Sachindra Rudra’s Five
Sachindra Rudra is Chief Investment Officer, New York, USA for Acumen Fund.
Five Books I like
Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
The Glass Palace – Amitava Ghosh
Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
A book that made an impression
Gone With the Wind – As you can tell, some of my choices have ‘strength of character’ as a theme. I read the book when I was about 12 years old and Scarlett O’Hara had a strong influence on me.
Against the backdrop of a changing America, Scarlett O’Hara uses her wit and cunning to survive and support her family. Whether marrying out of jealousy, or robbing her sister of her beau because she needed to support her family, and using Rhett Butler when she needed to, Scarlett O’Hara is an amazingly brave woman. Her abrasive exterior hides a strength of character, and though circumstances change her, nothing ever reduces her.
What I learnt from Gone With The Wind
When Scarlett O’Hara returns to a ravaged Tara and clutches some earth from the land she promises, “As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.” There is strength, and a determination to never be poor again.
Change in circumstances, reacting to adversity and the means justifying the end were just some of the themes I picked up from Scarlett O’Hara as she navigated a tumultuous and interesting time in America and her own life.
And of course, her pet phrase ‘tomorrow is another day’ reminds me that there will always be a way to resolve an issue or to find a solution to a problem.
More on Sachindra Rudra
Sachin holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from St Stephen’s College in Delhi, a Masters Degree in Economics from Cambridge University and an M.Sc from the London School of Economics. He has a MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has worked at Unilever, Mckinsey and Company, Piramal Healthcare and Navis Capital in various capacities in India and Abroad.
About Preeti Singh
the good book corner 