Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Perfect World - Priya Kumar

Name : The Perfect World
Author: Priya Kumar
Pages : 319
Cost : 275/-

I don't think that the review for this book is going to be easy. I had a perceived notion of this book and this book was completely different from what I had thought about it.

Let me give a short overview of the book. This story revolves around one person Niki, who is not having the best of life, in either personal nor professional life. She then manages to get into a different world, which is apparently the perfect world, called Zedius. The journey from Earth to this planet has been described in a very detailed manner. There the task is to save the perfect world, and the common myth that, when one has no problems in life, is something, one always longs for. This has been proven wrong here and Niki, who has the power to create problem where ever she goes is one of the chosen one to create problems in this perfect world so that a lively atmosphere can start in this world.

Now, having given this short briefing of the overall story in the book, its not the story which makes an impact in Priya's books. Its the thoughts which keep running in, which are detailed in a very intricate manner is what really touches you, and this book is no different. I only wish someone could put all those points in a different book and I would gladly buy that one.
Coming back to the book, its not the easiest of the book to read, unlike her previous ones. Its something which one needs to read slowly to absorb every line. Unlike her last book, this book made me fall asleep.(I don't normally fall asleep while reading). Its not easy to keep reading this book. It took close to a month to finish off this, though initially I thought that, this is not in line with her previous books and not up to the mark, I was proven wrong.
This book is at a very high spiritual level. I am pretty sure, many of you will not be able to appreciate the contents. Since I had quite a bit of knowledge of the soul power, I was able to comprehend it. The more and more pages I turned , I was wondering, how did Priya manage to learn all these concepts and based on that write a story, which is a story and at the same time, talks about highly spiritual stuff. Its not easy for a young person to know about all the contents unless she has read a lot in these areas. Not sure, how did she manage that, or is it that she is just gifted. But at the end of it, its an awesome piece of work.

Now, the million dollar question. Should you buy this book. I am not sure. As mentioned earlier, its not the easiest of the book to read. This book shouldn't be read in a hurry. You should take time and absorb every bit of it into yourself and that's the only way you will benefit from reading this. I can call it a slightly easier version than Shantaram. But its a simple story and very few characters and great insight into one's life.
If I compare my knowledge from learnings in Brahmakumaris and this book, I didn't find anything contradictory. Would definitely recommend all the followers of Brahmakumaris to read this book. It just takes one on a journey, in a virtual reality mode and can really appreciate the teachings.

As for me, I plan to read this book again and take proper notes this time so that I can use a lot of teachings in this book
Great work Priya!! Keep it up. And to be frank, my initial impression while reading the first few chapters was not the same.



Earth Day 2012

Tomorrow is Earth Day. An annual event which probably should be followed every day of your life. So for the mother earth, who has given you so much and has been bearing all our tantrums all this, time, what do you plan to do for her tomorrow.

If you haven't made up your mind as yet, then these are a few things
  1. Avoid taking the car/bike out. Since its a sunday, might be quite possible
  2. Reduce the amount of water you are wasting. Use as per your requirement, but just don't waste
  3. Use electricity only when needed. Use the TV a little less. Go for a walk rather than watching TV.
  4. Use less plastics. Especially while shopping, Carry a bag with you. 
  5. Avoid wasting paper tissues at restaurant, use them judiciously or use your kerchief
  6. Take the stairs rather then the elevator. If you see an elevator running, then you might as well use it :) 
  7. If you use match sticks for lighting your gas stove or cigarettes, use a flame which is already being lit in the house. One match stick used less  by a lot of people, would mean some benefit to the trees some where.
  8. Enjoy the evening walks rather than the TV or Facebook. Go out and meet people and friends.
  9. Use your mobile a little less
  10. Avoid using plastic or paper cups for tea/coffee. A regular mug would help a little bit more.
These are just some of the tips. Just do your bit wherever you can and that will be carried forward for a long time.

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Metro Man - E Sreedharan

Got this lovely link of an interview of E Sreedharan
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/248757/the-journey-of-metro-man-e-sreedharan.html

If not for this person, we wouldnt have enjoyed the Konkan Railway, which I so much enjoy travelling.

Another beautiful blog of this person -

http://kaipullai.com/2012/02/24/dr-elattuvalapil-sreedharan-the-bharat-ratna-no-one-talks-about/

The more I read and hear of this person, just feel how little we have done for our country. I can't even imagine the number of battles this person would have fought with all the politicians and bureaucrats .

He is now the most sought out man, and only a person like him, who has delivered  can actually challenge the processes and the way things are run. How do we create more people like him in this country. Wish we could be like him. 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Going out of the way ...

Helping is a nature everyone loves to do, no matter what kind of person he or she is. Its one of the basic  nature of the soul. Peace, happiness, simplicity, helping are a few of them. There are so many things that one want to do, seeing the outside world. We want to help the poor, the needy and other such people. The reaction sometime differ when its asked for and when one wants to do it out of your own will. Very often, when you get a call from one of the tele-marketing folks asking you to contribute, you don't really feel like doing it. Basically, since, its not out of your own willingness. From the Karmic concept also, the value of giving sometimes, adds to your account, only when its done with your whole heartedness.

Apart from helping the poor and needy, there are another set of people, who needs help. This help is more required in today's world. Its the stability that needs to be given at a non-physical or non-materialistic level. Its more at a spiritual level. With the current state of affairs in personal or work life, everyone is more and more stressed out. Some amount of help is needed by everyone, and there is a definite need to help each other to control the things from getting out. That's where your family and peers come in play. They need to regulate the stress levels and ease out the problems. Having said that, not that every one who gives the support is one without any problems. They also have their own share of problems.

I have seen people who have gone out of the way to help others in their personal problems and giving them a sense of stability. But then as karmic account's hold for each other, everyone can help another, until the point they are supposed to settle their karmic account's for each other. You would see that, though one does try and want to help someone else, the person at the receiving side, doesn't really accept the help. This is what happens when the karmic accounts between them probably has been settled or even if the other person, needs to go through a phase of suffering, through which the karmic account has to be settled. This is the case when the person, will close down on taking positive vibrations from all the given sources. However practical one thinks of this perspective, its quite difficult to further pursue helping others in this state. So when one wants to help others and still the recipient doesn't accept, one should help in a spiritual manner, i.e. by giving blessings so that they are in a state of receiving help.

I have been reading a book, which is apparently a fiction book, but I attribute it to a spiritual level. Will write the review on the same, once I am done with it. But its definitely one must read, but as with any karmic account, I think only the person ready to receive the knowledge at that level will be able to do so.

So, when you see someone not accepting help, you need to go out of the way with your blessings ...

Saturday, April 07, 2012

The Reverse Journey - Book Review


Format: Paperback
Language: English
ISBN: 9789381115350
Pages: 122
Price: 95.0

Came to know of this book, through a link in TOI. Probably that indeed was a good indication of what the would eventually be.

This book by Vivek Kumar Singh talks of his own experiences in India and in the USA. The way he was bought up, his family background, and his way of life in Bangalore and then in the USA. There isn't much in this book, that one doesn't know. It's as good as me writing about my experiences in Bangalore and in the USA.
But then, he has done some good collection of experiences and gone into a little detail of the differences between the two countries and the way of thinking. Again something that most of us do know.

There are a few punch lines which I liked and probably that would be the only thing that's a takeaway from this book.

When I read the article about this book in the newspaper, I was expecting something that an IITian would write. But then I was highly disappointed. Maybe Chetan Bhagat has set the standard a bit too high.

Should one go for reading this book? Well its a small book, more like a small self-help book. The cost really doesn't justify the content nor the number of pages.

I managed to pick it up from indiaplaza.com for a cheaper price of 57 INR(No shipping charges), while the cost in Flipkart was 85/- I don't think 85 plus 30 for shipping would do justice for this book.