The Suicide Banker by Puneet Gupta !!!

             It has been a long time since I have read a book which does not have Love story as its theme. In fact, this book does not have any equation of love in it. I never ever expected myself to read a book that would be purely based on Banking and how the internal system operates under the banking sector of India. Every time, I was about to read it, Puneet sir nudged me that "It's the book that is purely based on Banking so take care that you don't get exhausted while reading it". :-) Finally, I started it and the book kept me hook to it. Puneet Gupta is a banker himself with 15 years of experience. He is currently working in Middle East. Very middle-class by nature, very amicable and very soft-spoken. These are the traits of Mr. Puneet Gupta who is the author of this book "The Suicide Banker" published by Rupa Publications. Indian writers complain that the Reputed publication houses never let us even stand in front of them, hence how can one dream of getting published in India with a secure future in writing. My dear authors, first learn how to write on a topic from Puneet Gupta. Love stories are not something that avid readers are looking for in book stores now.

               The Suicide Banker is the story of a banker- Sumit who is maintaining and trying to balance both- Personal and Professional life together. As he is very ambitious towards his Professional life, his personal life faces an uncouth period of time seeing Sumit always busy in his banking career. In his current organization- Ind-credit bank, he finds that there are lots of fraudster involved in Agri-business. Now, he starts spying on them. He thinks of changing everything by himself even when he knows that almost everyone in the hierarchical structure of the organization is involved in it. And, THE SUICIDE BANKER is all about the journey of this man- Sumit fighting with the unorganized Banking staffs and maintaining his marital life with Shalini. :-) 

              Puneet Gupta has a very good command on English language. I am pretty impressed with the kind of words and sentences that he has used throughout the book. I have a complain with the Indian authors that they don't use Idioms, phrases and awesome one-liners as the USP ingredient in their book, but Puneet Gupta has managed to impress me by applying all of these in his debut book. The book is quite lengthy but the funny sentences that keep popping in periodically keeps you interested in the further pages. The story that is wholly based on a Banker's life could have become wearisome but Puneet Gupta has managed to eliminate all the factors that may typecast this book as the one with repetitive scenarios. Very creatively, author has managed to depict how the whole Banking stuff takes place in their sector. 

              Initially, Sumit-Anupam's clash is very interesting. In Kashmir, when those Afghani-kind-of-men checks Sumit and Shalini dithers you. Shibu asking about Independence Day is so funny that I got an instance that how a kid irritates his father in his childhood days by rapid-fire questions. Shalini's first news show is perdectly described. I liked that part too much. Later on, Annie's entrance in the story as Sumit's interest makes the book little masaledaar. The jokes written in Italic font are the USP of this book. I don't think that anyone else could have written better about this topic. I have heard that Ravi Subramaniam writes on the same kind of topics that are related to banking but as I haven't read him still, I rate Puneet Gupta as one of the best writer in this section.

               I would recommend everyone of you to read this book if you have killed yourself by reading Love stories recently. One of the best book to have with you. I rate it 3.75/5. 

   Thanks.

   ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU