Books: Ice Cream Maker

ICE CREAM MAKER

Subir Chowdhury

Publisher: Random House India

Rs 125/-

Dude, if you really want to help yourself in any way, don’t read self-help books. It’s time you grow up and discard these books. After reading them, one becomes more and more dependent on them. So at the cost of actually helping yourself, you get more involved in this vicious cycle.

What are the various things you can do with these books? For one, just avoid buying them and secondly, if at all you buy them, make sure you don't read them.

Guess what! They don’t even look cool on your bookshelf. And trust me, you get no increment when it comes to status symbol.

The other day, I came across a book called The Ice Cream Maker by Subir Chowdhury. The first line goes: "It was a Monday afternoon in May when my life changed forever.”

Gosh!!! Haven’t heard that one before, eh??? And so what does he do that afternoon? He writes a book, (phew!) and in the process spoils my afternoon.

There are sub-headings in the book like, 'If you sell something, you have customers' and 'Listen to your clients and customers'.

Everyone knows that. Nothing new. And guess what! My little nephew wanted to sell raffle tickets the other day. The otherwise moody little kid became extremely sweet and saccharine. Why? Because he wanted me to buy one of those tickets.

So c'mon!!! Even a seven-and-a-half-year old knows what this dude wanted to convey through his book. I mean, why are we wasting time? Why are we trying to take people for a ride? It's a different story that people won’t be taken for a ride since, I hope, they won’t buy this book, but nevertheless...

This brings me to my last point: Even if you possess this book (The possibility of it, I'm sure, is comparable to a situation when aliens from Pluto would attack us!), make the best use of it. Don't buy toilet paper.

Lastly, I'm of the opinion that people writing such self-help books need serious help/counselling themselves.

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