The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (author), Otto Frank and Mirjam Pressler (editors), Susan Massotty (translator)

The single most poignant true-life story to emerge from the Second World War In July 1942, Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, hide in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse.

For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered there.

Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.

In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. 

By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Her diary ends abruptly when she and her family are discovered by the Nazis in August 1944. Anne died while imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen, three months short of her sixteenth birthday, but this acute account of her life and the world around her reveals her as more human, more vulnerable and more vital than ever. 

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.  
 

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com & www.amazon.in]


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 4.1 out of 5 ( 1,983,692 Ratings , 20,491 Reviews  - As on June 17 2017)
My Rating:  5 out of 5
My Comments: A very touching autobiographical account of two years spent in hiding from Nazis. Makes us realize how precious are the things which we normally take for granted in our daily life. The narration is full of hope , inspiring and at times even humorous despite the grim circumstances in which Anne lived. Sad that she could not come out of the ordeal alive.



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Sri Ramakrishna on Himself - Mohit Ranjan Das (compiler)

Understanding that the life of a prophet is best told by himself, this book is an attempt to form an autobiography from Sri Ramakrishna's utterances about his life. 
These words taken mainly, but not exclusively, from the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', allow the reader to hear, as it were, the Master's story from his own lips.

Included are a Chronology of the Life of Sri Ramakrishna and a Glossary.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3 out of 5 (1 Rating; 0 Review - As on December 17 2016)
My Rating:  3 out of 5
My Comments: A commendable job in compiling autobiographical quotes from Sri Ramakrishna in one volume.


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Aleph - Paulo Coelho

In his most personal novel to date, internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. 
Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist, Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. 
As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, his only real option is to begin again—to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him.

Setting off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia via the Trans-Siberian railroad, he initiates a journey to revitalize his energy and passion. 
Even so, he never expects to meet Hilal. 
A gifted young violinist, she is the woman Paulo loved five hundred years before—and the woman he betrayed in an act of cowardice so far-reaching that it prevents him from finding real happiness in this life.
Together they will initiate a mystical voyage through time and space, traveling a path that teaches love, forgiveness, and the courage to overcome life’s inevitable challenges. 
Beautiful and inspiring, Aleph invites us to consider the meaning of our own personal journeys.

 [Book Description Source: www.amazon.com]

Goodreads Rating - 3.39 out of 5 (21825 Ratings, 2099 Reviews)

My Rating:  3 out of 5. 

Buying Options 
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Buy the Kindle version
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)
 

Today We are Rich by Tim Sanders

Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence
Are you just hanging in there? 
Have life’s curveballs thrown you off balance? 
Do you feel as if your life is going sideways?

Best-selling author, leadership coach, and former Yahoo! executive Tim Sanders knows how you feel. 
His father’s unexpected death put him in a downward spiral for fifteen years—what he calls his “sideways years.” 
A photo of a dusty water tower in Texas finally woke him up in 1996. 
That’s when he realized he needed to go home to his rock—his grandmother Billye, who had taken him in as a child to raise as her own.

Rediscovering the lessons she taught him as a child turned his life around and, in less than four years, catapulted him to financial security and an officer-level role at an S&P 500 company at the center of the Internet revolution. 
Today, his promise to himself is, “I will never forget those lessons. The price is too high.” 
Join Tim as he rediscovers the classic principles of confident living that some of the most successful and joyful people you know live by:

1 – Feed Your Mind Good Stuff
2 – Move the Conversation Forward
3 – Exercise Your Gratitude Muscle
4 – Give to Be Rich
5 – Prepare Yourself
6 – Balance Your Confidence
7 – Promise Made, Promise Kept

In Today We Are Rich, Sanders updates Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale to tackle a new world, where social media and transparency present unique challenges to our sense of confidence, sanity, and faith.
[Source: www.goodreads.com ]


Goodreads Rating - 4.04 out of 5 (453 Ratings; 70 Reviews)

My Comments:
Principles of confident living described in this book are what we call as common sense (but which is actually not so commonly seen). 
Book is rather autobiographical in nature mainly extolling author's grandma who lived by these principles. 
Nice and quick read but you won't miss anything exceptional even if you don't read it.

Links:

• Author's website
• Video preview of the book 
• Download the free e-book 

Buying Options 

Readers in India

 
Buy from Amazon.in  
Buy the Kindle book version
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.) 

Readers in Other Countries 
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Buy the Kindlle book  version
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.) 

Brother : A Story of Hope and Survival from Africa’s Rebel Heart

Two half-brothers (having same father, different mothers). 
The elder one becomes  a very famous and well-respected personality. The younger one turns into a drug-addicted street gangster and spends a year in prison ( for a crime he did not commit). 
Once out of the prison, inspired by his elder brother's achievements, the younger one reforms himself through self-determination, and works for betterment of lives of the slum children in Kenya.
Sounds like an old run of the mill Bollywood movie story ? 
Yes, but it is not.
This is a real story . 

This book is an autobiography of the younger brother George Obama, whose elder half-brother is none other than the President Barack Obama. 
A well-written narrative story that takes the readers on a fascinating journey through  the life of George Obama.
His childhood days in his grandmother's home; his bonding with his French step-father; his education in some of the best schools in Kenya; his life taking turn for worse after his mother's divorce from his step-father; his life as a street-gangster; his tenure in prison and finally the road to rehabilitation as a community activist. 

An inspiring read that shows that there is hope for everyone. 
As the author put's it "Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it that there is hope for everyone".

Don't miss it !

[Author: George Obama  (with  Damien Lewis); Publisher: Endeavour Press Ltd; (Kindle Edition). Also published earlier as "Homeland: An Extraordinary Story of Hope and Survival" by Simon & Schuster in hardcover format (294 pages)]

Some Excerpts:

• "Hope is not blind optimism … Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it."

• "‘Stuff happens in life that we don’t expect,’ she cut in. ‘Look at me: whoever would have thought I’d end up here? But I deal with it; it’s not so bad; a good life can be made almost anywhere." 

• "As I held that photo in my hand I felt a mixture of emotions coursing through my veins. There was pain at the fact of losing him, and losing all that love that so clearly showed in the way he was holding me, and the light in his eyes. And there was confusion, too, for this man cradling me with such tenderness was an utter stranger to me. If he had lived would I have called him ‘father’, as I was unable to do with Christian, and he call me ‘son’? And how then might my life have been changed? "

Links

• Goodreads Ratings and Reviews -  Average Rating 3.81 / 5;  47 ratings; 11 reviews
• Full Summary of the Book and Excerpt from Chapter 17: Absolute Zero
• Interview with George Obama on You Tube
• Website of the Co-author Damien Lewis 

 [Please feel free to leave your comments below or bookmark/share this post]

Does He Know a Mother's Heart ?

Author:      Arun Shourie

Published:  2011

Publisher:   Harper Collins Publishers India

Hardcover: 440 pages

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The author Arun Shourie is a very well known figure in Indian journalism and politics. Yet very few would have known before the publication of this book about the anguish in his personal life. His son suffers from cerebral palsy and his wife from Parkinson's disease.It would have been a real heart wrenching experience for Shourie which lead to the writing of this book where he  raises a very disturbing yet thought provoking question -Why  there is extreme suffering in the world if according to the religious scriptures there is an omnipotent, omniscient , omnipresent , compassionate, all-forgiving and merciful God ?

This book is  in some parts autobiographical especially in the beginning, mainly dealing with the illness of his son and wife , but mostly a dissection of several religious scriptures to reveal what they have to say about suffering.

Extensively interpreting several  passages from these scriptures, Shourie argues that they actually give an impression that the God is , vindictive, demands unquestioning obedience, inflicts extreme suffering on innocent victims and also severely tests those who have faith in Him. He does not buy-in to a variety of arguments and explanations of suffering - for e.g. there is an unknown yet valid purpose behind suffering; it  is a test of your faith in God; suffering is due to your Karma; suffering is an illusion etc. etc; - advanced by the strong and faithful adherents of these scriptures. He puts forward counter- arguments to their claims.

However Shourie , while not fully agreeing with the views of  Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharshi,  is touched and impressed by their attitude towards their own sufferings when they were afflicted with fatal cancer.He says "The equanimity with which the painful and fatal illnesses were borne by these sages is, of course, a lesson and an example to us".

Shourie eventually finds some solace in the teachings of the Buddha and makes the following observations in the last but one chapter of the book :

• Suffering is real. To  dismiss it as 'unreal' is to mock the pain of another.
• For dealing with life and what it sends us, in particular for persons like us who are unlikely to pursue the higher truths of the mystics, the Buddha's teachings are the most helpful.
• While it is true that some people will find solace in notions like God and practices like prayers, pilgrimages and rituals, they won't mitigate the crisis. One must work out one's own salvation with diligence as per Buddha's last words.
• All the sufferings are only because of Time and Chance.
• No cosmic purpose is served by our suffering because there is no "cosmic purpose"
• In many instances suffering is so intense and so final that one can do little about it. Yet it can be put to work. Sometimes by the person who is suffering by bearing the pain with dignity or by the people who serve the person who is suffering, thus setting an example of how to deal with such a situation.
• Putting suffering to work requires  -  Deeply reflecting  not about "Why has this happened to me?" but about, "How I may put even this to work - for others as well as for myself?"; Starting immediately; And persevering with the effort of transforming the suffering into a teacher. 
• We should neither pity nor sympathize with the person suffering. What is required is our Empathy. i.e. "getting into the skin of, and feeling like the person must feel".
• Even if we cannot serve those who are in pain, we can be of service to those who are serving them.
• Hence, each of us can serve. But we must do whatever is required by the person we serve, whenever it is required. And we must go on doing so for as long as we and those we serve live.And we must expect no sympathy, no recognition, no special priveleges.
• We must not let our unhappiness dampen the spirit of the one who is battling the affliction. We must do the chores we have to in good cheer.
• Unless we are watchful, suffering of those near us and our own suffering can make us less mindful of the pain of others.
• Also we have to be watchful of acquiring a martyr complex and of despair while serving.
• Nothing can be done that will undo the primary cause of suffering. But most of us build superstructures of rage, resentment and bitterness on that primary occrrence. The teachers like the Buddha guide us in dismantling these structures.
• The near and dear ones who are caught in the vice of prolonged suffering serve us by teaching us acceptance to their condition and to let go our reactions to it. They transform us.

Shourie  concludes this chapter by stating "Everyone struck a blow will find his own ways to cope - if it works for the person concerned, each one of them is valid". He further makes it clear with all humility that the lessons in this chapter ring true to him based on his own limited experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he has learnt these lessons fully.

A few years ago I had started reading  Shourie's book "Worshipping False Gods" but gave up midway, since I found his writing style rather boring and never attempted to read any other book of his after that. However a couple of months back I happened to watch some parts of a TV interview  where he talked about his latest book  "Does He know a mother's heart?", which prompted me to borrow it from Just Books library at the earliest opportunity.

While the first chapter is quite a moving account of his experience in dealing with the illnesses of his wife and son, the next four chapters are quite dry and repetitive. In these chapters the quotes from the scriptures are rather too long and too many. This I felt was rather unnecessary. A couple of quotes could have made the point. The next chapter dealing with incidents from the lives of  Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharshi makes a better reading. As the next few chapters go by, the book becomes progressively interesting. The last two chapters are the best ones. 

I am an agnostic and so agree with most of the points which Shourie makes in this book. However I also think that faith in God, religion, prayers and rituals - as long as they don't gravitate towards bigotry and fanaticism or causes inconvenience to others - is of great help to a large number of people in coping with the crisis they face. I don't want the faith of these devoted adherents to be shaken by Shourie's writings. So for such people I recommend them to read only the first chapter and the last two chapters. These three chapters captures the essence of this book.

Nevertheless this book is  very inspirational and highly recommended read especially for the caregivers who are in similar situation as that of  Shourie. It will serve as a guidebook for dealing with suffering.

Links:

• Media Reviews - Review of this book in  newspapers and magazines.

[Please feel free to leave your comments below or bookmark/share this summary]

The Pilgrimage

Author:       Paulo Coelho
Translator:  Alan Clarke
Published:   1995
Publisher:    Harper Collins
Paperback: 240 pages
Readers in India


One of the earliest books of  Paulo Coelho (predating his best seller The Alchemist) is a narrative of the pilgrimage he undertook in 1986 to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain where as per popular belief the remains of the apostle St. James are buried. (No idea why is book then classified as a fiction by the publisher !).
However this is not a guidebook about the Road to Santiago , as the pilgrimage route is known as, but rather about the spiritual and mystical experiences which he had during this journey. 
Coelho made this 500 mile journey on foot accompanied by his guide and mentor Petrus, who taught him several spiritual exercises on the way. All these exercises are also described in detail and some of them can be tried out, though the benefits derived out of them will largely depend upon your faith in them. This is my opinion. 
One of the exercises i.e The Buried Alive Exercise asks you to imagine all the details of your being buried alive and then finally breaking yourself free from the confines of your coffin. When I read it,  I could not help remembering how Sri Ramana Maharshi the great Indian sage, as a teenager in 1896 when confronted by the fear of death, simulated the death experience by imagining his body being cremated and in a flash realizing that "The body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the deathless Spirit". This was the moment of his  Self-realization. 
Well written and well translated, though I am somewhat skeptical about some of the supernatural experiences described in this book. On the whole I found the book interesting and liked it since I more or less agree with author's beliefs and viewpoints.
Die-hard fans of Paulo Coelho  enjoy reading this book. Not sure about the other readers.


Some Extracts from the book:

• Everything you have learned up to now makes sense only if it is applied in real life............and in life itself, wisdom has value only if it helps us overcome some obstacle. A hammer would make no sense in the world if there were not nails to be driven. And even given the existence of nails, the hammer would be useless if it only thought, 'I can drive those nails with two blows.' The hammer has to act. To put itself into the hands of the carpenter and to be used in its proper function.
• People do have a tendency to fantasize about things that do not even exist, while they fail to learn the lessons that are before their very eyes."
• ...., when we want something, we have to have a clear purpose in mind for the thing we want. The only reason for seeking a reward is to know what to do with that reward.
• ...I had compared this mystical experience with another very common experience: that of learning to ride a bicycle. You begin by mounting the bicycle, pushing on the pedals, and falling. You try and you fall, try and fall, and you cannot seem to learn how to balance yourself. Suddenly, though, you achieve perfect equilibrium, and you establish complete mastery over the vehicle. It is not a cumulative experience but a kind of "miracle" that manifests itself only when you allow the bicycle "to ride you". That is you accept the disequilibrium of the two wheels and,as you go along, begin to convert the initial force toward falling into a greater force on the pedal.
• It is not a sin to be happy.........search for happiness is a personal search and not a model we can pass on to others.
• I have walked so many miles to discover things I already knew, things that all of us know but that are hard to accept. Is there anything harder for us, my Lord, than discovering that we can achieve the power?
• Few can accept the burden of their own victory: most give up their dreams when they see that they can be realized. They refuse to fight the good fight because they do not know what to do with their own happiness; they are imprisoned by the things of the world.
• And when I think about it, I guess it is true that people always arrive at the right moment at the place where someone awaits them.

The Jahangirnama - Memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India

Author:       Jahangir

Published:   1999

Translator:  Wheeler M. Thackston

Publisher:   Oxford University Press, USA

Hardback:  502 pages

Readers in India:

Akbar, the great mogul emperor and his grandson Shah Jahan who commissioned Taj Mahal are very well known.  But how much you know about the Jahangir, Akbar's son , the mogul emperor who reigned in the interim period ?

Welcome to his memoirs the Jahangirnama !

In his memoirs Jahangir gives an honest account (Hopefully an honest account since emperors and kings generally exaggerate or even hide the truth in order to be seen in a better light)  about his life, the battles fought by his army, the political scenarios and intrigues prevailing during his reign.

We come to know him as a person - his emotions, his views, his relationship with his sons, his interests.

We also come to know that he was a real lover of nature and had a scientific temperament with  keen sense of observation.

Several other interesting experiences,facts, things which Jahangir came across are also recorded by him in this memoir (see below for a representative selection).

All these indicate a multi-faceted personality of Jahangir.

However about a quarter of the  memoir is somewhat repetitive and monotonous in parts - descriptions of promotions and honors he bestowed on his nobles; people who came to pay their homage and the gifts they offered; his weighing ceremonies etc.

This book is an excellent down-to-earth translation from Persian. The book's preface is very helpful in setting the context of the memoirs and promotes better understanding of its contents. The preface is well supported by an extensive glossary which explains all the Persian words used in the memoirs.

The book is profusely illustrated with mogul paintings from Jahangir's era which greatly enhance the appreciation of the text. It is a heavy read - not in a figurative sense, but in a literal sense for it is large sized hardback weighing almost two kilograms !

I have been wanting to read a book of this genre for a long time and enjoyed reading most of the portions of this book (except the repetitive parts mentioned above)

The book is expensive though ($65 in 1999, may be more now). I borrowed it from the British Library.

A highly recommended read for all history enthusiasts.

Some Interesting Facts/Extracts  from Jahangirnama

1. Jahangir was instrumental in getting two eminent personalities killed due to some suspicions or misunderstandings and difference of opinions  - One was Abul Fazl, author of Akbarnama and one of the nine jewels in Akbar's court. The other one was Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru and the compiler of  Adi Granth.

2. "Honesty and dishonestly are not limited to cash and goods; rather to misrepresent one's friends as having talents they do not have and to conceal talents that strangers do have are also dishonest". [As told to Jahangir by Amiru'l-Umara. Nepotsists, please note !]

3. "....I ordered that bhang (narcotics) and buza (beer), being sources of great mischief...." ["buza" - probably the source of the modern day word "booze" !]

4. Hotheadedness of Jahangir - "....as I was just within range for shooting a nilgai, suddenly a groom and two palanquin bearers appeared from nowhere and the nilgai shied and ran away. I was so mad I ordered the groom killed on the spot and the bearers hamstrung, mounted on donkeys and paraded around the camp lest anyone else dare to do such thing."

5. Jahangir was highly addicted to drinks. He describes at length in Jahangirnama how he got into this habit.

6. A Strange Episode with Cranes - "... a eunuch went to the edge of a large lake in the village and captured two baby sarases, a kind of crane. That night, while we were camped there, two screeching adult cranes appeared in the vicinity of the ablutions tent, which had been placed by the lake. Just like a person with a complaint, they come forward, screeching in terror. It occured to me that they must certainly have suffered an injustice, most likely their young had been taken from them. After an investigation, the eunuch who had taken the baby cranes brought them for me to see. When the cranes heard the cries of the babies, they hurled themselves on top of them. Thinking they hadn't been fed, each of the cranes put a morsel of food in the babies' mouths and did all sorts of things to console them. Then, picking the babies up, they spread their wings and headed off, yearning for their nest."

6. Once on during a hunting expedition, one of the scouts tried to kill a quail at Jahangir's command.

"When the blade was placed on its throat, it squirmed out from under the blade and flew away. After that I moved from the boat to the horseback.when suddenly a sparrow was blown by the wind and impaled itself on an arrow shaft one of the scouts ahead of me was holding. It died instantly. I marveled at the twist of the fate. Back there, it protected a quail whose time had not come, and within an instant, saved it from danger, while here it made a swallow whose time had come the prisoner of an arrow of destiny in the hand of destruction. If the blade of the world moves, it will not cut a vein until God so wills."

7. A Scientific Experiment - "Inasmuch as the bravery and valor of lions and tigers are established facts, I wanted to open it up and have a look. After it was cut open it was apparent that unlike other animals, whose gall bladders are outside the liver, lions' and tigers' gall bladders are located inside their livers. It occurs to me that lions' and tigers' courage is due to this fact." [Most probably a wrong conclusion, but we should appreciate Jahangir's curiosity and investigative nature.]

8. Jahangir's concern for Elephants - "Of all animals the elephant particularly likes water and loves to get into it, even during the cold weather of winter. If there is no water available, it will take water from a bag and spray it over its body. It therefore occurred to me that, no matter how much elephants enjoy water and are accustomed to it by nature, surely during the winter they must be affected by the cold water. I therefore ordered the water heated to lukewarm and poured into its trunk. On previous days when it sprayed cold water over itself, the effects of shivering and trembling could be seen, whereas, in contrast, it seemed to enjoy the warm water"

9. Jahangir on Gosain Jadrup, a Hindu holy man whom he visited and conversed on several occasions - "God has bestowed upon him a rare ability and given him a fine understanding, elevated mind, and quick comprehension together with knowledge. He has freed his heart from attachment to material things and turned his back on the world and everything in it, seated in a corner by himself in need of no one and nothing. Of worldly goods he has only a half a yard of old cotton to cover his private parts and a piece of pottery with which to take a sip of water. Winter, summer, and monsoon, he lives naked, head and feet bare, and has taken up residence in a hole in which it is extremely difficult to fit, with a passage so narrow a nursing babe would have trouble getting through.

The following few lines by Hakim Sana'i are appropriate to his condition:

"Luqmann's cell was small and narrow to boot,

Like the throat of a pipe or the breast of a lute.

A foolish one said to the grand old man -

'What house is this - three feet and six span?'

With tears and emotion the sage made reply -

'Ample for him whose task is to die"

10. A Self-Sacrificing Lover - A blacksmith named was madly in love with a woman who spurned him totally. Jahangir summoned them both and tried to persuade her to accept Kalyan, which she refused. Kalyan then said to Jahangir "If I knew for certain that you would give her to me, I'd throw myself off the top of the Shah Burj tower.". Just as a joke Jahangir replied, "Never mind the Shah Burj. If your claim of love has any truth to it, you'll have to throw yourself off the roof of this building. Then I'll give her to you by command."

Hardly Jahangir had uttered these words, Kalyan jumped off the roof and died. Jahangir really regretted having spoken in jest and was dreadfully sorry. He has described this incident in Jahangirnama and has said "A lover who sacrifices himself at that threshold dies of ecstasy using fate as a pretext"

There is another classic translation (published 1909-1914) of Jahangirnama by Rogers and Beveridge which is available free online.

Raga Mala

Author: Ravi Shankar
Published: 1999
Publisher: Element Books Ltd.

This is an autobiography of the world-renowned sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, written on the occasion of his 75th birthday (now he is 89).
A very fascinating and almost a complete account of his life - his childhood, his teens as a member of his brother Uday Shankar's dance troupe, his learning sitar from his guru Ustad Allaudin Khan, his painstaking efforts to introduce and popularize Indian Classical Music in the West, his l collaborations with Western musicians of several genres Pop (Beetles, especially George Harrison who learnt Sitar from him), Jazz (John Coltrane, who named his son as Ravi after him) and Classical (Lord Yehudi Menuhin, who has written the Afterword for this book), his affairs with several women finally culminating in his marriage to Sukanya when he was in late sixties , his daughter Anoushka.
There are lot of sepia toned photographs (and some colored photos too) of excellent quality showing glimpses from various phases in his life.
Overall a very beautifully produced book, edited and introduced by George Harrison of Beetles fame.
A must read for lovers of Indian classical music.

Go Kiss the World

Author: Subroto Bagchi
Published: 2006
Publisher: Penguin Books India

It is an autobiography of Subroto Bagchi who is a well respected personality in Indian IT industry. He is one of the founders of MindTree.
"Go Kiss the World" is what his mother told him when she was on her deathbed. And that proved to be the inspiration for this book.

The book is in three parts.
Part I talks about his birth, childhood days , his first job as a clerk in Orissa government and then his first corporate job in DCM.
Part II is about his career with many IT companies culminating with a 10 year stint in Wipro
Part III deals with founding of MindTree and shares his views on leadership, management and life in general.
The book is subtitled "Life Lessons for the Young Professional" Sure enough it has a vast array of nuggets of author's experiences interspersed throughout the book.

Highly readable account . I recommend it not only for young professionals but for all the professionals and entrepreneurs.

Some inspiring excerpts from the book :

1. It's all in the mind. Everything we achieve begins in our mind.

2. The power to receive is far more important than the power to give. What matters is the capability to catalyze what you have received.

3. To get, you must first give. We need to believe that there is more in it for everyone if everyone is involved and benefits. Leaders must develop a mindset of abundance, not scarcity, as they build their organizational vision.

4. Connect with people. When a leader connects at the level of feelings, he can get his people to aspire to dizzying heights and create in them the will and ability to scale them.

5. Life is constant negotiation. Such is the dynamic nature of the world that we need to face an emergent situation with an even temperament and look for the most beneficial outcome for all concerned, given the new set of cirumstances. Leaders must look at things as they are, not as we wish they should have been. While a leader's job is to alter the reality, he cannot begin by looking at life with an altered reality.

6. Overachievement comes with a price tag. If not handled well, there is a danger that things will spin out of control at the very height of your professional career for reasons that often beat common sense. Many overachievers create their own perception of reality and develop resultant problems in dealing with other people. Sometimes one has to blessed to be ordinary. The capacity to overachieve needs to be seen as a gift from above, something we simply hold in trust, a capacity that has been given to us to create larger benefit for others; it is something that can be taken away at a moment's notice. Viewing it in this sense creates humility, which is essential when fighting the sense of altered reality most overachievers create for themselves.
One frequent theme for high achievers is frustration. Frustration without the capability to change things is like a radioactive material burning inside you. Your frustration is the difference between your ambition and your capability. Either improve your capability or lower your ambition. Do not just sit there with the radioactivity turned inward.
Not everything around you can be changed by you. The world's job is not to follow you just because you have figured things out before others. You should only be pained to change things that you can take charge of and create a sustainable impact.

7. The marginal person is important. Trying to please your boss is not beneficial in the long run. If you are consiserate towards your juniors you will be remembered for a lifetime.

8. Passion is what passion does. Too many people know what is wrong with the world. Their knowledge and intensity do not matter. What matters is making a small but real difference. That is why the Mahatma said, "Be the change you want to see".

9. Sometimes it is not inherent competence but one's resilience that decides who the winner is, particularly in the long run. Success is about your capability to withstand pain, longer.

10. The key to happiness is not money. You can acquire any amount of material success you want, but do not expect that to be the source of your happiness. This does not mean you should give up the desire to earn, but in doing so, keep low expectations on its ability to give you happiness. Money is important in life but not the source of any lasting happiness.

11. Look beyond yourself. Your pain is only as large as your inability to see pain elsewhere.

12. Real men say sorry. Great leaders are people who can quickly and genuinely say that they are sorry. By saying sorry, you do not become weak. You shorten the path from the head to the heart.

13. In life, one must learn to forgive others and, sometimes oneself.

14. Self-doubt is positive. Periodically we are all entitled to sef-doubt. There will be moments when you feel you are at a crossroads; times when you question the very meaning of life and the existence of god. You are not the only one to feel this way. It is rite of passage. People who create great impact suffer from moments of great soul-searching. In itself, it is a good sign because from the depth of our self-doubt we learn to let go; from that emerges a conviction and with it comes the capability to go kiss the world.

My Bondage and My Freedom

Author: Frederick Douglass
Published : 1855
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This is an autobiography of Fredrick Douglass, a slave during first half of 19th century. He later on gained his freedom and went on to become one of the most prominent figures in USA, as an orator and social reformer. He was precursor to the likes of Martin Luther King Jr..
In this book he narrates his experiences as a slave and later about his work as an abolitionist.
The book also contains extracts from his speeches.

It is a moving account of hardships suffered by slaves as the result of cruelty inflicted upon them by the slave owners. Even after he became a free man , he faced racial discrimination. Several times he was thrown out of railway coaches meant for whites even though he had paid for his ticket. This reminds me of the experience Mahatma Gandhi had in South Africa almost 50 years later. Not sure whether Mahatma Gandhi ever read this book. But I am sure he would have liked it.