Book Review: Birdies in Business By Shaili Chopra

Did you hear the crash of another glass ceiling breaking? Then you’ve probably heard of Birdies in Business — a collection of 40 interviews on the golf course, where top CEOs, professional golfers and bureaucrats share their insights on business and golf.

The boardroom and golf course have long been the bastions of male business honchos. But Shaili Chopra — one of India’s best-known business anchors — debunks this myth with her book.

Using vignettes from her hugely successful golf shows, like Business on Course and Tee Time, which coincidentally won several awards, Chopra unveils the nucleus of CEO golfers, pros and celebrity players on the golf course. She engages with business gurus and drives them to talk about their trials and tribulations inside and outside the boardroom, while drawing out their secret tips on how to fix the game, improve networking and play ball.

The uniqueness of the book is the wherewithal that Chopra brings forward. Having interviewed the likes of Warren Buffet, George Soros, Vikram Pundit, Steve Ballmer, Indra Nooyi and Amartya Sen, among others, she is able to dig deep and beyond the obvious.

Under her tutelage business tycoons defer from balance sheets and budgets, and reveal the inner workings of the companies they run, why they dress the way they do, and the values and zest with which they drive balls and businesses. If you always wanted to know the inner workings of a corporate boardroom, then this is the book to read.

Employing the unique faculties of a professional woman golf player and a brilliant journalist, Shaili Chopra has teed off in the right direction for her debut novel.