May You Find Love!

There are many types of love. The first-time-found-someone-from-the-opposite-sex kind of love. The good-to-have-a-rich/beautiful/handsome/intelligent-boyfriend/girlfriend-like-you kind of love. The waiting-to-jump-into-the-bed-with-you sort of love. The I-will-die-if-you-leave-me kind of love. You-fill-the-vacuum-in-my-life-and-hence-I-need-you type of love. I-have-not-found-anyone-better-than-you-yet type of love. We-might-look-nice-together love.

And, then there is Let-Me-Introduce-You-To-The-God-Within-You Love. This is where people love one another just for the sake of love. Where people treat one another with respect, accept the differences, honor the similarities, cherish one another, become like one and yet remain unique individuals. Such a love demands nothing and yet gives everything. Raising above mere animal instincts and everyday trivialities, making one realize one's own special place in this whole Universe and also that of one's Significant Other, this is Love of the purest kind.

No matter how many heart breaks and rejections you face in life, never ever compromise in seeking such true, worthy love. For, Love like that is what makes the world go around and our lives worth living! 💕

Book Review - The Theft of India, Roy Moxham

There has always been this question at the back of my mind - how did a land like India, of many great warriors and emperors, filled with a population of many millions ended up being enslaved by puny European armies? This book provided a comprehensive answer to that question. Starting from the arrival of the Portugese to the final, decisive Bengal battles that affirmed the British dominance across the vast land, this book covers a period of almost three centuries. The downfall of the subcontinent, began from the arrival of Vasco da Gama at the West coast. Coming originally with the intention to trade and partake in the fabled wealth of India, slowly colonizing it by acquiring land and power from each of the petty kings and landlords who were too busy in their own personal feuds to notice the change of tides, fighting off the other European powers that were eager to join the party and ultimately enslaving this vast land, stripping it of all dignity and glory - it is all in here.

The amount of corruption, treachery, selfishness, petty egos, deceit and differences that handed over 'India' to the colonial powers is sure to make your blood boil. Short. Succinct. To the point. A good read.

Book Review – DareDreamers, Kartik Sharma & Ravi ‘Nirmal’ Sharma

As I finished reading and kept the book aside, I was reminded of one of my school teachers. Being so fond of Indian culture and tradition, he used to tell us that the two great epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata – are the only two books worth reading in one’s life, if two books are all one is destined to read in one’s whole life. As we suppressed our chuckles at his hackneyed utterance, he used to elaborate on how the themes of those two books have gone on to determine or even dictate the plots of all other books, movies and dramas that have been written in India ever since then. Men meeting their downfall due to their covetous behavior and Goodness prevailing over Evil were two of the key take-aways from those grand epics of India, is what my teacher used to believe in.

Whenever I remember that teacher, I remember his statement as well and use it as a touchstone to check the events, thoughts and books prevailing in my life at that moment. This book by promising authors, the father-son duo of Sharmas, stands testament to that increasingly truthful statement of my old teacher.

Rasiq, a man ever torn between the rights and wrongs of life, like Yudhishtra, Halka, a mighty man of supreme physical prowess, resembling Bhima, Arjun, a skilled sharp-shooter like his namesake from the Mahabharata, Nick and Vyom, the intelligent innovator and a master physician, like the twins Nakul and Sahadev make the pack here. Accompanying them are Natasha, a brave woman like Draupati, sharing a platonic, professional relationship with all but one member of this pack, and Aslam, piloting them to their destiny, like Lord Krishna, literally.

Rasiq has an enviable life, attaining the pinnacle of academic success with degrees from IIT and IIM. However, the staleness of a high-on-pay-but-low-on-everything-else corporate life pushes him into emotional abyss. Rasiq quits his job and finds his destiny by forming a start-up that specializes in rescuing accident victims. Just as they start tasting success and feeling good about life, a wicked force starts shaking the ground beneath their feet. Were they able to overcome that evil force and grow their enterprising enterprise? Was the evil vanquished? Did Righteousness indeed free itself from the clenches of Evil? Read this book to find out.

This is the second book by these authors that I have been given an opportunity to read and review. Having had a couple of not-so-inspiring experiences reviewing the works of first-time authors, I gently refused when Mr. Ravi Sharma offered me a copy of their first book to review. Convinced by his gentle approach and his assurance that I could share a candid review, I read through their first work ‘The Quest of the Sparrows’. Built around a unique plot, peppered with thoughts on spirituality and purpose of human life, it turned out to be a truly enjoyable read. So, when Mr. Ravi Sharma offered a free-copy this time, I grabbed the opportunity gladly, hoping for something different. And, the authors didn’t deceive.

The plot is unique, the style is fun, the overall execution is commendable. Though there are a couple of negatives, like the added dash of sleaze in the first part of the book and the occasional spelling mistake one finds here and there, the dash of humor and presence of many inspiring thoughts make this book a smooth read overall. A real page-turner that Mr. Sharmaji and his son can both be proud of!

Book Review – Cosmos, Carl Sagan

We humans have come a long way. From the days we were wandering the planet looking little different from our primate cousins, to these modern times where we take for granted technologies that would have been equated to magic just a century or so ago, we humans have made amazing progress. Science is what brought us here and science is what is going to help us evolve in the days ahead too. Science helped us see things as they are, dispelled our fears, gave us hope, made us discover fire and invent the wheel – two of the most important findings till today.

While science may not have solved all our queries yet - and raises as many demons as it lays to rest - it makes genuine, continuous efforts to arrive at the Truth. Armed with science, we humans have started exploring all around us. From the microcosmic wonders of atoms to the mega marvels of Universe, science has lifted many veils and shown us things beyond our limited understanding. Scientists like Carl Sagan have played an important role in lifting those veils, not only by their direct contribution to the sciences, but also through their ability to communicate such esoteric wisdom to the masses, to laymen that are keen on understanding their surroundings but limited in their ability to do so.

Books like ‘The Origin of Species’ remain special, not just because they tell us about groundbreaking discoveries, but also due to their telling it in a language that we, the laypersons, can understand. While ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan may not be as earth-shattering as ‘The Origin of Species’, it is special by its own right. Written nearly four decades ago, co-developed with a television series of the same name, this book was produced with the idea of popularizing the sciences, especially astronomy, among the masses. To the uninitiated but curious mind, this book is the ideal beginning into the wonderous realms of the cosmos. This book is to the budding astronomer what the alphabets and the arithmetic are to the young child.

From the ancient budding of scientific thoughts at the Ionian islands to the then-latest launching of space missions like Voyager-2, Carl Sagan takes each stage in the evolution of science as we know it, elaborates on the circumstances prevailing at those times, enumerates important contributions by various scientists. The real fun is his doing all this in an interesting, pacey manner, without letting the reader feel bored even once. After helping us navigate the unimaginably vast expanse of our Universe and showing us the wonders of our solar system, stars, planets, galaxies and the bleak black holes along the way, Sagan ends the book with philosophical musings on the future of mankind on this nuclear era and the possibilities of our encountering extra-terrestrial intelligence.

This is not just a book on astronomy. Burgeoning with interesting details on history, evolution, atomic science and mathematics, this is one complete book that every mind passionate about learning must possess.

Book Review - The Bachelor of Arts, R.K. Narayan

There is a quaint charm about the books of R.K. Narayan, like the languid grace of late summer afternoons. There is no urge to spell out the minutiae of the plot, no kid-gloved treatment of readers by letting them into every detail, including the color of the characters’ iris. There are no otherworldly characters with vaunted virtues or revolting vileness. Narayan’s characters are all simple human beings, persons we come across every day at work, on the road, in public transports, or at the cafeteria. The characters are so natural to the point of making you feel like one of them. Again, there is no fairy-tale like fantasy in the plots. The storyline is - to borrow the comparison by some writer that I vaguely remember - like lifting the curtain from a stage where the events are already going on, observing it without any judgement and then gently letting the curtain fall.

Unlike most of the contemporary Indian authors, many of whose works I nearly ended up flinging through the window, the Indian masters of yore had a sense of simplicity and sincerity in their writings. If I say that RKN is chief among them, not many would contest my point.

This book by Narayan is an absolute delight. Dwelling into the transformation of a young, easy-going college student into a man of serious disposition, the joys, aspirations, dreams, the inevitable heartbreak and revival of hope that all stud this period of transformation are well narrated in a manner only RKN can.

Chandran is the son of doting parents and elder brother to an adoring young boy. In his final year in college, Chandran has little to care about in life, except his college History Association meetings and, later, his final year exams. A life of comfort, simple joys and routine dreams promises to get better when he meets, no, sees a young girl during one of his evening strolls by the river. Smitten by the girl, even whose name he is not aware of, Chandran relishes all the dreams of youth, only to be rudely awakened by the challenges and customs that marked the Indian societies in that period. Did Chandran marry the girl of his dreams? Did he get to make a mark for himself and settle in life? What did it take to turn that carefree young man into a mature adult? Read the book for answers.

There are more than a dozen books of R.K. Narayan in my shelf now. Each book evokes in me a different sensation. Some books make me smile, some stir in me a sense of mischief, some give me peace, some cause sadness, some fill me with hope and some stoke all these emotions at once. ‘The Bachelor of Arts’ is one such book laced with the trademark subtle humor of R.K. Narayan, mixed with a tinge of sadness that lurks in the background like the ever-present nose in front of our eyes.

If you like books that deal with the intricacies of human nature, with all the pleasures and frailties that make us stand high above all other creatures on this planet, then ‘The Bachelor of Arts’ is a book that you MUST experience!

Let Bygones Be Bygones

I have no respect for even a single politician of this generation. I have no affinity to any of the casteist, religious, societal ideologies either. All I trust is this - when a life ends, when death occurs, all the goodness and evil associated with that life come to end. The soul departs leaving behind all the glories and condemnations. We, as decent human beings and fellow souls, can only pay respect to it and pray for its salvation.

But the things that I see in social media are absolutely horrifying. And, repulsive to say the least. Never has one seen the animals celebrating the death of one of their own. But here, we civilized humans are busy taking side, for and against Karunanidhi, reviling one another in words soaked in filth and acid, laying bare all the religious, casteist muck dumped inside our minds.

Holy or wicked, let his Karma deal with him. This is not the moment to don the holy garb and judge him. There is no pride in attacking someone when he cannot defend himself. Similarly there is no goodess in reviling someone at one's death. If you can, do pray for the soul. If not, just go about your tasks, ignoring the death. Taking to social media, throwing sickly words about his death or hurling dirty abuses at unseen, unknown people belonging to other ideologies/religions/castes, just because they eat, pray, think, sleep or shit in a way different from yours is to only prove how lowly a creature we humans are.

Let peace prevail!

Life & Limitless Perspectives

Life is all about perspectives. Well, I know it is a cliché, but Life has a way of repeating its lessons till we learn and remember them by the heart of our inner-hearts. Had to come across one such a repeat session recently.

A couple of weekends ago, on a late summer Saturday afternoon laced with languor, I had accompanied my spouse to a furniture exhibition. After going through the stalls, we decided to have a bite at the food-court outside. As we sat at our table, digging into the dishes in front of us, our eyes fell on a janitor cleaning the tables nearby – an elderly woman with shriveled skin, lean physique but straight posture, her silvery hair tied into a neat bun, not a strand out of place. The style of her sari and the fading tattoos on her forearms made it clear that her origins lay in the land of lovely Telugu. The wrinkles on her hands and cheeks would put a fractal artist to shame, with skin-folds that crisscrossed into countless patterns. Here was another human being, performing a menial job, but her mien and dignity second to none there.

My wife also noticed the lady and, with astonishment in her eyes, mentioned how fortunate we both are, in the sense that we are both young and have our organs, especially our skins, intact. She expressed pity for the elderly woman’s having to work at this advanced age and remarked that such a state should never befall us.

Cleaning the floors and tables, collecting the disposable-cups and paper-plates carelessly thrown around by ‘the rich and the educated’, the elderly janitor came near our table. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that she didn’t move ahead but stood next to our table, mumbling something. Being a run-of-the-mill big-city-dweller, I assumed that the elderly woman was asking us for money. Calculating in my mind for the spare change in my wallet, I turned to face that lady, only to realize that she wasn’t even looking at us. Her gaze was on a good-looking middle-aged woman, sitting on a wheel-chair pushed by a younger woman. It was to make way for this woman on wheel-chair that our janitor lady stood aside, standing next to our table.

I was feeling a sense of guilt for my condescending assumption. After the woman in wheelchair and her companion moved ahead, the elderly janitor shook her head and, turning towards me, remarked ‘What a pitiable condition! Such a state should never befall us. It’s our good karma that we have our organs intact and don’t need someone’s help to move around’. Saying that with an innocent look, she went on collecting garbage from the floors and wiping clean the tables.

Is Life indeed all about perspectives? What do you think?

Book Review – Doing Business Without Your Money, Dr. Suresh Haware

Ask any celebrated author to share some words of advice for the budding writers and he/she is bound to talk about the importance of reviewing – editing - one’s work before making it public. Making the most of one’s flowing creativity and putting thoughts on paper in a hurry is one thing, whereas going through that output and separating wheat from waste is a different business altogether. Sadly, most Indian authors fail at the crucial final step. This book falls under that category.

A friend gifted me this book, stating that the author is one of the renowned businessmen in Maharashtra and an inspiring figure for aspiring entrepreneurs. Infected by her enthusiasm, I picked the book, hoping to get some long-awaited inspiration to start something on my own. But, alas, what a disappointment this book has given me!

Dr. Suresh Haware, a nuclear scientist-turned-builder-turned-politician, has attempted to share his experience and wisdom on entrepreneurship with the budding businessmen out there. While the motive is very much commendable, the style of expression falls far behind. By reading the title, one is bound to believe that this book is about the various ways of raising capital for starting one’s business. However, except for the dabbling at the first few pages, the author moves on to an ambitious attempt at teaching every other aspect of running a business, which becomes the downfall for this book.

Instead of dwelling on specific guidance, the book contains generic advice that gets repeated in every chapter. With incoherent, repetitious writing style, shoddy spelling (’Procter & Gambel’), glaring grammatical mistakes (‘towing the line’), glaring errors in facts (the name of the disgraced Satyam Computer Services founder is mentioned as ‘Mahalingam Raju’ instead of Ramalingam Raju), this book makes reading quite a toil.

While the intention of the author – to inspire youngsters to become ‘businessmen’ and create wealth for the nation - deserves praise for sure, his book doesn’t. Except for being good in patches, very small ones at that, the book doesn’t carry much that one cannot learn through basic common sense and observation.

Buy this book with someone else’s money, if you don’t want to waste yours.

Book Review - The Chronicles of Hanuman, Shubha Vilas

No matter whether one is a Hindu or an atheist, no matter which sect - within Hinduism - one belongs to, some gods and the tales about them carry a sense of charm and awe always. According to me, Krishna, Ganesh and Hanuman are such a trio. Every child gets pulled towards them and holds at least one of them as their favorite even after growing up. As one grows up listening to the tales about them, one also ends up learning glorious virtues that will make one walk the path of righteousness. This book is one such opportunity - both to teach the children about the heroic deeds of Hanuman and to recall these childhood tales and feel our hearts become light.

Hanuman, the glorious 'Monkey God' of the Hindu pantheon, needs no introduction and almost every worthy Hindu - or one who has read Ramayan - is aware of his contribution and part in Rama's rescue of Sita from the demonic Ravan. This book presents Hanuman's life story in lovely little tales that stoke one's interest for more. Right from Hanuman's birth and childhood to his post-Ramayan 'existence' are all presented here in a manner that will make reading such a pleasurable experience.

Of course, there is nothing much new except the already widely circulated stories about Hanuman, but that never reduces their charm. Also, the 'morals' at the end of every tale that the author tries to derive, sound so mundane and forced. But the tales are what one picks this book for and the book does justice to it. Bonus would be the little guide in the end about the famous Hanuman temples in the country and also the transcription/translation of Hanuman Chalisa.

Read this, keeping aside all your grown-up questions and logic and it will be one pleasant, lovely read. Recommended!

Book Review – Holy Cancer, Amit Vaidya

Life has this strange knack of making us do the very things that we swear to never ever do. I got a taste of this lesson once again. Couple of years ago, a friend of mine had gifted me a book with good intentions. But, the book was so crappy and the writing style so stupid that I couldn’t stomach it beyond 15-odd pages and had to throw it away. I made a promise to myself that I would never again pick up books that are unworthy and uninspiring. But, alas, another book just got added to that category and, unfortunately, this one was also a gift from a good friend.

When a friend of mine, whose family member is ailing from cancer, gave me this book to read and review, I was hopeful of reading through some inspiring literature that could help me spread positive vibes around. But the word ‘positive’ is in no way related to this book. If anything, this book is at best a pity-party and worthless whining. At least till the 100-odd pages that I could toil through, before dumping the book once and for all.

Amit Vaidya, whose memoir this book is, was a well-settled NRI who went through the traumatic experience of losing his parents within a couple of years, both to serious ailments. He himself was diagnosed with cancer and was predicted with only few months’ survival period. Tired of loneliness and determined to explore the alternative medicines, Amit arrived in India, taking the help of family-friends and relatives. However, except for a few, all his relatives showed an ‘indifferent’ and ‘uncaring’ attitude towards him. Managing to garner the support somehow, he arrived at a hospital in Gujarat that is said to offer a cure for cancer through natural methods and cow-products. And, that is how far I could get through in the book, before losing patience completely and throwing the book away.

The author states once that he does not like self-pity, but the pages all reek of it. Here is a guy, who wants the whole world to care for him and pamper him, without even giving a moment’s thought as to what it entails to support a terminally-ill patient, both emotionally and financially. Here is a guy who went and settled abroad, trying to make his life there but having had his dreams all cut short due to illness, returning home to the cousins and aunts that he didn’t take much time to interact with prior to his parents’ demise, now expecting all those people – that he didn’t care much about earlier - to care for him and help him heal.

Before you wear a holy garb and cast a stone at those ‘wicked relatives’, consider the following - a now-distanced-once-close relative of yours suddenly arrives at your home, seemingly in good health but claiming to be ailing from cancer, seeks the intense emotional care and monetary support that the treatment for diseases like cancer demand, but never ever shares much details about his ailment with you. Will you really be the good Samaritan that you would expect Amit’s relatives to be?

In this age and world, going through the day-to-day life in the routine manner is by itself taxing and demanding. Add to it the demands of caring for a relative that suddenly pops out of nowhere and asks to be cared for in his ‘final days’ – recipe enough to cause consternation in anybody’s mind. Many of his demands and complaints against his relatives, while he himself seems to be unaware of the plans in his mind, sound as sheer hypocrisy, especially since he had never been much of a part in their lives whom he bitterly speaks about for not caring for him.

This book is – at least till whatever page I could put myself through – a show of vainglorious hypocrisy soaked in self-pity. If you want something better and truly inspiring, I would recommend ‘When Breath Becomes Air’.

This book could very well have been named as ‘Holy Shit’, because it is sheer crap that sounds holier-than-thou. Inspiring is an adjective that I would never associate with this book!

Book Review – Origin, Dan Brown

There is something special about the works of Dan Brown. One of the few authors whose works of fiction I devour with passion, Dan Brown has mastered the art of writing what I would call ‘encyclopedic thrillers’. Between those covers lie a huge trove of details about history, art, religion and science. Every time I finish reading a book by him, I end up adding at least 2-3 books to my to-read list. Such an awe-inspiring author he is. However, this book turns out to be one of his disappointing efforts.

Edmond Kirsch is a billionaire computer scientist and futurist who has discovered something that could end up disturbing the deeply-seated religious beliefs. Robert Langdon, one of his trusted friends, gets invited to the event in Guggenheim museum for the announcement of that discovery. In front of the entire audience, Edmond gets brutally murdered before he could announce his discovery. Robert Langdon, having prominently figured in his pre-presentation video, and Ambra Vidal, the charming director of the museum, who worked closely with Edmond to prepare for the event, are both left to run for their dear lives. Chased by what appears to be the conspiracy to eliminate every loose end, Robert and Ambra race through the architectural and historical monuments of Spain to find out Edmond’s discovery and let it be known to the world. Did they succeed? This book answers the question.

As I already said, Dan Brown is an author who weaves a lovely tapestry of tales, putting together facts from various faculties – science, history, art, architecture, religion and what-not! His ability to weave an intricate tale is never to be doubted. But somehow in this book, they are all starting to sound so routine and to some extent even hampering the flow. Brown seems to be settling into a pattern which is not good. What worked in Angels and Demons will not work always. Robert Langdon running for his dear life, trying to unravel the mysteries, accompanied by a female protagonist, giving us lessons on history and religion - it is all starting to sound so similar. Time to think of something different?

Again, neither the story nor the ending are what used to set apart Dan’s works. If you’re a fan of Hollywood movies, who also happens to read widely about science and technology, you get to predict the antagonist and the climax well in advance – at about 200 pages itself. Once the suspense is gone, what remains is another 250-odd pages of dull and uninspiring reading. Either Dan Brown has become predictable or I have gathered the uncanny knack of Sherlock Holmes in seeing beyond the obvious. To avoid sounding so boastful, I guess it is the former that is the case.

 
Routine, predictable and sluggish, this book reminds me of a work by Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing!