Book Review : The Leadership Sutra

Title : The Leadership Sutra

Author : Devdutt Pattanaik

Publisher : Aleph

ISBN : 978-93-84067-46-5

"Leaders often equate themselves with lions, and indulge their desire to dominate when, in fact, the point of leadership is to be secure enough to outgrow the lion within us, and enable and empower those around us."

This thin 124 pages book is actually derived from Devdutt Pattaniak's Business Sutra. As the name suggests, the book talks about power and leadership at the work place and the analogies are taken from mythological anecdotes. It analyzes the fact that humans seek power, importance and significance and how much are they ready to bargain to achieve the same.

It is an innate human need to feel they matter, to feel recognized and to be envied by others. This recognition brings in security and power and in turn satiates the desire to dominate. Domination imparts a feeling that one can exert control over external things. Through various means humans try to satisfy this need whether it is in the form of any social rules, position or things like property which gives the delusion of immortality.

The whole book is categorised under four broad sections addressing - Significance, Property, Rules and Stability. The book begins with discussing how Durga, the external power is distinguished from Shakti, the inner power - physical and mental prowess. And this distinction becomes a common thread through all the sections. Building and nurturing Durga is important but more significant is working on the Shakti because that is what imparts wisdom and innate strength.

To bring home a point, various interesting anecdotes are picked from the mythology followed by case studies from the corporate. His signature line drawings keep the narrative mind-stimulating. His writing style is par excellence and 'The Leadership Sutra' just validates it even further. It was a sheer pleasure to read this book.

Book Review : Being Mortal

Title : Being Mortal

Author : Atul Rawande

Publisher : Penguin Books Ltd.

'Doctors are trained to keep their patients alive as long as possible. But they are never taught how to prepare people to die. And yet for many patients, particularly the old and terminally ill, death is a question of when, not it.'

While one cannot underestimate the boons of medical science in a human's life, the other side of it cannot be ignored altogether. Thanks to research and advancements, we are able to witness a polio free world, reduced rates of child mortality, lesser complications in child birth, cures of diseases which were earlier fatal - to just name a few. However, we cannot completely overlook the fact that medicine has made dying really complicated and difficult.

And this is what Dr. Atul Rawande talks about in his book - Being Mortal.

Modern healthcare has increased the life span of average human beings from 60s and 70s to 80s and 90s. While medical science has done wonders in prolonging the life of the physical body but ageing of the body is beyond any science and as a result more and more elderly people end up in a phase where their frail bodies and other faculties need assistance.

Atul Gawande has rightly pointed out, 'In the past few decades, medical science has rendered obsolete centuries of experience, tradition and language about our mortality and created a new difficulty for mankind : how to die.'

It makes the readers introspect and many questions start clouding the mind - what is the right time to let go, when should medicinal intervention back off and let the person exit gracefully, respectfully and peacefully; what percentage of quality of life can be compromised for the quality or vice versa; where should one go when a patient is beyond any medicine or doctor; how does one wait for the final time knowing that it is approaching fast; where is the support for the affected and the family and many more. There is a high probability that each one of us will have to confront these questions in one's lifetime either for oneself or for some loved one.

Atul Gawande talks about nursing homes and other facilities in US which help an individual continue to have normal life as far as possible. Later he also talks about how one can die peacefully and gracefully and the organisations that are working to make it happen. People are recongnising the need of setups like Hospice care and other residential facilities which can spare a person from piercing needles and confined-to-bed state.

Towards the end he shares his own father's last stage of life from a tumour of the spine. He shares his emotions as a shocked and concerned son and as an informed surgeon but eventually her knows, he needs to pose the right question to his father in order to choose the right course moving forward. 

Book Review : A Book of Simple Living

Title : A Book of Simple Living

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Speaking Tiger

'The cosmos has all the genius of simplicity.'

Start reading first paragraph and one embarks on a journey into a world where time is no longer a constraining factor and where nature guides everything. Ruskin Bond offers a small peak into his routine and one gets to see the beauty in the simplicity of life. The way he describes his room and the window which opens into three different worlds - the mountains, the sky and the road - is fascinating. At least for the time when one is reading his words, one  gets transported to the same room amidst the same surroundings  - the never changing hills, the full of movement road and the author's preferred view, the sky. He feels the sky is never the same, it is always filled with beautiful hues from the divine palette.

As the much acclaimed author pays befitting tribute to nature, he subtly conjures the readers to acknowledge the presence of co-inhabitants of our mother earth, admiring their uniqueness and paying obeisance to the natural scheme of things. He shows us the side of the world and life which in the fast time-bound schedules, we are fast losing touch with. He talks about various flora and fauna that fill his life with colour, fragrance, music and liveliness. He has ample time - to listen to every natural sound, to drink in the scent of wild flowers and leaves and to observe tiny creatures minding their business.

'Live close to nature and your spirit will not be easily broken, for you learn something of patience and resilience. You will not grow restless and you will never feel lonely.'

He then talks about various other things, vicissitudes of life, his love and longing, his writings, how a new topic comes knocking at his door or through his window, the reassurance that one looks for at certain times and many memorable moments spent in the lap of nature. The narrative is abound with characters like cicadas, magpies, field mice, spiders, swallows, maidenhair fern, geraniums, marigolds, chrysanthemums, pines, oaks, walnut trees, tall deodars, maple, chestnut and many more names. There is a background score in the narrative which is sometimes bubbling mountain river, orchestra of crickets or rustling of leaves. The landscape keeps changing colours from pristine snow white, verdant green to riot of fall colours.

The simplicity of his life, his writing is just fascinating and one needs to read it to feel it, because he writes to connect. In his words, 'I want my readers to feel what I feel, to see what I see, and big words and big sentences come in the way of this sharing. It is clarity and honesty that I am striving to attain; there can be no lasting connection with my readers without these. And to be clear and open is to be simple.'

The reason why I cannot stop admiring the book is because it somehow aligns with my own feelings when I am close to nature. In the written words, I could actually read some of my own feelings that nature sparks

in me. While I get immersed in my daily routine, I often dream and long for - being in a wide open expanse of land adorned with verdure  or walking on a narrow pathway guarded by thick trees with huge canopies or driving on a thin serpentine road merging into the folds of mighty mountains or gazing at the endlessly stretched firmament to my heart's content or watching raindrops fall on the ground willingly accepting their new identity in unison with other companions. Just the thought of these bring in a deep sense of peace, perspective and a connection with someone supreme in every single entity.

Don’t let the beauty of the nature pass by unnoticed, unacknowledged and unregistered because it is the simplest and purest form of beauty. Let it tickle every sensory nerve of one's being. 

Book Review : A Search in Secret India

Title : A Search in Secret India

Author : Paul Brunton

Publisher : Ebury Pr

ISBN : 9781844130436

Paul Brunton is one of the greatest explorers of the nineteenth century. Many of his writings address spiritual beliefs and traditions of the Eastern world. A Search in Secret India, his first book, is chronicling of his journey in the enigmatic land of India where he spent time with mystics,  yogis and holy men trying to unravel the mysteries of faith and spirituality.  Though he is open minded, he approaches things with scepticism and with a mindset of an intellect. He tries to evaluate things on his scientific and philosophical scale. He embarks on a quest to find the real Yogi but wants to proceed logically. In 'A Search in Secret India', Paul Brunton gives detailed accounts of meetings with various Yogis walking the path of spiritual growth, he also meets many who practise the art of magic and egotism. But then his sojourn eventually leads him to his destination when he finally meets the great sage Sri Ramana Maharishi. The last quarter of the book is dedicated to the time he spent in Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tamil Nadu. Author feels that his experience at the ashram changed him completely.

As it is, tracking the origin of faith and spirituality in India is nothing less than an enigma. This book offers a great approach to begin to learn about the true changing facets of spirituality in India - critical and logical. With inumerable spiritual  branches and sub-branches sprouting from every possible corner, and materialism making the path to self realisation even harder, it is important to understand and experience spirituality in its truest form.

Paul Brunton's writings are very readable and easy to connect to. The pace of the narrative is a little slow in the first half but then one starts enjoying the tranquil and relaxed pace of the same. The book is set in 1930s and the narrative gives an idea of the supremacy that Britishers enjoyed in India at that time. It is wonderful to read how his journey culminates and that chapter is the highlight of the book. After reading it, one is at least able to get a small glimpse of the higher spirituality which stirs the inner yearning to seek the same.

"But it is not till the second hour of the uncommon scene that I become aware of a silent, resistless change which is taking place within my mind.  One by one, the questions which I have prepared in the train with such meticulous accuracy drop away.  For it does not now seem to matter whether they are asked or not, and it does not seem to matter whether I solve the problems which have hitherto troubled me.  I know only that a steady river of quietness seems to be flowing near me, that a great peace is penetrating the inner reaches of my being, and that my thought-tortured brain is beginning to arrive at some rest.  I surrender myself to the steadily deepening sense of restfulness until two hours have passed... I begin to wonder whether, by some radioactivity of the soul, some unknown telepathic process, the stillness which invades the troubled waters of my own soul really comes from him."

This book was sent to me by MySmartPrice for review. 

Book Review : Wonder - When and Why the World Appears Radiant

Title : Wonder - When and Why the World Appears Radiant

Author : Paul R. Fleischman

Publisher : Small Batch Books

ISBN : 978-1-937650-23-0

Fleischman is a well known name in scholarly circles and has penned various books and articles in numerous journals. His latest book 'Wonder : When and Why the World Appears Radiant' is a wonderful attempt to highlight the awesomeness of everything in this universe. He explains why and how we should view everything that is within ourselves and around us, with wonder. To support his explanation Dr. Fleischman brings in various diverse perspectives ranging from the fields - scientific, spiritual, philosophical to literary. From a tiny electron to the vast universe, the awesomeness of the discipline with which things happens is just beyond comprehension. Through Wonder, the author takes the readers on a guided adventurous journey to make them aware of things and phenomena that take place in the world and how innumerable constituent components function. What Dr. Fleischman has come up in the form of Wonder is an example of a piece which has extensive range as well as substantial depth enriched by study of various fields.

There is extensive compilation of scientific observations and surveys; religious and spiritual inferences; and quotes from literary classics like that of Tagore, Whitman, Asimov, Neruda and many more.  Concepts of time, space, energy and matter are explained through the research findings of scientists along with the life and mind of human is amply explored. It is commendable how author so seamlessly builds a coherent speech which takes ingredients from as diverse areas as one could think of.

Dr. Fleischman talks how wonder comes so naturally to children and quotes 'Fear is for adults who are ignorant and wonder-challenged.' He designates individuals like Einstein as the poster-boys of wonder and conveys that it is when wonder stops, that development and progress stop too. There are in all eighty chapters categorised under seven sections, each chapter is very short length wise. The language is profound and matches the quality of the content well.

That this piece of writing is a well researched piece is an understatement. It is quite evident from the scientists, philosophers, authors, academicians, skeptics and believers that have been quoted in this book that Dr. Fleischman must have gone through a huge array of information to come out with Wonder, which is an essence of all. This scholarly written book is packed with very enlightening information, however, it is not an easy or fast read, rather it is a tedious read if one wants to finish it off in designated number of days. Best way to read this book is to pick a couple of chapters at a time, spend time assimilating the power packed information before moving on to the next chapter. Readers must be cautioned beforehand that the narrative is not smooth as is expected from the kind of content this book offers.  It is full of quotes by well known scientists, astronomers, philosophers, writers and many more and often times the scientific observations are interspersed with psychological or philosophical deductions.

Book Review : The Choice

Title : The Choice

Author : Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Publisher : Productivity and Quality Publishing

ISBN : 9788185984308

I read 'The Goal' by Eliyahu Goldratt some seventeen odd years back and the thing which stayed with me all these years is how simply the author made the business problems solvable. He defines Theory of Constraints in 'The Goal' and explains various concepts, constraints and bottlenecks through a practical example of Alex Rogo who is finding the problems at his professional and personal life highly overwhelming. 

The well-respected author is looked up to as a philosopher and thinker par excellence. He is also credited as an educator, a scientist and a business leader. Eli goads his readers and listeners to think and approach the problem with fresh look and pull it from hopelessness to feasible progress.

In 'The Choice' Eli elaborates upon his fundamental thought process and beliefs through a stimulating conversation with his daughter - Erfat.

The objective is to extrapolate this approach to every aspect of life in order to make one live a fulfilling and meaningful life and the beginning of doing that is to take full responsibility of one's life. In doing so, one must not aim for the simplicity of life because full life may not be directly proportional to leading a simple life.

Through a case study he lets his daughter peel layer after layer of logically and analytically approaching any scenario and not taking anything as irreparable or un-improvable. Efrat keeps populating her list of revelations  as she progresses under her father's guidance. By the end of the whole exercise, she sees no reason to not agree with the conclusions - people are good; every conflict can be removed rather than compromised; every situation, no matter how complex it initially looks, once understood, becomes exceedingly simple(Inherent Simplicity); every situation can be substantially improved, ever person can reach a full life, and there is always a win-win situation.

While working on developing this simple way of living, one must never lose touch with one's inner humble arrogance. "Humility to have the conviction that you don't know; arrogance to have the conviction that you can develop the knowledge." This simply stated belief if one develops will take care of various fancy feelings and emotions that hinder the path of progress and growth, eventually making the path of living a full life a far fetched dream.

As he suggests to his daughter, the way to make 'thinking clearly' a part of one's being is to - practice it regularly. "To practice you don’t choose a subject and free up the time to do a full analysis. That is not the right approach. You should use any opportunity to try and decipher the cause and effect. Be it a casual conversation with a stranger, a comment from your husband, or something that you are reading. You said that you are constantly thinking, and you are right, but that implies that you should try to constantly think clearly."

This book is highly recommended for all seeking business as well as personal solutions or even for those who are not looking for any solutions. The book is an easy and engaging read and guides the readers through an objective way of problem solving. 

The Tribune : Influence of Mediamorphosis (Book Review - Interactive Communication through News-sites)

Sheetal Thapar, an Associate Professor of Journalism in Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, writes about the term "mediamorphosis," which has been greatly influential in bringing about metamorphosis in economy, society, governance and technology at a much larger scale.

Read the complete review here.

Book Review : Smart Phones Dumb People

Title : Smart Phones Dumb People

Author :  Parthajeet Sarma

Publisher : Good Times Books Pvt. Ltd.

ISBN : 938061956-1

"Has human race become dumb with smart phones in hands? As gadgets take over our lives, have we become less intelligent?"

Parthajeet Sarma tracks the journey of technology and its various magical wonders in our lives in his book - 'Smart Phones Dumb People'. He brings out the contrast between the worlds - one that is living in 21st century and the other that is still continuing in the 19th century. While smart devices are becoming all pervasive in lives of many of us, there are sections in our society that are still struggling at the widest and bottom most level at the Maslow's hierarchy of needs - food, clothing, shelter, clean water and electric supply.

The big question is - are the technological advancements good enough to address all problems immaterial of what century they belong to?

While talking about technology in wide perspective, he brings a big array of topics under the discussion ranging from comparison between innovation and invention, ecological (im)balance, entrepreneurship, stresses of modern lives, to corruption. He talks about how integrated system of university + industry + government is being explored for better results, how agrarian societies are getting metamorphosed to urban societies at an accelerated pace, how more and more people are heading towards cities leaving their village lives behind, and how fast paced city life make lap of nature in farms an enticing getaways for city people.

The impact of PAT at various levels in our lives is also explained in details. "Process Alteration by Technology is the application of the human intellect with modern technology in order to improve and alter business processes to bring in efficiencies, leading to overall development of industry and human beings."

Sarma brings in the personal touch to his writing by narrating some anecdotes picked up from his life, his experiences and his achievements. Though overall a quick read and relevant too, it felt like going through a set of lectures, speeches, talks or blog posts on varied topics. Found the title of the book 'Smart Phones Dumb People' a little misleading though. After having read the whole text which is very generic in nature, I feel the title should have been a generic one too to suit the content within the covers. Since a wide range of subjects are touched in the book, the narrative becomes jumpy at times. 

Book Review : What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

'What I Talk About When I Talk About' has been on my reading list for a very long time and thanks to MySmartPrice, I had my copy to read and review.

Got a mail from Spark, the online magazine if I could contribute one of my latest reviews there. I was working on the review of 'What...' and shared the same with them. Now please hop on to  Spark's Turn of the Page for the book review.

Book Review : Let's Talk Money

Title : Let's Talk Money : Road to Riches Made Easy

Author : Akhil Khanna

Publisher : Times Group Books

ISBN : 978-93-80942-88-9

If financial terms overwhelm you and if you are looking for a primer course in order to understand the fundamentals of financial jargon then this is the book for you. It is with this objective that Akhil Khanna has written this book, to enable and empower the people from non-financial background so that they are able to take informed decisions related to money matters. Money is one topic which is feared the most by many but pervades every single sphere of our life. Then instead of running away from discussing this topic, the best option is to face it by understanding it and using it for your benefit because knowledge begets power.

The content is divided into chapters and each chapter introduces a topic first followed by detailed explanation and concludes by reiterating the lessons taught. Very useful nuggets of wisdom are presented at the end of each chapter in the from of points to ponder. In all, the author does try very hard to bring home the point through elaborating upon every point that he is making with various simple yet relatable examples and recapitulating it many times over.

The stage is first set by introducing money and how it changes hands, the factors which impact the price of any commodity, how the demand and supply equation impacts pricing of the services/commodities and what makes a nation's economy. Once the fundamentals are established then he proceeds on to discuss topics ranging from personal investment options to global scenario. The information is appropriately presented in a very simplistic manner so that it capacitates a beginner to handle the financial matters. At the least this handbook would not let an individual feel handicapped in managing one's own money. The book sufficiently warns readers against the risks of some investments and how to be wary of the same. It is very wise of Akhil Khanna to have included chapters on Global Environment and World Financial Crisis. Former becomes extremely significant in the wake of shrinking world through wired reality of current times and the lecture on latter is a kind of analysis of the factors that led to the fall of big names in the crisis and lessons learnt from those mistakes. The chapter on 'Invest in Happiness' deserves special mention and it should form the fundamental baseline of an individual's life.

However the narrative is not free of grammatical mistakes altogether. The author makes it very clear what the book is aimed for and manages to achieve the objective wonderfully.  It is amazing that he has touched all the topics of concern to a layman yet staying clear of the rigmarole of this field. So my compliments to the author for having offered this kind of a light introductory course to novices in financial world. 

Book Review : 17 Cents and a Dream

Title : 17 Cents and a Dream

Author : Daniel Milstein

'17 Cents and a Dream' is an inspiring tale of an individual who fled the then USSR to chase a dream whose seeds were sown by his grandfather. It was a dream to be in the land where dreams do come true - to be an American and make it big there. The saga begins from the year 1986 when the world witnessed its one of the most deadliest nuclear disasters at Chernobyl. At that time, ten years old Daniel was oblivious to what was in store for him and his family in a home in Kiev, Ukraine, just 78 miles from the nuclear plant. The poisonous radiations that spread in the environment killed more than 100,000 people including Daniel's beloved grandfather. The personal loss left him with a resolve that he would do all that his grandfather ever dreamt for his grandchild. Struggling against meager financial means, anti-Semitic fervour and Government oppression, secretly fleeing from the city seemed like the only option for the Daniel's family. 'With a lot of effort and drive and a little miracle, they escaped their dire situation in USSR, armed only with the hope of finding a better life in America'.

The struggle of this Ukrainian family which began with learning a 26 letters alphabet based language from a 33 letters one, did not end with this. Daniel fought with persistent hunger, bullying classmates and colleagues while working relentlessly under the shadow of golden arch at McDonald's. Mopping floors and cleaning toilets for two shifts in a day could do nothing to dampen his spirits. "To this day I see how important it is to be proud of the work you do, no matter if it’s scrubbing toilets or making multimillion dollar sales. I gave my all to everything I did." He grabbed the very first opportunity that came his way to rise higher and never looked back thereafter. His perseverance, ability to work harder than anybody else, determination and fire to achieve, made him a successful founder, president and CEO of Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group. He led his company to be among the Inc 500 list and to be one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.

'17 Cents and a Dream' is indeed a motivational manual for everybody and makes one introspect on one's own personal life and impediments. Daniel's story should make everyone question oneself  - am I making the best use of my situation and how determined I am in surmounting the hurdles that come my way.

Thought it is a memoir yet it falls short on addressing the personal front. It is strange how the author has just skipped talking about the mother of his daughter completely. The personal touch that is supposed to be a mandatory aspect of any autobiography or a memoir is sorely missed in the narrative. After having read the book it felt like I just finished reading a long resume of an inspiring person who made it really big on the basis of his sheer determination and hard work. True to the title of the book, the author does talk about his American Dream only. But this half baked serving would surely leave many readers disappointed. Moreover being in the financial sector and precisely the arena where a lot has happened over these years, he does not talk about how the rough road impacted his line of business over this period.

Also, some un-addressed typographical errors have entered the narrative at a few places. 

Book Review : Burma - A Nation At The Crossroads

Title : Burma - A Nation at the Crossroads

Author : Benedict Rogers

Publisher : Random House

ISBN : 978-1-84-604346-8

Author Benedict Rogers gives detailed account of the trials and tribulations of a nation - Burma, based on his 12 years of persistent research and more than three dozen visits to Burma as well as to its neighboring countries.

A nation of approximately 55 million people, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse in South East Asia. Besides the Burmans - the Burmese speaking majority, there are seven major ethnic groups - Karen, Karenni, Shan, Mon, Kachin, Chin, Arakan or Rakhine. The country which struggled to bring her name in the list of independent nations hasn't seen her woes ending even after the colonial rule of British ended in 1948. After a very short lived democracy of almost a decade, Burma has been ruled by succession of brutal military regimes for more than 50 years now. Some wrong policies and short-sightedness of the leaders during the ten year democratic stint worked as fuel to the fire and led Burma into the clutches of brutal military dictatorship. The combination of a brutal military dictatorship which ranks among the very worst in the world, and the apathy and inaction of co-inhabitants of the same Earth have reduced the country to a burning nation. Burma has witnessed the tragedy of being the potentially richest country of Asia to being the poorest, being the rice bowl to having to face rice shortage.

In 1990 Aung San Suu Kyi became the face of  Burma's democracy movement. She is the daughter of Aung San - the leader of Burma's independence movement who is regarded to this day as the father of the nation. The democratic movement supporters and the leaders of ethnic resistance want to build Burma of peace and equal rights whereas the military regime is working towards imposing Mayanmar on the natives through their dictatorial inhumanity and brutality.

After having endured 15 years of house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi is leading the democratic movement.

In the course of past few months, the changes have been very positive which are bringing back the lost faith and hope in people. The path is not devoid of huge amount of challenges but as Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said -  'A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step'.

Aung San Suu Kyi is an able and wise stateswoman who has inherited political wisdom in her genes. With a lot of uncertainty in the minds of inhabitants of the country, the apprehensions and fears are looming large and staring on their faces. People are torn between either of these three states as Aung San Suu Kyi points out - first, euphoric and enthusiastic about the process of change, second, supporting her decision to engage with the regime and in the political process, but are cautious, skeptical and weighing the evidence, and third, not wanting to even try the process.'

Benedict Rogers skillfully makes readers understand the tumultuous past of the country as well as the complicated present where the nation stands today. The details do get a little too overwhelming in some chapters, however, I feel the same is required for complete understanding of the situation. Besides reporting the facts, Rogers assesses the situation logically and insightfully and that I consider is the commendable part of his writing.

Through this book the author does much more than what he was requested to do by a young Shan boy in Burma - 'Tell the world not to forget us.'

This book reminds me of the adversities of Tibetans as narrated by Dalai Lama in his autobiography  'Freedom in Exile'. The countries, cultures and beliefs may differ but the basic needs are the same all across the world. 

The Tribune : Life's Tricky Balance (Book Review)

TALK about ‘work-life balance’ is indeed a tricky topic, almost like walking on a tightrope and more so in the current age when ‘more’ and ‘higher’ seem to be the mantras. There seems to be a maddening rush these days to earn more, purchase more, possess more, acquire more but Banker raises very apt questions: Is this desire for more, leading us to a cult of self-help? Is life only about self-help?

Read the complete review here.

Book Review : The India I Love

Title : The India I Love

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Rupa 

ISBN : 81-291-0397-4

Ruskin Bond mesmerizes his readers yet again through his straight from the heart collection of prose and poems. This is his way of expressing his feelings for his beloved adopted country with all her animate and inanimate beings, their uniqueness, their character and how all these combine to create a unique flavour of Indian-ness.

In some chapters, he reminisces about his earlier days, the time when he decided to make India and specifically her hills his home and leave West for good. In his words, "The link with Britain was tenuous, based on heredity rather than upbringing.  It was more in the mind. It was a literary England that I had been drawn to, not a physical England. " 

He talks about the mountains and hills, rivers and its tributaries, various people and their idiosyncrasies.

He sprinkles the chapters with some nuggets of wisdom that he has processed over the years by observing people and his surroundings keenly.

"A well-balanced person : someone with a chip on both shoulders

Experience : The knowledge that enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it the second time

Sympathy : What one woman offers another in exchange for details

Worry : The interest paid on trouble before it becomes due"

His adroitness to write about himself with utmost sincerity and transparency becomes apparent time and again by the ease with which he packs self-mockery in his writings. His honesty and humility reach out to the readers unadulterated as he cloaks his feelings in simple yet effective language.  A slice of his humility and critical analysis of himself get reflected in these lines -

"I am not the most inventive of writers, and fantastical plots are beyond me. My forte is observation, recollection and reflection. "

Ruskin Bond's writings are so true to the soil of this country in its original form, it clearly displays his sensitivity in observing, experiencing, absorbing, imbibing and processing the Indian-ness in his system and what comes out through his pen is the essence of his relationship with the country and with everything belonging to it. 

The peace and serenity in his writings transport the readers to a blissful state of living the life in its entirety with every single moment registering its presence and with every single thing getting observed, acknowledged and appreciated in the same way as Ruskin Bond does on his solitary walks.

"I prefer walking alone to walking with others. That ladybird on the wild rose would escape my attention if I was engaged in a lively conversation with a companion. Not that the ladybird is going to change my life. But by acknowledging its presence, stopping to admire its beauty, I have paid obeisance to the natural scheme of things of which I am only a small part."

Whenever I get a chance to conduct interviews with the authors, I often ask them for their suggestions to the aspiring/budding authors. But without having directly asked Ruskin Bond, I got the answer from him in this book -

"If you, dear reader, have any ambitions to be a writer, you must first rid yourself of any notion that perfect peace and quiet is the first requirement. There is no such thing as perfect peace and quiet except perhaps in a monastery or a cave in the mountains. And what would you write about, living in a cave? One should be able to write in a train, a bus, a bullock-cart, in good weather or bad, on a park bench or in the middle of a noisy classroom.

While I was editing this review, I noticed that I have used so many of his quotes directly here. This clearly shows that no words are worthy enough to carry the essence of his writings and they are best as they are. 

Book Review : Creating Time

Title : Creating Time - Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim your Life

Author : Marney K. Makridakins

Publisher : New World Library

ISBN : 978-1-60868-111-2

We all want more time than what we have. Twenty four hours in a day do not seem to be enough to do, to achieve, to try and in a nutshell, to lead a fulfilling life and we all find these overtly abused excuses of lack of time stumbling out of our mouths so very often - "I do not have enough time" or "If only I had more time" or " I am too busy".   The author Marney K. Makridakins, very validly points out that despite the technological advancements which have enabled us to achieve much more in a month than we ever did in a year, earlier, our lives have become busier manifolds. So are these advancements helping us in leading a relaxed life? In fact, just the contrary is true.

In 'Creating Time', Makridakins is trying to take the major hurdle of lack of this essential commodity - time, head on. After understanding, evaluating and analyzing the concept of time management, she has devised some very exciting and interesting tools to create more time. Interestingly what all it requires is some creativity which human mind is very much capable of.

Makridakins encourages the readers to embark on a journey of rediscovering a unique relationship with time. In fact, this is an empowering exercise which could gradually lead people to move away from 'making time and managing time' in their lives to 'imagining time and creating time'. For this, it is essential to have an open mind and to be prepared to experience the great metamorphosis. Here is a very brief peek into what she suggests us to change - Change the way you talk about time, Change the way you measure time and Change the way you experience time. It is a worthwhile exercise to read the complete book to get the full benefit.

The various tools that she presents in the book, make use of technology, art, philosophy, science, imagination, logic and of course, the most important ingredient - the human creativity in finding ways to create more time. Each chapter is full of interesting anecdotes, personal stories, references and ARTsignments. The ARTsignments are hands-on art projects designed to initiate self awareness and transformation in a playful manner. Common time related challenges are enlisted along with various ways to face them.

For me, the highlights of the book were - the poetic pauses at the beginning of each chapter and the  art work by over 80 contributors which help in illustrating the point that Marney is trying to make through her writing - the multi-faceted nature of time.

The title itself is very intriguing which will entice the readers to pick this book up and see what all it has to offer in terms of creating and expanding more time in the same 24 hours.

It is a wonderful book on time management bringing in unique perspectives which have not been offered or thought about before. So I would say, it is a great accompaniment to the time management courses besides being a great inspirational book. 

Book Review : This Mobius Strip of Ifs

Title : This Mobius Strip of Ifs

Author : Mathias B. Freese

Publisher : Wheatmark

ISBN : 978-1-60494-723-6

As I received this book, the title intrigued me to a great extent. I had no clue what the term 'Mobius Strip' means so obviously searched the web to find out about the same. A Mobius Strip is actually a twisted ribbon or is described as a surface with only one side. It is the basis of some scientific models and is used as a metaphor by mathematicians and physicists. It illustrates how, for people like us, it is almost impossible to even imagine any other dimension outside the known four dimensions.

Freese has used the same fundamental approach in order to explain the possibilities which are beyond our comprehension and perception.

The book is primarily an array of essays which are written addressing a medley of aspects - author's reminiscences, his observations, his understanding, his evaluation and his learning from the whole process of living life for 67 years. These essays actually give the readers an unadulterated insight into a thinking person's mind touching various topics ranging from his personal thoughts and relationships to very generic comments on his teaching profession and his struggle with the society.

He discusses about the bond between body and mind and how they both need to work in perfect tandem in order to accomplish the simple yet hard to achieve task of 'living in the moment'. He highlights this point by saying - 'Most of us are unprepared for living until the very hour we die. We give little organized thought - awareness, if you will - to our mortality. We are obsessed with peripherals - and false needs. '

Mathias' lucid and brutally true comments on teaching are admirable and in order to strengthen my point, here is a quote from the book- 'He teaches English in a suburban school. It is not unlike other high schools in that real learning is not carried out. The implicit assumption is that education need not have vision or be real. It is a holding action. For some it is too frightening or wasteful to really work with young people in the kind of intimate and caring way they crave. After all, the teaching profession does not attract the best because it does not encourage what is best in us.'

An introspective and thought provoking letter to a student deserves a very special mention too and I would not like to divulge the details of the same and spoil the interest of the readers.

The uniqueness of these essays is that all are disjoint articles which works at two levels - it keeps the anticipation alive as to what is going to come next and each of these can be read individually too.

The impressive part about these essays is that the author seamlessly moves through these numerous varied topics without running into the risk of losing the attention of the readers. Rather the readers would surely find many things to relate to during the whole narrative. I, for instance found a few passages perfectly cloaking my inner personal feelings. The feelings expressed straight from the heart are sure to stir many chords for various readers at varied levels.

Mathias Freese is a psychotherapist and an English teacher and offers a great piece of writing which incites the readers to introspect and reflect on the events and the whole lives running past them. It encourages the readers to analyze the life truthfully and sincerely. It is a profound self help book without making it apparent or being preachy. But it definitely is not a book which you should just finish off in a few hours. These essays are to be chewed and digested to get the best flavour, taste and eventually the maximum benefit out of them.

Book Review : Into The Wild

Title : Into The Wild

Author : Jon KraKauer

Publisher : Macmillan and Co

Sometimes after finishing a particular book, I find myself at loss of words to write its review. And for such books it takes a long time to compose the review. Somehow 'Into the Wild' belongs to that category. Its been almost two months since I finished reading this book and had jotted down the points that I wanted to include in the review but was not able to actually write it down. Christopher McCandless and his story never went out of my mind over the period of these two months and I guess the best way to vacate that portion of my mind is to write about him and his adventure.

By the very definition, humans are described as social creatures but does this inherent need to be social becomes too much of a burden for some people sometimes? This was the main thought which kept ringing in my mind while I was reading through this book. I read 'Into Thin Air' by the same author a while ago and some of the very fine co-bloggers and book reviewers highly recommended this book to me.

'Into the Wild' is a story of a young man, Chistopher McCandless who, unlike the people of his age renounced almost everything by giving away all the money that was reserved for his higher education to charity, abandoned his beloved car and other belongings, burnt his wallet money and severed the ties with his family. He reinvented himself as Alexander Supertramp and ventured into the wilderness of Alaska but unfortunately could not find his way out of it. His decomposed body was found in a deserted bus four months later. In 'Into The Wild', the author Jon KraKauer tries to retrace the path taken by Chris in an attempt to unravel the mystery and intrigue that wilderness creates in some and what are the temptations of this unknown world which some find hard to resist.

I must say that Jon has done a commendable job in trying to delve deep into the character of Chris, his inner urge to find himself and to be at peace with himself and what all contributed in making him the person he was. His research is impeccable as he goes on to interview almost all the people with whom Chris's paths crossed even though for a very short period. In one of the chapters, Jon goes into introspection and writes about his personal need for adventure and his trysts with nature through some of his own expeditions. He tries to draw parallel between his own self and that of Chris and comes to the conclusion that 'we had a similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of soul' but none of them were suicidal. Some people may find this chapter out of place in the normal flow of the story but I found it quite relevant because being in almost the similar kind of frame of mind at some point in his life, author could relate to Chris so much better and perhaps it was just ill luck that Chris could not survive the ordeal(?) or his chosen path to self realization.

A very poignant and sensitive story of a young boy, especially the part where Chris's sister reminisces about their together time and the tearful adieu of the whole family as they see his last abode - the bus in the wilderness. It surely is one of the most haunting reads for me in recent past. This will leave the readers with a feeling of sadness and pity for the youth who found solace being closer to nature, was full of dreams but unfortunately did not get the time to give shape to his life during a very short stint in this world.

I really liked these passages from the book which sum up the author's best efforts to understand what went wrong in the case of McCandless.

"It would be easy to stereotype Christopher McCandless as another boy who felt too much, a loopy young man who read too many books and lacked even a modicum of common sense. But the stereotype isn't a good fit. McCandless wasn’t some reckless slacker, adrift and confused, racked by existential despair. To the contrary, His life hummed with meaning and purpose. But the meaning he wrested from existence lay beyond the comfortable path : McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily. He demanded much of himself - more, in the end, than he could deliver."

"In the end, it looked like he was ready, perhaps to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart, that upon returning to civilization, he intended to abandon the life of a solitary vagabond, stop running so hard from intimacy and become a member of the human community. But no body will ever come to know about what actually happened. His solitary thoughts ended with him."

Book Review : Delhi - 14 Historic Walks

Title : Delhi 14 Historic Walks

Author : Swapna Liddle

Publisher : Westland

ISBN : 978-93-81626-24-5

Delhi just completed its centenary year as capital of India in 2011. But Delhi's history goes back much beyond these 100 years. As I wrote in the review of 'City of Djinns' - Delhi is the city which bore testimony to the zenith and nadir of great dynasties and empires and it continues to mesmerize many people by being culturally and historically rich city while at the same time adapting with the changing periods. It has innumerable stories hidden beneath its surface which enthrall historians and followers of history.

Swapna Liddle has compiled a wonderful guide book to 14 walking routes in Delhi which includes some signature tourist attractions like - Qutub Minar, Lodi Gardens, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb - some of these have been identified as World's Heritage Sites. However, this list includes some lesser known sites too, for instance - Satpula and Khirki.

There is a detailed map with each of the sites which marks the 'not to be missed' places. A few pages are dedicated to giving a glimpse of historical background behind the buildings, monuments or ruins, some architectural details, concepts and techniques adopted in building them while some interesting anecdotes and legends keep the narrative interesting.

I specifically liked the parts where she has brought the attention of the tourists and readers to the subtleties of architectural details. I must quote a small excerpt from the book here - 'The pillars in the Quwwat-u-Islam Masjid in Qutb Minar complex, are elaborately carved and on close inspection one can see many human, animal and divine figures. Such sculptures seem out of place within a mosque, since depiction of human or animal figures is unacceptable to orthodox Islam as being akin to idolatry. The answer to this mystery lies in the fact that these are reused materials from twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples that had stood in the vicinity and were mostly destroyed by the invading Turks as an act of war."

I wish I had this book with me while I visited the major heritage sites in Delhi last year. If you are visiting Delhi, you must take this book along so as to take a guided tour of the interesting places in the city. This book is educational, informative and readable much more than regular tourist guides. It can work as a nice supplement to the history books in grade classes too. The author Swapna Liddle is a historian who completed his PhD thesis on cultural history of 19th Century Delhi. She has been conducting historical walks in Delhi for over a decade and has been actively involved in heritage protection and public awareness programmes. So she writes on Delhi with authority and it is interesting to read the facts behind these significant monuments.

She goes on to enlist some very practical information about these sites too - nearest Metro station, price of tickets, parking availability and amenities available in the vicinity, which is absolutely required before heading towards any destination.

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Book Review : City of Djinns

Title : City of Djinns

Author : William Dalrymple

Publisher : Penguin Books India

ISBN : 978-0-143-03106-2

William Dalrymple is an accomplished historian and a great narrator. City of Djinns traces back the history of a fascinating city- Dilli or Delhi, which has innumerable stories buried deep in the folds of centuries that it stood witness to. The bygone eras are beautifully brought to light in this book taking the readers to a retro journey to find the roots of the city which was believed to be first established as Indraprastha (the original name) by the Pandava borthers, post Kurukshetra battle. Since that time, the city has been through a lot, has witnessed a lot, has endured a lot, has lost a lot and has transformed a lot. This is one city which has displayed unmatched resilience as beautifully worded by the author here , "Though it had been burned by the invaders time and time again, millennium after millennium, still the city was rebuilt, each time it rose like a phoenix from the fire. "

During his one year stay in Delhi, William actually travelled centuries back trying to delve deep in the past of the city which makes it what it is today. He introduces the readers to the two worlds of the same city as they now exist - Old Delhi and New Delhi. Old Delhi which was once an epitome of prosperity, sophistication, culture and magnificence is nothing more than a graveyard of Mughal era now. What is visible now is just the sad reminder of the past, and the ugly face of poverty and ruin at every nook and crevice of the place. This is the same place which bore testimony to the zenith and nadir of great dynasties.

In contrast, New Delhi is what urban India represents - which initially became the shelter for people who poured in from the partitioned Pakistan during 1947 and later from Punjab during 1984 riots. These people, predominantly Punjabis are the business class elite and there is mutual despise between the citizens belonging to these two different worlds. Dalrymple points out that these two diverse worlds meet briefly at the traffic lights as outstretched palms are thrust through the open car windows. The plight of Old Delhi is evident from this excerpt - "Today Old Delhi is a dustbin. Those who can afford have houses outside the walled city. Only the poor man who has no shelter comes to live here. Today there are no longer any educated men in the old city. All the learning, all the manners have gone. Everything is crude now."

Not many places can claim to have been a witness to such extremes as - the affluence and prosperity of Mughal reign versus Persian Massacres in 1739, aestheticism at its best during the reign of emperors like Shah Jahan versus the plunder by British post 1857 mutiny, magnificent architectural genius which have withstood the harshest tests of times versus the indifference towards the same and letting these monuments crumble with time, safe haven for physically and emotionally bleeding people who migrated from Pakistan during partition versus new wounds that were opened in 1984 riots, and much more.

Where does the city stand today? Is there no one left to even remember the likes of Mir, Zauk, Ghalib, Dagh? Is there no patron of chaste Urdu any more? Has the city become a carcass without its soul?

City of Djinnns is a very well researched piece of writing and the mention of dates, eras and the sources of information bring in the authenticity of the same.

Dalrymple takes the readers along to various places, sights and experiences in his venture to dig deeper into the enigmatic city that is Delhi. He joins in the celebration of various Indian religious festivals and vividly presents the experiences. He spends time in the society of eunuchs who earlier were entrusted the task of guarding the Mughal harems but are now literally shunned by the society to fend for themselves by performing at weddings and births. He visits Sufi enclaves which have a huge following by people of all religions and beliefs. He also interviews many Anglo Indians who are completely disowned by both - the country of their birth (India) and the country with which they have blood ties. He meets those who are trying to defy change of times by taking pleasure in continuing the tradition of partridge fights and pigeon collection.

However, I found two irritants in the narration - on a couple of occasions the author delves deep into too many intricate details about a particular person or incident which takes the focus off the mainline narrative. Such places in the book prove to be big diversions in the otherwise well connected and understandable commentary on history.

Secondly, the mention of same old (ab)normal Indian stuff that has been poked fun at by many other Western authors. I guess my expectations run much higher from an author of William Dalrymple's stature and sensibilities, who has experienced Indian slice of life very closely for many years.