Book Blitz: 3 Peaks of Happiness by AiR

Book Info:

Publisher: AiR Foundation

ISBN: 9789352814466

Genre: Non-Fiction / Self Help

Format: Paperback

Pages: 167

Price: 200/-

Book Blurb:

The whole world is seeking happiness. Who doesn't want to be happy? But is everyone happy? Discover the most fulfilling journey to bliss and ultimate everlasting happiness.

There are three peaks of happiness. Most of humanity lives and dies on the first peak, being glad and being sad, experiencing joy and sorrow like a yo-yo.

Twenty percent of humanity is fortunate to live a life of contentment on the Second Peak of Happiness that offers tremendous joy and peace.

A small fraction of humanity goes on a quest for the third peak. The Third Peak not only gives one eternal bliss, everlasting joy, and peace, but also gives one freedom from problems, worries, and pain!

This book is a personal experience of such a traveler who climbed all the three peaks. He shares his journey and shows you the way to the Third and Ultimate Peak of Happiness.

“You can be as happy as you want to be. True Happiness, Ultimate Bliss lies beyond a pursuit of Pleasure and Peace. It is experienced by those who Discover the Purpose of Life!”

Read an Excerpt:

Chapter 1

Happiness is a Journey

The whole world is seeking happiness. In fact, it seems like we are all on an eternal journey to destination happiness. Yes, happiness is a journey, but not many people know that it is the path itself. You cannot get happiness, but you can be happy. While there is no one on earth who doesn’t seek this treasure, there are only a few who truly understand what happiness is.

“Do you know that you can choose to be happy or unhappy? Happiness doesn’t just happen; it is a choice you make”  -RVM

What is Happiness?

  Happiness is a state of mind. It’s a state of joy, bliss and cheer. It is an emotion- energy in motion- that makes one glad, just as unhappiness is an emotion, that makes one sad. A happy person is joyous and he smiles and laughs just as unhappy person frowns and cries. We feel happy and it shows. Happiness radiates through cheerfulness and enthusiasm. Although happiness may be a common word, it is often quite tricky to define or explain “Happiness”.

Everyone wants to be happy

Who doesn’t want to be happy? Everybody on earth wants happiness, whether one is a baby or an adult, be it man or a woman, Indian or American, black or white, or rich or poor, who doesn’t want to be happy? Everybody alive on this planet seeks happiness. Not just human being, it seems even animals wants to be happy. We see that dogs wag its tail in joy, birds fly in the sky, fish swirl in the water, and the peacock open their wings to dance in bliss. Don’t you think they all seek happiness too? Everybody wants to be happy.

If you were to ask different people around the globe, what they are seeking, you would get different answers from each one. But if you further ask them, why they are seeking it, you would get a common answer from all- “Happiness”. The goal of life is happiness. Everyone wants to be happy, and people do different things to achieve this one objective. To a businessman, a successful business brings happiness. To artists, it may be a creative product that is born out of their imagination. A student may be happy with excellence in exams, just as a politicians is blissful on winning an election. We all do different things, but whatever we do, the goal is one: We all want to be happy!

“If you have not learnt anything, but have learnt one thing that the goal of life is to be happy, you have learnt everything!” - RVM 

About the Author:

AiR – Atman in Ravi, or the Soul in Ravi, is an embodied soul whose only mission in life is to realize the Truth and help people realize the Truth. 

He was born on October 15, 1966 in Bangalore, as Ravi V. Melwani. At a very young age, he mastered the craft of business and became a very successful businessman who revolutionized retailing in India with the stores Kids Kemp, Big Kids Kemp, and Kemp Fort. After making millions, he realized that life is not just about making money. He shut down his business at the age of 40, transformed his life to RVM living by the RVM philosophy – Rejoice, Value Life, and Make a Difference. He started doing H.I.S. work – Humanitarian, Inspirational and Spiritual work. His mission was to “Make a Difference” in this world before his journey was over.

Book Review: Ancient Chants for Modern Living by Aatmanika Ram

Title: Ancient Chants for Modern Living
Author: Aatmanika Ram
Publisher: Westland

About the Author:

Aatmanika Ram was born and raised in India and has lived and worked in several countries in North America, South East Asia and the Middle East. The exposure to varied cultures, her strong family-centered values and her innate curiosity have driven her to explore and write about her life experiences in “Shells on the Beach – an anthology”; her artistic taste and the desire to bring out the essence of good human values has found expression in the poetic fiction, “The Rose Petal Trail – A Sutra for timeless love”.

Review:

In the introductory chapter of her book, Ancient Chants for Modern Living, Aatmanika Ram has posed several questions that nettle people in their everyday life. One question that really got me going was why should life always be about making choices? It is a profound question with no simple answer. The writer agrees as much and does not claim to hand over a key to the reader to unlock the mysteries of life through her book. What she professes are time-tested nuggets of advice passed down through generations but which have somewhat lost their initial shine amidst the grindings of modern life.

Aatmanika attempts to harness the benefits of chanting shlokas to help overcome day to day problems affecting the modern world. It is widely known that chanting shlokas bring a lot of peace to the mind and body and this book helps the readers to understand how and where to use the shlokas to reap the benefits. In the words of the writer herself, everybody wants not just a grand finale for their lives but also a great beginning and memorable chapters in the middle. To achieve this we need proper guidance. Ancient Chants for Modern Living provides that much needed guidance in the form of a well written book.

One of the things I really enjoy in a book is practicality. I want something that applies to me. This book does exactly that. It applies to me, and you, today and every day. The intention of the book is not to fill the reader’s mind with information and make one feel overwhelmed, but to show that there is always a light during dark times. As such it is a neat package that combines recommendations for a balanced diet with healing yoga practices, chanting of shlokas and a correct attitude towards life for an overall individual growth.

Full of gems for both the young and the old, I recommend this book to anyone who feels lost and in need of some steering.  

Buy Link:

Amazon

I'd like to thank the author for letting me review her book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading! 

Book Review: Shiva in the City of Nectar by Preetha Rajah Kannan

Title: Shiva In The City Of Nectar

Author: Preetha Rajah Kannan

Publisher: Jaico Books

Review:

Oft-told tales retold with uncommon verve, Preetha Rajah Kannan’s collection of fifty-four divine tales from ancient India titled ‘Shiva in the City of Nectar’ caught my attention from the word go. It has everything going for it—prose that beautifully encapsulates both the fantastic and the mundane; deft storytelling that folds and combines various facets of Lord Shiva and a strong focus on South Indian mythology. The airy tone and quick-facts presentation renders the book enough potential.

The narration sweeps across Heaven, Earth and the Underworld, narrating the exploits of the mysterious and powerful blue-throated god. One after another, the tales unfold the follies of ancient devas, asuras, sages, men and mythical beasts. And through them all, Shiva blithely takes on the guise of beggar, saint, monarch, merchant, fisherman, hunter, warrior and woodcutter as he walks through the three worlds to slay rampaging demons, perform his Dance of Bliss and embrace good and bad alike. Shiva is portrayed in all his multi-faceted mystique - the tender lover who woos and weds Goddess Meenakshi, the eternal Guru who dispenses wisdom, the fierce avenger whose third eye flashes fire, the generous benefactor who showers blessings on his devotees and, above all, the gentle prankster who embodies the essence of Vedic faith.

Shiva is a God who has truly transcended time and space. He is Mahadeva – greatest among Gods. His legends exist and have survived for eons. This book is a treat for all who find mythologies and ancient legends fascinating. Madurai – the city of nectar – is the prime location for all the tales. Lord Shiva is its ruling deity. The stories are also weaved around the ruling kings of Madurai like king Ukkiran, Abhishegan, Raajasekaran, Vikraman, Sekkaran and Rajaraja among others. The book celebrates the episodes starting from Meenakshi’s coronation to the goddess’ celestial wedding and beyond.

In her own words, Kannan has, for the most part, taken the treasured tales that have been passed down orally for generations, and fleshed them out with the lavish play of an affectionate imagination. Her aim is to bring the stories of Shiva’s divine play to a larger, non-Tamilian audience in the hope that her narration would thrill the readers’ senses and pull them to Madurai – a city where the Gods once walked amidst mortals.

Buy links:

http://www.amazon.com/Shiva-Nectar-Preetha-Rajah-Kannan/dp/8184957874

http://www.flipkart.com/shiva-city-nectar-fifty-four-divine-tales-ancient-india-english/p/itmed7btphppkekg?pid=9788184957877

http://www.amazon.in/Shiva-Nectar-Preetha-Rajah-Kannan/dp/8184957874

Author Bio:

Preetha Rajah Kannan is a housewife,who loves to read and write. Her entire school life was as a boarder at Sacred Heart Convent, Yercaud. She went on to graduate in Psychology from Women’s Christian College, Chennai and has an M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Madurai Kamaraj University. She has done several freelance articles for the Madurai edition of the New Indian Express, and written more than a dozen short stories for children for the Express School Magazine. Her story,‘The Tale of an Ice Cream,’was one of the winning entries in the Sulekha.com – Penguin online short story contest, and was published by Penguin in the anthology, ‘Blogprint.' Another short story, ‘Moving Out,’ was published as part of the anthology, ‘Two is Company and Other Stories,' published by Unisun. She lives in Madurai, with her husband and two sons.

Social Network Links:

https://www.facebook.com/shivainthecityofnectar

https://plus.google.com/u/0/105359008463124826702/about

http://www.preetharajahkannan.com/

I'd like to thank the author for letting me review her book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading!

Book Review: Monkeys, Motorcycles and Misadventures by Harsha

Title: Monkeys, Motorcycles and Misadventures

Author: Harsha

Pages: 230

Price: 225.00 INR

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Blurb

After having recurring dreams, a man considers retracing Lord Hanuman's epic journey from India to Sri Lanka. While rationality argues against the pursuit, the dream appeals to something deeper, and he sets out with two friends on a 1200 kilometer trek across South India. The journey however, doesn’t turn out to be quite what they expected. Along the way, through encounters with evil cans of pepper spray, wise men, pimps, hell hounds, and manic elephants, they are forced to confront their personal demons. At one of their lowest moments, plagued by doubt, they lose all hope. That's when they experience a sign, the first of many, which renews their spirits and helps them push forward.

Monkeys, Motorcycles, and Misadventures, provides a candid account of the trio’s incredible journey - their misgivings, sufferings, and triumphs, all in search of faith.

Review

A round trip and a search for lost faith, Harsha Vardhan’s ‘Monkeys, Motorcycles and Misadventures’ is a breezy yet insightful read. As you’ve already guessed, this book is a travelogue charting the course that Hanuman had taken in order to rescue the kidnapped Sita from Ashok Vatika in Lanka. The writer, after having recurring dreams, considers retracing the epic journey from India to Sri Lanka. He ventures out with two friends on a 1200 kilometer trek across South India. This book is a well written and balanced journal highlighting the journey of the trio and their many experiences gathered on the way.

I being an armchair traveler enjoyed every bit the author had to offer. Of course it was a gentler, more pleasurable journey for me than it had been for the writer simply because while I enjoyed his trek sitting in the comfort of my room, he had to brave the scorching sun and adverse terrains. Harsha, not one for crowds, doesn’t feel at home with the traditional way of rushing around tourist spots. In most places he visits, there’s a sense of man and nature being in harmony – Mahendragiri being a notable exception. But it was there that his faith was restored in god.

This book is a travelogue cum memoir in which the writer, unmoored by the loss of his beloved grandmother and consequently that of his faith, seeks a resolution of some kind on a journey. It’s a joy to read. There’s right amount of humour, wit and insight. In addition, I really enjoyed the verbal exchange among the three friends. I’d recommend it to all those you enjoy reading non-fiction.

About the author

Harsha is a freelance writer and the author of ‘Monkeys, Motorcycles, and Misadventures’. After graduating with a Master’s in Business Administration, he worked with a large IT company for a few years, before taking a sabbatical to trek the Hanuman route. In 2013, he moved to a beach town, where he spent a year beach bumming, mooching off family, and writing ‘Monkeys, Motorcycles, and Misadventures.’

Website:

http://monkeysmotorcyclesandmisadventures.com/

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/MonkeysMotorcyclesandMisadventures/

Buy links:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.in/Monkeys-Motorcycles-Misadventures-Harsha/dp/9352013778/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445855750&sr=8-1&keywords=monkeys+motorcycles+and+misadventures

Flipkart:

http://www.flipkart.com/monkeys-motorcycles-misadventures-english/p/itmeca2rzfkf99zc?pid=9789352013777&ref=L%3A-2712312548252300589&srno=p_1&query=monkey+motorcycle&otracker=from-search

Landmark:

http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/monkeys-motorcycles-and-misadventures-by-harsha-books-9789352013777-31447943/

Giveaway:

Goodreads

I'd like to thank author Harsha for letting me review his book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading!