The Calling - Unleash your True Self - Book Review

 Review of Priya Kumar's The Calling - Unleash your True Self 

At a Glance:  

• Title - The Calling - Unleash your True Self 
• Author - Priya Kumar
• Pages - 149 pages
• Publishers - Books that Inspire
• Format - Paperback

Blurb :

All Answers Lie Within
The Calling is a spiritual adventure, an encounter with the truth, the wisdom and the force that is innate to us all.
At the brink of a divorce and personal breakdown, Arjun took a trip into the Himalayas, on the insistence of a Sadhu, who predicted that the journey up to Hemkund Sahib would align him to his purpose and change his life forever.
At every turn the mountains hold secrets and tests that urge Arjun to evolve into the person he had denied to be—himself. Pretenses, falsities, confusions and untruths fall apart as Arjun is forced to confront the mess he had created with his life.
What started off as an opportunity to escape reality, turned out to be an opportunity to escape from the dwindling spiral of self created misery. Filled with spiritual insights and sprinkled with light humor, this story will help you find your calling, your voice and who knows, even your true self.

My Review :

The book starts as a story about Arjun and his failing marriage leading him to wonder why things are going wrong in his life. Be his job or his marriage, nothing seems to be going in the right direction! As he is driving uphill and delibrates over several things, he meets with an accident. Then comes the real purpose of the book.

He is rescued by a Sadhu who asks him to make a trip to Hemkund Sahib. He decides to take the trip and is helped by a transporter Chandu whose wisdom betrays his age and occupation! As both of them climb the trail, Arjun faces a lot of troubles / difficulties / confusions and finally realises his calling! He realises the reason behind his misery and at last knows what he must do to rectify them through the second Sadhu he chances upon!

Like many of author’s book that I have read in the past, this one too impressed me. The philosophical point of view of life is told so well in the form of a story where you can relate to the various ideals and reasoning behind each of the things that we are searching  an answer for.

The simple sentence – As you sow , so shall you reap- now holds a lot more meaning and is more lucid! You can read this book when you have a question about why life throws a curveball and the answer is in the book, which tells you to search within yourself to solve it !

The part where Arjun meets the second Sadhu is my favourite. He gives Arjun 3 tests to free him and the reasons the Sadhu gives to explain why Arjun failed each of the test really awakened me. The explaination for his actions and why is failed is the place where you really feel the awakening.

All in all, a very insightful book that can explain a lot of things that you have been thinking about like the philosophy of life, Karma,Sadhana and the likes.

 Other Books by the same author....

• A Regal Man - Life and Lessons of Vasu Shroff
• The Wise Man Said
• My Little Book Of Love
• Turn the tables

           

                                          

Let Love Take Over - Book Review

 Review of Tomson Robert's Let Love Take Over

At a Glance:  

• Title - Let Love Take Over
• Author - Tomson Robert
• Pages - 184
• Publishers - Srishti Publishers and distributors [July 9,2021]
• Format - Paperback

Blurb :

“Josh, so you see, battles are not won with weapons, but with faith and courage. Someday you would grow up and become a hero, like David.” Joshua decided never to be a hero again after the tragedy from his teenage days. The demons of his past profoundly affect his present and he stops taking charge of his life.
Be it his toxic boss Mayur who exploits him and his friends, or the challenges his wife encounters, he is unable to take a stand for his loved ones. His fears even wreak havoc on his beautiful marriage with Susan.
Will he find his redemption? How will he save his marriage and win back her love?
Let Love Take Over is a riveting story of true love which overcomes all adversities, and challenges the notion of a ‘hero’.

My Review:

Joshua is an average kinda guy who used to be a rebel and never missed a chance to pick up a quarrel or play hero. But a teenage incident has left him scarred and hurt in body and mind and he starts avoiding confrontations and fights! Susan on the other hand takes on challenges heads on and faces all that life throws at her. Since she grew up parentless, she is independent and never fears in making bold decisions. She lives with her brother.

Joshua and Susan get married and things are rosy for a while. A while later,it  go a bit off. Susan stands up for what she thinks is right and Joshua, impacted by the teenage incident, wants to brush it off. When Susan faces a real challenge against her boss, she wants to put her feet down but Joshua thinks otherwise. After a simple talk with his grandfather, Joshua decides his course of action. Does being a hero suit Joshua? Does he take on Susan’s boss and succeed? Read Tomson Robert’s – Let Love Take over to know.

The author has penned this story in really simple words and the storyline flows smoothly. Joshua’s character shows how a teenage incident can have a lifelong impact and how not all Heroes need to wear a cape!

One of the best characters in this story is Joshua’s grandfather. He is a person who tells stories, gives the right advice mixed with a dose of humour, life experiences and wisdom. Kavitha is another character who I liked. She is a good and supportive friend to Joshua.

Another thing is this book reflects on the Covid effect on the job sector and how it affected people of different levels emotionally and financially.

The best take away from the story is the author’s mention of the “Occam’s Razor” principle which says – the simplest solutions are the right ones but the human mind looks for complex ways to solve it!

The only thing could have been cut short is the story of David. Joshua grows up listening to this story through his grandfather but it is elaborated and referenced many times throughout the book which I feel could have been shortened.

I definitely would not have liked this book if it had ended in a filmy way but this made for a good weekend read!

If you are looking for a quick and light read, pick this up and you’ll be able to finish it in one sitting.

A House Full of Men - Book Review

 Review of Parinda Joshi's A House Full of Men

At a Glance:  

• Title - A house full of men
• Author - Parinda Joshi
• Pages - 340
• Publishers - Harper Collins India
• Format - Paperback

Blurb :

Twenty-five-year-old Kittu has left Lucknow only on two occasions in her life. The first trip involved the last rites of her grandmother. The second involved a wedding, thankfully, but she returned home to her mother's funeral. She has never forgiven her mother for leaving her alone in a house full of men. Is there anyone at home she can share her deepest thoughts with? Anyone who can lend an ear to her endless relationship issues, manic obsessions and simple aspirations? Who's got the time? Kittu might live in a full house, but sometimes, she feels like she's all alone in the world. A House Full of Men is a novel about false starts and failed attempts, love and the importance of being understood.

My Review

This is my second read by the author. A simple family drama that revolves around Kittu and her family. As the title suggests, Kittu, whose real name is Kritidhara Pant,lives with  an all-male family comprising of her Grandfather, father, twin brothers, Bark twain- their pet dog and a framed photo of P.G Wodehouse, in Lucknow. She longs for female company in the house but she does have a few friends from work –Sonali and Rishi.

 She shares a unique bond with each of the male member of the family .Though she works as a journalist in a travel magazine, she has never really been on a trip outside Lucknow and the 2 times she went out, ended in the death of her grandmom and mom[or so she assumes]. She is hesitant to step out of her town in the fear of losing another member of the family.

She also has a secret that has been a burden on her heart for almost a decade – the reason for her mother’s death!As each day passes, she finds it hard not conceal.

Enter her chatty neighbour-Anandita and her smart nephew-kartik, the Pant residence is totally drawn towards them especially- Anandita. What effect do they create on the Kittu’s household and what is the outcome is the crux of the story.Does she finally take a trip ? Does she talk about her mother’s demise?Well, that’s for you to find out when you read the book!

The book looks bulky but makes a quick read as the story flow through different phases of the 25 year old protagonist’s life. The characters are well formed. Kittu has her own identity with her own troubles of  trust and relationship issues with people.She is forever helping out one person and the other in her family and almost takes her mom’s place in looking after the people in the household. Her bond towards Nishant is heart-warming. We are able to see the grandfather as the authoritative figure of the family though he does not get along well with his son Ravi and her father- Ravi shares a profound closeness with Kittu.

Anandita is a happy and chatty lady who draws everyone towards her and Kartik is floored by Kittu. Vicky, her boyfriend, is an enigma. He is a person who can’t come to a conclusion or is so confused by what he wants or what is happening. Neelu Aunty,Vicky’s mom is another character who literally makes you laugh out loud at the end, with her demands during Kittu’s wedding and not to forget Lakshmi Mause, the caretaker / cook who treats the family to delicious meals! Even the framed photo of P.G.Wodehouse has something to do in this story line!

All in all, this is a nice book, a little lengthy one though, which shows the patriarchal side of the Indian society and with a little bit of romance, relationship issues, humour and loads of family drama. Pick it up if you are looking for a light read.