed as if the author is trying to fit too many life lessons in one chapter. The supporting characters who guide the story in the right direction seem too abrupt and out of a blue. The love story which the author introduced seemed unnecessary and forced. The chapters of one character is no different from another, the flow of thought for different characters seems to be the same.
The biggest achievement here is that this story fulfils its purpose since it will propel you to pursue your dreams without the fear of failing out, because failing out is unavoidable but so is success if you keep up your perseverance.
Some lines which affected me –
“Just like in flight, there are three types of people in the world.
The aisle-seat passengers are too content to try something new. The middle-seat passengers are in a constant struggle with the self as they want to break free, but something holds them back. The window-seat passengers take risks and follow their hearts as all that keeps them moving is the view of the infinite.”
“Once you’ve fallen into the EMI trap, not much can be done.”
“Somewhere between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’, the past and the future, there lies a ‘now’. Don’t let it go. For ‘now’ often leads to a new road!”
“You’re liberated the very day you stop being dependent on anyone but yourself.”
“Never judge someone by who they are today, but who they can become tomorrow.”

[Pavan Daxini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing amazing book.

Very inspiring read. Especially for an entrepreneur like me there is so much to connect with. Buy this book.
Go for it.

[RITU MAHESHWARI · Rating 2 out of 5]

On The Open Road is the story of three young individuals who want to leave their mark in the startup world. They are desperate to leave the comforts of their secure jobs and tredge on the path of unknown road ready to endure all the sufferings and rejection that comes in the way.


All sound so good and passionate. But somehow this passion of the characters fails to reach to my heart. More than about the startup, I felt the characters were passionate about traveling and startup is just an excuse to run away from challenges and frustration of the present profession.


The plotting was weak. The book is about startup and startup ideas finds no mention in the story. The characters doesn’t come up with a single startup idea to impress the readers, to feel excited about and look forward to what become of their idea.


The author has added unnecessary melodrama in the story to show how frustrated both the characters were in their present profession, haywire going gyaan half of which doesn't make any sense, spineless investors and intimate scenes. If all this was not enough she further added a psychological element to the story.


In spite of all these spices the story was still bland.

I think I manage to read the whole book because the author has a decent writing style and it was a short book.

[Deepika Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY SUMMARY:

Myra, IT professional, was working for an MNC in Mumbai. She was getting good opportunity but still she wasn’t happy with her job. She felt that she wasn’t meant for working an an employee. She meant for hiring employees. Failing what her heart wanted her to do, what she love to do lead her into severe depression.

Living a similar life but different in its own way, Kabir from New Delhi, had his parent’s old money and was working as CEO of a company. He had all fortunes and love life. But he wanted to figure what it would feel to start everything from scratch. He wanted to build everything by himself from zero. But the pressure of family and society didn’t allowed him to do what he wanted, eventually left him feeling incomplete.

Sandy, childhood friend of Kabir, has all sort of start up ideas. He used to bunk college to make different mobile applications. But they weren’t big enough that they could storm the world. He was still searching for that brain storming idea and its execution all by himself.

Apart from this, there was one thing common in all of them. They all follow a travel and motivational blogger, Ramy and take inspiration from his writing.

Taking inspiration from Ramy, they all landed together.

How their meeting will turn up? Will they able to change their current situations? Will they fight for their dreams? or end up empathizing each other?

Get your hands on this book and find out. 

 

MY REVIEW:

This book talks about entrepreneurship and its true meaning in our daily life. It says entrepreneurship doesn’t mean to start with your business and make it successful. No! It says we must be an entrepreneur in whatever we do. We must not let that entrepreneur hidden inside all of us die.

We all have a creative and innovative start up idea deep in our minds. Through this book, author has tried to give us motivation and strength to pursue that idea.

Every chapter has started with a motivational quote and that quote has been justified in that chapter. So I didn’t feel like that quote is just a saying. Chapter made me to understand it completely.

Apart from beginning quotes, this book is full of other motivational lines that one can totally relate to. They showed me the reality of our lives.

Not just inspiring, this book has one suspense part and that part was enough to give me goosebumps (You will have to read the book for that).

This book also showed the productive use of social medias and internet.

Discussion about start up ideas is awesomely written.

Language is simple but for few words, I had to pick up my dictionary (Helpful for vocabulary)

Overall, my best read of 2018 till yet.

[rukaiyareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very rare books that makes you want to keep reading and reading and On the open road is one of them. OTOR is a book about 3 people who are on their quest to become entrepreneurs. This books tells the story of Myra, Kabir and Sandy who struggle to break free from the demons of the society to startup a business on their own. Among these three people it was Kabir's story that I have loved the most. Even though having everything thing in his life he is was still not satisfied with his life. Myra on the other hand is really an inspiration to us as she is being shown soo strong as a woman who want to become a successful entrepreneur in our today's society. Sandy is the one which we all need in our lives that one calm friend in the crisis and being a motivation. This book given and insight to the lives of people who wish to make a difference in the world by doing something that they love to do. It talks about how strangers have more faith in ourselves than our own close people and relatives in our lives. OTOR is a book that can inspire young entrepreneurs to BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES.OTOR has really inspired me to hit the open road atlest one's in my life and I guess everyone should too. If we want we can be the biggest motivation to ourselves and
I really loved and enjoyed reading this book by Stuti Changle. This book is of 200 pages but really teaches us to believe in ourselves and that we all have a positive Ramy within us.This book is really written in a very beautiful manner and its a WORTH TO READ IT.
My Ratings - 5/5 🌟
Favorite quote - "When you look into the mirror, you should know that you're born to reach for the stars".

[Bhagyashree Sain · Rating 5 out of 5]

"#OTOR book by a young writer" ......this line itself  inspiration for me n all d youngsters.
 Young talent by her wonderful  story telling &writing  skilllls , inspired many lives......this is an  inspiration  for all d youngsters to fulfil  their dreams& creat a magnificent  impact  on society ......Thankyou  so much
 hat's  off to you...@stutichangle
About d book.....
I liked #otor very much......yes this book is unputdownable and lively. ...
Magnificent  book...loved it..
It is really best inspirational book for all the dreamers, who want to follow their  dreams bt in a confusion  where to start ?....what to do.....can i do it or not?.......
#OTOR is having perfect answer to them by a wonderful  story.
It inspires  to take decision  for full filing ur desired dream....dont know what the decision  may be.....but "All you believe  is that the things that do not work out lead the ones that do!!"
Whatever  d dream is if u are 100% committed  to achieve  it , u will definitely. ....Believe U can!!!

"All we need is right people around  us to make the things right "...so true.
This book inspired  me alot.
#OTOR  is a wonderful  adventure  filled  wd dreams, emotions, love, friendship, heartbreaks, fear, mission , vision ......n so many themes...
N i liked d vision statement  of kabir ,sandy &myra......great vision. ..story ends wd a wonderful  impact  on reader!! Loved it.
Mission without  vision is nothing....so true that...vision of myra, Kabir &sandy perfectly  proved it.
Must read it guys ...📚📖❤really This book is ray of hope for all the dreamers ❤📖

Waiting  for d next wonderful  book by the wonderful  author  @stutichangle 📚📖❤😙


[Vasundhra Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This immediately started off as comforting, because of how 'relatable' it is.

Mid-life crisis today has actually become quarter-life crisis for our generation, and many of us are fleeting the boxed identities of Doctor/Lawyer/Engineer to become something more, to pursue our passions.

The book is very easy to read, accessible and filled with anecdotes of humor (many things which you'll have definitely shared amongst your group of friends), as well as wisdom.

That's not to forget - there are a LOT of cliches though, sometimes becoming a turnoff with how....ordinary, predictable....the book remains, on the face of it. At times, it also felt stretched longer than expected.

But it's sure to say, this comes at a very appropriate time, because somewhere, the seeking for more has been rising in my heart too.

The moment-to-moment walk through three budding entrepreneurs lives, their struggles and the possibility of success, is the crux of this book.

The writing style, well, it's raw. There's a long way to go, that's one space lacking. I don't see this as a flaw though - I think Stuti is a great story teller nonetheless, with a romanticism that overcomes this naivety.

I congratulate you on your work, dear friend. This book definitely has a piece of my heart. :)

[Devika Ramadoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wish to get inspired to live a dream by reading a fiction book then this is the one. A very short novel which has so many inspiration thoughts and writings.

I liked the characters genuine portrayal. There was no sugar coating throughout the novel. Myra, Kabir and Sandy are united by a single name Ramy. Ramy travel blogs helps them to heal themselves and inspires them to travel where they explore their dreams. This book beautifully put forth that all we need is a right people around us to make the things right.

Great kudos to the author for bringing up the women empowerment in an effective environment. The author didn’t project only the negative side but also the positive side of the society. The dirty politics exists at every corner and every place. Sandy was like a jovial friend of mine. I wish if there had been chapters from his point of view.

Lot of people go under depression as like Myra. Author could have included how she overcome her depression and Ramy. I felt that part was missing. The language was really simple and easy.

Overall “On The Open Road” gives us the strength and inspiration to travel on open road with the dreams in our back bag.

[Anuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book....it's a book is story of every struggle of youth...with big dreams..n bigger ambitions....it's a book for people to have their own startup ...the book relates u to urslf...ur fears...n helps u to deal with n get a right attitude to face it...the author is a storyteller ....and the story goes with interesting twist and turns. ..which connects u with the book...I loved RAMY😉

[Anupama · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read..
A story on a high profile subject of startup woven in a simple story to inspire millions of budding young generation to follow their dreams with persistence and team building to make India great. Hats off to the author for choosing such a daring subject in her maiden attempt. Covers minute details of friendship, love and loss, fear and determination, self-belief that can be easily converted in to a blockbuster reel.
Waiting for new unconventional story from author...

[Prerna Kohli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nicely written book. I enjoyed the dash of poetry and the random meanderings of the protagonists have been described beautifully. Both the travels as well as the travails are something that the young entrepreneur and IT professionals could relate very easily with. The cubicles are symptomatic of our caged identities and the allure of travel is ever-blinding.

I do wonder whether the twist towards the end was entirely necessary. It definitely helped in tying some loose ends. Yet, it took a little allure away from the character that doesn't exist. Overall, a wonderful book from a first-time author.

[Sandesh Kalantre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though categorized as 'fiction', this story surprisingly resonates with the everything hard and true about the current startup scene in India. Polished and written in a style that keeps you wanting for more, as much as you would like to know the end.

From the author's words, "Make a move!"

[Gautam Sasidharan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the tagline says, the book is about three lives, their stay in five cities where their paths meet and how it culminates in forming a start-up company.

It is the story of Myra, who is contemplating to make the jump into entrepreneurship but has other choices, Kabir who wants to be an entrepreneur though he lives a good life and Sandy who is living an half entrepreneur life. They all cherish to start a company, but how and when? The initial part of the book explains how these characters go on with life unable to push themselves to make the jump. A sudden change in the situation and they grab the opportunity to tread into unknown waters. How the tread is and what all obstacles they face, form the rest of the book.

The events in the story span for about five months and so I feel that a long story has been cut short to pull in audience. The story has much more to deliver but the author keeps it straight digressing in very few instances.

The book is written as the mind voice of Myra and Kabir. The writing is simple and inspiring too. The role played by the fourth character, Ramy, stands out and remains in the back of your mind, though it has only brief mentions. Kudos to the author for creating this impression. The climax of the story has a hint of a Bollywood movie making the entire story unbelievable. I like the small twist at the end, though it does not make any difference to the story.

Overall, it is somewhere between okay and good and can be read when you are in a reading slump. I also recommend it for those who have the entrepreneurial trait; it definitely has something to inspire. I would suggest that the cover design could have been better.

A book, worthy of chewing and digestible in parts.

[Chaitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is one such book which left me thinking, inspired and with immense pleasure then it is this book called On The Open Road by Stuti Changle. She is such a unique and incomparable author. After Reading this book I actually understood of the meaning of "It is not in our stars to hold our destiny but within ourselves." Such an amazing book which is a must to read atleast once in your lifetime.

All the characters are relatable and the best of all the entire story takes place with in India.

[Simran Bodhak · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Always remember, entrepreneurship is not a profession. It is an attitude! You may never start up a company but don’t ever let the entrepreneur in you die!”

This is a line which sums it up for me. Though spoken in the first chapter of the book, this carries the ultimate spirit which the author is trying to breathe into us through this small but inspirational book.

“On the open road” is a story of finding one’s passion, amidst the monotonous society where everyone is thrust into an unsatisfactory job, and working towards achieving those goals. It is about the journey of Myra, Kabir, and Sandy, ordinary people who are looking to start their own business.

This beautifully written book is filled to the brim with raw emotions. Every character is going through their struggles and hardships to prove to their worth to the society. Myra, a brave soul, scared at first lets go of all her inhibitions after facing a great tragedy. Kabir struck in his comfortable life is jolted awake into action. Sandy a scattered soul with talent gets streamlined into action. Remy the breath of fresh air in every few chapters is a traveller in a land of tourists.

All the characters were relatable and people whom we come across in our everyday life, which makes this story so motivating because it urges all of us to act like the heroes in this book and achieve all the dreams we aspire to. The author does not shy away from the struggles and failures of entrepreneurship but wears them as a medal of honour on her chest. The ending was a twist I never saw coming. It just brought the whole book together.

The description of all the various cities and stops are picturesque. The book almost makes you to pack up a bag and go on a solo adventure to find yourself in the lap of Himalayas.

Keeping aside everything positive, this book still needed a better editing and a thorough stream of thought. At places it seemed as if the author is trying to fit too many life lessons in one chapter. The supporting characters who guide the story in the right direction seem too abrupt and out of a blue. The love story which the author introduced seemed unnecessary and forced. The chapters of one character is no different from another, the flow of thought for different characters seems to be the same.

The biggest achievement here is that this story fulfils its purpose since it will propel you to pursue your dreams without the fear of failing out, because failing out is unavoidable but so is success if you keep up your perseverance.


Quotes-

“Just like in flight, there are three types of people in the world.
The aisle-seat passengers are too content to try something new. The middle-seat passengers are in a constant struggle with the self as they want to break free, but something holds them back. The window-seat passengers take risks and follow their hearts as all that keeps them moving is the view of the infinite.”

“Once you’ve fallen into the EMI trap, not much can be done.”

“Somewhere between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’, the past and the future, there lies a ‘now’. Don’t let it go. For ‘now’ often leads to a new road!”

“You’re liberated the very day you stop being dependent on anyone but yourself.”

“Never judge someone by who they are today, but who they can become tomorrow.”

[Meghana Nagraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://moodygaldiaries.wordpress.com for the complete review :-)

“If you feel that the cubicle isn’t for you, build some for others!” is one of my favourite lines from the book. Author Stuti Changle begins with a number of dedications and thanks to numerous things and people, which is rare because nobody thanks a board or a street worker generally. Even the dedications are unique. This tells a lot about the author’s sources of inspiration, which seem like a plethora! There are no unnecessary explanations about things that are not important for the theme. Although the story goes from cities to cities, country to country, readers don’t feel it long a travel. Myra represents the importance of women entrepreneurs in the country and how she gets out of her fears. Kabir giving up his lavish life is one. Sandy, a college dropout who is an extraordinary coder. And Ramy the wanderer and the explorer. The story of Myra, Sandy and Kabir are so relatable in the present day situation and also, all of us crave to be a Ramy internally. The plot twist in the later part of the book acts as the thread maker to the entire story. The introspections are easily imaginable and don’t raise too many questions, in the beginning. As the story progresses towards getting out of the EMI trap, the introspections are deep and one would want to slow down there and actually start pondering over one’s present condition. Have I gotten into the EMI trap too? How am I going to come out of it? Are there any saviours? Etc. The author doesn’t try to convey any messages using pretexts or any indirect ways of it. The message is direct and influencing. The book has one genre, one theme and it never crosses its boundaries. Stuti is aware of her social responsibility as an author and has carried it out very well in her debut novel itself which is very applaudable.
The book throws light on the cowardice of talented and passionate people who don’t dare to give up their day job. But it also focuses on how one can achieve if one actually decides to be gutsy enough to give it up and follow his/her dreams with determination. It makes us realize that the in between path is not as easy as it seems and one has to be patient for the toil to be paid well and be ready for any disasters that may come in the way. The book highly influences the readers as to how ideas can be born but get killed in their infancy when not executed well. Here’s another favourite line – “The real struggle in life is to make money through what you love. “ The line acts like a wakeup call for us to pursue our passion coz it’s high time!
The book has Entrepreneurship as its theme and Inspiration as its genre. It follows the right approach to storytelling – short, simple, inspiring and apt. This sure is a page turner. I would rate the book a 4/5 when it comes to the intensity of inspiration it instigates. I would rate it 3.5/5 overall.

[Noopur Sahu · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the open road:
Myra- who suffocates at her cubicle.
Kabir- who chained up at a family business of diaper selling.
Sandy- a coding genius with positive and calm attitude.
Ramy- a nomad with a blog full of hard hitting truths.
Somewhere, we all belong to them.
“I struggle like a cockroach stuck in a sewage pipeline”- is purely realistic. One can easily relate to this explanation who aspires to become someone they dream of ,but changed to something else in the rat race of gaining security- a job security, a not-having-time-to-do-what-i-want- excuse security.
Myra is brave as she knows, she is suffering from depression and Chocolate Bloodbath (some chocolates and sugar) is her drug- “the destruction associated with the word bloodbath gives me a sense of fulfillment”- a perfect blend of irony! Myra’s copy-paste-coding life is monotonous and certainly wants to quit her job to start her own company with one of her collegue, but on the other side, she also hopes for her on-site US project.
Kabir says about three types of people in the world-the aisle seat, the middle seat and the window seat passengers. Kabir himself compares to the middle seat passenger as he wants his true self to break free but couldn’t. But Sandy-a window seat one-a coding ninja, even with a handful of startup failures with him, he does not lose his calm, wants to try one more time. As SANDY is always looking forward to a serious startup, MYRA and KABIR finally wrap up their comfort zones after getting a wakeup call.
“Delhi is not a city, it is a way of life”- all those who lives here or works here, they are already nodding their head in agreement. A single line with an apt description of the city.
There comes the RAMY- MYRA’s best buddy, a blogger with wise sayings-which our very confused young generations can relate to. RAMY inspires MYRA, KABIR, SANDY and a bunch lot of strangers to travel, to experience, to do what they love, to struggle for what they want. RAMY is actually the driving force which we all secretly crave for.
The trio journeys to their friendship-trek-startup ideas-love-investors meet will keep you glued to the book and the quotes mentioned in the book will remain even after you finish reading.
Frequent mentions of STARBUCKS, I feel is unnecessary.It is not at all necessary that people discuss their startup idea only there. It can be anywhere, right from the living room of your home while having a play station to the chai corner of a crowded area.
The climax is predictable- their winning and the MYRA-RAMY connection. As a reader, I was hoping for some more elaboration, their after journey post winning , but it ends abruptly. Overall, this book promises a reading in a go. I will rate it 4/5. Happy reading 

[Mrunal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am usually wary of reading Indian Authors. Not for any other reason, but I have often found their writings too cheesy for my taste. The caption ‘Three Live, Five cities, One startup’ had me in split minds over buying this book because I anticipated cliched romance, a love triangle or a travel story at best. I must say, I was glad I bought the book. Stuti Changle is not only an intelligent story teller but is also an inspiration for aspiring young Indian authors, in terms of innovation and language. What I liked the most about the book was its contemporariness. ‘On the open road’ is not some dreamy story, as the title might suggest, of people wandering to mysterious faraway lands where miraculous things suddenly cure all sufferings and bring enlightenments. The book is not all ‘Hugs and Rainbows’ but is a teaser of real life situations, failings, disappointments, relationships, struggles and a will to rise above own expectations. Myra, Kabir and Sandy represent the millennials stuck in the rut of 9-5 jobs, aimless, helpless and devoid of any passion. Stuti Changle perceptively bares the searing truths of a society that throttles all dreams under the garbs of gender bias, social taboos, insecurities and untethered egos. This story is about how the protagonists battle these and many such inhibitory forces to finally pursue their dream of a Startup and how a blog by Ramy (another major character) inspires them for and through their journey. Ambitious youth, aspiring to live their lives on their own terms and wanting to carve their own identities would find a resonance of their struggles and impediments in these characters.

The book is obviously not without its drawbacks. I felt like it was a movie that had a brilliant pace and plot, but only until the intermission. Post that, the author rushes to reach the end. One chapters ends and the other begins with a leap that leaves huge gaps in the timeline. The climax comes too easily and gets dissolved into the plot too quick leaving no major impact on the minds of the reader. What could have been like a ‘WOW’ moment, gets reduced to an ‘Oh! Okay’ remark. Ramy ends up getting very little credit and attention. Similarly, Myra’s characters could have been brought up more intelligently. After all, she is the only character that faces additional challenge of ‘gender bias’.

But overall, this is one of the best modern fictions I read recently. An inspiring story, dotted with genuine references to social media platforms, blogs, tech events and travels that in ways binds us together in the fabric of post-modernity. Also, the quotes at beginning of each chapter are wise and worth finding a place on our room walls.

[Reading Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book becomes truly inspirational when it leaves with readers something for keeps as they finish reading it. This one leaves you with a lot of thoughtful positivity, words that linger on as quotes to live by, and takes you along an open road journey to seek answers to many life goal conflicts through the narration of the three characters and their lives in the story.

“To think that we were the only ones struggling was foolish. However, amidst all the chaos, the bliss is in sharing stories with each other and making way for a better tomorrow for each one of us." - I couldn't help but feel the connect this book extends toward a reader in these few lines otherwise said contextually to a group in the plot.

Do you have that one dream or vision that people told you is unattainable just because they didn't understand your goals? Or the fear of failure is gripping you captive every time you think of pursuing it? Perhaps, then this is the next book you need to read... If you love traveling then you will vicariously relish "simply living bare on the soil, the beach side or the valley of the mountains."

The writing style of the author appealed to me very much. One of many reasons is my particular liking for epigraphs. We will not remember every detail of all the books we read but the essence of it that stood out and made us feel something will remain. We may not always want to read a book all over again but we may want to reread those epigraphs or even better pin it up as gentle reminders, reminding us to keep going against all odds in life. You will certainly find at least one such from this book. One of them reads as: "Life proves to be one hell of a ride. All you have got to believe is that the things that do not work out lead to the ones you do! As the journey goes on there is a lot more to learn!”
The least favorite part was reading frequent mention of the characters' smoking habits. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book as a whole.

Overall, the book is vibrant, relatable, realistic, motivating and startling with a never expected decisive moment of the story. It wouldn't also be wrong to say that the story line has the potential of having it turned into a Bollywood movie!

Stuti Changle

[Shreyosi Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

'On the Open Road' starts with a beautiful, inspiring note from the author. And you would love to know the terminating line, which reads, " To the Board in Starbucks- where I completed this book, that read 'Extraordinary things come from tiny beans' ". Technically, it means coffee- an extraordinary thing in everyone's life, and literally, the ' tiny beans' can refer to each and every thought, small or big, that comes in our mind regarding our future.

So, without beating around the bush, I would like to say that this book, unlike other self-help books, reaches to the corners of our brains, reminding us of our every small ideas that might help us do better in our lives, though fictitious content. The statements is sure to connect with your thoughts, makes you realise how "some of the greatest startup ideas lie in the trash bins of cafes". You often think or imagine your life to be something that you always wanted or dreamt of, but end up feeling scared to come out of your comfort zone. You are scared that you may not fall in place; or you may fail; or sometimes you ditch your idea thinking what people might say about you! But, Kabir (a character of the novel) says, " I realised that the day you don't let others perturb you, you're on the way to greatness already. The idea of life isn't to change others, it is to make yourself so capable that external events do not affect you and you become all accepting."

This book should be an inspiration to many, I mean, most of the people in India ( since the story focuses on India's startup facilities). Because, Myra, being an employee always wanted to break out of her cubicle, to quest for something new. Well, Kabir, even after being the successor of his rich father, chose to leave his high position at his office to search for the best in himself. What did he do to fulfil his dream? Do you want to know? Then buy the book irrespective of your age because it's never late to start. If you're someone young, then I would say, the early you find the best in yourself, the greater amount of time you get to decide what you want to do.

Lastly, I would like to ask you a question. Did you ever let your alter-ego take a decision for you? I don't want to give any spoiler of the twist in the novel before you buy the book. But I can say you that it's related to the twist in the story. Oh! Yes, an advice from my side would be that, sometimes, let you alter-ego take some decisions in your life. I swear it can be life changing! Enough of it, just hurry and order your book.

So, I rate this book 4/5.

With regards,
Shreyosi.