Turning Points - APJ Abdul Kalam (2012)

Undoubtedly, the most loved Indian president has in some sense defined a visionary statement for India. Rather than focusing on political differences and issues the book focuses a lot on developmental steps govt or public should take to aspire and achieve a better tomorrow. For a president in a 5 years' term  APJ has shown a lot of courage and success in getting things done which definitely changes the mere state head status of the president. However, the book is not entirely a smooth read as at places you will find an overdose of doing the morally correct. It definitely can charge up a person to something for ones own country and will motivate the youth.

I am proud to have president like Dr. Kalam in our life time. Good book to read to know what happened after the "Wings of Fire".

Green Planet - ICT for a low-carbon future (2010) - ed. Guy Daniels

A telecom TV series on thought leadership around green IT. The article is sponsored by Ericsson, HP and Juniper and is freely available. It's a collection of executive interviews around the following topics:

1. Climate Change

2. Energy efficiency and green data centre 

3. The green telecom network

4. Sustainable production and recycling

5. Best practices and impact on consumers

6. Green ICT as Tool

7. Smart Grid and Smart Meters

8. Telepresence andVirtualisation 

9. Smart Cities

10. ICT for policy change

Unlike many execute speeches the content is not very superficial and has definitive statistics that can be relied upon. From chapter to chapter you will realise it's from a set of consistent sources. If you are thinking of getting a start point to look at power management as a whole from an ICT industry perspective, it's good white paper to start your research with. 

Recommended read. 

Simply Fly - Captain Gopinath (2009)

400 pages of sheer fast paced active entrepreneurship that will keep you gripping. I think in many senses Capt. Gopinath has presented what an ideal entrepreneur should be. A varied experience of being an army officer to a farmer to sericulturist to politician to founding father of low cost airlines in India is a remarkable journey for someone to explore. I think one cannot quite write a summary of the whole book as it is only a summary to someone with such a vast experience that you can only know more when you read it. Very few people you find in life who are not only learned but are highly pragmatic in their approach. I think Capt. Gopinath fits that very well.

A definite read for anyone interested in understanding entrepreneurship and I guess if someone does not have appreciation for such person he should probably not venture into entrepreneurship. At least one book which highlighted or tried to justify some negative publicity that Deccan received than to completely ignore it in some of the other biographies I have read earlier.

Origin of the Soul & Purpose of Reincarnation - Walter Semkew (2008)

The book presents the concepts of origins of souls and why it reincarnates with a westerner's viewpoint. But when you read through it you will find many similarities of the concepts with Hinduism as well. In fact he explains why souls are a universal being and the religious sentiments are only streams that a soul swims through in each incarnation. In short why a soul reincarnates? In short to get rid of the karmic debt it has created against fellow souls surrounding him. Sometimes to serve the fellow souls so that they can escape their karmic debts. Of all the virtues it's a forgiving soul that marches fastest in getting rid of its debt. I felt these are the biggest takeaways as action items a person needs to directly get benefitted. The rest of the book definitely gives deep insights into how souls were created, where they live when they leave a physical form, what level of spiritual maturity they have attained etc. The book also highlights many cases of known great men who have reincarnated and are engaged in similar professions and have similar looks and strong characteristics that has been aptly ratified by a spiritual master who has not reincarnated to physical form in last 3000 years.

I think this is a book of belief. There is no way to prove of disprove unless you have similar levels of spiritual capability. The takeaways are simple and preached by all spiritual masters. I will recommend reading this book.

Rebirth - Swami Virajeshwar (2012)

When it comes to Spiritual masters, one should refrain from reviewing for content. The reason is one who is not a realized soul cannot really critically appreciate the sof a realized master. At the same time a mention is important for people to be aware of the availability of this book.

This book describes in Vedic terms the process of Rebirth. How a creature moves from one life to another endlessly till he escapes the cycle of birth and death with moksha. Although, the book exposes in minute details what happens to the soul after death, where does it live etc. Ultimate truth is written in the final chapter where the solution is given about the final destination of a soul by realizing oneself. I will consider that as the final message and summary of the short concise presentation on rebirth.