Scenes From An Executive Life

by Anurag Mathur

A delightfully irreverent account of corporate affairs in the white collar world.

From the author of the best-selling The Inscrutable Americans, comes a hilarious novel about the roller-coaster career of an enterprising marketing executive. It is the story of Gambhir Kumar, Human Resource Development Manager in the Y Corporation, whose life is never the same again after he is transferred to the Tissues and Toothpicks Division. As he travels up and down the corporate ladder, Gambhir redefines the role of the young urban professional who must strike a delicate balance between his heady ambitions and the lustful demands of his heart.

The novel also features some unforgettable cameos: Gambhir's wife Draupadi (DD to her friends), who fights the ennui of yuppie life with boyfriends in the afternoons; Kapila, Gambhir's passionate bedfellow from the Bombay office; 'Smiley' Chatterjee, the adman with a three-word vocabulary; and Kumar, a self-styled entrepreneur intent on selling the sword of Gautam Buddha to American tourists.

Scenes from an Executive Life is an immensely entertaining exploration of ambition, lust, envy and intrigue in a typical corporate set-up in post-liberalization India.

207 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Anurag Mathur was born in New Delhi and educated at Scindia School (Gwalior), St. Stephen's College (Delhi), and the University of Tulsa (Oklahoma). He lived for three years in the U.S.A. before returning home to India to embark on a career in journalism and publishing. He now lives in New Delhi and contributes regularly to leading Indian magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of a travel guide called 22 Days in India.

A fanatical cricket player, he also plays tennis and enjoys travelling.

Reviews

[Pradnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concept, presented well but the end.. The end is what takes it to a downslide. No one gets pleased by reading a sad end unless it is a lovestory with emotional turmoil or a great literature. I was quite fascinated by the concept and really wanted to read more but was disappointed by the end.

A quick read on an idle weekend.

[Abhaga · Rating 1 out of 5]

If like me, you have picked up this book taking your clue from The Inscrutable Americans, you are in for a major disappointment. Save yourself some heart burn and skip it.