By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

Penguin

ISBN 0143099701; ISBN 13: 9780143099703

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is one of India’s most popular present day mythologists. My curiosity to know more about Hinduism and to get real meaning of our mythology or the inherent symbolism found a savior in him. His pen is so powerful, knowledge so deep and expression so simple that I think he is changing the way we look at Hinduism and Hindus, and revitalizing the world’s interest in Hinduism and India.

‘Myth = Mithya” is aptly termed a Handbook of Hindu Mythology. In its pages you would find descriptions and elaborations on numerous Hindu mythological stories and their real meanings and symbolism. I think this is one book which has given me most knowledge points per page than any other book I have ever read.

In my opinion this book is a must read and must kept book for all Hindus or anyone really interested in understanding Hinduism.

- Rahul

Edited by: Palash Krishna Mehrotra

Penguin Books

ISBN 9780143100119

Schooldays are something which can’t be compared with anything else in life. Those carefree days, with its own flavors and enigma, can’t be forgotten totally. Here is a refreshing read, taking us to those good old schooldays. It is a collection of memoires from the childhood and schooldays as shared by a diverse set of authors. The diverse set of authors bring with them a very diverse set of experiences; some beautiful and some bitter. We can connect with many of those, and at some others, we may feel good not having come across in our own.

The set of authors include Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Gandhiji, Premchand, Nehruji, Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, RK Narayan, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Ismat Chugtai, Satyajit Ray, Vikram Seth, PT Usha, and a lot of known and not-so-known names. Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s episode from childhood tells about an incident in the Shiva temple where he witnessed a rat eating the sweets offered to the deity and wondered why the deity couldn’t protect its offerings? Lal Behari Dey talks about his school days in Calcutta and about Duff’s School where the principle was a radical Christian Missionary converting a lot of Bengali youth and how despite this fact, his father sent him in that school keeping “faith in fate”. Fakir Mohan Senapati’s account tells about the domination of Bengali over Oriya language. Rabindranath Tagore tells about his home tuitions. Krupabai Satthianadhan tells a very interesting “The Story of a Conversion”, about how an old teacher, a Christian Missionary, was trying to influence a young South Indian lad who decided to tolerate all because of willingness to learn English; but it couldn’t prevent him from feeling like giving it back to the “old fanatic”. Ismat Chugtai tells the inside story of a girls hostel. Gandhiji’s childhood part is taken from The Story of My Experiments with Truth and talks about the popular portion where he was accused of telling a lie, and on the importance of sports and learning Sanskrit. Premchand’s childhood was influenced by his Big Brother (elder brother) and the way he recollects the events, makes it such a hilarious account.

The childhood stories are diverse and bring with them all sort of tastes. There are also some controversial ones. I feel if the editor had decided to keep the controversial and bitter ones out; the book would have been absolutely delightful. But like our childhood is full of good and bad experiences, I think the different shades of the stories give this book a unique depth and gravity.

Highly recommended to all.

- Rahul

Also posted at my blog:

http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/11/book-review-recess-penguin-book-of.html

By Bowon Kim

John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd

ISBN 0-470-82140-X

‘Mastering Business in Asia: Supply Chain Management’ is a wonderful book on the interesting subject of supply chain management. Written in a comprehendible language and full of examples and some very useful charts, this book deals with hosts of some very relevant issues in global supply chain management.

The book starts with a discussion on how in the modern challenging times, a lot of organizations have focused on the supply chain management (SCM) to create value for customers. Then author discusses the role of effective decision making in supply chain management and a chapter on “dynamic learning in SCM” has been a great value add. Some topics like strategic management of a supply chain and innovation in SCM field give a lot of fresh perspective. The concluding chapters are on “global SCM” and “SCM for sustainable competitive capability”.

The book has been a wonderful read. And to top that, the readers get to go through some brilliant case studies in SCM. For example, one on the MP3 player industry and others on online bookstore industry and an auto parts industry are really enlightening.

Highly recommended for all SCM lovers and practitioners.

- Rahul

Also posted at my blog: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/11/book-review-mastering-business-in-asia.html

By: Ricardo Semler

Arrow Books

ISBN 978-0-712-67886-5

Semco has been one of Latin America’s most successful and fast growing companies, best known for its innovative and democratic business practices and philosophy. The credit to all goes to Ricardo Semler who grew the company with himself. This book, first published as Virando a Própria Mesa (“Turning Your Own Table”) is a best seller in which Ricardo spills the beans about his company and its practices.

The book captures the historical growth of the company. For this purpose, Semco and Ricardo Semler are no two separate entities but one. Reading about his ways and the kind of revolutions he made in the way businesses are conducted, I had to consistently fight my disbelief and skepticism. Semler has shown us that it is possible to run a company where every employee feels great about his/her job, a company which is most ethical in practices, where all employees are empowered irrespective of anything, where there are no hierarchies, and no rules and policies!

If you are interested in business management, this is one book you just can’t miss to read!

- Rahul

Semco website: http://www.semco.com.br/pt/

Also posted at my blog: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/12/book-review-maverick-by-ricardo-semler.html

By: Shrinivas Pandit

Tata McGraw-Hill

ISBN-13 978-0-07-062151-0

Mumbai’s Dabbawallas are a case study to the world. They are a proof that in order to achieve business and process excellence, you don’t necessarily need a technically superior and cost wise expensive setup in place. The basic business ethics and zeal to provide best customer service score more to make organizations great and successful than technical tools and capital resources. In this book, Shrinivas Pandit has done a comprehensive analysis of Mumbai’s (once called Bombay) 5000+ semi-literate famous Dabawalas who serve thousands of customers with their individual home cooked food, every day for the last 115 years!

The book has been written in the format of a conversation with mainly two Dabawalas – Raghu and Ganga. It captures things like their origin to the journey, personal beliefs to business rules, daily challenges to client satisfaction – almost everything on the subject that comes to mind. Intermittently the authors have inserted and documented the learning taken from Dabawalas which can be applicable to businesses of all size, be it entrepreneurs or the MNCs.

The size of the book is concise and the language is simple. It may not be enough to cover each and every aspect to the minutest detail, but captures a good part overall for a less-heavy read.

A good read for anyone curious about Mumbai’s Dabawalas.

- Rahul

Also posted at my blog:

http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/12/book-review-dabawalas-by-shrinivas.html

By: Devdutt Pattanaik

Puffin Books

ISBN 978-0-143-33169-8

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is one of India’s most popular present day mythologists. I am a big fan of his writings and I picked up this book looking at its curious title. In his “Fun in Devlok” series of books which he has written for the children, Dr. Pattanaik tells simple and very interesting mythological stories explaining concepts in the easiest ways for children to grasp.

“Shiva Plays Dumb Charades” is set into a home where a group of children are playing the game of dumb charades. Suddenly, Lord Shiva, the ultimate and Supreme God, appears in front of them and becomes a participant. Next, as they all play Dumb Charades, the children get to know the real meanings of the symbols, gestures and portraits of Lord Shiva as seen in the Nataraj form. I found myself unable in explaining many of those concepts and this book was an enlightening read for me too.

The book is full of sketches friendly to children and font sizes are big. I found the back cover mentioning that the book is for children above 6 years age. Since I am also above 6 years of age, so I hope no one gives me a curious look if I collect all the books in this series for myself!

It’s a wonderful gift to children and an enlightening read for all. I highly recommend it to everyone.

- Rahul

Also posted at my blog: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/12/book-review-shiva-plays-dumb-charades.html

By: Bhagat Singh

Penguin Books

ISBN 9780143068884

Shaheed Bhagat Singh is an icon of India’s freedom movement. His life-story has inspired thousands to do something worthwhile for their nation and continues to inspire the youth, generation after generation. He was a lion-hearted young man who spent his life, blood and death for the betterment of his nation called Bharat (or India). At the time he was hanged by the British, he was only 23 years old. Penguin has done a great work by compiling some of his writings, letters and revolutionary literature in the form of a small book. Readers get to know Bhagat Singh better and also delve into his “ideas” for our nation.

The book would also serve a very good means of waking us up to the realities of our nation. Have we in all these years proven the sacrifice of our freedom-fighters worth the efforts? Are we doing something for a better future of our nation? Or are we still stuck in the webs of religion, caste or location, which divide us and make us weak? In these pages, Bagat Singh puts his views very strongly. He also challenges those (Congress members) who were apparently soft on the British policies and believed in small incremental gains towards the freedom. His ideas on religion are also very strong and provocative, but well-grounded. Here is a sample of some lines from the first article:

“While we Indians, what are we doing? A branch of a peepal tree is cut and religious feelings of the Hindus are injured. A corner of a paper idol, tazia, of the idol-breaker Mohammedans is broken, and ‘Allah’ gets enraged, who cannot be satisfied with anything less than the blood of the infidel Hindus.” (P-7)

“The conservativeness and orthodoxy of the Hindus, extra-territorialism and fanaticism of the Mohammedans and narrow-mindedness of all the communities in general are always exploited by the foreign enemy.” (P-9)

“We want people who may be prepared to fight without hope, without fear and without hesitation, and who may be willing to die un-honored, unwept and unsung.” (P-10)

(From manifesto of The Naujawan Bharat Sabha, founded by Bhagat Singh in 1926 in Lahore)

(I think his idea of freedom-fighters to be ready to fight even without hope points to the eternal teaching of Lord Krishna in Gita)

Reading Bhagat Singh’s letters and speeches to the British, I couldn’t stay without being in awe of his intellect and brilliance! I think if the British gave him a fair trial, he would have got himself free, given the way he explained the matters and debated in the court. But alas, the British were bent on hanging him and ignored crucial evidence and facts, and went about their own determined ways. Bhagat Singh asked to be shot dead by a gun rather than being hanged, but no surprise that the British didn’t want to grant him his last wish too.

Sardar Bhagat Singh’s story is worth being read, told and sung with all our heart, until each Indian counts one’s nation above one’s other priorities. It also points towards self-reflection to the communities who count some other nations and their foreign beliefs above our nation, or those Indians who harm our nation’s prospects in the name of business and trade.

I find myself lucky to have read this book. Highly recommended to all India-lovers.

- Rahul

Also posted at my blog: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/12/book-review-words-of-freedom-ideas-of.html

By: Rabindranath Tagore

Translated by: Debabrata Mukhopadhyay

Wisdom Tree

ISBN 81-86685-26-X

The literatures of Rabindranath Tagore have their own charm. I think he has a unique style and charisma in his writing which keeps the readers spellbound as well as soaked deep into the world the writer wishes to take them in. The Post Office is a play written by Tagore, which captures the charms of childhood curiosity and activity as well as the misery part of human life.

The story of The Post Office is about Amal, a kid who has to remained locked in the house because of an ailment he is suffering with. Readers get to realize the seriousness of his ailment with time. He sits on the window of his house and chats with the passersby. As it happens, he sees a Post Office from the window and waits for a letter arriving in his name. His pure heart and childlike curiosity is so heart-touching. At the same time his unconscious suffering from the disease makes our eyes wet. Life is a ride full of ups and downs and the readers of this play are taken on one such, in all its elements.

The English translation is also at its best. In Bangla, this play is called Dak Ghar.

A wonderful and heart-touching play, recommended to all.

- Rahul

Oneness With All Life: Inspirational Selections from A New Earth

Treasury Edition

By Eckhart Tolle

Michael Joseph: an imprint of Penguin Books

ISBN: 978-0-718-15541-4

Eckhart Tolle is a Canadian (born in Germany as Ulrich Tolle, in 1948) spiritual teacher and bestselling author. I have written about him and his book “The Power of Now” here [Link].

This book titled “Oneness With Life” has been created with some passages picked from the original book A New Earth. These passages are inspirational and meditative in nature. The book is divided into chapters with some themes. Passages of varying length would appear one after the other, trying to give readers a lot of food for thought.

Some random portions:

There are no random events, nor are there events or things that exist by and for themselves, in isolation. The atoms that make up your body were once forged inside stars, and the causes of even the smallest event are virtually infinite and connected with the whole in incomprehensible ways.

If you wanted to trace back the cause of any event, you would have to go back all the way to the beginning of creation.

The ego’s greatest enemy is the present moment, which is to say, life itself.

Most egos have conflicting wants. They want different things at different times or may not even know what they want except that they don’t want what is: the present moment.

What is the relationship between awareness and thinking? Awareness is the space in which thoughts exist when that space has become conscious of itself.

There are three words that convey the secret of the art of living, the secret of all success and happiness: One with life. Being one with life is being one with Now. You can then realize that you don’t live your life, but life lives you. Life is the dancer, and you are the dance.

About his thoughts and philosophy, I would repeat what I said in my previous book review: After reading this book, I felt a curious connection to philosophies of Hinduism and Vedanta. When I searched about the author, I came to know that Tolle has been quoted as saying, “I feel actually that the work I do is a coming together of the teaching ‘stream’, if you want to call it that, of J. Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi”. Tolle himself has mentioned texts such as the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita and other Hindu scriptures, the Buddhist scriptures, etc, and after coming to know this I think the connection is more real.

I believe reading the original book would be more beneficial for readers. Those who have read it can read this gradually to reflect on certain portions.

- Rahul

Also posted at: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.com/2001/11/book-review-oneness-with-all-life.html

‘Vidur Neeti’ (in Hindi)

(Taken from the Mahabharata; explanations by Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar)

Gita Press

ISBN: 81-293-0216-0

‘Vidur Neeti’ is part of the great epic Mahabharata in which the wise counsel Vidur explains many concepts and facts of great wisdom to King Dhritirashtra of Hastinapur. References are in eight chapters, 33rd to 40th, of Mahabharata. This book presents the Sanskrit shlokas with their concise translations in Hindi. The language is simple and it can be read and understood by the masses.

I am noting down some of the shlokas with their meanings:

==

Ijyaaddhayanadaanani tapah satyam kshamaa ghrina |

Alobh iti margoyam dharmsyashtavidhah smritah ||56|| (adhyay-3)

Yagya, addhyayan, daan, tap, satya, kshamaa, dayaa, aur alobh – ye dharm ke aath prakar ke marg bataye gaye hain. ||56|| (adhyay. 3)

Yagya, learning/study, alms-giving, tapa (penance), truthfullness, forgiveness, compassion and non-greediness – these are said to be eight types of path towards Dharma. ||56|| (Chapter 3)

==

Tatra purvachaturvargo dambharthmapi sevyate |

Uttarascha chaturvargo namahatmsu tishthati ||57|| (adhyay-3)

Inme se pahle charon ka to dambh ke liye bhi sevan kiya ja sakta hai, parantu antim char to jo mahatma nahi hain unme rah hi nahi sakte ||57|| (adhyay. 3)

Of these, the first four can even by practiced for ego or pride, but the later four can never be present in those who are not good souls. ||57|| (Chapter. 3)

==

Avyahritam vyahritachchhreya ahuh,

Satyam vadet vyahritam tad dviteeyam |

Priyam vaded vyahritam tat tritiyam,

Dharmam vadet vyahritam tachchaturtham ||12|| (adhyay-4)

Bolne se na bolna achchha bataya gaya hai; kintu satya bolna vaani ki dusri visheshta hai, yani maun ki apeksha bhi duna labhprad hai. Satya bhi yadi priya bola jaye to teesri visheshta hai aur wah yadi dharm-sammat kaha jaye to wah vachan ki chauthi visheshta hai ||12|| (adhyay. 4)

It is said that not speaking is better than speaking, but speaking the truth is said to be second quality of speech meaning it is better than non-speech. If the truth is even nice/lovely, it becomes third quality of speech (better than only truthful speech), and if that (lovely and truthful) speech is also consistent with Dharma (it is righteous), then it becomes fourth quality of speech (it is even better than the previous three). ||12|| (ch. 4)

==

Aakrushyamano nakroshenmanyurev titikshatah |

Akroshtaram nirdahati sukritam chasya vindati ||5|| (adhyay-4)

Dusron se gaali sun kar bhi swayam unhen gaali na den. Kshama karne wale ka roka hua krodh hi gaali dene wae ko jala deta hai aur uske punya ko bhi le lea hai. ||5|| (adhyay. 4)

Even after hearing abuses from others, don’t say abuses to them. The restrained anger of those who pardon others itself burns/destroys the abusers and also destroys their punya. ||5|| (ch. 4)

==

Krityani purvam parisankhyay sarvanyayvyaye chanurupaam cha vrittim |

Sangrahneeyaadnurupaan sahaayaan sahaayasaadhyaani hi dushkaraani ||24|| (adhyay 5)

Pahle kartavya, aay-vyay aur uchit vetan ka nishchay karke fir suyogya sahaayakon ka sangrah karen, kyonki kathin se kathin karya bhi sahayakon dwara sadhya hote hain ||24|| (adhyay 5)

One should first decide on the appropriate duties, income & expenses, and wages and then should collect right associates. Because even the most difficult jobs can be done with the help of associates. ||24|| (Ch. 5)

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Aarjaven naram yuktamaarjavaat savyapatram |

Ashaktam manyamaanaastu dharshayanti kubudhyah ||62|| (adhyay 7)

Dushta buddhi wale log saralta se yukt aur saralta ke hi karan lajjasheel manushya ko ashakta maankar uska tiraskaar karte hain. ||62|| (adhyay 7)

People with evil minds consider the simple and sober (because of simplicity) men as weak and they insult them. ||62|| (Ch. 7)

==

PS: My apologies for any errors in typing or translation.

One can see the great intelligence reflected in the first two verses, where Vidhur clearly demarcates the gestures of Dharma which can be fabricated Vs which come to us naturally. Third and fourth contain great practical wisdom. I think the second last verse on selection of associates is a fitting one to be considered by people with interest in business. And the last one is such a timeless wisdom.

These are only a few of the very interesting and enlightening verses presented in this book. I recommend this to all.

- Rahul

Also posted at [Link]