Just Aspire by Ajai Chowdhry
My take on the book:
Just Aspire is the memoir of Ajai Chowdhry, the co-founder of HCL technologies. He narrates his life story starting from the time his family crossed the border during Partition — before he was born, to the many places they shifted to in his childhood, as part of his father’s work.
The book later shifts focus to the author leaving his high paying job to turn entrepreneur at a time when startups and entrepreneurship is an unknown concept, when Computers were not even part of dream for many households in India. From being founders to a startup to running it successfully for three decades is a long journey, a tough one at that, which requires dedication, hard work and above all the ability to take the right decisions, though risky ones, at the right time.
The author takes the reader through this journey while imparting valuable lessons on what entrepreneurship means, keeping up with ever evolving technologies and how to become successful and retain it. This is interestingly woven into the narrative while giving insights into his family life.
Memoirs of successful individuals are always intriguing, as they trace not just the highs that are in public domain, but the lows that come along and how to handle both success and challenges with equal grit. The author emphasize how he could still chase his dreams albeit humble beginnings and being from a small town.
Though I knew about HCL as one of the prominent companies in India, I never knew the minute details of what went into its making. The writing style is impressive and engrosses the reader from the beginning. This book hence made for an excellent read, and if you are someone who love reading about IT industry, technology or aspire to be an entrepreneur in future, then this is the right pick for you.
My rating:
4/5.