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!