Reflections

Some books are meant to be read {your average fiction stuff}; some others are meant to be studied and analysed, learnt from {my upcoming review : Untold Stories of 20 Brands}; yet others are informative {India, Uninc, as an example}; and then are those which leave a deep impression, and provoke thought and discussion {Reforming Institutions, for example}... rare is the book that combines one or more of all of the above. The current book is one such. This is a book which frankly defies description and categorisation. I cant call it Fiction, since the auther states it an non-fiction, and concerns a real event in the life of the author. I cant call it a travelogue, for it is far more than a travelogue. I cant call it just thought provoking, for it is full of rib-tickling ROFL anecdotes; what I can and will call it is : a complete entertainer from the first page, right from the very first page. THE PLOT The book is ostensibly about three friends who decide, once u...

||Shri|| RAMAYAN : STOLEN HOPE RAMAYAN – STOLEN HOPE by SHUBH VILAS { Book 3, after The Rise Of The Sun Prince and Shattered Dreams } THE AUTHOR Shubh Vilas is a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, with a degree in Engineering and Law, specialised in Patent Law. Prominent among his teachers are H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Srila Prabhuda {Founder Hare Krshna Movement} and H.H. Radhanath Swami STOLEN HOPE This is a book that is completely different from the previous book/s in narrative, content and flow; those of us who are aware of the story of the life of the Lord Ram will find this in keeping with the story of his life. In the previous book, we studied { I cannot use the word “read” for the story of our Lord } his life till the Vanvaas period starting; far too obviously, the story takes a turn from that point. The current book traces the life of Lord Ram from the beginning of the Vanvaas going right till the sad episod...

The Absence Of A National Dialogue The title will surprise many, but that is precisely my contention; that we lack a national dialogue; a consistent, strong and clear discussion on the matters that really matter to us as a people. We are very quick to discuss on Social Media issues relating to Religion, BJP Government, AAP {particularly denouncing it}, Rahul Gandhi / Congress, Arvind Kejriwal, Indians Abroad... but are almost totally silent on any number of issues that are far more relevant, important and critical to us AGRICULTURE You will not find many posts, mentions on agrarian distress, drought conditions in several districts, condition of Small and Marginal Farmers, lack of farm profitability, abysmally low farm-gate prices, lack of facilities in the agrarian belts, the problems faced by the farming community etc. And yet, even the smallest step taken for the emancipation of the above problems gets highlighted excessively. That the positives are highl...

Life, And Death... The Unending Circle Another year... Another Month... and Another Day... Yet another tragedy strikes close to me and my family, leaving us behind...leaving my mind in a turmoil, with questions and observations crashing through my mind as I attempt to come to terms with the larger questions relating to the purpose of life, and the smaller questions of my response both to the path of life as well as my response to such seminally tragic events... As of now, as before, when tragedy has struck and me &  my family are in mourning, the one thought that literally flashes through my mind, crashes into my consciousness is the same thought I had on my Dad’s funeral pyre 9 years ago... at the end, the only thing that remains is a person’s thoughts, nature, words, and relationships with people... Nothing matters; the worldly possessions we run after so mindlessly will pass on to some other owner, nothing remains that you or your memory can call ...