I have tried to make my book Comprehensible to the Common Man : Furquan Moharkan, Author of The Banker Who Crushed His Diamonds
Furquan Moharkan is a senior correspondent with Deccan Herald. He is among the dynamic faces of Kashmir , having recently authored a much impressive book The Banker Who Crushed His Diamonds- The YES Bank Story” .In an exclusive interview with the News Kashmir, he talks to Rameez Makhdoomi.
A bit about your early life?
I am a journalist by both luck, as well as by choice. I have done my BBA from Christ University, Bangalore, before starting my career as an investment banker. One year into job, I found my calling and quit the high-paying job, just to pursue journalism. It was all abrupt. I am thankful to Deccan Herald to give a chance to a newbie like me. And it was never looking behind from there.
A Kashmir writer choosing economic genre to write is rare, how did your interest develop in same?Even though, I have been largely emotionally invested in Kashmir, due to my childhood memories in the place, yet Bengaluru has had more of an influence in shaping my career.
What was so special about Yes Bank debacle story for you to author a book on it?It is mind-boggling to realize that action of one single man over the years, caused a loss of Rs 60,000 crore to 1.6 million investors – many of whom had invested hugely in the bank. And while Rana Kapoor went about the unprecedented irregularities, the ecosystem turned a blind eye – in a way, siding with powerful. The collapse of YES Bank – then India’s fourth largest private bank – has completely shattered trust of a common man in the banking system. And trust is the most important pillar of the financial system.
Did you had belief that it would jump into one of best sellers on Amazon and other platforms?Yes, I had a bit of idea about it. I knew people wanted to know about it. Even within the ecosystem of YES Bank, lot of people wanted to get their hands in the book. Plus, I have tried to make the book comprehensible to the common man. Probably that is what led to success of the banking story, which is very rare.
How excited are you it being adopted as a Bollywood film?Very excited. You know it will help a lot in financial literacy in our country – which is very rare. The screen is a very convenient form taking hard hitting stories to masses.
Your advice to young writers of Kashmir?Stay true to yourself. Don’t get carried away. Focus on the subject that you know, rather than being a jack of all trades.
Your role model ?I never made role models, but I did like the knowledge and subject matter expertise of many people. Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Amartya Sen, Nidhi Razdan, Muzamil Jaleel to name a few of them.
Would your future books also revolve around economic topics?Yes. I only know about the economics only. So putting my hat in a other ring, would be a very foolish step.
