From strangers to friends

Bill & dave (Penguin, Rs 495) by Michael S. Malone reveals “How Hewlett and Packard Built the World’s Greatest Company”. Malone, who is one of America’s most accomplished technology journalists, gives us more than a history of the IT company. He interweaves the lives of the founders — Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard — with the story of their business collaboration. It all began on a bench by a football field, where two Stanford University students met in 1930. This brief meeting marked the start of an enduring friendship, as also of a lifetime’s entrepreneurial adventure. Thus one of the most successful business enterprises in modern times began, rather humbly, in a small garage in Palo Alto. But, in a few years, HP had not only become a legend, but also changed the entire way of life in the Silicon Valley. Apart from setting the standards of global corporate ethics, the company also redefined management philosophy through its active culture of inventiveness. Malone deftly captures the rise of this corporate force in his lucid and engaging prose.

The quest for clues (Frog, Rs 95) by Anjali Raghbeer is a delightful little tale about Krrish and Maya, residents of London, who come down to visit their grandparents in Hrishikesh for the Easter vacation. Initially, both of them are a bit disgruntled for having to skip some amusing holiday prospects in London for the sleepy farm of their Dada and Dadi. Very soon, the children are thrown into bizarre adventures, which take them not only to strange places and people but also to forgotten times. Written crisply, this is a perfect read for a lazy afternoon — gripping, pacy and entertaining.

Three cups of tea (Penguin, Rs 395) by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is the story of “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time”. In 1993, Mortenson, now the director of the Central Asia Institute, had reached a nondescript village in the Karakoram mountains after a failed attempt to climb the K2. Touched by the hospitality of the villagers, he decided to return to set up a school there. This proved to be the beginning of a whole life’s undertaking, involving extensive travel throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan. Braving the strictures of taliban, Mortenson set up 55 schools over the years, some especially meant for girls. Relin, an experienced journalist, helps chronicle Mortenson’s outstanding achievement.