Go Kiss the World
by Subroto Bagchi
Go Kiss the World is an autobiographical book in which Subroto Bagchi shares how he rose from a modest childhood in rural Odisha to become the co‑founder of Mindtree, using his life to teach simple but powerful lessons on values, work, and success. His father, a low-paid government servant, and his mother, a former refugee and freedom fighter, raise him and his siblings with strong principles despite constant financial struggle and frequent transfers. From them he learns dignity in poverty, integrity in public life, and the importance of caring for others, no matter how small their position.
A central influence in the book is Bagchi’s mother, who gradually loses her sight due to cataracts yet insists on keeping every temporary government house neat and beautiful, teaching him that one must improve every place one touches. Because she cannot read, he reads newspapers aloud to her, which opens his mind to the wider world and shapes his communication skills and curiosity. On her deathbed, when he leans in to kiss her, she says, “Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world,” a line that becomes the book’s title and the guiding idea that one’s love and energy should go out to society, not be confined to family alone.
As Bagchi moves through school and into the professional world, he carries these early lessons into the Indian corporate and IT landscape. He works in several companies before helping to start Mindtree, where he adopts the role of “gardener” rather than just CEO, focusing on nurturing people, culture, and values instead of chasing only financial metrics. The book shares workplace stories that highlight humility, respect for junior staff, ethical decision‑making, and the belief that leadership means serving others and leaving institutions stronger than you found them.
Throughout the narrative, Bagchi argues that real success is defined not by position or wealth but by what you leave behind for others—whether that is opportunities, ideas, or a better environment. He emphasizes imagination, optimism, and resilience: even when circumstances are harsh, a person can choose to act with grace, dream of a better future, and steadily work towards it. In simple language and short episodes, the book becomes a practical philosophy for students and young professionals who want to build careers without losing their humanity, urging them, in his mother’s words, to “go kiss the world