First thing in the morning on Thu, Jan 11, 07, I read a great quotation on Times of India: "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo. This inspired me to put this on my blog. It gives me immense surprise to be blogging again, given how tied up I have been of late. No, it hasn't been all work, but a good mix of work, traveling, eating, thinking and sleeping too.
Of course, reading is a given.
Since I haven't wished many a Happy New Year, and since I have, in the last 30-40 days, been to Halebid, Belur, Kemmannagundi, Kolkata and Agartala and also, since I have, after long last, actually read some books that I desperately wanted to read for a long time now; I decided to write. I wanted to share my feedbacks (reviews, if you may) about those books with you. Hence, this posting.
First things first though:
MY BEST WISHES FOR REWARDING 12 MONTHS IN 2007 AHEAD!
My traveling now:
It was great seeing some old temples, rock and stone sculptures and breathtakingly beautiful hills in Karnataka. It was also refreshing to be back in the North-East...back Home.
The opportunity to holiday also came with tonnes of food, sleep, relaxation, shopping as well as reading.
My reading now:
1. The Romantics (Pankaj Mishra) ~ Yes, I did finally finish that. What beautiful imagery! Takes you on a vivid trip to the Ganges in Benares, Himachal and Pondicherry. Simply written, deeply illustrious and immersed in free will. Revolves around the theme of love and poetry (the river talks too). Somewhere, indicates the impotent University system in India, the folly of foreigners out to attain Nirvana, depth of thought and the grit to do what one wants to do. A must read.
2. Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse) ~ This Nobel Prize winner is the real thing! Pankaj Mishra's book led me to this one, and I do not regret reading it at all. One of the characters in 'The Romantics' asks, "Have you read Hermann Hesse?" and pat comes the reply, "Who hasn't?" I hadn't. Now, I have. I intend to read more of Hesse. This is a masterpiece. Takes you through the introspection of a man, free in his will and thought to experience all worldly pleasure and pain; and as a result, attains Nirvana through indulgence. Goes through stages and unlearns everything learnt in the previous stage. Gets reborn again and again. What a read!
3. Time Stops at Shamli (Ruskin Bond) ~ Saw this at the Airport Bookstore in Kolkata, and was surprised I hadn't read it. Picked it up by instinct, and devoured the classic Ruskin delicacy in huge, fulfilling morsels. Burp!
4. Sachin Tendulkar - Masterful (Peter Murray & Ashish Shukla) ~ The great career of a great Cricketer, the great thought-process and grit of a great person. Sachin...truly masterful. Good illustrations and vivid too. Inspiring to the core, and a good refresher that there was a time when I played seriously good Cricket, and wanted to join the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Easy and exciting read. A must for Cricket buffs as well as for ones looking for some inspiration.
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter) ~ Boy! I thought books about money could be all fart and teach you zilch, but this one is a cut above the rest. HIGHLY PRACTICAL, AND RECOMMENDED FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO CHANGE HIS/HER ATTITUDE, OPINION AND BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MONEY.
Now, I spotted a common thread in all these books: THEY ALL INSPIRED ME TO START AFRESH. TO UNLEARN. TO UNWIND. TO BECOME A BABY AGAIN. A GREAT LESSON LEARNT.
The books waiting in line now? Several lying on my desk actually:
1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) ~ An impulse buy, but I am hooked on now. Was written in jail 2 times and was snatched away by the Jailors, and the final version was the third version! That was reason enough for me to pick up that book. I later realized that it is also on the bestseller list currently.
2. Indlish (Jyoti Sanyal) ~ Gifted to me by Courtney Lenart, an American student. I am not too excited about this one, but will read it just thinking of sweet lil' Isabellah, Courtney's 2-year old daughter.
3. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) ~ I have been time and again compelled and directed towards Latin Writers, and I am told that there are few better than Marquez. This book is supposed to be painful and sentimental, but at the same time, ridiculously funny. Looking forward...
4. The Oxford Collection of Munshi Premchand's best Works (in English) ~ This one for old times' sake (those sultry afternoon classrooms and the Hindi classes at School).
5. One Land, One Billion Minds (Sridhar Ramanujam) ~ This one is making waves in the Indian Advertising Industry and B-Schools. I did read 2 chapters, and am looking forward to finish it. Seems to be a simple and easy read, but a bit too hyped, I am afraid.
6. Business Research Methods (Donald R. Cooper & Pamela S. Schindler) ~ My subject, my area, and was gifted to me by a fellow Faculty member. I doubt I'll read it in the near future though. Maybe some other time...
That's that then.
I like the fact that these books broke my silence and made me blog again. In business terminology, I am B2B (Back 2 Blogging)!
Of course, reading is a given.
Since I haven't wished many a Happy New Year, and since I have, in the last 30-40 days, been to Halebid, Belur, Kemmannagundi, Kolkata and Agartala and also, since I have, after long last, actually read some books that I desperately wanted to read for a long time now; I decided to write. I wanted to share my feedbacks (reviews, if you may) about those books with you. Hence, this posting.
First things first though:
MY BEST WISHES FOR REWARDING 12 MONTHS IN 2007 AHEAD!
My traveling now:
It was great seeing some old temples, rock and stone sculptures and breathtakingly beautiful hills in Karnataka. It was also refreshing to be back in the North-East...back Home.
The opportunity to holiday also came with tonnes of food, sleep, relaxation, shopping as well as reading.
My reading now:
1. The Romantics (Pankaj Mishra) ~ Yes, I did finally finish that. What beautiful imagery! Takes you on a vivid trip to the Ganges in Benares, Himachal and Pondicherry. Simply written, deeply illustrious and immersed in free will. Revolves around the theme of love and poetry (the river talks too). Somewhere, indicates the impotent University system in India, the folly of foreigners out to attain Nirvana, depth of thought and the grit to do what one wants to do. A must read.
2. Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse) ~ This Nobel Prize winner is the real thing! Pankaj Mishra's book led me to this one, and I do not regret reading it at all. One of the characters in 'The Romantics' asks, "Have you read Hermann Hesse?" and pat comes the reply, "Who hasn't?" I hadn't. Now, I have. I intend to read more of Hesse. This is a masterpiece. Takes you through the introspection of a man, free in his will and thought to experience all worldly pleasure and pain; and as a result, attains Nirvana through indulgence. Goes through stages and unlearns everything learnt in the previous stage. Gets reborn again and again. What a read!
3. Time Stops at Shamli (Ruskin Bond) ~ Saw this at the Airport Bookstore in Kolkata, and was surprised I hadn't read it. Picked it up by instinct, and devoured the classic Ruskin delicacy in huge, fulfilling morsels. Burp!
4. Sachin Tendulkar - Masterful (Peter Murray & Ashish Shukla) ~ The great career of a great Cricketer, the great thought-process and grit of a great person. Sachin...truly masterful. Good illustrations and vivid too. Inspiring to the core, and a good refresher that there was a time when I played seriously good Cricket, and wanted to join the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Easy and exciting read. A must for Cricket buffs as well as for ones looking for some inspiration.
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter) ~ Boy! I thought books about money could be all fart and teach you zilch, but this one is a cut above the rest. HIGHLY PRACTICAL, AND RECOMMENDED FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO CHANGE HIS/HER ATTITUDE, OPINION AND BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MONEY.
Now, I spotted a common thread in all these books: THEY ALL INSPIRED ME TO START AFRESH. TO UNLEARN. TO UNWIND. TO BECOME A BABY AGAIN. A GREAT LESSON LEARNT.
The books waiting in line now? Several lying on my desk actually:
1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) ~ An impulse buy, but I am hooked on now. Was written in jail 2 times and was snatched away by the Jailors, and the final version was the third version! That was reason enough for me to pick up that book. I later realized that it is also on the bestseller list currently.
2. Indlish (Jyoti Sanyal) ~ Gifted to me by Courtney Lenart, an American student. I am not too excited about this one, but will read it just thinking of sweet lil' Isabellah, Courtney's 2-year old daughter.
3. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) ~ I have been time and again compelled and directed towards Latin Writers, and I am told that there are few better than Marquez. This book is supposed to be painful and sentimental, but at the same time, ridiculously funny. Looking forward...
4. The Oxford Collection of Munshi Premchand's best Works (in English) ~ This one for old times' sake (those sultry afternoon classrooms and the Hindi classes at School).
5. One Land, One Billion Minds (Sridhar Ramanujam) ~ This one is making waves in the Indian Advertising Industry and B-Schools. I did read 2 chapters, and am looking forward to finish it. Seems to be a simple and easy read, but a bit too hyped, I am afraid.
6. Business Research Methods (Donald R. Cooper & Pamela S. Schindler) ~ My subject, my area, and was gifted to me by a fellow Faculty member. I doubt I'll read it in the near future though. Maybe some other time...
That's that then.
I like the fact that these books broke my silence and made me blog again. In business terminology, I am B2B (Back 2 Blogging)!
Maybe I am starting afresh. Maybe I am unlearning. Maybe Mishra, Hesse, Ruskin and Kiyosaki are working. Maybe...it's the kid in me.
The book-"warm",
Kranti
