''I Dare'' - Kiran Bedi by Parmesh Dangwal

Yes , that's right , it's all about the daring Mrs.Bedi , her personal and professional life. It gives a detailed account of her daredevilry, reforms, numerous brushes with authority and subsequent victories. Many of them esp the Tihar segment is quite awe-inspiring and touching. Zero cool ! Parmesh Dangwal desperately tries to explain what makes her tick , but what makes her tick? May be everything under the sun ! So, what prevents me from giving her a perfect 10? Yes, her phony marital status. Excuse my dirty mind.

Any chance for Mrs.Bedi to head the nation in the near future? Then, India would go through a real Revolution. Hoping against hope.....

The Kural - Thiruvalluvar

'India's missile man' is solely responsible for my reading this Tamil classic. Dr.Kalam being a Kural scholar , his books and speeches are adorned with verses from The Kural. So a must read for a Kalam fan . I'm reading the translated edition by P.S. Sundaram. The classic, comprising 1330 couplets, deals with the first three of the four supreme aims of life:virtue (dharma),wealth (artha),love (kama) and salvation (moksha).However, Valluvar omitted salvation from the kural because if the maxims laid down for the attainment of the first three goals were followed diligently, salvation would follow automatically. True. My 'dharma' is to read and advertise. Here are some interesting couplets:- 

This world is his who knows for what they are

Taste, sight, touch, sound and smell.

Be good, don't waste a day; and so

Block the way to rebirth.

Domestic life is virtue, especially when 

It is free from blame.

Be born, if you must, for fame: or else

Better not be born at all.

Life without blame is life,

Without fame death.

Even a lie is truthful

If it does unsullied good.

A day, so called, if rightfully understood,

Is a sword hacking at life.

When on liberation's road the very body is a burden

Why take other luggage?

What matters if they live or die

Whose taste is in their tongues, not ears?

Good friends are like good books-
A perpetual delight.


Folly is nothing but the conceit
That one is wise.


The plant betrays the soil, and speech
The man of birth.


The leaping then and the weeping now
Are laughable.


I live always on my past days with him-
What else have I?


Whom are you seeking outside, my heart,
While my dear one is within?
       

The Fifth Mountain - Paulo Coelho

Deep , spiritual and thoughtful , the novel is based on Elijah , the prophet from the Old Testament of The Bible. It focuses on his trials and tribulations in Zarephath , love-life , journey to the fifth mountain-the dwelling place of  Baal and his confrontations with the not-so-flexible and demanding God - Yahweh. But these are not the glorious moments of Elijah's life. He is said to be the most powerful and fierce prophet against paganism and the first one to raise the dead . His encounter with Baal's prophets at Mount Carmel is one of the most dramatic scenes from Old Testament. He is one of the only two prophets who ascended into heaven alive. Why did Paulo Coelho select this particular phase of the prophet? The message is clear. God demands obedience , yet at times He tests us and expects us to question and challenge Him. Be rebellious and demanding like a child.

Wings Of Fire - APJ Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari

He is the 'missile man' of India, is also known as the 'rocket man' and some still prefer to refer him as the 'newspaper boy'.During his presidency, he was lovingly called as the 'people's president'.He has been polled as the 'most trusted Indian' of this year. All these apt titles and axioms he earned with much diligence and determination. May there be many more nick names to his credit !! He hasn't spared the literary section also. His autobiography is as simple and down to earth as the man himself-the living legend of India. Dr.Kalam has quite a stirring story to tell. A big applause to the ghost writer Arun Tiwari for simplifying Aerospace Engineering . Indian rocket missions had always been a favorite topic for cartoonists. Even the laymen make fun of failed missions. Read 'Wings Of Fire', you sure would look at them in a different angle.

Beautiful hands are those that do

Work that is earnest and brave and true

Moment by moment

The long day through -APJ

We are proud of you ,sire...