KARMA BY JEFFREY ARMSTRONG

TITLE : KARMA
AUTHOR : JEFFREY ARMSTRONG
PUBLICATION : JAICO BOOKS

Jeffrey Armstrong has been a student and scholar of Vedic Philosophy for over 35 years. He holds degrees in psychology, literature and comparative religion and is based in Vancouver, Canada.
The book if you include the glossary and the acknowledgements consists of just 91 pages, but believe me they are very heavy duty 91 pages. It took me a couple of months to read the book. There were times when I'd read a few lines and keep the book down, so that I could chew on what I had read. If you are big time interested in spirituality than by all means read the book.
The author is a student of Vedic studies and the information in this book is extracted and summarized from the Vedic sources. The author has tried to explain things in very simple way taking similes from today's life.
The book says that there are few basic rules of life and if you follow them, it is possible that in a few life cycles you may attain final liberation.
 According to the book what you do to others will ultimately come back to you and when we speak bad about others we are eating their bad karmas.
There are  some young souls and some old souls in this world. The journey from young soul to old soul is usually a gradual process. The old souls have an attitude of ' been there and done that' and are on look out for an exit from this world. Apart  from these souls there are a lot of 'atmas' in the transcendental world who have not entered this world. The atmas are eternal, joyful, conscious and individual in nature.
We are accountable for each and every action of ours. We are always reaping and sowing results of our actions. We create heaven or hell on earth for ourselves by cooperating or violating the basic rules i.e.the 'ritam'. We have come to this world to explore and learn, our karmas decide how we live our life in this world.
 The last step of an old soul is 'moksha' that is the final liberation. The book also explains about the different types of karmas. The book has been brought to an end with a round of frequently asked question and their answers.
A very good book albeit a little on the heavier side for novices like me. Though I found it a little difficult to fully comprehend the meaning of the stuff mentioned in the book, but it certainly left a positive impact on my life.

Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra

Title: Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai

Author: Rishi Vohra

Publishers: Jaico Publishing house

Genre: Romantic Fiction

The cover is bollywoodesque, and so is the title; this was my first impression when I received the book. I didn’t think much of it believing in the adage that the cover tells you a lot about the book.

It turned out to be wrong, it is a fine book very finely written. The story is narrated mostly from the view point of Balwant Srivastav aka Babloo, a young man who has multiple psychiatric problems.  He has been neglected thoroughly by his family, who are simple middle class people. Babloo feels ignored and has only himself and the long Mumbai railway tracks for company. His parents have never probably even tried to accept their child’s special status leave alone helping him or even understanding it. To make the matters worse they have cosseted and spoiled his younger brother Raghu and their world revolves around him.

Babloo’s world on the other hand revolves around Vandana Gupta, the beautiful, smart and outgoing daughter of a senior officer in the Railway Colony in Mumbai where they all live. She is the only one who talks to him normally and does not treat him with apathy. He dreams of being with him and his only purpose is to be able to express himself and his feelings to her.  Enter the local street smart cable operator Sikander whose only purpose is to impress Vandana and bed her.

What happens to the three with Raghu as the betrothed, arranged by the two set of parents providing the fourth angle is both interesting as well as funny in places.  In the course to impress Vandana and also to find a purpose to his life Babloo becomes the ‘Rail Man’. This provides an interesting twist to the narrative and after that the book is un-putdownable.

The characterization, especially of Babloo, Vandana and to some extent even Sikander and Raghu is brilliant. Babloo provides a peep into the minds of special children and their feelings. Vandana comes across as the girl next door who is smart and ambitious yet hopelessly romantic. Her father trusting her and standing up for her is a refreshing change. Sikander is a thorough bad boy and one does tend to feel revulsion for him. Raghu’s stupidity and idiocy provided comic relief.

Another good point is the realistic description of Mumbai and the lives of the people in the railway colony. The city and the colony both come alive and are very well woven in the context. The incident of Rail Man depicts how easily people can be misled and how Babloo could feel empowered only when he hid his true identity. The narrative is smooth, language easy and very readable. The plot elements are interwoven very admiringly.

It’s a racy read. Very realistic in parts but the end is again a bit cheesy and too neat as everything falls in place. Still a believable and happy ending is always welcome. A brilliant first attempt with all the ingredients of a good book, the best part being that it is refreshingly different form the run of mill romances by the English Indian Authors.

You can get more info about the book at http://rishivohra.com/

Wise Enough To Be Foolish by Gauri Jayaram

Title :Wise Enough to be Foolish
Author: Gauri Jayaram
Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
Genre: Fictionalised Memoir

It’s a candid story. Direct and simple, a tale almost any middle class girl who has gone against the tide of family customs and marriage and lived her life on her own terms, making mistakes and learning from them; sometimes not learning and making them again.

We are introduced to Gauri when her marriage is on the rocks, a marriage we learn of her own choice maybe more out of convenience, ease and friendship than love and inter-religious to the boot. What brings her to this stage, her struggle (if you may call it, considering she had lead a comfortable middle class life) , her journey from growing up as an armed forces child to becoming a true Mumbai girl forms the first half of the story. It is interesting, anecdotal and very realistic. Readers, especially women, can identify with it as the stories are very similar to their own.

 A girl trying to reason against gender discrimination and stereotyping in her own family, she grows into a rebel. Her coming of age along with the crushes and disappointments are typical of teenagers. Her strength is her intellect, the rare trait of foresight as well as a reasoning mind. She has amazingly clear insight as well as foresight. She then moves on to Mumbai as a college girl and we get a glimpse of her hostel life and work. This part has nothing new but refreshingly told and very entertaining. Her travails and travels and new people that she meets and befriends are interesting.

Again we come to the beginning of the tale and see her through the process of a divorce; which she handles with characteristic calm and intelligence. She continues her turbulent journey of self discovery and of finding true love and her own happiness and we are thoroughly entertained.

It’s a tale you can identify with. Many incidents and lines make you reminisce about your own life. Women can easily identify the gender bias, the stereotyping and the family pressure and the stress that a dominating relationship gives you. But what is most heartening is her determination to overcome everything and live her life on her own terms. The writing style is simple and flowing. The dialogues are crisp and the characterisation apt. Some characters though could have been more fleshed out. Also the men are given too much word-space, a little less about them and a little more about the other women and her work would have been welcome.

All in all a simple but refreshing tale which will make you introspect and feel good. A book that will surely tell you that pursuing your own happiness is not after all a crime. A good entertaining read.