Anchor is an incredibly easy and engaging read, even for someone like me who isn’t an avid reader. Each story felt relatable yet deeply inspiring, with little takeaways that stay with you long after you’ve turned the page.
What I particularly enjoyed about the book was that these weren’t just stories about professional milestones or career successes. They were stories about how careers actually get built through unexpected opportunities, important choices, challenges, relationships, mentors and mentors that shaped each person along the way.
Among these, one common thread particularly resonated with me: for many, PR wasn’t necessarily part of the original plan. They found their way into the profession, grew with it and eventually made it their own. My journey into PR was much the same. I didn’t start out knowing that this was where I would build my career, but somewhere along the way, it became a profession I genuinely came to enjoy and feel deeply connected to.
Perhaps that is also what makes the communications industry so interesting. There is no single path into it, and certainly no standard journey once you are here. You are constantly learning about businesses, industries, people and the world around you. No two clients are the same, no two challenges are quite alike, and rarely are two days ever the same. Reading Anchor was a reminder of just how many different paths and possibilities can exist within one profession.
It also reinforced something I have increasingly come to appreciate through my own journey: the people you meet along the way matter enormously. The mentors who guide you, the leaders you observe and learn from, and the teams you work and grow with all play a role in shaping the professional you eventually become.
That made one story particularly special for me – the journey of my mentor, Nikhil Pavithran. Having had the opportunity to learn from him first hand and seeing his journey captured alongside so many respected professionals from the industry made reading Anchor that much more personal. It was also a particularly proud moment for me.
And finally, a special shout-out to Amith Prabhu and Sarika Chavan for continuing to bring stories from our profession to life, book after book. By documenting the people, experiences and lessons that have shaped PR and communications in India, they are creating something valuable not only for those of us already working in the industry, but also for those who are just beginning to discover it.
Anchor ultimately goes beyond documenting successful careers, it is a collection of very human stories about choices, opportunities, relationships, growth and everything that happens in between and perhaps that is what makes it so relatable. If you have read Spark, Shine, Surge and Aspire from the same authors then you should get a copy of Anchor and read about thirty luminaries.
I want to place their names here as a mark of honour to them: Aakanksha Gupta, Arwa Husain, Aniruddha Bhagwat, Bhavna Jagtiani, Diana Fernandes, Faiza Kapoor, Girish Balachandran, Girish Huria, Hina Issar Huria, Hussain Kalolwala, Jumana Vadnagarwala, Komal Lath, Mukesh Kharbanda, Navneet Anand, Neha Rastogi, Neha Mehrotra, Nikhil Pavithran, Percy Dubash, Pranshu Sikka, Priti Mohile, Radhika Nihalani, Samir Kapur, Sanjeev Anand, Shailesh Goyal, Shashikant Someshwar, Sunanda Rao, Tarunjeet Rattan, Tejal Daftary, Vivek Rana, Vikram Kharvi.
I enjoyed reading this masterpiece. I hope you do.
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The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
