Sapno Ke Pankh – Choti Si Asha by Surbhi Mittal/Abhay Sahare (Book Review: 4.5*/5)!!!

2105th BLOG POST

11^th Book of 2024!

 

I read another book this weekend named “Sapno Ke Pankh – Choti Si Asha” which is written by Surbhi Mittal and Abhay Sahare. I read the Hindi version of the book as I wanted to understand how does this language entertain children through story books. I must say I am really impressed with the ease of words used by author which will help kids to understand the story and learn new words as well.

 

The book has been published by Sonalika publications who have again ensured that their children story book is written with great illustrations. This time the credit for the illustration goes to Eva Manral. I liked how she managed to illustrate all the arts and pages giving it a bit of Rajasthani traditional theme which matches perfectly with the story. Even the cover page of the book looks like a piece of art which you can hang in your bedroom.

 

The story is nicely based on a girl named Asha who loves the puppetry show she watches every day while returning to school. One day her school announces to participate in a competition where they need to present a story using a prop. She wishes to do so using a puppet but she gets upset knowing that she doesn’t have one and she might not have one due to her financial issues at home. She gets home and speaks to her grandmother about this. Eventually, how her grandma helps her achieve her target is what this story is all about.

 

The story gives a lot of lessons through its non-preachy tone and I must applaud authors with respect to how they managed to do so with such a short story. The book gives a perspective on how every kid must have a good habit out of their academic world which makes them curious and excited about learning the same art themselves as well. Author tries making children aware about the financial issues that their parents must be going through which will make them more compassionate about them and understand the difference between wants and need.

 

The story is based on a great bond that Asha shares with her grandmother which acknowledges the world-known fact of necessity of bonding between grandparents and grandchildren. Through grandmother’s ideation, book tries to teach kids about the environment-friendly alternatives they can prioritize rather than buying everything from market and adding more environment concerns. This synchronizes so well with the objective of Sonalika Publication which wishes to participate in social issues.

 

In the climax, author justifies that one can win in any competition with their efforts and not by expensive materials presented by directly procuring from market. Author herself gives a moral of the story that one needs to face a problem and find a solution rather than getting panicked. At the end of the book, there are couple of exercises and puzzles to keep children interested in solving them and get closer to the story.

 

Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. Recommended for all the kids above 3 years of age.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Mishti Learns to Swim by Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

2104th BLOG POST

10^th Book of 2024

 

If you have been following my reviews recently, you must be knowing by now that I am indulged madly in this children book series named “Tales of Different Tails” and I have finally finished all the books I had. The latest book that I finished reading is named “Mishti learns to swim” and the cover page of the book itself is so lovely that you can’t avoid the cute characters and would want to know more about them.

 

Sonalika Publications has initiated a series titled “Tales of Different Tails,” drawing inspiration from the authors' habitual zoo visits and their study of animal behaviors. They suggest that despite the significant evolutionary progress humans have made over thousands of years, there remains an element of our original monkey nature within each of us.

 

The first book in the series, "Introduction," sets the stage by explaining how the main five characters meet and come together. The second book, "Friends," focuses on one of their adventures that highlights their friendship. The third book is called "Investigation" and humorously depicts how these friends often overthink and overanalyze various situations. Finally, the 4^th book “Mishti learns to swim” talks about the fear of swimming that one of the animal friends is going through and how the rest of the friends make it easier for him.

 

An outstanding feature of this book is the unique approach of presenting the story in both English and Hindi on the same page. This is a fantastic way to teach children both languages and show them how the same content can be articulated using the correct vocabulary in each language.

 

Unlike the other books in this series, the author credited for this book is Surbhi Mittal alone whereas her children, Diya Mittal and Annant Mittal are added as adding the spirit of monkeyness to the series. The book is filled with illustrations by Sachi Shukla, who has created an animated look that mirrors what children see on television, making it easier for them to identify and relate to the animals.

 

The authors have skilfully named the animals, adding a touch of humanity to them. This story has the most words compared to all the other stories and your child will finally get to read and learn more. The language of the book is also getting slightly better as I believe author has assumed children to have learnt the basics after reading first 3 books. This book has lot of dialogues and conversation among characters which shall help kids understand how to talk with someone.

 

Author has very intellectually made children aware of the Archimedes principle giving it prominence in the story. The concept of making children learn such terms through stories is such a beautiful idea. Surbhi has also highlighted the importance of library and books through another event as well. The story is written in an entertaining manner where you will yourself feel like going to a swimming pool and enjoy water. Kids are definitely going to relate with this story and go into the world of their imagination.

 

The book mentions few difficult words used in both the languages in the end along with their meaning for increasing the vocabulary of the young readers. There are exercises for children as well similar to the previous books.

 

Overall, this is a good read and I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Investigation by Annant Mittal/Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

2103rd BLOG POST

9^th Book of 2024

 

As soon as I started reading the new series of book “Tales of Different Tails”, I couldn’t stop and I have already completed 3^rd book of the same back-to-back. The series is meant for kids but I can vouch it for everyone that you’ll enjoy reading it even when you are a full-grown adult. Haha! The stories are unique despite having the same characters in all its books. Similarly, it makes you feel nostalgic as well.

 

Inspired by their regular trips to the zoo and the animals they observed, the authors have teamed up with Sonalika Publications to create this series. They contend that even though human beings have undergone extensive evolution over millennia, there is still a hint of our ancestral monkey-like traits in all of us.

 

The first book in this series was named “Introduction” as it is literally the introduction of this series on how the main five characters of this book came together. The 2^nd book is named “Friends” which narrates one of the tales which describes their friendship. The 3^rd book that I have just finished is named “Investigation” which is a funny take on how these friends overthink and overanalyze sometimes.

 

A standout aspect of this book is its innovative dual-language format, where stories are written in both English and Hindi on the same page. This method is an excellent tool for teaching children both languages and demonstrating how the same concepts can be expressed differently yet correctly in each language.

 

The story is authored by Annant Mittal and his mother, Surbhi Mittal, with Diya Mittal also contributing as a co-author. The book is adorned with numerous illustrations by Sachi Shukla, who has brought the animals to life with an animated style reminiscent of television, aiding children in recognizing and connecting with the characters.

 

The authors have thoughtfully named the animals, giving them a human-like quality. This story is very different than the other two stories in this series as it is more an enjoyment read without any messaging as such. Rather than teaching anything about life lessons, this story helps the young readers understand about the different nature of plants. It introduces us with a new type of carnivorous plants which eats insects as well. The investigative nature of the friends are nicely described and how one of them knowing the fact doesn’t hide it from others but help them learn it. Reading such camaraderie among the friends is a great delight and pleasing element of the story.

 

The book mentions few difficult words used in both the languages in the end along with their meaning for increasing the vocabulary of the young readers. There are exercises where the words are jumbled up which the readers will have to correct. There’s a coloring exercise as well where the readers get an opportunity to paint two of the main characters of this series.

 

Author also introduces the concept of shadow hand puppets where we can make some signs with our hands and an image of an animal shall reflect on the wall through the shadow. The last exercises helps children match animals with their respective babies and find the heavier animal of all listed on the page.

Overall, this is a good read and I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Friends by Annant Mittal/Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

2102nd BLOG POST

8^th Book of 2024

 

As mentioned in my previous book review, I have been reading a series which is targeted for school-going children. Sonalika Publications has launched a new series called “Tales of Different Tails,” inspired by the authors’ frequent zoo visits and their keen observation of animal behaviour. They believe that despite humans evolving significantly over thousands of years, a trace of our primal, monkey-like nature still remains within us.

 

The first book in this series was named “Introduction” as it is literally the introduction of this series on how the main five characters of this book came together. The 2^nd book is named “Friends” which narrates one of the tales which describes their friendship.

 

One notable feature of this book is the brilliant concept of presenting stories side-by-side in English and Hindi on the same page. This approach is an excellent way to help children learn both languages and understand how the same ideas can be expressed using appropriate vocabulary in each language.

 

The story's authors are Annant Mittal and his mother, Surbhi Mittal, with a third author, Diya Mittal, also credited. The book is richly illustrated, thanks to Sachi Shukla, who has infused the illustrations with an animated style similar to what children see on television. This helps children easily recognize and relate to the animals depicted.

 

The authors have cleverly named the animals, giving them a human touch. The story teaches on how even animals stand for each other in tough times rather than leaving them alone. It teaches on how we should perceive friendship in our own lives. The book also talks of importance on planning before any activity and also ensuring that there’s both- Plan A and Plan B in case the first plan fails. Through different incidents, what animal is good in which activity is described which shall help readers understand the strength of each animal.

 

The book ends with certain exercises which explains the tough vocabulary used throughout the story. There are other activities as well where readers shall be matching opposite and rhyming words against each other and better themselves in both the languages.

 

Overall, this is a good read and I give this book 4.25 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Tales of Different Tails - Introduction by Annant Mittal/Surbhi Mittal (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

2101st BLOG POST

7^th Book of 2024

 

It has been a decade in our Indian literature set-up where we have accepted the books written in the form of series- duology, trilogy etc. When I went to a bookstore and found that the same concept is present in the world of children’s story books also, I thought of purchasing it for my near-and-dear ones. I found Sonalika Publications’ initiative of a series named “Tales of Different Tails” which is inspired by the authors’ regular visits to zoo and observation of animals. They felt that even though the humans have evolved a lot in 1000s of years but there’s still a bit of monkeyness in each one of us.

 

The first book in this series is named “Introduction” as it is literally the introduction of this series on how the main five characters of this book came together. One thing that I must mention is the amazing concept of writing story side-by-side on the same page itself in two languages- English and Hindi. This is definitely going to be a great way for making your children learn both the languages and how the same things can be written in both languages using the right vocabulary.

 

The authors of this story are Annant Mittal and Surbhi Mittal who are son-mother by relation. They have also added the name of 3^rd author as well- Diya Mittal. This book is again heavy with illustrations which are contributed by Sachi Shukla. She has given an animated feel to the book by sketching animals the way we see them in television which shall help children to relate and identify the animals immediately while looking at the images.

 

Authors have very intellectually named the animals giving them a human touch. How one can add friends in their life is properly narrated in the book where two friends start their journey for attending a fair and keeps on adding more animals in their group to finally becoming a group of 5 friends. The title of the series is inspired by the same concept – Tales of different Tails.

 

The story also tries teaching how even when one is not your friend and joins you due to loneliness, rather than avoiding them, you show a sense of inclusion and involve them in your activity as well. Similarly, when you find someone wanting more members to play a game, you can yourself give them an offer and help them play the game enjoying the same yourself as well. Similarly, author also emphasizes how we should be appreciating strength of others and acknowledging it rather than becoming jealous of it. This quality ensures that all these 5 animals get together without any ego clashes.

 

The book ends with certain exercises which explains the tough vocabulary used throughout the story. It has a drawing activity which will help young readers in drawing one of the main five characters. They shall also be able to portray their intelligence by connecting the name with the respective animal and showcase their alertness while reading the story. Similarly, they get an option to analyze which animal eats what for their survival.

Overall, this is a good start to the series of the book and I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

2100* BLOGS in 5458 Days with Lakhs of You!!!

2100th BLOG POST

Well, we have finally reached this milestone where this small space on the very big World Wide Web has completed 2100 BLOG POSTS. It has almost been 15 years since I have been writing here – my thoughts, my opinions, my life updates, book reviews, discussion on movies and what not. At the average with which this has been continued for 1.5 decades, it boils down to 140 posts every year which means a post in almost every 2.5 days. I don’t know if I have ever been committed to anything in the way I have been to writing on this platform.

 

There have been times in life when things have scattered me but the thought of this medium being stuck with no updates has always poked me even in those vulnerable and broken state. I have always wanted to come back here and find my peace. This is a therapy for me. Whenever someone explains the moment when someone has achieved complete spirituality without being aware of their identities, I am able to relate it with the period when I am blogging. I actually forget everything and I am completely in a flow state where thoughts start appearing automatically. The only job I have to do is to keep punching keys on my keyboard and keep reading myself what’s getting created in the nothingness of the universe of my mind.

 

This year – 2024 is turning out to be the most depressing year in terms of my appearance on this space as this is just the 10^th post and the 2^nd half of the year has already begun. This one thing has been a source of irritation whenever I sit and analyze my days. The irregularities of getting into the space of writing is pinching me every moment. Despite having the environment and enough time, somehow, I am not able to manage this. Certain priorities must have definitely taken the pedestal over and above this but I know my core. I know it can never live in satisfaction without writing here. Not that I anticipate readers to read it but because I know how my emotions get relaxed after having keyed out some of it here.

 

Anyway, let’s promise this space that I would try to better the 2^nd half and not end up making 2024 the year with the least updates on this medium. I will ensure to buck myself up and level up with the expectations I have with myself. Apart from the blogging world, the 1^st half of the year has been a very mixed year for me personally. There have been sweet moments but unfortunately, the poisonous ones have almost touched the count of these moments and ensured that I am always in a hopeful moment waiting for great times ahead. Going through the present can sometimes be very difficult if future isn’t arriving soon. You love pain but only up to the point where it doesn’t become suffering. Once you start suffering, life doesn’t remain to be pleasant and joyful.

 

Professionally, I learnt a lot in the first six months but also experienced toxicity very closely for the first time. It created a good amount of havoc in my life. But as we always mention while acknowledging the unpredictability of life that good things happen to us when we least expect it, I experienced something similar when I met the moment which changed everything for me. This beautiful occurrence collided with the worst days I was going through and everything started falling in place. I was able to fight against the tide because I had someone to hold me whenever I found myself stumbling down. Otherwise, I act strong in isolation but it taught me how companionship makes your vulnerability come up and face you. It only happens to judge if you are able to share it with your companion free-mindedly. If Yes it means you have already taken a big decision of your life to not lead life all by yourself but with someone as a partner.

 

I have spent some really lovely days of my life in the last 5 months and I can’t stop thanking God for it and everyone who must have prayed for such time to come in my otherwise boring life. Haha! There are events which makes you take some harsh decisions for yourself realizing that you also want the opposite to happen for your wellbeing. It’s just that certain incidents scare you enough to not wanting to go through the same route again knowing that it is repaired now and many have already crossed the same bridge safely. You just want your inner peace to be safe and immune hence you make yourself ready to not let anyone touch that soft space which can break again and take another lifetime to repair.

 

But when you become hopeless, I don’t know how great hopeful moments start getting pulled towards us. You get more than what you ever expected. You get more than what you ever deserved. You get more than what you call happiness. You get more than what you know as Life. You get something beyond which explains that life is no more the same experience but something more blissful than it has ever been. I found myself in a state of flow where I could find my most loving side taking over all the negative traits. I understood that I am already on a journey where I am meeting myself through someone else. I understood that there could never be a complete I without WE. I comprehended the fact that life is no more going to be only about me but a beautiful US which will challenge my default and make me upgrade my existence every moment.

 

21 is considered to be an auspicious number in Hinduism. It is also considered to be perfection in Bible as well. Whenever the highest honour is to be given to someone, 21-gun salute is considered to be the best way to portray the respect. 21 is considered to be the age when a human being is considered to be mature to take certain individual steps in their life without any elder guidance. And here, I write my 21^st century Blog Post which is auspicious in certain ways and I dedicate it to the phenomena – to the event – to the person – to the lifeline – to the one who is spreading love and hope in my life. To the one who appeared in my life like a magic and proved the existence of the divine energy in whom I always believed- even when someone else in my shoes would have proclaimed of no such superpower existing who fulfils the wishes of human kind. This year shall always be about this beauty that has touched my life with its gentleness and hence, this special Blog Post, in all its essence and glory, is a tribute to the same energy which has brought Life in my Life.

 

Thanking everyone who has stayed along in this long journey of 2100 Blog Posts and hope you shall walk with me until I am capable of moving my feet step by step and reach whatever milestone I can through this. Gratitude and nothing else! Signing off..

 

WRITING BUDDHA

Happytual: The Non-Pursuit of Happiness by Pawan Kumar Mishra (Book Review: 3*/5) !!!

2099th BLOG POST

6^th Book of 2024

 

There are times when you need a spiritual book to make you understand the basics of life to balance and manage your emotions. As I was facing some issue due to certain unwanted aspects happening in my professional life and I sensed that I am not able to manage my mind, I thought of picking up a short book which is semi-spiritual without going much into minute details. This made me chose the book named “Happytual” written by Pawan Kumar Mishra. The book also comes with a tagline that says “The non-pursuit of happiness”. It is published in around 120 pages by Rupa Publications.

 

As the title of the book suggests, the prime focus of the author while writing the book is to narrate it to his readers about how to be happy in a spiritual context without doing much about it but just analyzing yourself. Author’s intent is very evident right from the first instance when he dives into the topic that he wants us to understand the benefit of going within and finding peace somewhere there rather than trying too many things to achieve it from external sources.

 

Author has chosen the very same narration methodology of conversational tone where a younger character is asking questions about life to an elder mentor and he is answering and guiding the character with the insights that can change the course of their life by just tweaking the way they look at things. Author has used very easy language while writing the same which ensures that readers of any age group shall be able to go through it easily. Author has blended the ancient wisdom with the modern context by giving some new examples to explain the theories and explaining the old concepts in a new tone.

 

The concept of Fourth which is almost a reference to soul is nicely explained which makes it easy to understand where do we need to hit within to fix things in our life. The main USP of the book is the chapter named “The Lotus Flower” where author discusses about 24 petals of the flower by naming each one of them on an area that needs to be managed to lead a happy life. Later on, the way author comes to the conclusion of how happiness shouldn’t be a pursuit helps us understand how we can achieve it without actually chasing it.

 

Author also touches upon yoga and meditation and teaches few deep breathing techniques which shall turn out to be essential for beginners in this area who haven’t tried anything before. Along with such insights, the way author has also tried taking through the arc of each of the characters involved in this keeps you interested in the book.

 

Talking about the drawbacks or shortcomings, after reading almost 900 books, I must say that I couldn’t find anything unique in the book. Definitely, author has tried to speak the same thing in a new way but it doesn’t teach you anything new. This shall be a fine book for beginners but if you have already gone through a spiritual kind of a self-help book, this one might not sound new or unique to you. Hence, I rate this book an average 3 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Masala Chai for the Soul by Jairam N. Menon (Book Review: 5*/5) !!!

2098th BLOG POST

5th Book of 2024

Reading books since more than a decade and half and I never thought that a funny and satirical book can play the part of a very well-written self-help book in my life. I was recently going through a tough phase but reading a self-help book seemed boring hence I picked up “Masala Chai for the Soul” written by Jairam N. Menon and published by Rupa Publications in around 200 pages. I didn’t know that the book is not only going to be satirical but it shall help me see small and usual things of life in a very different light.

 

Jairam Menon has a very beautiful way of saying things which makes you see both the facets of it- the one being said in a lighter tone with an intention of making us laugh and the other which is trying to teach us about how to enjoy life rather than finding concerns in almost everything that gets thrown upon us. If author has based few chapters completely from an intention of displaying his prowess in humor, he ensures that he is balancing the same by actually getting serious and giving us some really good advices like a senior in a tone that makes us feel better and rejuvenated.

 

As the book title says, this is definitely like a great beverage for our soul. While reading it, you would want to re-read many of the chapters because of their simplicity in the way tough topics are presented with a flavor of simplicity in them. Another good addition by the author are the illustrations in the beginning of the chapter which reminds you of the childhood-days’ newspapers. Similarly, there’s a quote by few of the popular personalities related to the chapter at the end of it which sometimes are such a divine experience reading them that we start repeating the whole chapter again in our minds trying to establish the fact that the chapter wanted us to learn such a deeper insight.

 

There are few one-liners which really makes you laugh out loud. They are enough hilarious for us to stop at the sentence, highlight them and share with everybody on our social media statuses and stories. There are few moments that I would really like to highlight which made my reading experience wonderful:

 

·         Author keeps quoting other authors to ensure that we also learn the real thing as well. Haha!

·         He also himself gives advices in the chapter “Envy- Proofing your Life” to help us understand how not to become jealous.

·         The part about vision mission statement that copying from one is plagiarism whereas copying from multiple is called research talks about the hypocrisy we have created in the professional world.

·         Chapter on superstition is so funnily written giving the context of why we should believe it. For e.g. if we dont how will we justify the success of people we dont like. 😊

·         The chapter on overthinking is so rightly executed where author again uses humor throughout the chapter and in the last 3 paras, gives us a good message about what we need to teach our children about the topic.

·         The chapter on small talks is so beautifully written that author almost gets into the mode of a self-help writer and tries to explain the importance of it in a very interesting manner.

·         The chapter on religion is written very maturely trying to explain how we are comparing Gods and ruining d relationship among ourselves.

·         The description of potholes by meriting them with the quote "The road to success is always under construction" written by Steve Maraboli is so aptly included. Similarly, describing trucks to be doing item dance is another ROFL moment.

·         The description of procrastination and bosses made by the author can fail all the LinkedIn posts.

 

Overall, this is a superb read and I am desperately wanting author to write part 2 of this book and make us learn small joys of life which can give great happiness through his cheeky style by making everything an entertainment for us. Hats off to Jairam N. Menon for writing this book so beautifully and making it an easy read. Along with that he ensures to use good vocabulary which will also help new readers learn great words in the process. I give this book 5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Ravan's Trial- The Naraka Cycle : Book 1 by Sundar Nathan (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

2097th BLOG POST

4^th Book of 2024

 

Well, I have finally read my first proper fiction this year and as my interest goes, I always pick either a romantic/character-based story or a mythological fiction. This time, I chose the latter considering that it has been long since I have picked this genre. On this weekend, I completed reading “Ravan’s Trial” written by Sundar Nathan in around 200-odd pages. This is Book 1 of the trilogy named “The Naraka Cycle”. I am glad the way author has kept this book a short-read which helps you go through the book in 2-3 sittings itself.

 

The book talks about its protagonist, Ravan, in detail. All of us know Ravan mainly from his old age when he appears for the 1^st time in Ramayan during Sita-abduction scene. Author tries to help us understand Ravan’s teenage year through this story. It helps us learn the becoming of Ravan into one of the biggest negative characters in our Hindu mythology. The book describes about his trial of 7 days in Aranya jungle which is supposedly believed to be tough for anyone to go through. Author prominently describes each day with separate headers to make us understand the curve of his experience with every passing day.

 

To the reader’s surprise, more than physical challenge, this turns out to be a mental game for Ravan. He goes through multiple emotional breakdowns. Ravan has to go through this pain which starts preparing him into a strong character. It is great to read this section of the story as it tells us about Ravan’s vulnerabilities through the emotional challenges that he goes through. Even after he returns back from the trial to his kingdom, the new-found facts about his family doesn’t let him be a steady person. His arc of character keeps on shifting its base with every chapter.

 

Along with Ravan, author has also given a good space to his siblings, Surpanakha and Kumbhkaran. The sibling love and care for each other is beautifully portrayed and reading these scenes makes you feel fresh as it gives a completely new perspective about Ravan’s life. The book also takes a spiritual tone as it’s not only about the revelation of past and truth but also about Ravan’s self-discovery and realization of many facts which were always around him.

 

I liked the Sanskrit shlokas that kept coming in between the story along with their translation. The geographical map of the contemporary time with the story helps you understand the travel of the characters based on the timeline. All the negative communities that we heard are brought together in some manner in this book such as Nagas, Asuras, Rakshasa, Kinaras etc. Their relationship among themselves makes the story development more exciting and mysterious.

 

The climax has an open ending to take us ahead with the Book 2 of the trilogy later on. The segment where it ends is nicely executed by the author as it keeps the excitement up for the next part. Author’s writing style is easy to read as he is able to blend philosophy, religion, history, geography, mystery, thriller etc. with the story seamlessly.

 

You won’t get overwhelmed with the kind of imaginative set-up the story has. It’s just that the initial part of the story is tough to comprehend due to its slow-pace narration. It becomes boring at several times. Similarly, I feel author should write in a bit more modern conversational tone to make it an easy read for the readers. Overall, the book is a fine read and I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA 

The Mystery of The Missing Dog - Snowy by Swati Sinha/Sachi Shukla (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

2096th BLOG POST

3^rd Book of 2024!

 

The days of childhood when I used to read comics and children’s books are back for me. For a change, I got my hands on the books published for children these days, and I thought of trying them to understand how are they written for these Gen-Z kids. As always, I chose the books published by Sonalika Publications with no doubts and purchased 6 of them from Amazon. I know it might sound a bit strange for someone at the age of 34 reading books meant for school kids. Haha! But then a reader within me wanted to explore this section of books and live in nostalgia for a bit. I just finished reading the 1st book of these 6 named “The Mystery of the Missing Dog- Snowy” written by Swati Sinha.

 

I think not mentioning the name of the illustrator at this very moment would be an injustice, as this book is incomplete without Sachi Shukla’s illustrations, which bring life to the story. The cover page and title of the book themselves are attractive enough for anyone to pick it up for their child. Even children would get attracted to it. This 44-page book is simply a delightful experience to read. The way the whole book is designed with art and text over it makes you feel that you are in the same world as the story itself.

 

The author talks about the story where a dog has gone missing in a society, after which the team of Super 5 is called upon for the investigation. This team of 5 consists of 12-year-old kids, but despite their age, they are known to investigate things and provide the results. Their introduction part with the society president is so interesting to read, where the names of every child are related to their personality traits. Similarly, making it in the form of a riddle tickles readers’ curiosity and makes the book much more interactive.

 

The story also tries to teach children compassion for animals. From my experience, I can say that this sort of attempt to foster constructive and sensible engagements between children and others is completely in line with the publications’ objectives. The way emotions portrayed by children are conveyed makes you feel as if you are around them, observing everything. The book also tries to provide insights into different occupations, such as society president, policeman, etc. At the end of the chapter, there’s another exercise where more professions are represented with animated characters, expecting readers to identify them.

 

Similarly, there are other exercises at the end of the book that will definitely help children develop their skills. All the good vocabulary used in the story, along with their meanings, are also mentioned in the end, signifying its intention of helping young readers learn new words and use them in their daily interactions. The kind of thrilling angle given to the story also makes it exciting as well. Even as an adult, when I was reading it, I never felt it was childish or boring. I think doing that is not an easy task.

 

Overall, this is a perfect book to gift to your younger ones. I recommend it to everyone. I give the book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

Slower But Not Over by Paritosh Sontakke (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

2095th BLOG POST

2^nd Book of 2024

 

This year has been like no other year in terms of my reading journey. We have entered 6^th month and I have just finished reading the 2^nd book of the year. It’s enough evident that I was going through some testing times and thankfully, the book I picked up has been a self-help book with lots of amazing insights and valuable guidance. Paritosh Sontakke’s “Slower But Not Over” is his first book which has been published in around 300 pages. While reading, you shall never be able to judge that he is a first-time author as his intent and clarity towards every topic that he talks about is very focused and on-point.

 

The book “Slower But Not Over” is very intelligently divided into 32 chapters where each of them is for around 10 pages which makes it easy for a reader to follow through the book even with multiple sittings. I completed this book with very slow pace in around a month and I was never confused regarding where did I leave it last. It has been executed very well ensuring that readers enjoy the book as and when they pick it up. This book is one of the perfect selections for your coffee table. One can even choose to read it in non-linear manner i.e. reading any chapter you want.

 

Author talks about very important elements that can help us make our lives happy, easy-going, positive, growth-oriented and spiritual. I liked how author started the book explaining about his background so that we can understand the mindset from which the book has been written. After giving a context on his middle-class upbringing and then his motivation towards doing something bigger and better in life, he followed certain books and advices which helped him achieve his goals. The whole book is then based upon the same where it includes author’s version on different self-help topics along with knowledge shared by other esteemed personalities.

 

The book consists of topics such as Rejection, Self-belief, aspirations, Leadership, Investment, Health, Integrity, Ego, Discipline, Courage, Focus etc. Author has nicely narrated many topics in terms of his own life experiences, his friend’s examples or by sharing a life incident of a popular figure. Apart from this, every chapter consists of a section named “Life Nuggets” which has multiple one-liners or quotes related to the topic which further stems the concept and its importance in the minds of the readers. To ensure that readers doesn’t end up reading and forgetting the principles, author has also added an exercise lesson in the end which consists of few questions and also spaces for us to write our answers which helps us in understanding how to apply those concepts in our life.

 

As I was currently going through a tough phase in my job, I was able to relate with the chapter in which author nicely describes the difference between a boss and leader with multiple illustrations and explanations. I was also able to learn so much through Pareto principle which author has gone ahead and explained the same with multiple examples of 20:80 rule.

 

Paritosh has provided very great and relevant tips on how to maintain good health where he has written everything that can be executed at the ground level. His narrative and seriousness while writing that chapter helps us understand the cruciality and importance of keeping good health. His perspective on how good health gives us hope which is the biggest thing for anyone to move ahead with life helped me understand that it’s not only about fitness but a mindset as well.

 

I have always been very clear and open about one of the major concerns of ego in my attitude towards relationships. Author has compiled such quotes on Ego on a chapter dedicated to this issue that each of them were extremely effective and moved me much; ending me taking screenshot of the same for referring it as a daily reminder and shredding it as soon as possible.

 

In another chapter “Encouragement”, author shares words spoken by one of his acquaintances, Darrel, which speaks about Passion. That one paragraph is enough for anyone to understand why self-motivation is necessary. As mentioned above, author shares real life stories of personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Rowan Atkinson, Colonel Sanders, Michael Jackson etc. reading which makes the book more interesting as we get to know about such inspirational accounts which excites us to augment our own life.

 

Overall, Paritosh Sontakke’s first book is a perfect go-back book whenever you need motivation in life. It has caliber to bring a lost person back on the track. It is also a book that you can blindly gift to anyone. It is for people of all ages and background. I recommend the book to everyone. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA 

When things aren't going well..

2094th BLOG POST

Every time we get something new, we celebrate it as if it is going to be one of the defining possible change of our life. Yes, it definitely becomes that when it gets initiated in our life. We tell people about it. We update about it every here and there on the Internet. Slowly, it starts becoming a regularity and the presence of it remains to be almost as usual as that toothbrush in front of our wash-basin mirror. Some greatness lies whenever we get a new job, promotion, car, friend, relationship etc. I don’t know why but eventually it doesn’t remain that great as it seemed to be at the first glance. Either we start seeing the real face of it or the entity itself starts getting degraded day by day.

 

Unfortunately, when things start happening good in your life, everything looks good. When it starts getting bad, you will find every department failing to make you happy. Most of us face the issue where we try sacrificing for the other person whereas the same person is trying to think about him/her. It becomes horrible when such instances happen in front of you. Professionally, I witnessed something similar happening in front of me with the person I trusted. It shocked me even though I have seen something similar happening in past – with others if not with me. This has been an eye-opener and I have finally realized to be vocal of what would benefit me in future rather than considering anything as a partnership mission where I would kill a piece of me to maintain a cordial relationship where the other person would run away for personal perks.

 

As I said, when something wrong happens, it automatically mirrors the same in other aspects of life too. My favorite relationships are just moving upwards and downwards if it can be visualized as a graph. I am trying to be a good person but every time, I am trying something, it is turning out to be a relationship killer. I have experienced something before which has killed a similar relationship hence, I become very skeptical to even talk or chat. Taking such a stance can be more detrimental to a relationship than engaging in an imperfect conversation. When one abruptly falls silent, it may convey the message that the other person is not deemed important enough to warrant continued communication. In essence, this silence can be perceived as a lack of consideration or regard, potentially undermining the dynamics of the relationship. This becomes a Catch-22 situation where you don’t know how to handle the relationship anymore and you are now riding the car knowing that the brakes have failed and you might end up meeting a severe accident – and only God’s grace can save you.

 

Well, apart from this, even monetarily, you want to keep funds available for yourself because you know you aren’t completely satisfied with the place you are working at and you might take a dramatic decision at any point of time without any control of yours over it. Life then starts showing you what it is and throws unexpected expenditures which doesn’t spend your money but blow it away. Before you realize, your bank balance is in a spot. Now, because shits are going to happen all across, even your portfolio suffers and you find majority of your investments not generating money for you. Your passive income almost ceases to do any favor upon you. Similarly, your renters are about to leave with no new tenant contacting you to accommodate the place immediately to keep the money flowing for you.

 

Things at home aren’t good too. You are expected to take certain decisions which shall bring happiness to everyone but you have been bitten once hence you don’t want to jump into anything JUST LIKE THAT. No one understands your logic and everyone feels that you are doing it purposefully to trouble everyone. Now, you were the saintliest person until yesterday when you were doing what others felt was right but suddenly, you are the harshest person for them. Can you change anyone’s feeling for you now? No until you don’t do what they want you to do. Hell – nothing less than that!

 

You were planning a vacation for yourself in a way you wanted it but some discussions here and there – and now – it’s not happening the way you wanted it. That one time when you expected to spend the way you wanted it to bring the relaxation from all the unhappiest things happening with you turns out to be another reason to bring more unhappiness. How worst can life move from here onwards? It can! I know there are worst situations where I have been at my lowest when there wasn’t even a ray of light visible at the end of the tunnel. This is still a better situation to handle but there’s no enthusiasm to go through any kind of pain. It’s a New Year and there was a great energy to live one of the great years but the first month has itself drained every bit out of me. I hope the upcoming days are wonderful. I can’t expect worst to come across as I shall not be able to fight through them. Well.. that’s it!

 

Thanks..

 

WRITING BUDDHA

Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Bharat’s Quest for Ram-Rajya by Swadesh Singh (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

2093rd BLOG POST

1^st Book of 2024

 

I remember reading about Ram Mandir in 2011 descriptively in the newspapers when one of the prominent hearings in the court was going on. That was the first time when I understood the prominence and controversy around Ram Mandir and why it has become so important for certain section of our society – surprisingly the section which counts as majority in our nation. 4 years back, I turned into a Vishnu devotee. At this point of time while I was reading about Lord Vishnu and his avatars and the most famous one – Lord Ram, I realized the importance of Ram Mandir which was due to be built at his birthplace. Luckily, the Bhoomi Pujan happened just after.

 

Since then, I wanted to know all about its history etc. which I got a great opportunity to finally learn when Swadesh Singh released his latest book this January named “Ayodhya Ram Mandir”. I must applaud Rupa Publication as well for publishing this book as it might have turned into a controversy and despite howsoever secular our nation is, whenever it comes to such sensitive topic, it is objected by certain section of audience whatsoever might be the case. Anyway, talking about the book, it helps us understand the whole history of the establishment of Ram Mandir and its multiple destruction by different rulers of India. It helps us get into the past and know about the psychology of people towards this temple and why it is so prominent even after centuries for the Indian civilization.

 

The 1^st chapter discusses the significance of the land of Ayodhya. Author delves into explaining us about the Ikshvaku dynasty and all its respective kings. It tells how Ayodhya has always been a major part in the history of India. Along with it, author discusses about the different set of rules under which temple and its existence suffered right from Mauryan, Gupta, Mughals and finally, Britishers. The 2^nd chapter finally brings us to the modern India where the first case gets filed in the Indian judiciary in the year 1822 and how it kept on struggling in court until 2019. I was surprised to learn how intellectually and smartly Supreme Court rejected the judgment of High court which gave three different parties equal land at the birthplace. It is also a proud moment to learn how Indians accepted the Supreme Court judgment and there was no major case of any violence across India.

 

In the latter part of the book, author moves towards the current scenario where the construction of Ram temple has begun in Ayodhya and is ready to be open for its devotees to worship Lord Ram in his childhood avatar proudly standing at its rightful location – Lord Ram’s birthplace. Author gets into details and gives an overview on the design, architecture and the whole insight on how the whole temple and the premises will look like. The way author has written the whole part actually makes you visualize the whole temple in front of your eyes. It will make you impatient as the construction of whole temple premises will take some more years for us to view what it is actually planned and aspired to be.

 

Swadesh also discusses how the development of modern Ayodhya is being planned along with the temple because it becomes very necessary for the whole locality to have different tourist spots for the devotees to enjoy as people come from faraway places and expect every lane to give an essence of Lord Ram’s presence. I am glad the way author narrated about all the existing attractions around Ayodhya such as Sarayu River, Hanumangarhi, Kanak Bhawan, Shri Nageshwarnath temple, Sita ki rasoi etc. Along with this, author also talks about how these attractions shall be further beautified after the temple gets opened for its devotees.

 

Along with the importance of Ayodhya for Sanatan Dharm, Swadesh speaks about how it is also equally worshipped by other religions such as Jains and Buddhists as well. I wasn’t aware about Ayodhya’s relevance as a spiritual fabric of the nation for multiple religions which the book made me decipher in very easy language. Swadesh has divided the chapters in a manner where each of them talks about a topic specifically which makes the interest alive for the readers and keep them focused towards the subject.

 

His research and efforts are visible in every sentence as author has deep dived into the subject. He could have made this book difficult for all of us by getting into the legal aspects in the language of our Indian law but he keeps it simple for all the audience to understand and learn from an overview aspect as to how the whole phenomena around Ram temple kept disturbing the emotions of the people aspiring to pray their Lord on his birthplace itself. Also, the book is of around 160 pages hence it becomes easy to go through it in few sittings itself.

 

Overall, this book is an excellent read specially at this point of time when Ram Temple is already open for all of us. It is going to be a very different experience while visiting Ayodhya after reading this book hence I would recommend everyone to read this one before planning an Ayodhya visit. It will also help you understand when is the best time to be there on the spiritual land based on the development that has been planned by Government along with its timelines. I rate this book 4.5* out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA