Karmayogi is the inspiring story of E. Sreedharan, the much-admired engineer and technocrat who was instrumental in the construction of the Delhi and Calcutta metro. E. Sreedharan had 25 transfers in 15 years of his career, and yet he was unaffected by it. He was a man of principles with a strong value system, always calm, composed and consistent.

The main takeaway from reading the biography is his life experiences, what difficulties he went through, how he tackled every situation, and what the outcome of all those situations was.

The book explains to its reader five golden principles- integrity, professional competence, making quick decisions, staying healthy, and being punctual. It also talks about workplace conduct and listening to your superiors as they have more experience.

According to an IIM Ahmedabad study, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) attributes its success to organisational values imbibed in the workforce, their impeccable technical expertise, their unflinching social commitment and their keenness to learn from their mistakes.

The DMRC was not built overnight likewise, one should not expect immediate results and should instead focus on the long term. Stand up for yourself and adhere to your value system.