Lockdown Reading List updated

The lock down has given me ample of time to focus on my reading (as mentioned in my previouspost) and hence I have curated a list of the books which have caught my attention. I have made a conscious effort to expand my gamut of taste because it's one of the best ways to increase  your memory and its ability to retain information. 

Hope you enjoy my List. Feel free to share your views in the comments below:

1. Autobiography of a Yogi ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Prior to this, I had made an attempt to read this book at least two times and had given up midway. Reason being, I couldn't relate to it. I understand that the subconscious mind has capabilities which are beyond our bounds of comprehension and one of the ways to harness this potential is through meditation. This book dwells into a form of meditation technique called as 'Kriya Yoga' and how this knowledge is imparted to not all but only some who are deemed to be fit by their gurus in order to absorb the nuances of the technique and the persistence which is required to master it.

It walks you through the life of  Yogi Yogananda and the various events which transpired in his life right from him seeking a Guru in his early childhood to setting up a Yoga school in Ranchi to learning the science of Kriya Yoga and imparting his knowledge to various countries of the West.

What I liked is the juxtaposition of his views with the verses of the Bible emphasizing that all religions have a foundation of common principles. It also taught me the power of persistence and that our capabilities are infinite if we are guided and nurtured by a guru with the right intent.

At times I felt like I was reading a snippet from Harry Potter due to the various experiences like a levitating Guru & teleportation techniques which have been cited. However this is just my view and I do not intend to take away the essence of the knowledge which this book intends to impart.

Many stalwarts like Steve Jobs and Virat Kohli have strongly advocated this book and hence there must be a nice ring to it.

Verdict: 3.5 / 5

2. The Bhagavad Gita ~ According to Gandhi

Continuing with my attempt to expand my spiritual horizons, I ventured to read the interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita by Mahatma Gandhi. He gives an unbiased interpretation and tries to draw analogies with his experiences like the Quit India movement and his campaign to reinforce the same via khadi weaving to strengthen his notion of a self-reliant India. Yet again, this was a bit heavy for me but I had my take aways.

Almost all our suffering is caused by our not having the power of detachment. So along with the development of concentration we must develop the power of detachment. We must learn not only to attach the mind to one thing exclusively, but also to detach it at a moment's notice and place it upon something else. These two should be developed together to make it safe.

Each time we suppress hatred, or a feeling or anger, it is so much good energy stored up in our favour; that piece of energy will be converted into higher powers.

Pull yourself out of difficulties by yourself! Save yourself by yourself! ...Be not afraid. Think not how many times you fail. Never mind. Time is infinite. Go forward; assert yourself again & again, and light must come.

Verdict: 4 / 5

3.The Essence of Buddhism ~ Jo Durden Smith

Always intrigued with why did Gautam Buddha renounce a life of comforts and what does Buddhism as religion attempt to impart, I picked up this book and I am happy to say that most of my questions were answered. This book is structured into 2 parts - Buddhism when Buddha existed and Buddhism after Buddha. It also dwells over the origins and its spread eventually through the rest of the parts of the world.

Verdict: 3.5 / 5

4. The Lost Art of Healing ~ Bernard Lown M.D (Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize)

What drew me to this book was that there were two copies of it in our house - one which was procured by Dad itself and the other which was gifted to him by one of his patients with a lovely handwritten note. Sensing that this book may have been some sort of a classic, I decided to give it a read.

In a nutshell, this book emphasizes on the need of compassion in a profession which is driven largely by technology and profits. The author who happens to be a cardiologist himself walks you through his encounters and learning. His insists on a more humane approach to treatment in which the patient should be attended to on a holistic level and not by merely treating his problem areas in a mechanical manner.

On the flip side, this book also introduced me to some of the most commonly used medical terms with respect to the anatomy of the heart and related heart diseases. Having said that, you do not have to be a doctor to comprehend  these terms and it is still a breezy read for a person from a non-medical background.

Verdict: 1.5 / 5

5. eat. delete. ~ Pooja Makhija

How to get off the weight loss cycle for good - this is it's opening statement and it definitely catches the eye. Celebrity dietitian Pooja walks you through various aspects of nutrition which are imperative to form the basis of a good Indian diet like the concept of macros, essential fats, proteins etc.She throws light on the important concepts of basal metabolic rate(BMR) and the basic number of calories one requires to lose weight (being in a calorie deficit) and the amount of calories required by the body thereafter to ensure that calories in = calories out. That is, whatever you eat, deletes itself and hence the Title.

She also urges you to answer thought provoking questionnaires en route which help you gauge your state of mind towards various aspects like self-image, body weight-goals, will power etc. She has also suggested meal options for breakfast, lunch & dinner in order to ensure that one meets their daily calorific intake of food.

Overall, this is a very informative read for someone who wants to achieve their fitness goals via diet and home-made meals.

Verdict: 4 / 5

6. Invincible Thinking ~ Ryuho Okawa

Touted to be one of the greatest japanese Gurus who has also masted the science of Happiness, Ryuho  walks you through the concept of invincible thinking and how one can cultivate it through the principles outlined in this book.

What stayed with me were two anecdotes - One, in which he mentions that the reason a bamboo tree grows so tall and withstands storms is because it takes time to create strong shoots on its bark at regular intervals of time. Although it takes time to create these shoots and this also means that its growth has to be suspended temporarily, its benefits thereafter are plentiful in the long run. Hence, if you are ever in a situation in which you are forced to pause or take a break, do not view it as a setback but as a means to grow and add more value to yourself.

The second lesson which i learnt was - While the right thing to do whenever you encounter a failure is to introspect, analyse and return with a vigor to retry, one should also try to understand if that is a journey which is meant for you. 

For eg, if you've failed at running a marathon, try to figure out if you are meant to run a marathon in the first place. Reason being, you might be a good sprinter and not necessarily a good long distance runner. Do not demerit yourself for the failure but rather try to figure out if the same could have been surmounted via a different approach.

This perspective struck a chord with me and would stay with me for sometime.

Verdict: 3 / 5

7. Inferno ~ Dan Brown

What do I say about this book? It needs no introduction. Written by an author of renowned fame - The Da Vinci Code being one of his most famous, I have been told he goes into a hiding every four years or more in order to churn out his most memorable classics like this one, Angels & Demons and The Digital Fortress to name a few.

The story of this book is akin to the situation we are facing right now and I happened to pick it up rightfully at such a time when the world is grappling with a life threatening pandemic like Covid-19. This book is about a prodigy who believes that the sheer numbers of the human population will be responsible to eradicate itself in the years to come if its proliferation is not kept under check.

To give an analogy, say there is a water - cleansing algae in a pond which ensures that the water is purified and potable for consumption. However, if its growth itself goes unchecked then it would lead to destruction of its immediate habitat (the pond) and ultimately the algae due to lack of available nutrients to ensure that it can survive!

Hence, this book is about his struggles to make this notion palatable and correspondingly a sect of people who believe that this is incorrect and an attempt must be made to stop him from spreading his ideas.

What I also liked about this book is the finesse with which the author has tastefully described Italy and Turkey to you through the medium of words as the narrative starts from a place in Italy. Trust me, the research done can put an travel book to shame! Overall, this is a gripping read and I would highly recommend it for these tough times in order to get you through. 

Verdict: 4.5 / 5

8. Wise & Otherwise ~ Sudha Murthy

Sweet short stories with anecdotes, learnings, her musings and experiences tastefully shared through simple words is how I would describe this read.This could be because the stories are penned down by herself - Sudha Murthy : A lady who leads the CSR efforts of the esteemed software giant Infosys and needs no introduction.

Each of the 51 stories leave a mark or urge you to think about it in some way or the other. Overall leaving a smile on your face or getting you flummoxed.

It makes for a good light read.

P.S:The monetary proceeds received via the sale of this book go to REACH (Reserach Group for Education and Advicacy  for Community Health).

Verdict: 3 / 5

9. Thank God I'm Fired: A Corporate Enigma ~ Sandeep Pawar

Being from the IT industry, I can completely relate to the story described in this book which deals with the paradoxes every software engineer contemplates during the course of his career whether this industry is meant for you or not or if one should pursue an alternative career option instead. The author has also beautifully captured how every engineer at some point of time has envied his chaiwalla outside the office premises and has invariably run a quick estimate so as to how he must be earning more than us by just selling cigarettes and a cup of tea!

What I also liked is the presence of a female character Indu who wisely, empathetically pays heed to his problems, guides him and ultimately gives him a much needed direction to take his career path forward. More like the movie Wake Up Sid in which Konkana provides Sid the much needed direction of photography as a career choice at a time when Sid himself does not know what he wants to do or would be good at.

I would recommend this book as a easy breezy read.

Verdict: 3 / 5

P.S: If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber then this one would be available under the Free Reading list for Prime Subscribers.

10. Thinking Fast & Slow ~ Daniel Kahneman (Winner of the Nobel Prize)

This one is an International Bestseller and is penned down by Daniel who is a Senior scholar at Princeton University and is awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002.

Divided into five parts, it deals with the author's understanding of judgement and decision making which has been backed by psychological experiments and discoveries.

Throughout the course of the book he talks about two systems - the automatic operations of System 1 verses the controlled operations of System 2. He says this is a two-system approach to judgement and choice which we as humans undertake.

This book is about facts and makes for a good read in order to understand the nuances so as to how we think and arrive at a judgement. However, it did not keep me interested for long and hence I decided to forgo it by the time I reached part 4. 

Verdict: 3.5 / 5

Which brings me to my next thought - is it ok to abandon a book if it no longer serves the purpose of  interest to you? Reason being, all that time spent on completing the book could be devoted to something much better from which you may stand to learn better. Share your views in the comments below.

For now, I have resumed the fourth book of the Harry Potter Series - The Globlet of Fire. I remember having watched this movie in India's first IMAX theatre in Hyderabad way back in 2006. Harry Potter as a series in itself is a read which should not be limited to children alone, even adults can revel in the tales of fantasy and I would appreciate J.K Rowling for having introduced the concept of imagination to children in such a gripping way. It is imperative to fuel this ability in them from a very young age and good books are one of the best mediums to do so.

Like Einstein said "Imagination is more important than Knowledge.For knowledge is limited whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."