The Making of International Citizen: 'More than a Second Class Citizen' is the book that explores different facets of the transformation of a person into a true international citizen.
The book does not ask this question explicitly; instead, it presents the journey of transformation of an information technology (IT) professional, deftly, of what is involved in the transformation process.
The main protagonist of the book is an IT professional, and the background setting is Indian city Gurugram (formerly known as Gurgaon) – the IT hub in the northern part of India – where he works and then eventually travels overseas in one of his job-related postings.
The Indian IT hubs or cities have a life of their own, often overflowing with abundant energy of the youth, filled with the myriad dreams and social aspirations.
There are many books depicting emotions and human stories that go inside India’s legendary cyber cities.
This book is a fictional work exploring various facets of emotions around the transformation to an international citizen.
The author of the book is Sankalp Jagati (popularly known as Sanky) an Auckland based freelance business consultant, writer and business coach. The Indian Weekender spoke to Mr Jagati about his venture. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
IWK: Please tell us about your background and how you ventured into book writing.
Sanky: I am a freelance business consultant, writer and business coach. Currently, I am engaged in business consulting and academic lecturing in management subjects at tertiary level in Auckland, New Zealand. I love to write fiction and satirical humour and enjoy playing outdoor and indoor sports.
IWK: What is this book all about?
Sanky: The story is centred on the main character Raja, an IT professional, who has a flamboyant lifestyle and is a source of envy for many. But what is not realised by many is that he has his issues and struggles as well. This book is a depiction of both and other emotions around his adjustment in the western world.
The key question that this book explores is if Raja is successful in achieving his ambitions on his own terms or become a mere statistic.
IWK: What is the background of the book and the main protagonist?
Sanky: Background of the book speaks about everyday corporate life in an IT-firm situated in Gurgaon, India, its main character Raja Chowdhary a 'larger than life' figure, his flamboyant lifestyle and his struggles (at work and in his personal life) and ambitions before coming to the mythical city Auckland based in Nuviland where he wants to succeed in ‘his way’ in a semi-government Telecom firm.
IWK: Why that background (say Gurugram) – What makes you think of that plot?
Sanky: The background and initial chapters are centred around the IT hub of North India, Cybercity Gurgaon (Gurugram) known for the IT and services revolution (started in the 1990s) and provide a perfect setting to project the North Indian city, its culture and corporate lifestyle to showcase an evolved metropolitan city to the global readers to provide a glimpse of the lives, struggles and willingness to succeed of corporate middle income earners in India.
IWK: Is it your first book? Since when have you been thinking about this plot and writing book?
Sanky: This is my first published fiction novel. In the past, I've published academic work in finance and public policy related issues in India.
IWK: What is the main message around the book?
Sanky: As the main character of the book is a people's person, his dreams, his ways and means are different than ordinary to succeed in life. The book is a work of fiction and satire and provides entertainment value to its readers describing the struggle of immigrants coming to the western world and trying to assimilate and succeed in different work and cultural settings in their own way.
On a lighter note, this book also provides a peep into cultural insights and idiosyncrasies, while breaking a few stereotypes.
The book is an inspiration for professionals to get to that final frontier.