Zooming Ahead is a realistic narrative, cast in the form of a memory recall, that revolves around Raghu Razdan whose life moves ahead successfully right from the time we meet him in his school at Jammu to the time he launches a company of his own.
As a schoolboy, he is inspired to put in his best by his classmate Shilpa, and wins a major debating trophy for his school. He studies engineering in Pantnagar, where he excels as a speaker, cricketer, and magazine editor, and meets his future wife Ruchi, who too is from Jammu. He gets his first job with Crompton Greaves, rises fast as an enterprising engineer, gets married, has children, and then joins a relatively new company. He puts in his best to make the company grow and diversify. Scaling new heights of creativity and power, he earns the trust and confidence of his boss, but gradually sees through his unethical conduct and exploitative ways. When he fails to make him mend his ways, he takes the tough decision of resigning his job. With the help of his old contacts, he works harder than before, slowly builds his own company and succeeds in putting it on a firm footing. By that time, his two children have grown up, and he looks back on his life with a sense of satisfaction.
The novel is thus a routine, uncomplicated story of success in which hard work always pays. It is well written and readable. Kaul weaves a credible plotline, skillfully describes people and places, and writes effective dialogue. Though the novel is essentially Raghu’s personal journey, it also provides a glimpse of some unpleasant aspects of the corporate world: how shareholders are defrauded by unscrupulous businessmen.
(Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1, Level, Trade Centre, Baudre Kurla, Mumbai-400 051, [email protected])
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