In Search of Celebration - Osho (2004)

The book is a collection of conversations with Osho. Osho talks about various topics with simple parables. While I have not been a follower of Osho or any of his teachings, the first book for me was a great eye-opener. It shared his knowledge of many fields and simple explanations that make him such a guru with a vast following even after so many years of leaving the worldly presence. While I may not agree with all the views expressed, I can definitely find a connection he can establish with the audience and all the readers. 

I will definitely recommend the book. 

The Guru of Joy - François Gautier (2002)

Sri Sri Ravishankar is a revered spiritual master from India. While most of his teachings are along the Hindu philosophy, he has followers across the globe. This book introduced the guru from a westerner's perspective. Though a Westerner, the author is associated with the Sri Aurobindo ashram in Puducherry. So, he had been exposed to the Indian philosophy. He describes the guru, his childhood, his works, and the experiences of the fellow devotees with the guru. The book also contains messages from Swamiji and how it can benefit the society. The beneficial effects of the Sudarshan Kriya and its effect on the human body and mind are discussed in great detail. 

The Art of Happiness - HH Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler (1989)

A practicing psychologist/psychotherapist interviews HH Dalai Lama for his opinion on elements of happiness. He tries to match the modern scientific interpretation of happiness with the spiritual master's understanding of the same subject. Human happiness is achieved through five attributes. 

• The purpose of life
• Human warmth and compassion
• Transforming suffering into a positive outcome
• Overcoming obstacles like fear and anger
• Living a spiritual life

The last two are interesting as you realize the viewpoints of the scientist and the spiritual master do not quite match. While science emphasizes releasing or venting out fear and anger, the spiritual master focuses on forgetting and managing the bad influences from life. Lastly, the spiritual master distinguishes religion and spirituality. He thinks religion plays a significant role in a person's life, while the psychologist prefers the influence of a secular spiritual basis for an individual. 

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess - Bobby Fischer (1966)

Why didn't I learn chess from this book? The best first book on chess. With frame after frame of the board visually in front, I just devoured it in one sitting. 

Definitely, recommended. 

The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism - Dennis Prager (1981)

I did not know how and when this book landed in my bookcase, but it is a good read, although parts of the book are relevant to the period when it was written, like working on the cause of Soviet Jewry. It introduces Judaism, its principles, why the rules are conceived, how they are relevant today, etc. My take, it is good to know people's beliefs and respect them. But, the arguments can be made virtually from any other sect and practice, given an opportunity. So, there is no need to compare across faiths. What is more relevant is how the Faiths can provide space to others equitably for a better social and world order. 

As a non-Jewish person with no real introduction to Judaism, the book gave me some good insights into the community and its practices. 

The Mathematics of Ciphers - S. C. Coutinho (1999)

RSA cryptography is the most commonly used asymmetric cryptographic algorithm. However, with quantum cryptography, this may not be forever. The mathematics of RSA cryptography is modular algebra, which is not too complex. However, a complete understanding requires some knowledge of higher algebra. This book provides the right level of mathematics knowledge to assimilate the concepts needed to understand RSA cryptography. 

A great starting point to learn cryptography. 

The Power of Now and The New Earth - Eckart Tolle

 I read both the books one after the other. So, my understanding has become muddled across the books. A simplistic thought presented in the books:

1. The past and future create much stress that is not worth it. So, living in the present helps. 
2. Move to an egoless state of existence
3. Have a goal for yourself and keep working on it to make progress. 

The books are simple, yet the thoughts are deep. So, reading through in a hurry does not work. One has to give some time to assimilate the ideas. 

Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi (2010)

The legend has it that if you recite a stanza for Shakti four hundred times a day over four thousand days, you shall be bestowed with the mental capabilities of the great Indian political master Chanakya, who conceived a unified Bharat for the first time. The novel has two parallel stories running side by side, one of Chanakya of 350 BC and a modern story of the 21st century. The book is a good read. It starts with a compelling story to keep your attention. As the story progressed, I could not find the same energy sustaining across 400 pages. The historical Chanakya part is a story; its accuracy cannot be ascertained, although the author has provided references. The use of modern expletives in the story is unnecessary. The modern story is of a political kingmaker who identifies a poor girl as his political protege and promotes her to become the Indian PM. Just like Chandragupta and Chanakya had differences as mentor and mentee, the politician also falls in the eyes of his protege. 

To be read like a story without much historical significance given to it. A good page-turner. 

India : A Million Mutinies Now - VS Naipul (1990)

This book is the last of the series of books VS Naipaul has written on India. His understanding of the contemporary India he visited is remarkable. The way he connects the then realities to the history of India is what makes this book most interesting. His writing has been a mix of talking to regular people, understanding their lives, connecting those events to the notable history of India, and establishing that association for the readers to interpret. He has just presented what he learned from the exchange without passing on a moral judgment of the situation. Being someone who has grown up in the 80s and 90s, I found some of the descriptions very apt to the character of the period. There was a limited supply of funds, and people were aspirational and followed a line of thinking that claimed to fulfill that dream. The book covers, Bhimsena, Shivsena, British India's influence on Calcutta, Lucknowi Nawabs, the history of the Sikh gurus and their influence, operation Bluestar, the anti-brahmin movement in the South, the story of Kashmir and the Maharaja, etc. There is a chapter dedicated to Women's Era magazine and the emergence of new thinking of women who are tied to traditional India and want to look at it in a modern interpretation. VS Naipaul has discussed India nicely, is all I can say. 

A recommended book. 

Doglapan - Ashneer Grover (2022)

There is nothing dogla about Doglapan. No one doubts that Ashneer Grover is a loose cannon. The book gives a lot of insights into Ashneer Grover's early life, his businesses, and the struggles he went through in establishing his businesses. The book makes you feel someone is fighting for recognition which he has been missing from place to place. If you have seen the Zuckerberg-themed social network movie, here is the Indian version of it. The founders are fighting with one another, showing one-upmanship over the rest, etc. It seems like a lot of boardroom drama. The good part is it's a  short 200-page book and a quick read. Ashneer speaks in Hindi in interviews, yet, he is a great communicator in the English language. Then, why this book? When I see any of his interviews, he keeps repeating things mentioned in the book. With cases pending in courts, it could be lawyered advice to speak to a story, and he meticulously has submitted his views in this story and keeps to it in every public meeting. 

Once you read it, you do not have to watch any of his interviews or videos. 

City of Djinns - William Dalrymple (1993)

William Dalrymple lived in Delhi in the 80s for a year. This book is a testimony to the same. His quest started in Delhi; he went to other parts of India, Pakistan, Ireland, and the UK if that quest demanded. The story has several short exploratory journeys, like the people of the East India Company and their connections to India. The riots that followed the independence or after Indira Gandhi's assassination also are mentioned. The history of Shah Jahan's descendants, Lodhis, the Tughlags, the remnants of their creations and their current status are all discussed in the book. He tries to find the historical evidence of Mahabharata, including a last-minute chase to the Nigambodh Ghat. But he hardly can connect any dots there. The rituals and mythological practices followed by men, women, and the other sex of India related to the stories find a place in the book. If you are a Delhi resident, you will still wonder, have you understood Delhi enough? 

An original work supported by evidence, yet the book reads like a story. Every time you think about why I did not try to find this out when I was in Delhi. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of India. 

The Nutmeg's Curse - Amitabha Ghosh (2021)

So much fuss about what? The book has excellent research covering generations of human activity leading to destruction. It is well understood, yet we always felt it is local. It describes the Western exploitation of the colonies very well, but making it a book on the environment is a substantial stretch. The issue is human race never acted from the learning. Writing hundreds of more articles will not change a thing. Pointing fingers at activities related to the Western world, while the native focus was towards sustainable growth, is again wishful thinking. All that explained in the book will not lead to saving the world from climatic disasters. It looked like a lot of work has gone into creating associations with non-proximate causes that are hard to understand and lead to reader fatigue. If someone wants to use this book as research work for a literature review from scholarly texts, she can do so. 

After a few chapters, it became hard to read and almost nagging in most places. I will not recommend the book as the effort does not justify a value add. 

PARADOXES OF PAKISTAN: A GLIMPSE - Belkacem Belmekki & Michel Naumann (2022)

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads for 75 years since their independence. Being an Indian, I have very little understanding of the neighbouring country. There is a general perception that Pakistan is a failed state. There are some signs of success in fields like sports, but overall the state is in economic turmoil. What led to such a state of the country? Reading this book clarified some of that. The book has three parts:

1. History before Pakistan - A glance of Indian history till the British era.
2. History of the founding fathers - Gives an insight into the Sayid Ahmed Khan, Mohammed Iqbal, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
3. History of Pakistan - Post-independence history of Pakistan. 

The state is based on fear and is not on a positive sentiment of success. Hence, the focus has always been on saving the government than developing the nation for the people. The overall country has spent all its energy on militancy and in-fightings. While Indian governments focused on national development efforts within the framework of the constitution, Pakistan's leading politicians were busy keeping the military happy and using or being used by them. Under a hundred pages but will not be an easy read, for it will make you think and assimilate. 

Tharoorosauraus - Shashi Tharoor (2020)

What amazes me most is when you have managed to scrape through the understanding of languages; someone has mastered them beyond humans. That is my understanding of Shashi Tharoor's mastery of the language. About 50 words, some very much in regular vocabulary, some from Tharoorobulary (my amateurish authorism), have been explained thread-bare; their etymology, alternate usage, who said it, etc. It is fun reading the book.  Yet what worries me is whether I learnt the nuances enough to apply them in real life. 

Almost unputdownable. Yet, do not gulp more than you can chew to make the learning persistent. 

Republic & Other Dialogues - Plato (~400 BC)

A book written about two and half thousand years ago needs no introduction or explanation. One may feel enchanted to explore the originals. The first chapter is Socrates's speech for his defence, where he justifies his actions and why the city is not correct in considering him a traitor. A few subsequent chapters lead to the actual day of Socrates's death. Symposium is a chapter where learned men of Athens discuss love over a banquet. The last part of the book is devoted to eight chapters of the Republic which is considered the best-known work of Plato and his philosophies on developing the ideal state. The book explains the ideal soldiers, their training, the family and child-raising process, etc. The state should have a philosopher as the ruler. Today, one may find the concepts arcane and the arguments not in line with modern interpretations expected of a book written so long back. The last chapters are on the soul, where the soul moves on after death, etc. 

I will not consider the book a must-read. An avid reader of philosophy may find this fundamental on the topic. 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach , Russell Munson (Photographer) (1973)

During college, many friends read it and found it inspirational; so did I. As a young adult, the parables are hardly appealing. Today when I look back, these messages keep the book relevant today. 

1. Work hard and practice.

2. Do not lose heart.

3. There is no limit. 

4. Lead the next-gen with the same thought and encourage them to aspire to grow in the craft. 

A quick flip through; yet engaging book. 

Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift (1700s)

This book does not need an introduction or a review but requires a retelling. Most people consider it a fantasy story of a traveller and the new worlds he has discovered as part of his voyage of 16 years. The book is about Jonathan Swift showing a mirror to the entire human race. The Lilliput is not a physically tiny creature but an insecure beast struggling to cope with people of higher capability and intellect. A giant is not a person of bodily presence but a person who does not realize his ugly parts are equally visible and giant. He treats a smaller creature as a showcase for entertainment. Similarly, the last two chapters explicitly point out follies in the human being in extreme details that have to dominate with its colonial mindset. The book should be read as an adult; I am sure everyone will find a connection in their personal and professional lives. 

A remarkable piece of timeless satire!!!

Indica - Pranay Lal (2017)

Most texts on the world's natural history are silent on India. India's focus in this book makes it unique. India has a place in the world's geological development as it's a breakaway territory from Africa, Antarctica, Madagascar, and Australia and moved into the euro-Asian plate. These led to a unique geological structure, flora, and fauna of the Indian subcontinent. In places, we have gene pools shared with other parts of the world, and in others, we have isolated the development of flora and fauna unique to India. The story begins with the earliest rock formations and ends with human settlements of pre-historic Homo sapiens. 

The explanations are simple; the illustrations are detailed and relevant. It seemed like a book meant for young adults, but the topic is well-researched that may not be mere storytelling. An inquisitive mind will get food for thought, otherwise of little use for a practically inclined person. Where do I get to apply this knowledge? - maybe the question that will bother your practical adult mind. I really did not find it connecting to my current pursuit of knowledge. But, the author has shown remarkable scholarship and research. 

Hegemony or Survival: Noam Chomsky (2003)

 The book is a period book. It had relevance during the Iraq war period and is probably not so relevant to today's context. However, looking back two decades and how the world moved and the USA withdrew from Afghanistan, there is a need to relook at the current USA probably does not carry that much hegemony as it did two decades back. China is the second superpower that can economically challenge the USA. Military superpower is a thing of the past. With the USA so dependent on China's imports may not have the univocal power in the international circuits. 

The book explains in several details how the USA has been a party to much international unrest. The book highlights the US's interest in the resources of South America or the middle east. Sometimes, the USA has supported non-democratic dictators in such regions. Towards the end, the book mentions USA's interest in exploiting space for warfare using her star war programs. The USA's interest in world peace is of passing concern. The USA is only interested in her national interest. Many times, the USA has acted on specific regimes just on a doubt that they may pose a risk to them than actual risk. 

An analysis of the other side of world politics than what is the visible narrative. 

The Times Su Doku Book 4 - Wayne Gould (2005)

If you are a Su Doku fan, these hundred puzzles will keep you engaged for some time. Particularly the last twenty puzzles in the Fiendish section are killers. They can take 30 minutes to several hours and can test your patience. 

I recommend this book. What a relief completing as soon as the year begins.