95 Books I Read in 2020 - Part 2

In continuation to the previous blog, I am placing other few books that I consider worth reading and sharing. 

6. Just Breathe 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35688872-just-breathe

In these times of chaos and pandemic, it has become a struggle to breathe, isn't it? Those who have suffered from the deadly Corona Virus may acknowledge how it is to fully breathe when the lungs have been damaged severely. 

There is a pressing and urgent need to establish a meaning in one's life and try to be happy in trying circumstances.  

The author of 'Just Breathe', 'Radhika Vachani has clearly demonstrated through the book, how one can use our simple nature's or life's gift called breathing to bring joy, satisfaction and peace in our lives. 

Without the use of complex techniques and unnecessary jargon, Ms. Radhika has wonderfully demonstrated how we can simply change our pattern of breathing to bring a change in our lives where it matters-Emotional, mental and physical. A must read

7. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Book Link

I will not spill the beans on the subject of the book as the it is clear on what the book is all about - Afterlife.

No the book is not about what to expect while you lay dying or what awaits in store for you. What the book is trying to explain is finding the meaning of life through an interesting and vivid story. How each one of us on earth are inter-connected with each other and how can we bring some change in their lives, improving our life as well. 

Are you trying to find your true purpose in life? This book may be for you to read.

8. Women and Sabrimala

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50495320-women-and-sabarimala

Have you ever wondered as a Male species why there was or is always a commotion about a particular temple in South India when it concerns the fairer sex-Women?

This book has clearly explained the reason why women between the age of 13 to 50 years are banned from entering the temple. Not only this temple but also similar ones that have these restrictions. 

The author- Sinu Joseph has tried to explain the reason in terms of India's traditional knowledge, science, beliefs and logic through various ancient books like Agama Shastra, Tantra and Ayurveda. 

Are temples connected to a human's physiology and mind? Yes! How? Read this book to know more. 

9.  Autobiography of a Stock

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39934152-the-autobiography-of-a-stock 

Stock market, profits, losses, stocks, news, etc. Ring a bell!

These are everyday words we hear regularly in news, between colleagues, in emails, in whichever other form.

Presently when the Sensex is at or near 50,000 an all time high and Nifty touching all time high as well - 15000, we all wish to know how we can also profit from the euphoria.

If you are a novice who doesn't know a dime about stock market and yet want to profit from stocks through investing - yes, the patient and time enduring system, then this book is for you!  

                                                Do not be afraid of loss from investing anymore!

The Author- Manoj Arora has managed very well to explain to a stock market interested newbie through an interesting, unique and compelling story telling method in the form of a stock's autobiography.

Pick the right stocks from thousands, learn how to identify its potential, learn how to hold on to it and for how long, learn how to identify bad stocks from great ones and more!

Learn how to create long term wealth and receive excellent returns thorough the practical yet simple techniques in this book. 

That's all folks. Do let me know if you found any of the books useful that I recommended. 

95 Books I Read in 2020 - Part 1

 

For any book-lover, it would be futile to be without reading a book for a week. A physical copy or a digital one, they need it. Just as air is essential for human beings, a book is essential for book lovers.

Back in 2019, I had managed to read only 44 books, short of my target of 50 books. Hence, as the year 2020 stumbled in, I made a resolution to read as many books as I could – Atleast more than 50.

Then it happened!

The dreaded Covid19, my marriage, lockdown, etc.  As I sat at home right after the lockdown was announced 10 days after my marriage,  I wondered what would I do as there were restrictions to set foot outside your neighbourhood except for essential goods.

Of course, I got to spend some time with my better-half and we began to know each other well. But as she began to adjust to her new surroundings and helped around at home in the kitchen,  I pranced upon doing some much needed chores- Watching movies, reading books, sleeping... Majja ni life as they say! Of course, the work from home tradition also began as commute to office and the regular office life came to a standstill.

So, gradually, I read some 95 interesting books until December. My kindle app was the ultimate resource for me.  Downloading a particular book from the Amazon website!

 Of all of them, I am sharing 10 books that are very interesting reads that I would like to recommend  anyone who is ever in search of a good companion.

            1. Mudras for Anxiety

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23908338-mudras-for-anxiety

You have heard Indian yoga gurus recommending some hand postures for an ailment or make life better, haven’t you? This book also does, but it is for those who have an anxiety problem or who would like some quick help when things don’t go their way.

Some very excellent and simple hand mudras or postures to try on if you have an anxiety problem. Even if you don’t, nothing wrong to learn something new! (Price - Free if you read digitally)

            2.   Men A From Mars, Women are From Venus

Link - Here 

I had read this book in my childhood, but did not pay attention to the wisdom until now! As I was getting married, it was crucial for me to understand the thinking process of what the women think and feel! 

It’s very important to understand  the what, why and how of communication with your spouse and this book provides a lot of wisdom, insights and ideas right from the author – John Gray’s experience from his personal life and his clients. I am placing a lot of that wisdom in my practical life with my life partner. Of course, I need to work hard and read the book repeatedly if the need be.                          (Price - Only Rs. 89 for digital read) 

           3.  The Secret Diary of Kasturba

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32328803-the-secret-diary-of-kasturba

We all know what Mohandas Gandhi a.k.a Mahatma Gandhi did and who he was! We are also aware of the name of his life partner- Kasturba Gandhi. But how much do we know about her or her life? Hardly anything, right?

The author – Neelima Dalmia Adhar has brilliantly penned her unofficial biography written from the perspective of the great lady herself –Baa or Kasturba.  Her feelings, desires, her struggles with her husband’s ego, behavior and the sacrifices that she has had to endure to raise her kids, the children's relations with the father of the nation and baa's desire to be with Gandhiji in his quest of India’s independence, all explained clearly right from her childhood to her old age in form of a diary as if she herself wrote it.

A must read for all! (Price - Free for digital readers) 

          4. Autobiography of a Sunyogi

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43683041-autobiography-of-sunyogi

Yogi Umashankar! The man who lives by the sun alone and rarely eats. How, we may ask? Well he is a yogi and he teaches the art of doing sun yoga and how one can reduce the dependence on food and live by the power of the sun. Jaadu from  Koi Mil Gaya? Yes, a humanized one.

His autobiography clearly explains how he was introduced to sun yoga and his spiritual wanderings and the benefits of doing sun yoga.  Practical approach indeed!

       5. Nehru’s 97 Blunders

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31559890-nehru-s-97-major-blunders

 I don’t want to rake up a political controversy here, but this book was one of my first choice when I glanced upon it amongst others.  Of course, Jawaharlal Nehru – India’s first prime minister was a learned man and a statesman as many would describe him. He fought for India’s independence alongside Gandhiji and Sardar Patel.

 But there have been many claims and arguments on the number of things he went wrong with when it came to governing India. Right from internal factors such as defense, internal politics to external factors such as relations with neighboring countries, his ignorance or the will to look the other way when it mattered the most, the book claims his major blunders!  A worthy read if you are a political reader and would like to dive into the power lobby of India.

My take? I agree to most of the claims mentioned in the book. (Price - Free Book to Read Digitally) 

 I think this post might be too long, so I divided it into 2 parts. Another part of the blog coming soon with 5 worth readable books.

By the way, if you are a book lover and would like to have some recommendations about the books, goodreads.com is a good resource. You can find me on the website.

Soon, 

Kuldip

The Child Teaches A Man ( Or Elders)

The other day, my niece who just turned 10 years young last month, began teaching me how to operate a laptop followed by a tablet. 

She then proceeded to show me how to play with the background of the Zoom calling app. Kids these days know it all! 

It is a pleasure to (re)learn from them the intricacies of the digital boxes and mediums. They find it funny that we are not 'aware' of these simple things and we find it amusing to listen to them as they explain it to us. 

Childhood, where art thou gone?

That's why grown-ups often like to spend time with kids as they, for a moment or two go back to their younger days, without any worry of the next moment.

Living in the Moment- That's what is required of today in this unpredictable world! 

Kuldip

45 Notable Books I Read in 2019

Books

For a book nerd or a book lover, they are the universe for him or her. Personally for me, they are the solace or the peaceful corner to find from the noisy world out there once in a while.

In 2018, I had read about more than 100+ books but in 2019, I had a target of less than 50 as I wanted to wander about or focus elsewhere. I came close to my target and ended up reading 45 books.

Of all the 45 books I read, I would like to share them with you or the world some of them that I thought were notable or worthy of reading. The list of all the books that I read can be found on Goodreads. However, I am placing down here the books that I wish to share with you.

1. How to Make Money in Day Trading

Useful for anyone who is a newbie in share market and wants to know everything about day trading. Nicely explained by the author

2. All You Want to Know About Investing

Again, a nice introduction for anyone who has recently begun investing in the financial world. A revision for anyone who is an expert as well.

3. Introduction to Cloud Computing: From a beginner’s perspective

Cloud computing is here to stay in the IT world. This book is an excellent guidance with appropriate examples of cloud computing and what it actually is. I recommend this book for everyone-youngsters to generation x,y or z. Netflix does cloud computing through Amazon, did you know that? Competitor banking on other’s resources.

4. The Heartfulness Way: Heart-Based Meditations for Spiritual Transformation

As the title suggests, it’s a spiritual book. The authors wonderfully lists out various meditation techniques that are easy to practice and are wonderful to experience in terms of karma, peacefulness, everyday struggles and relationships.

5. The Shooting Star: A Girl, Her Backpack and the World

Those in the travel industry and travel enthusiasts know who Shivya Nath is. A girl who quit her corporate life to travel all over the world and write down her own life, not dictated by someone else. She has written down her experiences on the road — sweet, bitter and truthful and how to navigate some difficult circumstances for girls like her.

6. Encyclopedia of Numerology

Are you interested in knowing the science and miracles of numbers and how it could or can change your life? Ever wished to know the back process of why people or sports persons or film starts add or delete an extra alphabet in their names? Read this book to find the answer. An easy and interesting book to find the answers to the Numerology field!

7. 21 Things Every Girl Should Know

So what if the title suggests that the book is about girls? It doesn’t say anything that a male can’t read it. Yes, we boys should read it to know how a lady feels and acts and other mysterious things that we have been wondering about. A book for husbands, boyfriends and yes brothers too, if not fathers! Highly recommended.

8. Phenomena: That which is the cause and also the effect

Everyone thinks that what we think, we do not get and vice versa. But they do not know the science and logic behind it, do they? Partha Gupta has beautifully explained all the mystic process behind it in a simple, effective and beautiful way with relevant meditations and techniques to follow for us.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who wishes to attract things from the universe, set a harmonic tune in every aspect of their life and yes, be calm in pressures.

9. Hot Tea across India

Rishad Saam Mehta — the author has written this travel memory masterpiece of a book beautifully! With wit and humor, every page of the book makes it a great read for travellers and for those who wish to improve their vocabulary, English and grammar.

The reader feels that he is travelling with the author himself through the book as he takes them on steady, sometimes rough and sometimes a though provoking travel incidences of his life.

An exemplary read for everyone.

Until next time!

Pinchas Gutter and the Young Girl in the Nazi Camp.

Today, as I was reading up articles from the big web, a name fell upon my eyes

                                      Pinchas Gutter

My mind raced," I think I have heard this name before", 'No, you haven't!' argued my other mind-ego.

No issue, let me check up on him. The news article read:

Pinchas Gutter - Holocaust Survivor

I had read in my childhood about the terrible, cruelsome and inhumane Nazi camps and their workings a little bit. But as I grew up, I forgot all about the history until today.

This 87 year old Gentleman - Pinchas Gutter, the article said was sharing his experience of his childhood in a nazi camp with the kids in a Canadian school.  

He said, he couldn't remember his twin sister as her memory had gone completely out of his mind. 

I wondered why? What had transpired?

Then I read further:

His sister was a young girl back there in the 1940's who Ran over to their mother for one last hug before she was separated and taken to a gas chamber.

This line literally ran a chill down my spine.

How could the nazis or the 'Humans' if they can be called  'allow, or have the guts or even the conscience to murder or kill young kids or more specifically girls.

Imagine the scene where the girl knows what's going to happen next as well as the parents know what's going to happen to all of them. 

That one last hug from a child!

Enough said.

How I read 100 Books in 2018 and counting!

Any avid book reader knows how it is when one starts to read a book and the feeling when one finishes the book.

I can not vouch for myself that I am a voracious reader, as my genres are limited and I have not read Sidney Sheldon, Agatha Christe or other famous authors. 

At the start of the year 2018, Goodreads presented a book reading challenge for the year as always. Last year, it was 50 books reading for me. This time, I kept the count to 45 as I thought I would only manage to read less. 

However, it was not to be!

Gradually, I managed to go past 45 books in 4 months, 50 books in 4.5 months and then it reached 80 in August. Today as I write this on 9th November, 2018, I have managed to go past 100 books reading.

Which genres did I manage to read?

1. Health & Spiritual
2. Light novels
3. Business and management and 
4. Couple of Computer language books.

I will write down the books I read below and found interesting to share from the beginning of the year and a brief intro, if the book is worth a read if anyone is interested. 

1. Krishnayan-Kajal Oza Vaid. (Spiritual-Worth a read) 
     A book in Gujarati about the possible unseen aspects of Lord Krishna's personal life with his queens, Childhood Friend Radha and his clan.
Worth a read.

2. Bhangarh to Bedlam-Deepta Roy Chakraworthy (Haunted)
   A book from the author recounting her experiences at the notable haunted location in India's Rajasthan. 

3. 7 Karma Codes: Heal the Storm Within. -Suzy Singh. 
         (Spiritual-Worth a read) 

 Everyone wants to know and explore the karmic codes and knowledge. The author takes you through the intricacies of why things happen and what you can do to transform your relationship with yourself and others. 

4. Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success
       By- David B. Feldman and  Lee Daniel Kravetz. (Motivation)

 A great read. I personally recommend this book for anyone who has suffered a personal physical setback and wants some motivation to win life and challenges. The book highlights the lives of people who suffered physical strains and how they won the challenges!


5. The Present: The Secret to Enjoying Your Work and Life, Now!   
    By- Spenser Johnson. (Motivation) 

This book is for everyone of us who can not stay in the present and rue either the past or the future and stress about life, work and more!

6. Kundalini: An untold story-  By- Om Swami. (Spiritual-Worth a read)

In this confusing world of spiritual mis-information and fake people claiming to raise Kundalini power of anyone, this book provides a personal account of a renunciate who gives the genuine knowledge or information about what a Kundalini is and what a seeker can do to progress in his spiritual quest without anyone's support to raise his Kundalini. Do it Yourself!

7. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americas Wealthy

      By- Thomas Stanley. (Financial Knowledge)

  Ever wondered how the rich get richer and have more money? This book gives an account of the habits of the multimillionaires in the United States and what they do to increase their wealth.

8.  Mudras: 25 Ultimate techniques for Self Healing. By-Advait. (Health)

  They say that the secret to health is in our hands and no one else. The book simply and effortlessly illustrates how one can remain healthy through certain hand postures or Mudras and keep the energy flowing in the body. 

9.  Explain the Cloud Like I'm 10  By-Todd Hoff. (Computer)

Ever wondered what the whole noise about cloud computing is all about but overwhelmed with technical bombardment of information?
This book very simply lays out what cloud computing is all about in a very detailed but interesting and simply manner that everyone can understand.

10. Netflix: What Happens When You Press Play?  By-Todd Hoff. (Entertainment)

Who doesn't know Netflix? Everyone does as it has taken the entertainment world by storm by placing excellent movies before us! But what goes behind the scenes? This book by the author explains us about what goes into the Netflix website when you play a movie or scroll through the movie list. Interesting!

11. The Healing Properties of Water. By -Chidebe Achunine (Health)

 Water can heal! Yes, the water we drink has the power to heal our body. If only we know how to drink. A worthy read for sure!

12. Indian Spices & Condiments as Natural Healers - By H.K. Bakhru. (Health)

 Sometimes, the ingredients to health lie in our own kitchen. The book demonstrates the various spices and food that we consume daily come to our help and heal our body.

Although I read more than 100 books, I felt that these 12 books were worth mentioning about. I read about 3 books every 10 days. That makes about 9 books a month. Did I do speed reading? 

No. I just read books when I was free for few minutes or waiting for someone or something outside home, before bed and after I woke up, whenever I could. 

Books are best friends for sure!

Musings from the Past Months

Sometimes, you have lots to explain or describe and sometimes you are at a loss of words. 

Only when you move around or travel, you see the double edged sword of life. You come across people who are living in much lower conditions than we and yet happily living life better than us. What is it that separates them from us in terms of satisfaction or fulfillment? 

Acceptance, I guess! or the ability to take one day at a time in life?

What is much better to have-Dengue or chickengunya?

One can say, both are worse. Yes indeed! Dengue gives you fever, headache and a life threatening situation. Chickengunya as I have learnt is not fatal, but leaves you irritated and exhausted. 2 Weeks before, my family contracted chickengunya, beginning with my father than my mother and then me. Dad recovered soon. For me, it was 2 days of the usual fever and rounds of doctor but it left my bones feeble along with irritating skin rashes. 

Ever heard of the Vishwamitri River? If you are from Baroda-the city where I live in, you probably have. For others, its a small river running through our city. A few days back, I read in the newspaper that in the earlier days, the river was used for washing and bathing and people actually used to drink water from it. 

Now?

Now, it is worse than a gutter. Literally! Even animals dont venture near the river, but yes, you will find lots of crocodiles in the river for sure!. I often come to think of what we humans have done to the environment. In the greed of money and power, we set up industries and put all the waste in the rivers and oceans. 

There were demons and monsters in the olden mythology times. Now there are humonsters as I call it. 

Just some thoughts.....

My Bhuj Diaries 2018. Part-1

Sometimes parents want to take a day trip some 500 km away for a particular reason or so. They don’t even prefer to visit the nearby famed locations even if there are 4 days of holidays ahead.

My Mum wanted to visit Bhuj-Kutchch and a famous goddess temple-Mata no Madh from quite a year now. I had some holidays lined up ahead and I was excited to again visit Kutchch. But as usual, my excitement was punctured by her.

” I only want to visit there for a day. Take me if you want to, otherwise I can go by myself”.

As all of my attempts to pacify her failed, I booked railway tickets at the last hour for just the two of us. The journey was fruitful.

We all know there are some ‘Characters’ that we find in the train in India. This story is about one of them.

As we boarded the train, there was an uncle in his early 60’s sleeping on the upper birth opposite us. One assumed that he was there from earlier station. He preferred to maintain his position till Ahmedabad came, sleeping merrily.

A lady came into the scene next and awakened the gentleman after prodding him at least 5 times. He awoke from his beauty sleep only to question the lady with:

She: Uncle, ye meri seat hain ( Uncle, this is my seat)

He: Oh, Ahmedabad Aa gaya? ( Oh, has Ahmedabad come?)

She: yes, Uncle.

He: Kab Aaya Ahmedabad? ( When did Ahemdabad come?)

She: 5 Min Pehle aaya. ( 5 Mins before)

He: Yeh aapki Seat Hain ( Is this your seat?)

She: Yes

He: When will the train leave the station?

She: (Getting Irritated) In 5-10 minutes uncle. Can I now please get the seat.

He: Yes.

That was the end of the episode. But the nature of questions he put before the lady looked stupid and irritating.

Some more anecdotes coming up in few days.

Kulls.

Instagram Irritables

Are you on Instagram?

I recently joined Instagram.

Not because I am a narcissistic guy. No, I like to click pictures and to improve or to take some inspiration of other great pictures taken by hundreds of others, I joined it.

I am glad that I did for I came across hundreds of examples of how I could improve my photography.

But, At the same time, I am little irritated of how people are using this medium to gain thousands of followers on Instagram, people are following others randomly irrespective of their storyline or subject and when the others follow back or don't follow, they unfollow them.

Then there are food bloggers or foodgramers. While some businesses understandably upload pictures of their delectable cuisine, other people upload food pics at random and expect people to like them.

Then there are inspirational quotes fanatics on Instagram. As if FB was not enough, these guys post these quotes even here.

Another type of guys I found are Narcissistic ones. They go to the gym, they click themselves, they go to work, they click themselves, they are on the way, they click themselves, repeat!

And then the travelers.

I am an occasional traveler myself, but I dont include myself in all the pictures. People want to see new destinations never seen before online, not you. Once, twice or five times is OK, but every-time?

And the last. These guys post nature pictures of sunsets and landscapes. Fine, good. But in order to reach out to hundreds of others, they over-edit the pictures. Too much saturation or use of colors make you think if a sunset over a landscape looks really this red?

Kuldip

How I read 40+ Books in 2017

Books.

There is a proverb that a man's best friend is a dog. Another one that goes with the dog is a book. Only if one is a bookish nerd. 

I am not a voracious reader, but yes, I do manage or try to touch up to 50 books a year. This year, I did read 40+ books and wanted to share how one can manage to read more than 10 or 20 books.

• If you find the books too hard to purchase from a bookstore, make an amazon account.

• Next, download the kindle app in your cell. 

• Next, search your favorite book in the website. Generally, the price of the book for the kindle app will be less than the purchasing cost. In some cases, it will also be free. 

• Download the book in your app and start reading.

It is not the end of the story yet. 

Resolve to read at least 10 pages a day from kindle app. That way, you can end up with generally 2 books a month. 

Of course, if you are an advocate of reading physical books, that's wonderful and great! Nothing can substitute the feel and the smell of the book while it's in your hand. In this case, try to read 15 or 20 pages a day.

I followed both these approaches. Until I purchased my kindle app, because of my dad, I would purchase books and still do sometimes.

Some of my favorite books that I read were generally sourced from Goodreads, a website that connects books and authors to people and much more.

The books that left any impact on me this year are:

1. The Mahabharat Secret- By Christopher Doyle

2.  Autobiography of an Avadhoot - By Avadhoota Nadananda ( Part 1 and 2) 

3.  Dhanwantari- By Harish Johri

4.  The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari- By Robin Sharma

5.  What Every Indian Should Know About Investing- By Vinod Pottayil

Just some thoughts on books.