The Rear-View Mirror: The Journey, a Taxi Driver and a Book Hardcover – Import, 21 Jan 2015

Vineet writes well. Thats just not it. The story of a taxi ride and what it taught him made good reading. Perceptions change and so does the way one looks at life. I loved the book.

The author, Vineet Bhatt's debut novel compels you to THINK. In a society where we are ensconced in our own 'comfort-zones'....where we do not think beyond ourselves...where the mad 'rat-race' continues untiringly day after day....this novel presents before us the 'power of the self'....the power to look within...to make that 'one little change' . A must-read!!!!

The book takes its reader on a journey of life. It compels one to stop, think and reflect. An amazingly involving book with vivid descriptions of Kolkata, the highway, it transports the reader to the places the taxi travels through. You feel the bump on the roads, hear the noise around the taxi, and taste the paan. You ride the emotional roller coaster with Phillip; feel his insecurity, his dilemma, his indecision, his arrogance at the deference shown by his team. The characters are well developed and continue to grow through the book. Feroze, with his ideals, makes the reader realize that individuals are responsible for their actions and just because everyone does it doesn’t make it right. Feroze makes us see the difference between education and literacy. He does not hold any degrees and diplomas but has a superior understanding of life than Phillip, a graduate from a prestigious American university. It makes one realize that anything and everyone can be a source of learning; that education is an on-going process and does not stop with the degree certificate. What Feroze teaches Phillip, and through Phillip, the readers, cannot be taught in any school. All in all an engaging book with lots of messages without being preachy.

Just finished reading the book. In one word...Unputdownable ! I completed it in one non-stop reading session....something that I do not recall doing even in the distant past. I found it motivating, contemplative and inspiring. The author succeeds in telling a story beautifully and the choice of words used in the narration are vivid, colorful and true.

A book that tugs your heart strings with each chapter, and makes you introspect and want to change. One of the few books I couldn't put down and finished in one session. Look forward to read more from this budding author.

Vineet Bhatt’s first novel is a treasure trove of nuggets of wisdom.This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an American corporate executive assistant Philip Young, who travels much against his wishes from his homeland in New York, to revive a sagging informational technology sector branch of his company in Kolkata, India.Although he grudgingly accepts his new environment along with his wife Rose, his initial success with his Indian colleagues, his superior competency at work results in an inflated ego, which creates “a gap” with his team whose admiration and reports often appear fake and labored. Thus, the business deteriorates further with the board of directors questioning his competence and propose closing down their overseas operations. Philip suddenly receives word from headquarters in New York, and is asked to travel from Kolkata to Bhubaneshwar, to discuss the updates and future of the company.With much trepidation in his heart and no answers to provide, he decides to travel by road and strikes up simple yet inspiring conversations with his Taxi driver Feroz, a simple man in his late twenties, with an effervescent personality, all of whom point Philip in the right direction of his much needed personal transformation.No one knows, if Philip will be able to surmount the obstacles and turn the tables of losses into huge sustainable profits in his business right away. But what starts out as a journey to find answers on how to turnaround a sagging business in a foreign land, turns into a discovery of the inner treasures found within and the process of the much needed personal transformation to make this journey.Lush with scenes of Indian landscape and diaspora, heart-felt deep observations of the mysterious of Nature, and deeply sensitive nuggets of wisdom, the story of Philip is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our belief coupled with the importance of listening leading to self-improvement and growth. There are some wonderful quotes within this book that are worth framing and placing on our desks to remind us of how much we have to learn about life. This easy-to-read book is an opportunity for much-needed personal introspection in today’s mad rat race. Reading through makes one feel like a cow chewing the cud to reflect at our own pace the importance of living for others, and what we do for others live forever, while what we do for ourselves only fades with us.

The Rear-View Mirror is a brilliant novel which compels you to reexamine your life and explore its true meaning. It tells the story of Philip Young, who along with his wife Rose has left the comfort of their New York life to take over the company's deteriorating business at the Kolkata branch. The business there is failing, Philip is struggling to adapt and just when he is melancholic and broken and wants to hang up his hat and leave, the story takes a dramatic turn. The taxi ride to Bhubaneswar to attend a company meeting is an enlightening and life changing experience for Philip. The taxi driver Feroze is talkative and endearing, complete with a Shahrukh Khan ponytail and flashy clothes, and he is upbeat, charming and positive, despite his personal misfortunes. The writer describes India and Indians with accurate and perceptive details and also highlights the ills facing the country along with subtle hints on how these problems can be solved. I could visualize the lush landscape of India , the slums, the traffic, the roads, the innocent villagers and more as the language is lucid and descriptive. Each chapter delivers a philosophical message and in the end the pieces of the puzzle fit together for Philip who is able to come to a resolution. Just when I thought the story had ended, the last chapter delivers a shocking blow which only makes you realize that despite all the problems we face and the difficult decisions we have to make, being alive is a miracle and a blessing and we should make the most of it.