Book Release
Destiny Avenged – Karthik Reddy, PGP (1996)
About the Book
Deep Kalra (Founder & Chairman, MakeMyTrip)
They were told it couldn’t be done — that India wasn’t ready, that their ambition was too big. They built anyway. These are founders who turned rejection into resilience and setbacks into comebacks. For anyone who’s been told it can’t be done — this one’s for you.
Featuring 8 against-the-odds journeys:
- Harshil Mathur & Shashank Kumar, Razorpay Built India’s largest payments company
- Rajeev Samant, Sula Vineyards Created India’s wine industry from scratch
- Srishti Baweja & Tarun Dua, E2E Networks Built India’s first listed GPU cloud infrastructure company
- Deep Kalra & Rajesh Magow, MakeMyTrip Pioneered online travel booking in India
- George Kikvadze, Bitfury Built three multi-billion-dollar Bitcoin enterprises
- Tarun Mehta, Ather Energy Pioneered India’s premium electric scooter revolution
- Mohit Yadav, Minimalist Created India’s breakout science-backed skincare brand
- Tanuj Shori, Square Yards Built India’s largest integrated real estate platform.
“Few books capture the true spirit of entrepreneurship as well as Destiny Avenged. These stories are both inspiring and deeply relevant for anyone building the future.”
Ashwin Damera (Founder & CEO, Eruditus & Emeritus)
About Blume Ventures
Blume Ventures is an early-stage Indian venture fund that backs startups with both funding and active mentoring. Blume typically invests in Seed and pre-series A rounds in tech-led startups led by founders obsessed with solving hard problems for the Indian market and from India for the world.
As of 2025 end, Blume had an AUM of over $900 million. Some of the leading startups Blume has backed include Battery Smart, Cashify, Classplus, Pixxel, Purplle, Servify, slice, Spinny, Turtlemint, and Ultrahuman.
About the Author
Karthik B. Reddy is Co-founder and Managing Partner at Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture capital firms. Through his work with founders across sectors, he has witnessed first-hand the resilience, conviction and long-term thinking that often define entrepreneurial success. Destiny Avenged brings together eight such stories of founders who defied conventional wisdom to build category-defining companies. The book is the fifth edition of Blume Ventures’ Narrowcast series and Karthik’s first book as the credited author.
The Crafted Genius – Divya Mittal, PGP(2007)
About the Author
Divya Mittal, IAS is an Indian Administrative Service officer, an alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, and a former corporate professional who worked in London before pursuing civil services. Through dedicated self-study, she cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination three times, securing the IRS, IPS, and finally the IAS in three consecutive years. Drawing from her personal journey and administrative experience, she shares practical strategies, proven methods, and actionable insights to help aspirants prepare with clarity, discipline, and confidence.
About book
The Crafted Genius is more than a UPSC preparation guide. It is a complete blueprint for mastering the mindset, habits, and execution strategies required to excel in one of the world’s toughest competitive examinations. Success in the Civil Services Examination is not built on talent alone. It is crafted through discipline, consistency, and a well-designed system.
Written by Divya Mittal, IAS, who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination three times through self-study, this book distils her experience into one structured blueprint. She secured the IRS, IPS, and IAS in three consecutive years, proving that genius is not born, it is built. The discipline that built her success can build yours too.
This book is for anyone at any stage of the UPSC journey. Whether you are a school or college student looking to build the right foundation, an active aspirant feeling lost in the daily grind, or a veteran candidate preparing for one final attempt, this book provides a practical roadmap to success.
Inside, you will learn how to:
- Understand what the UPSC is really testing and build a 60-day launch plan.
- Master Prelims, decode CSAT, and write high-scoring Mains answers across GS Papers I to IV, Ethics, and Essay.
- Choose the right Optional subject and prepare confidently for the Personality Test.
- Build strong foundations early if you are a school or college student.
- Manage your time effectively, stay focused, and protect your mental well-being throughout the preparation journey.
The Crafted Genius is the perfect companion for India’s most demanding competitive examination. It serves as a complete operating system for your entire UPSC journey, from the first day of preparation to the interview room.
Everyday Creativity – Dr. Pavan Soni, FPM (2016)
About book
Are you creative? Is creativity the preserve of a select few—or is it something we all possess? And is creativity the same as intelligence? Everyday Creativity explores these questions and more, drawing inspiration and insight from remarkable creators across art, science, politics, sports and even the military. From Amir Khusro to A.R. Rahman, and Leonardo da Vinci to Haruki Murakami, the book distils timeless practices that can help you unlock your own creative potential. Complementing these stories are over twenty-five proven methods of creative problem-solving—designed to move you beyond common sense and towards a more structured, powerful approach to thinking creatively.
About Author
Pavan Soni is an innovation evangelist by profession and a teacher by passion. He is the founder of Inflexion Point, offering programmes on design, innovation and leadership. He has conducted over 600 workshops with 175 organizations in ten countries. Apart from being an adjunct faculty at ISB Hyderabad and IIM Bangalore, Pavan is a columnist at Mint, YourStory, Inc42, Entrepreneur and People Matters. His monthly newsletter, Inflexion Point, reaches over 20,000 enthusiasts across the world. Pavan was the only Indian to be shortlisted for the prestigious ‘FT & McKinsey Bracken Bower Award for the Best Business Book of the Year 2016’. He has been invited five times to speak at the TEDx, and is featured as one of the ‘100 Digital Influencers of 2020’ by YourStory. Pavan is a gold medalist from MBM Engineering College Jodhpur, and did his PGDIE from IIM Mumbai. He finished his doctoral studies from IIM Bangalore in the domain of innovation management. He is passionate about fitness, spirituality, guitar, chess, reading and writing.
