The Essence of Bhagwad Gita by Atul Sehgal (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

I have been an ardent follower of Bhagawad Gita since a long time after knowing that it contains answer of all the questions that a human mind can think of. I had read Gita for the first time when I was just 22 years old and could not understand a single word because I was not enough mature to comprehend the logic of division among body, mind, soul and energy. But after that, I started going through the simplified versions of Gita to understand the basis of human existence and I must tell you, it added a lot of value in my life which led me towards my spiritual journey. The latest book that I have read in the same genre is “The Essence of Bhagwad Gita” written by Atul Sehgal. The best part about this book is that author has picked up only 70 verses from original Gita which are enough for a human being to understand the basis of the Holy book and perform his duties morally.

Each verse is explained in a new chapter dedicatedly which makes it easy for the reader to go through chapters as per his interest and read the book in bits on daily basis. The book has helped me to understand many perspective and read in between lines to understand the verses in depth. Each chapter first mentions the verse it is about to discuss and also provides its direct translation in English. The best part about the book is that it not only explains the concept but also helps with example about how it can be applied too. The explanations are provided in very simple language which can be read and grasped even by teenagers and college going students. Rather than discussing the tales of Mahabharata, author has only talked about the conceptual theories and its respective applications in human life rather than going through the whole detailed version of the verse. This also helps in keeping the book short with only 235 pages.

Talking about the drawbacks of the book, I believe that some concepts are not very well explained and left with utilization of few Sanskrit words etc. assuming that the reader must be knowing at least this much part of the theory. Except this one drawback, there is nothing that this book does not have to not be there in your favorite rack of the bookshelf. I give this book 4.25* out of 5. Please do read it if you want to begin knowing about the concept Bhagwad Gita introduces.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Dream with your eyes open by Ronnie Screwvala (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

There is nothing special than reading an autobiography by one of the many successful Indian men who did it without any complaints or excuses. We generally get excited knowing about the successes of the individuals in western part of the world but forget to appreciate the people doing well against all odds living and breathing around us. One such man is Ronnie Screwvala who is a wonderful example of how to be an entrepreneur and a success story. He has written his own tale of success and failures In the book named “Dream with your eyes open” having him on the cover page lying on the carpet with a cup of tea placed besides him. The book is tagged as “An Entrepreneurial Journey”. So the author very directly and clearly states here that he is not going to tell what person he is or what his background has been but will only focus on his entrepreneurship life and lessons.

The book is very crisply written without extending the stories with useless detailing. Ronnie exactly knows the value of time hence he assures that he speaks most in as less words as possible. This is what makes the book a special read as you will not have to read much to gain insights on his entrepreneurship role but only 166 pages. The book is divided in 13 different chapters where each one of them focuses on a learning or a stage of Ronnie’s life. The book is written in a very simple language for every student to a new corporate slave or an entrepreneur to understand the same without having to read between lines. The best part about Ronnie’s book is that he rather than talking only about what actions he undertook also discusses in detailing what his team underwent to make something a success. He also talks about his failures with the same enthusiasm which tells how literally he is proud of each second that he has worked upon his life to be a successful entrepreneur.

It is only after reading the book you will realize the number of different things that Ronnie has been involved with. You will be surprised to notice the different scales of business he overtook and started right from Zero and ended up being either the topmost performer or at least in the merit list for sure. Ronnie has ensured that he even discusses the amount and costs involved in the projects without shying away from disclosing the same. Ronnie has taken names of other popular celebrities and talked good or bad experiences he had with them without any fear which makes it an interesting read to know the tie-ups and communication between these personalities.

Talking about the drawbacks of the book, Ronnie doesn’t talk much about his personal lifestyle which makes him a performer he is. To learn about a successful man, you need to know both- his professional insights and his personal lifestyle because until and unless, you do not know both, you will never be able to replicate his success by following his footsteps. Also, there are many advises that he has just quoted to be followed rather than giving heavy explanations on the same. The book also does not find any kind of timeline which doesn’t allow the reader to understand the real struggle of the man in multi-tasking or taking one decision after another. Except these drawbacks, this book is surely readable to understand how one needs to take risks in life to lead a successful entrepreneurial life. I give this book 3.5 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!! 

Padmavat by Purushottam Agrawal (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

Almost all of us have seen the movie “Padmavat” starring Deepika Padukone playing the character of Queen Padmavati. The debate has always been about the existence of any such queen in the past and regarding her association with Alauddin Khilji. Many people believe even the existence of queen as a myth as multiple authors/poets have written about this story in their own version and each one of them have their perspective defining the characters of the story. I never knew that I would end up reading a book on the same after watching such a grandeur movie on the subject and knowing everything in detailing. I am just done reading the book named “Padmavat” which calls the story as “An Epic Love Story” on its cover page. It is written by an already renowned author, Purushottam Agrawal. The book is introduced and illustrated by none other than the legendary, Devdutt Pattanaik.

The author talks about the poet, Jayasi’s version of Padmavat written in the 16th century. I have for the first time in my life read such a book where an author is describing a story from another author’s point of view. Rather than just narrating the story, author also keeps discussing about the author’s point of view of the story. This is very incredibly handled by the author, Purushottam, where he never bores you with the history or myth or quotations but keeps you engrossed so wonderfully throughout the book that you want to understand Jayasi’s point of view on every scene of the love story. The introduction of the characters is nicely crafted which gives a good momentum to the story later on where the author gets a mileage to complete the whole love story in few pages itself. 

The good thing is that author has not tried to portray any character as good or bad but only talks about the nature of each one of them which defines what kind of choices and decisions they take later on which changes the whole course of their life. Author has also shared the original stanzas from Jayasi’s poem which also gives soul to the book as reading those original lines gives us more perspective in the language itself. The best about the author’s style of writing is that he does not stretches any part of the story and keeps everything short and crisp. Hence a book on historical, mythological and spiritual context- all embedded in one, gets over within 200 pages itself. I give this read 4* out of 5. This book is definitely recommended and has re-reading value. Kudos to the author for handling this form of writing so nuancedly. 

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!