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Book Review by Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr

- Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr

Book: MAKE IT BIG: Inspirational and Motivational Stories of Achievers and Influencers Conceptualized and Edited by: N Kalyani Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan Pages: 139 Price: INR 300

This is a unique compilation of unknown and unsung heroes and heroines who have taken brave idealistic decisions in their personal lives and chose passion over career, and in other cases succeeded in turning their choices of passion into life-fulfilling careers. The editor, N Kalyani, has done something different. The temptation of a journalist is to grab an interesting story about an individual and write about her or him. Instead, Kalyani has made the extraordinary individuals write first person accounts of the extraordinary things they did with their lives. Most of the 15 persons chosen do not fit the label of celebrities because then it would be easy to market the book. This one goes against the grain. It is the story of the little known persons who achieve happiness and fulfilment, and they were not bothered about fame.

The first and the last first-person narratives are that of Isaac D Kehimkar and Dr AJT Johnsingh, who are both wildlife enthusiasts. They grew up surrounded by natural habitat, and found their vocation in nursing wildlife. Kehimkar made a bold choice in choosing a career with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), though the salary was modest. And then through an assignment for