The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I read the book finally. I'm feeling just too spooked out right now to comment on it. A lot has been said on the book anyway. The messages are the same. Every religion has texts on similar lines. Yet, for those who haven't read it yet, its a very small delightful book. No harm in giving it a shot even if this sort of genre isn't exactly your taste.

A few lines I liked apart from the much touted 'The universe conspires to give you what you want':

• When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.
• Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
• Every search begins with beginner's luck and every search ends with the victors being severely tested. The boy remembered an old proverb from his country, 'The darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn'.
• You must understand that true love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny.
• "Maktub"
• Everything in life is an omen
  

PS: Almost everytime I have enjoyed reading a book, I have bought it without intention, purely by chance. Omen!? This time to merely complete the transaction in Rs.100, on a pavement of Mumbai. Hope the other book I bought with an intention wont be a disappointment!

The Walmart Decade - Robert Slater

Picked up out of curiosity in office library and also because I'm planning to get a closer look at the business of business some time soon.

Walmart the superstore of our times had huble beginnings in small-town America. Sam Walton's baby. He was a normal retailer who struck gold in terms of retailing ideas. Chucking middle men he began offering goods at much lower prices. The success of the concept, completely on a micro-scale yet, thrilled him. In a way Mr.Walton never even realised he was on his way to creating history. He just kept going, overthrowing mom&pop stores around the corner with his low-value tags.

Small-town America loved the personal touch of the stores. The founder gavce surprise visits to his stores every now and then to ensure his stores were not going away from his own philosophy. For many years, even as Walmart grew considerably he was not convinced about having separate departments or hierarchy within the organisation. He wasnt too keen on introducing technology either. Why does one need an HR department to take care of employees?? hehe Dilbert would love that.

I'm no big reader of management and leadership books but it was nice to know the past of Walmart and then towards the end of the book compare how its very strengths are today becoming legal issues. How a creator can never truly assess the growth of his baby, how the baby can continue to grow beyond the creator's wildest imaginations...Even after his death. The book takes a closer look at how Walmart continued its journey sans Sam.

Couldn't help thinking of BigBazaar as a wannabe Walmart, except that Indians are not Americans and BigBazaar is looking at metropolitan India instead of small town India. Is there scope? Debatable!