Anirban Majumder Launches “Beyond the Numbers” at Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata

Book Launch Report

Rupa Sethia

BAJMC 2

Author Anirban Majumder and Sujata Sen, former director, British Council

The latest book by author Anirban Majumder, Beyond the Numbers, was launched on 18 July 2026 at Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, Kolkata. The event brought together readers, writers, students, and literature enthusiasts to celebrate the release. During the programme, the author shared the inspiration behind the book, discussed its key themes, and interacted with the audience, making the launch both informative and engaging.

Anirban Majumder is a business leader and author with around 22 years of experience in multinational companies. His expertise includes sales, business development, leadership, and negotiation. Throughout his career, he has emphasized building long-term relationships instead of focusing only on short-term results. Beyond the Numbers was written to guide aspiring entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and professionals facing business challenges. The book focuses on negotiation, sales, marketing, trust-building, and empathy. It explains how empathy can strengthen communication, improve customer relationships, and develop effective negotiation skills.

 

     Pic1: Author, Sen and Reshmi Chatterjee, curator                   Pic 2: Author and Rupa Sethia, ASCO Student

The chief guest of the event was Sujata Sen, CEO of Future Hope and former Director of the British Council, East India. The programme organised and curated by Reshmi Chatterjee, who welcomed the guests. Beginning at 6:00 p.m., the event featured the official unveiling of the book, followed by an interactive discussion between the chief guest and the author. Specially designed bookmarks based on the theme of Beyond the Numbers were distributed among the audience. During the discussion, Anirban Majumder spoke about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and start-up founders. Drawing from his professional experience, he explained that many businesses struggle because entrepreneurs fail to communicate their ideas effectively or build trust with customers. He said the book was written to provide practical guidance for people starting a business or overcoming professional challenges.

The author further emphasized that there are no bad ideas; success depends on how an idea is presented. He explained that first-time entrepreneurs often become too enthusiastic while presenting their ideas, which may reduce customer interest. He encouraged entrepreneurs to stay calm, understand customers' needs, make thoughtful decisions, and build trust during negotiations. These concepts are explored in greater detail throughout the book.

The author conveyed that he wrote Beyond the Numbers to support people who feel confused or uncertain in their professional lives. Through practical examples and real-life experiences, the book aims to build confidence, improve communication, and help readers overcome workplace and business challenges. The discussion was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session, where audience members asked questions on entrepreneurship, business strategy, and negotiation. The author responded with practical insights from his own experience.

Students from various colleges and universities attended the event, including Amity University Kolkata, Techno India University, The Bhawanipur Education Society College, and George College of Management and Science, reflecting the growing interest of young learners in entrepreneurship and professional development. 

From Amity University Kolkata, three students attended the event: Rupa Sethia (B.A. Journalism and Mass Communication, 2025–2029), Ranjabati Basu (BBA, 2024–2028), and Sunetra Sahoo (BBA, 2024–2028).

The overall ambience of the event was pleasant and welcoming. Hosting the launch at Oxford Bookstore proved to be an excellent choice, as the venue offered a warm and aesthetic atmosphere. The decorations were simple yet elegant, and the bookstore's literary environment made the occasion memorable for readers and guests alike.

The event concluded with informal interactions among the attendees, followed by the organizers' closing remarks. The programme successfully highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship, effective communication, empathy, and trust-building in professional success. It also promoted reading culture while providing students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and professionals with valuable insights from the author's experiences, making the event educational and memorable.

Building Resilience: The Secret to Thriving in Your Journey of Life

Guest Column

by 

Dr. Debanjana Deb Biswas

Amity Business School, Kolkata

Pexels

Resilience is one of those developable capabilities that often gets overlooked, but once you understand its power, you realize it’s a game-changer. Especially during those moments when things feel impossible, when you question whether you’re cut out for what you’ve committed to. 

Imagine this: you are knee-deep in a project, struggling with meeting deadlines, research, and everything else life has to throw at you. Then, a curveball hits in the form of a setback, a failure, or just the overwhelming feeling that tells you are not enough. It is easy to get pulled down by these moments, to think that such short term failures or adversities define you.  However, here is the twist - resilience is not about avoiding setbacks or sailing through the voyage of life without any turbulence. It is all about how you rise after those tormenting moments. It is about how you choose to learn, adapt, and move forward, even when everything feels to go wrong.

I will admit, there have been times in my life as well when I have experienced the weight of failure. It did appear at times that I was not making enough progress or not doing enough to attain my goals. I remember during the early stages of my career, I poured my heart into my first project and gave it my all—only to receive criticism. It left me feeling like I was not good enough. It stung deep inside me. However, later in life, that criticism became one of my biggest lessons. Rather than the failure itself, how I responded to it mattered the most. 

Resilience teaches you to consider failures not as reflections of your worth, but as opportunities to thrive. When something does not go as planned, we as humans, quickly think it to be the end of the road. In reality, it is often the beginning of a much-needed correction of your path and choices. It is important to reflect on the lessons you can learn from such failures and how you can improve. These questions become the foundation of resilience. They’re the spark that turns adversity into growth.

The key, therefore, is learning to embrace the journey, with all its hiccups. No one takes a path that is smooth and linear. Every step, even the wrong ones, helps you get closer to the right one. I can tell you from personal experience: the moment I let go of the expectation that I had to be perfect or flawless, I found the freedom to move forward in ways I hadn’t before.

Resilience is not about being tough all the time or pretending everything is fine when it is not. It is more about embracing your imperfections, understanding that challenges will come, and having the courage to keep moving forward despite them. Keep going, even when it’s hard. And when you reach those moments of struggle, remember: they are the moments that will shape you into someone who can face anything.