Fevicol Maker’s Bharat Puri On Books That Have ‘Stuck’ With Him
Pidilite’s Bharat Puri talks about the books that have influenced him, and his love for PG Wodehouse and David Ogilvy.
What is the difference between a good and a great organisation?
“We have many good organisations, but very few great ones,” said Pidilite Industries Ltd.’s Managing Director Bharat Puri as he spoke to BloombergQuint about the books that have inspired him. The book ‘Good to Great’ “showed me how to do things that are not easy to do in an organisation, but doable.”
Other books that feature on the reading list of the managing director of the company that makes the Fevicol adhesive, a brand leader, are by PG Wodehouse and ‘Three Men In A Boat’.
Here’s a look at his all-time favourite books...
Midnight’s Children, By Salman Rushdie
The use of language, allegory, is just amazing in this book. A captivating story that keeps you thoroughly absorbed. Can understand why it won the Best Of Booker, according to Puri.
A Suitable Boy, By Vikram Seth
A wonderful story that captures the heartland of India. A very well told multi-layered story, Puri said.
“I would recommend both these books to everyone.”
PG Wodehouse
“I simply love PG Wodehouse. My favourite characters are Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, and of course all his aunts,” Puri said. “One quote I particularly like is: ‘He had the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom’.”
“You should read PG Wodehouse anytime you want a smile on your face,” he said.
Three Men In A Boat, By Jerome K Jerome
This is another feel good book which you should read when you want to relax, and be transported to another world, according to Puri.
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap...And Others Don’t, By Jim Collins
“We have enough good organisations, and very few great ones,” Puri said. “The difference between good and great was eye, mind opening. This book showed me things that are not easy to do in an organisation, but doable”.
Built To Last: Successful Habits Of Visionary Companies, By Jim Collins And Jerry C Porras
“This is something that I love. This book made me think of different ways of approaching situations in different organisations,” Puri said.
The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change, By Clayton M. Christensen
“The concept of Innovative disruption has stuck with me throughout my life,” according to Puri.
Ogilvy On Advertising, By David Ogilvy
“I’ve really enjoyed reading this book. I read this as a student of marketing and one quote I remember is ‘You don’t keep a guard dog and bark yourself’, translating to if you have hired an agency for your marketing work, don’t try to micro-manage,” Puri said.
