Taking a break from his fast-paced thrillers, Ashwin Sanghi has penned another non-fiction book under the 13 Steps series. Called 13 Steps to Bloody Good Marks , it is co-authored by Ashok Rajani, who edited one of Sanghi’s previous books. The third book comes after the success of 13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck and 13 Steps to Bloody Good Wealth. These books were praised for taking a different approach to the concepts of luck and wealth and demystifying the same in the process.
13 Steps to Bloody Good Marks , is aimed at easing the stress and strain that plagues the students of the Indian education system, which has been described as a minefield. According to Rajani, “Most academic institutions are concerned with ‘what’ needs to be studied but very few actually demonstrate ‘how’ to study. That is precisely the gap that we have tried to fill. We have also given our opinion about ‘why’ these concepts actually work.”
In the book, he also points to the fact that study patterns in India vary on a large scale. Preparations and approaches change with each competitive exam, entrance exam or any test, which makes it difficult to come up with a common set of guidelines for them. The attempt was to arrive at a common formula. In Sanghi’s words, “Our aim has been to distil some core ideas and offer them as actionable points for an academic life.”
The anecdotes, which were the most appreciated elements of the first two books, have been toned down a bit. But the shortage of anecdotes has been compensated for by the use of visual elements, like charts, graphs, and diagrams. Interestingly, the authors make use of the very same techniques that they have suggested in the book to etch its content in the minds of the readers. Sample time-tables, flash cards, mind maps have been included to guide students in creating their own versions of the same.
The book draws from a number of psychological studies and suggests learning methods and planning tips based on the same. Rajani, provided the skeletal framework within which the ideas and key findings from the research was presented. His experience as an educator and inputs from other teachers are the two other pillars on which the book stands. At the same time, the authors also advice against solely depending on these tips without considering the actual impact that they have on oneself. Lifestyle adjustments, such as eating right and sleeping right are highlighted as well.
Jargon-free writing
While most of the core research and structure was put together by Rajani, Sanghi sees himself as a mentor, editor and storyteller when it comes to the 13 Steps series. As someone who has previously engaged in fiction, Ashwin employed his expertise to save the book from falling into the pit of boredom and detrimental sophistication. He contributed towards writing a jargon-free, easy to grasp, accessible guide, within the framework that Rajani provided.
Rajani shares how one lady, who was very concerned about her son’s preparedness, told him that she had selected him to be her son’s tutor because his name was ideally suited, in a numerological sense, to her son’s. He laughed it off, but when she requested for a pooja in the classroom, he exclaimed that the only thing standing in the way of her son’s education was the mother herself. At the end of the day, the authors are not simply offering an easy way out, instead the motto is ‘study smart’. Reading through the book makes one realise that studying smart does not imply maximum success for minimum efforts. In fact, it is all about making a sincere effort and putting in the required hard work efficiently and cleverly, to achieve success.
Self-improvement guides tend to be repetitive in terms of what the content that they offer. Sanghi counters, “This book is something like a ten-minute recipe containing smart call-to-action points that can be easily implemented by virtually any student.”
The 13 Steps series will see a number of additions to these three titles in the coming months. Each will be co-authored by Ashwin Sanghi and someone who has a vertical domain of knowledge on the subject concerned. Books currently under work include, one on parenting, on communication, on health and on sales.
