Karma Cola - Gita Mehta (1979)

This book opens up the darker sides of Indian religious sects and gurus. How the foreigners have found themselves getting trapped into it in the late 60s and early 70s. The book has highlighted the darker side only. Hence, one should not state that Indian religious practices are all immoral. Also, Spiritual tourists have gained much more knowledge of Indian religions rather than getting inclined towards the rituals. A lot more information is getting publicly available today than it was in getting to know about India. However, the darker sides still exist and one needs to be careful before deciding to be part of a belief system or cult.

Getting to Yes - Roger Fisher & William Ury (1991)

The book is considered an authority in dealing with negotiation game and it lives upto it. Written in simple and thorugh examples it shows steps how negotiation skills should be developed to make it more effective. Although, the importance of negotiation skill cannot be undermined may a time most negotiations ultimately get into being positional bargains. Here the authors have cited how by bringing the problem and not the people get into setting a platform of principled negotiation.

Does that mean negotiation is a simple exercise once you read the book? Ideally yes. But, as most books of self improvement are associated with lot of practice. The book also is assuming at many places the existence of well defined and operational legal systems for quick redressal. However, in many countries even that could be a problem. Secondly, what if a party withdraws after the negotiations are worked out. These are some of the points the book does not reflect much upon.

Overall a must read for every professional.

Sai Baba's Mahavakya On Leadership - Dr. M. L. Chibber (2005)

Lt. Gen Chibber has brought out the essence of leadership succintly in a book which is more or less a book which is a breeze read with lots of morals to learn. Most of the time when you pick up a book from a religious sect you tend to believe the book will be inclined to one particular viewpoint. However, this book is certainly not. It creates general awareness of how leadership is to be viewed from a practical direction. Leadership qualities of Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill has been quite well described in the book. In the last chapter, there is a brief coverage of how parents and teachers can groom leadership. There is a definite connection which has been drawn of leadership and spirituality. As selfless service which is the mark of a leader cannot be addressed so easily unless there is a definite connection of drawing the energy from a source.

A different book on leadership which will make you think.

The Bhagavad Gita - A Walkthrough for Westeners - Jack Hawley (2001)

A remarkable book on an Indian philosophical ocean by a great western scholar. The book will make you feel as if it has been written by a person who has identified himself with the Bhagvat Gita in his own life.

The book describes Gita having 3 parts:

1. Realizing Self and Selfless Action - Chapter 1-6
2. The Very Nature of God - Chapter 7-12
3. Attaining Liberation Now - Chapter 12-18

A must read for anyone who is looking to understand what is the reality all about.

Know Your Reality - Swami Virajeshwara "HAMSA" (2003)

A gift to realization written by an undisputed master of Advaita. The book comprises questions that devotees have asked him and his answers to those questions in simple understandable form. The dialogs will reveal the differences between Dvaita and Advaita, the sole purpose of life and all those philosophical thoughts that comes to one's mind.

A must read for a person who wants to realize what Hinduism is all about.

By the River Piedra I sat down and Wept - Paulo Coelho (1994)

A book of love, shyness and ability to over come it. A well written book however the ending is a bit ordinary. The description of the "Other" in us which stops us from taking any firm decision is very well described.

Overall, a good book to read.

Rules for Revolutionaries - Guy Kawasaki (1999)

Guy Kawasaki masterfully brings out the ingradients that makes great products, concepts and innovations thrive. Written in simple and comic language the book unfolds the common mistakes people do in realizing their innovation spirits. Companies tend to get trapped towards death magnets and die. In fact the concept of death magnet is really nice. As start ups many companies start believing quite a few of them and large corporations get to some other death traps. Breaking away from such traps can only make a firm create substantial innovation which can lead them in providing superior products or services.

What is that the characteristics of a revolutionary?

1. Create like a God
2. Command like a King
3. Work like a slave
4. Don't let bozosity grind you down.
   

Once again the work like a slave does not mean to work all the time. Even a book which tells you to work hard necessarily believes the importance of work and life balance.