Not getting into IIT is not the end of the road!!!. Review on Zero Percentile - Neeraj Chhibba

I had bought this book about 3 Months back after reading some really nice reviews about it. I immediately finished with the prologue but then became very busy and could not continue further until the day I was in the train to Bhubaneswar. I started reading the book and was so engrossed in it that I finished half of the book within no time and then I again had to take a break after landing in Bhubaneswar. I finally got time on my return journey and finished the book in one read. I just thought to pen down my thoughts on the book.

"Zero Percentile- Missed IIT Kissed Russia" is the story of Pankaj(The Protagonist)- A brilliant student since childhood, with a lot of dreams and ambitions of making it big one day, lost track of life after a series of untoward incidents, gathered himself and brought everything back to track. The story ranges from his pre-birth days through his school days, college days and finally to his days in Russia where he transforms from a student, who does not have the faintest of ideas of where he is heading, to an entrepreneur, who makes it big-Really Big. His early school days, his relationship with his best pals- how relationship changes with time and how he gets back his old friends show that life changes with time but at the end of the day, true friends will always be there with you. The relationship that he shares with his mentors during his IIT preparation days, how he helps them realize their dream and in the process make money is truly inspiring.

Not getting into IIT is not the end of the road. If one door closes, another opens up. Amidst a great disappointment of not making it to the IITs, his life takes off and he lands in Russia where he sets off on a journey which had ups and downs and he learns from each of them and comes out triumphant. His struggle against all odds, his new friends, his stint with girls, his affair, the Gods ditching him, his revenge etc have been portrayed superbly in the book. You don’t have to always follow wrong means to make money and you need not be an IIM-Grad to become an entrepreneur.

This book is different from others of the same genre due to the fact that it is about Russia. It is not about B-Schools and IITs .It is about how foreigners survive in Russia. There has been a detailed description of Life in Russia. So much that you actually feel being a part of it. It seemed that Neeraj’s seven and half years of experience in Russia has been brought into life in this book. Kudos to Neeraj for this!!! The book is fast-paced and after the initial few pages you get completely engrossed in the book. Neeraj has tried to add a lot of humor quotient into the book. There have been places where he has gone overboard in the description but in most of the places he manages to hold on to it. At places, you might get an impression that it’s from a first-time writer but it is a genuinely good effort. Way to go...Looking forward for your next book!!!

My favourite line from the book- “You have to bang your head against a bigger and stronger wall to realize that you are not the strongest in the world.”

So very true!!