Author’s Background:
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi an Associate member of the Indian Institute of Bankers, (IIBF) Mumbai is a retired Banker with almost four decades of banking experience. He is author and motivational speaker. He has played pivotal roles in Training & Development both in local and international Banks. He has written extensively on varied subjects and his articles on management have been collected in a book called ‘Managerial Skills’ self-published in 2012. He is the author of a bestselling book Anti money Laundering /Anti-Terrorism Financing & Know your customers –Bankers Handbook. He was a columnist for Money Life and once wrote for American Banker, New York.
He started his career in Union bank of India. He retired from Commercial Bank of Dubai UAE as Head- Career Development where he successfully implemented the Mentoring and Emiratization (Localization) policies.
Questionnaires:
Aashi Dewangan: Welcome to Criticspace Journal, Sir. First of all, I would like to begin by congratulating you on the publication of “Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success.” How has the response to the book been so far?
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi Response has been very encouraging-Mostly the book has so far received 5-star ratings-not only from India but from the readers in Canada and the USA also
Aashi Dewangan: What led to the idea of writing “Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success”? Were there any events that inspired the work?
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: I observed people especially the younger generations seemingly unable to deal with failure committing suicide by droves. A case which I have mentioned in my book also is that of Late V.G Sidharth founder of café coffee day (CCD) who committed suicide as he could not bear the harassment from the income tax authorities and the financial troubles he had on account of huge debts he had raised (It was mentioned in the letter that was found after his death). Such incidents disturbed me and made me think “is it worth sacrificing one’s life?“ And the result of that thinking is –this book
Aashi Dewangan: Studying the subject matter of this book, I’m greatly impressed and I want you to explain to us your version of how this book is relevant in the present-day scenario.
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: There is a rat race. Imagine millions and millions of people running just one race for the same thing. It seems running for one’s own life every day. It is a race to realise an elusive dream. To achieve this one must let go of everything- the pressure to get is intense –One example I can cite here is that of striving for elite college admissions status to enter an elite profession. How tragic is the effect that this rat race is having on students when they don’t achieve this? It leads to depression and in most cases suicide- Reading this book will hopefully give them solace that not getting admission is not the end and sacrificing one’s life is not worth. There could be better things waiting for them –so they should just push on
Aashi Dewangan: If you were to describe your book “Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success” in a few words without giving any spoilers, what would those words be?
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: Failure is a very powerful ingredient for success. No one likes to fail but it has been observed that those who fail often come back and win. Failure is the pillar of, and roadway to, success. Failure is a lure for success; it is neither incompetence nor indignity. It is a trigger to continue, to not give up. It is really very depressing to observe that our society portrays harsh images of success and failure. We should always WIN is the mantra they prescribe. If we lose we are doomed. It is the culture of conformity. Its mantra is to go along to get along. Its prescribed standards are stringent. But one should not get terrorized and frozen by such standards. This single-track success-driven approach creates stress and tensions that one may find difficult to handle. What needs to be emphatically highlighted is that successful people are those who accept and embrace failure without making excuses and move ahead to plan out the next move.
It must be kept in mind and understood that success is a journey. It is a continuous process. The road leading to success will not always be smooth. This journey will not always provide unending and continual joy. There will be difficulties, setbacks, obstacles, and roadblocks. There will be moments when you start questioning your commitment. These will emerge irrespective of whether you are on the right path or the wrong path. So you should recognize that while it might sometimes be hard, you will need to make an effort to re-establish and reconnect with the positive vibes you felt when you started moving towards your desired goal.
There is no magic potion that energizes and makes people successful. It is for you to define what success means to you.
Aashi Dewangan: Is there any message, which you would like to convey to your readers? Or any piece of advice, which you would like to give to the readers out there!
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: Failure is a knock on the door of success. Continue knocking and the door of success will certainly open.
Failure will never overtake you if you:
- keep your determination to succeed strong enough
- have steely faith in your resilience
- break free from the clutches of self-doubts and fears that frighten you and hold you back from moving forward
- use your fears as fuel to ignite the fire within you to continue marching ahead
Remember- Whenever failure visits you it is not to knock you down but to inspire and motivate you to learn and improve
Aashi Dewangan: “Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success” has given a powerful introduction to your potential as a writer. Can the readers expect more from you in the future? Please share about your future projects.
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: Yes I have 4 projects on hand
- A journey of dreams and determination(Memoirs)
- Customer is not always right
- Leaders need to govern not rule
- Excellence in Leadership-
Aashi Dewangan: Thank you very much for sparing your time. I look forward to reading more books from you in the future. All the best.
Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi: Thank you Aashi -it was indeed my pleasure to interact with you. Look forward to many more such occasions -Regds.
Interviewed by Aashi Dewangan, Criticspace Journal
Very nice ,encouraging for our generation, very Powerful message keep knocking the door and you will be Successful.
Very informative and knowledgeable book one must read Failure will never overtake you if you try to achieve your goal
Failure is a stepping stone to succeed in life. We succeeded in getting due to our steely grit and determination to produce superior things. I will definitely read this book, very relevant in today’s times of youngster demanding instant results and gratification.Hope they will realise that Failure is a part of success and take it in their stride. I wish you all the success.
Hidden behind every successful person are many failure stories. Excellent book with apt title
A must read for all especially the younger generation, guides them well to cope with the upcoming roller-coaster rides in the life ahead
Very interesting read . Well researched and very well articulate.
Youngsters must give this book a try. A must read!
A very valuable book for youngsters
A must read book
An Excellent interview very nice ,encouraging for our generation. Wishing you more success in your life
*PEARL or SEA-SHELL*
FAILURE is a deep Ocean and the choice of collecting a Penny-worth sea-shell or an invaluable Pearl from this Ocean, is completely in our hands, depending on whether we choose to stay at the shore or take a deep-dive into it.
This book inspires and guides us for that deep-dive and I hope all readers will do so and find their pearls depending on the depth of their dive.
Wishing many more such successess to Mr. Safdar Zaidi,and hope he Keep’s Thinking and Writing to Inspire.
Very thought provoking and encouraging especially for the youth and is more relevant in current difficult times…must read for all !!!
This book will help those who have given up on their dreams and will also help those who have realised their dreams. In the grammar of life, failure is not a full stop but a comma. Read it and you will understand what I mean.
The author makes such important points! I wish his message and book reaches as many people as possible!!
Dear, Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi, It was a great feeling for you. I can only say you are a wonderful author of a number of books and an inspirational speaker. And, it was a great book, really encourages adolescence. Keep going on writing many books like this Safdar Ji. We really encourage you and respect you.
I Have read his book and it is really a great inspirational book.His book gives you many pointers that would be helpful in many aspects of your life .His book will always motivate you to do better and to never loose hope.I would like to wish him All the best for his future projects 👍
Failure is a knock on the door of success
Itself indicates that man should never give up on efforts in the right direction, as success is the progressive realization of your worthy goals,so we should continue till last moment.
Good questions, very well answered. Mr.Zaidi’s journey of life from a remote, least developed village up to the financial capital of India and then becoming a high ranking Bank executive abroad is in itself a living example of grand success. From a Hindi medium village school to becoming an author of a best selling book is a rare achievement. Congratulations and my best wishes for his upcoming writings.
Zaidi Saab is very simple and honest in his views about writing this book.”To achive success, if failure visits you,it is not to knock you down but to inspire and motivate you to learn and improve “as aptly mentioned by him Patience always gives positive results.
Valuable advice, priceless tips and mantra to attain success well explicated in your book as well as the interview. Wishing you more success in the readership of your book.
Failure is inevitable while success is contingent upon your perceptions, actions and recovery from failure. This book is an unconventional look at success and failure giving you an insights into the nature of failure while helping you learn how to pivot your life back on track. It successfully delivers the message of the three Ps, “Patience, Persistence and Perseverance.”. Reading this book has personally been an enriching experience, encouraging me to just keep going and never to quit.
Just by the synopsis I could tell that this one was worth a read…great job done by the author…rational thinking n advise which will help students and many others to stick to the success mantra of patience,persistence and perseverance…kudos to the author
A wonderful in depth interview that highlights the pivotal elements of the book whilst laying emphasis on core aspects of drawing success from failure
Indeed very factual read.
Gives insights and supportive to weaker minds.It sure is a must read,am sure it s very boosting too.I wish big readership and also pray 🙏the success mantra is helps many.Best Wishes!
Indeed very factual read.
Gives insights and supportive to weaker minds.It sure is a must read,am sure it s very boosting too.I wish big readership and also pray 🙏the success mantra helps many.Best Wishes!
“Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success”
This book is not just one more choice among many available options in the marketplace. Mr. Zaidi has articulated the message so clearly and effectively that it distinguishes itself from the rest of the books.
Most of the authors focus on articulation rather than the message; some keep their descriptions short and crisp; some describe the idea by dressing them up in superlatives to make their content appear better and brighter than others. Nevertheless, Mr. Zaidi’s style is different.
His style is the style of a peacock. A peacock develops its long and colorful tail by nurturing it from its body. This effort is an investment a peacock does, making it evident that it is not faking the long bright tail. Furthermore, the tail risks its survival as a peacock would struggle to elude predators due to its huge, cumbersome train and brightly colored plumage. In spite of the risk, peacocks do indeed thrive in the wild.
Similarly, Mr. Zaidi has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into researching the content and putting his other activities in jeopardy. Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta and the Peak-of-eloquence are like the peacock-train with iridescent blue and green plumage. I have studied his work and found that he has made his book stand out in a highly competitive category. His idea is simple. He told the story differently with the same ideas from the same sources. He added his own thoughts as the bronze body feathers of a green peacock and made the book more impressive.
The whole combination is so beautiful and makes the book valuable and credible to the success mantra he is offering.
Now the book is giving a ‘Costly Signal’.
This book indeed would not only survive but also become a great magnum opus.
Aashi Dewangan asked relevant questions about Mr. Zaidi Book & Zaidi Sahib answers very well.
Well worth reading this interview.
***** 5 to both Aashi & Zaidi 💐
REVIEW…
Today there is neither the shortage of books in the market nor the dearth of knowledge in the era of internet and computer. One can get thousands of books based on a particular subject very easily but to choose a good book (I mean a quality book) out of them is very difficult for such books are the rare treasure.
Mr. Saiyid Safdar Zaidi’s book having title “Failure is a knock on the door of success” is one of such treasure which is soul enlightening and full of wise and meaningful words.
Mr. Zaidi, a school teacher went through a lot in his life and reached the Senior banking trainer in banking industry in India and abroad by his hard work and firm determination.
He has included his own experiences, extracts of Nahjul Balagha’s precious sermons, great sayings of Imran Ali and teachings of Bhagavad Geeta in a very lucid way in his book so that everyone can understand the core things of the life and achieve success by adopting them in their day-to-day lives.
Mr. Zaidi writes on diverse topics and in every facet he shows his best. He strongly believes in three P’s- patience, Persistence and Perseverance for being successful. He suggests, neither stop in life nor linger in journey but strive hard until you achieve the goal that you have set.
Many people in India and other countries have been writing on the topic of success and failure but there are very few writers like Mr. Zaidi are able to make a mark in the hearts of the people. He is bestowed with the skill of revealing the deepest thing in simple words.
All I would like to say now is that this book is not an ordinary book but a great treasure of wise words of the writer and quotes by many great scholars and well known artists all over the world.
I strongly appreciate his work and recommend all my reader to read it and implement the crux of the in the life. I’m cent percent confident that after reading this book, the readers will find a great change within them and will be able to boost their confidence level and climb the ladders of success achieving their goals very easily.
Now finally I pray to God that may his book ‘Failure is a knock on the door of success’ receive the same love and affection form the readers across the world as his earlier published books received.
Congratulations to him from the bottom of my heart…
– Dilip Mewada (6-July-2021)
Gandhinagar, Gujarat State (India)
Mr.Safdar Abbas Zaidi’s Saheb is an renowned. Financial advisor his journey of life starts from a remote village in U.P to the financial hub of India and there by becoming a high ranking Bank executive abroad & in India as well is in itself a living example of his dedication & commitment to his profession through which he has attain the success. He has written many books on banking sector & an author of a best selling book is a rare achievement. My best wishes & congratulations to him for his future endeavours.
A very well written book, a must read for youngsters and professionals of all field. It will provide solutions to so many of the obstacles one encounters due to doubts or negativity in their lives. Congratulations on this excellent piece of work.
Dear Sir Saiyid Safder Abbas Zaidi
First of all I would like to say you many thanks For Your Great efforts which u have given to us by ur inspirational book Failure is a knock on the door of success
It’s a great hope for those who got failure in their life if they ll read specially younger can get a way to achieve success in their life after reading this valuable book
Awaiting ur others upcoming book…
Regards,
Dr.Sameer Rizvi
Hoping that ll get a reply from ur end and blessing too…
Thanks again
This book is a manual for facing challenges and remaining steadfast on way to set goals in life…. No hurdle is insurmountable.👍
Must read for young professionals who have to face lot of challenges in today’s world. The book coupled with authors expressions in this interview knock out the inhibitions pretty rationally.
Wish you a great success Safdar sir.
Very encouraging and thought provocating interview.
After reading this one feels that failure is actually a stimulus necessary for improvement in every walk of life.
May we get to read many more such inspirational inputs from Mr.Zaidi
An excellent interview of the author of a successful book saiyid safdar Abbas by Aashi Dewangan in which the author has summarized the contents of the book in such a manner that the audience are curious to read the book because every person has gone through the phases of failure and success and often goes into depression. For such persons his book works as counselor.
Great interview overall , some sections of the responses echoed with my own experiences of failure . There isn’t any doubt that failure makes you the person you are and not the success . In a time where teenagers aspire to become Insta famous , YouTube celebrity or tik tok stars overnight they miss a key ingredient, the ability to deal with failures . Loved reading it .
Extremely Excellent!
Was there-need to mention this?
Answer is obviously no!
Because…..
An author who has written, ‘ Failure is a knock on the door of Success’ is sure to be excellent in all his endeavours! Iwish him all success and ofcourse hearty congrats to him!
aftab hasnain
Great Book. Must read for younger generation. Thought provoking
Offers a refreshing perspective to the younger generation, veering them away from despondency and towards optimism and hope.
A v motivational book
A must read
An amazing treasure to keep!
I really loved how each chapter has its own Key Takeaways and the summary in form of points makes it super easy to revisit the chapters whenever required
A well written, motivational book.
Let this literary venture attain full-fledged success in years to come.Let literature reach the pinnacle of glory through this aesthetic venture of sum and substance.
Very inspiring interview, especially for the younger generation! I look forward to reading this book. Congratulations Mr Zaidi!
I am so glad that i got such an inspiring and breathtaking book to read. This book is so well written that while reading you will feel a sense of positivity in your thoughts. I will make my kids also to read this book as it talks about how to use failure as the doorway to success. This book will help them understand that it’s absolutely fine to keep failing because they are continually attempting challenging things whose outcome is uncertain.
Excellent interview. Very informative and knowledgeable. It will definitely help the youth.
Great book covered all the sensitive issues and taught us the way to deal with failure. Hurdles could stop one’s pace but not life. We ought to learn the treatment with every unevenness. I hearty congratulate the author of the book ‘Failure is a knock on the door of success’. May Almighty grant more power in his writing that he may come with more ideas and suggestions.
The literary achievements of this book are superb. Well versed answers in this interview too.
A Brilliant book by an exemplary author/speaker/thought leader.
Mr.Zaidi personified the adage that with time, an individual grows wiser and not older. As such you will notice that this book is not academic one but is pragmatic based on experience and insight.
A seasoned professional will benefit from this book by expanding his/her insights and for a young and upcoming people in the corporate world, this book will give a jump start and great launching pad.
I am very happy with optimism of author and rational thinking, This book will help younger generation to understand that it’s absolutely okay to keep failing because they are continually accepting new challenging situations whose outcome is uncertain . I will suggest that this book should read all young kids as it talks about how to use failure as the doorway to success.
This is a very vital subject. This book will indeed be a great inspiration for youngsters and I congratulate Syed Safdar Abbas Zaidi for this great achievement. Way to go!!
This is a very inspirational topic, and especially so for youngsters. I congratulate Syed Safdar Abbas Zaidi for writing this book and I wish it all success
very inspiring and informative interview. Congratulations !!
Mashallah such an inspiration personality v thoughtful and insightful book and even intrw which is honestly the need of our time Sply for youngsters.may allah grant u more success in this field and may failure never knock on ur door 😇😇🙏
A very good interview, aap ke jawaabaat bhi very well explained haiN .
V few days ago I came in contact with Mr Zaidi n during in ds short span of time í found him an excellent author n an excellent human being.
The Book ” Failure is a Knock on the Door of Success,” he penned z v realistic n motivating through his personal experiences n Live Examples.
I do endorse n highly recommend to d Youth n Entrepreneurs, this book ”
I believe “Learning is the Whole Life Process ” & the Book “Failure is a Knock…has shown me mirror at many places so I find its to b recommended for all.
Hats off to Mr Zaidi fr his contribution to d society
SAEEDA SAIRA
Congratulations Sir. Your thoughts are really inspiring. I have read the interview. Simply great.
Take care.
I can sense from the interview that the book is inspiring and motivational. Great work.
It’s a must read for people who are looking to grow professionally as well personally. While it’s good for youngsters, I feel that tenured professionals can also learn a lot of key factors mentioned in it. I said this before and I say it again that the insights shared along with life experiences really helps to connect.
To be successful in your life you have to go through this book Failure is a knock on ghe door of success. I wish the author for health and many more books like this.
Hiatroy is replete with such instances of success,like Thomas Alva Edison who invented Bulb,Graham Bell who invented Telephone etc.
I mean these extraordinary achievement by scientists was not over night Thomas Alva Edison made 10000 effrots to successfully invent buld. The essence is that a continuous effort in the right direction paves the way for success.
I wish the author to write such inspiring books.
All the best
Really inspiring and worth reading. Wish you all the best dear brother Saiyid Safdar.
The book ‘Failure is a knock on the Door of Success’ provides an insightful read.A thorough and in depth research seems to have been done on the subject by the author,Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi.
Totally concur with his views that one should not be bogged down by the failures in one’s life. Failure is not the end all of your dreams and ambitions but just a small hindrance which needs to be removed to move on in life.Failure is only an opportunity lost and life is too precious to be ended on such a petty issue.Each step has to be climbed to reach the top.The author has given a strong message to the present generation to not lose heart but address the challenges head- on.Keep knocking on the door till it finally ushers in success.
In life, our schools and colleges prepare us for exams and success. However life is not just about it. We often face failure in the real world. Unfortunately we are not taught how to face that in our schooling. For the 1st time we now have a book, courtesy Mr. ZAIDI, that helps us do just that. I hope the young generation takes a leaf out of the book and helps itself resolve many issues which may seem surmountable but can be dealt with.
Indeed failure comes in life a lot of times but to keep going we have to have patience and keep fighting for what we want because success comes to those who try. This truly is a very inspiring and motivating effort made by Sir Saiyid Safdar.
Tehran, 16 July 2021
After going through the detailed, interesting and precise interview of Author Mr. S. Safdar Abbas Zaidi with Aashi Dewangan, I feel pity that due to certain circumstances, unfortunately, I won’t have access to this wonderful piece i.e. “Failure is a knock on the door of success”.
Interviewer asked intriguing questions and the reply was given intelligently highlighting the importance of the subject for everybody. If you ask me to choose the best comment or sentence of the interview, in my view it is as under;
“Continue knocking and the door of success will certainly open”.
ahra
S. Ahmad Mustafa Zaidi
&
Zahra Zaidi,
Oh Wow!!! It’s a great great interview and you have answered to all the questions so well honourable Safdar Zaidi ji. Very nice and encouraging messages . To get success in life one must read the book ‘Failure is a knock on the door’ . The book for sure encourages young people to wave away failure and get success. Zaidi sahab rightly says…. Failure is a stepping stone to success. Kudos to Mr. Zaidi for writing such a wonderful book.
It’s a beautiful interview, a beacon of light to show the path of success amidst failures and insecurities, till the desired ambitions of reaching where the sky is the limit.
Karachi, 17th July 2021
This is truly an amazing work done by the author for the generations to come. The interview itself carries motivation,indepth richness for it’s readers.
Oh Wow!!! It’s a great great interview and Mr. Safdar Zaidi has answered to all the questions so well. The book… Failure is a knock on the door of success is a great book worth reading. Mr. Zaidi aptly says that failure is a stepping stone to success. Success is a continuous journey… Awesome interview. Kudos to you for writing such a wonderful book. Blessings.
A source of inspiration for the upcoming breed of authors. Kudos to the author for writing such a meaningful book.
There are many things this book teaches us. One is until we fail, we will never know what works and what doesn’t. Trying again by resetting our priorities and increasing our determination will eventually lead us to success.
An amazing interview. The book “Failure is a knock on the door of Success” is a very inspiring book. Each chapter has its own main idea which makes it easier for us to refer to when we need it.
As rightly portrayed,the thoughts put
Across come as a repetitive knock in our life to understand the true worth of failure and success, by mr zaidi,our esteemed writer who eminently penned the same and is apt but difficult still to permeate most of the minds….let’s wake up to the knock…whether young or aging as we all sail in the same boat so they say…
Congratulations Sir for the beautiful review. The book is a meticulous effort, a constant sweating with the result that the keypoint how the failures transform into success if we go on working with patience, turns into a light Piller that helps the voyaging ships to find their way in dark nights.
An excellent interview , bringing out your objectives of writing this book and how they have been met. Congratulations on the great reception your book has received by your readers so far and all the best for its triumphant march forward !
Such a well laden interview articulated with thought provoking answers by the author of this book which seems groundbreaking in the world of literature with the very first synopsis.
Congratulations to the pathfinder author and wishing you a huge success for this literary endeavour.
Very interesting and beneficial particularly for the younger generation. The author saiyed Safdar Reza Zaidi has written so well left me impressed . congratulations. Best wishes ever
I have gone through the interview
of the author with rapt attention to
know author’s view point on failure and success. I found in the interview, the
writer has almost enumerated a short
synopsis of the book..The view point
of the author for achieving success is so nice,and educative that, I personally felt everyone should read this book,because
in life everyone must have tasted the pain of failure in life and have searched ways for success. In that case this author’s book will be a guiding light in the deep darkness of failure. This interview has impressed me so much that I am now tempted to read the book and keep it in my personal library.
Very well explained.. true. . success is a journey and one must keep trying n should never give up… Your response on all the questions were simple n to the point… The book will surely pump up and boost the confidence among the people who had put the sword back in its quire. A failure is a knock on the door of success and one must embrace this truth and must gather up and work for rebuilding the lost… And with consistency, at the end, success will sure be.. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Well versed interview. Inspiring for the coming generation.
Safdar saheb. I have critically exanined this interview. It is extremely well done and you emerge as a winner per se the theme. Your articulation is splendid, your points hammers the right spot just like a master craftsman
Tell me how can I help you in this journey. There are two options we can meet in Mumbai when I visit next or we can do something through mail
Regards
Congratulations Sir. You remind us that our focus and ideas should determine our reality. We’re taught not to lose hope and not to beat on a wall, more needed to transform obstacle into a door. The author build up us as a determined soul. After hearing you the young generation could imagine themselves like a spreading light.
Failure is on the Knock of Success is a fantastic book. Saiyid Sir has been known to me for around 6 to 7 years. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to meet him. I recommend everyone to read his book as well as his articles. Failures makes us learn lot of lessons. We dont learn much from success stories. This is my personal view. Failures will mould you to be a better person in life. Wishing Sayid Sir a great stint in writing and inspiring others.