The Best Thing About 'You' is 'You'; A Review

I have always admired Anupam Kher’s acting skills and his other endeavours but now as a writer, his first book is just like his acting; simple, precise and impressive. All, at the same time. The book, bracketed into 50 chapters is a collection of events in the actor’s life. The idea behind the book is to inculcate positive thinking in daily life and in a way it prepares you for the journey called ‘life’. It outlines the solutions for some of the problems which we face in our day to day life. It is replete with author’s insights on varied topics from success to failure to discontentment.

The first few chapters help the reader to get to the bottom of the problem. The chapters such as ‘We are all unhappy’, ‘The Anger Syndrome’ provide some practical solutions to our problems through examples. The book explains the need for a positive outlook towards life despite the negativity which exists in the world. As the book continues it explains each and every aspect in a very lucid and simple way which a dis-satisfied soul can easily decipher. It talks about some solutions to come out of a shell and become a better human being.

Mr. Kher also presents some examples which help in understanding the problems. He wants people to come out of their inhibitions and use their energies to the maximum. There are some aspects of the book which I loved, like it asks you to be yourself, be honest and fearless, facing your fears, living in present.

Overall, the most impressive part of the book is that it is neither preachy nor impractical. The author insists that solutions to our problems lie deep within ourselves only. We need to look within ourselves. To explain all these points, the author quotes many examples from his experiences or from different books. The advice may be old but the humility with which it is been described makes this book stand out from others.

‘The best thing about you is you’ is a very useful, readable and recommendable book because of the way it’s been written with examples and anecdotes managing to touch the depths of the heart and soul. Mr. Kher has been very humble and polite with his words throughout the course of the book. The book makes reading an enchanting experience and even if it would have gone longer I wouldn’t have complained.      

Dealing with discontentment in life

Discontentment is a disease. It will keep compounding if left untreated. We all are discontent with what we have especially when we compare ourselves with others and realize that we are in no position to match them. This is quite evident in today’s generation more so than at any other time; we have indulged in a kind of a rat race which doesn’t end till we stop breathing. We can crib, moan and lament at how much more others have. Such feelings will take us only to the road to materialistic and sadistic pleasures.

Everyone has a variety of reasons to be discontented. Some may feel they are not doing well enough in life to buy a big car, house wives may feel their house is uglier than others and the list goes on and on. But, what we tend to forget is realizing that we too are special in our own way; everyone has different talent, skill and ability. We can always strive to better ourselves. Okay, I cannot be like a certain famous person but I can always try to improve myself. Sometimes, if we get detached from all these external pressures and let our minds to function smoothly then there is always a likelihood of achieving the desired result. Many of our great leaders have stressed on the view that we have to constantly evolve to survive. And if we are caught up in a web of discontentment and resentment then there is little scope for improvement.

Another way of shrugging off this problem is ‘Positive Benchmarking’. This is gaining popularity in the corporate circles. We can wake up any morning and feel low about the things. Your Car’s AC is not working properly or you are forced to prepare that important presentation late at night. And if you are a homemaker then if your maid is on leave then you tend to feel a bit down. So, yes both of these people have a reason to feel discontented.

But, wait how many of us have cars? How many of us have those well paying jobs? How many of us have maids in our houses? The moment we realize the answers of these questions then a certain level of calmness comes back. We cannot escape the truth and the truth is that we belong to a very privileged class of people and have very less reasons to be discontented. We have benchmarked ourselves against millions of Indians who are without electricity, education, food and clothes leave alone car and a well paid job.

We need to have that positive benchmarking in life to gain utmost satisfaction and if we end up comparing ourselves with the people who have achieved greatly in life then we are bound to feel down, unhappy. The key lies in our efforts to improve ourselves as a person. And, as I have said earlier everyone’s blessed with different abilities so it would be unfair to compare and judge the success of a particular individual with another.

Mahatma Gandhi had once said ‘There is enough for the world’s needs, but not enough for the world’s greed’. I completely agree with this.  

Why the Food Security Bill has serious implications on our economy.

The recently passed food security bill in Loksabha is been termed as a game changer for UPA in 2014 general elections. The bill aims to provide food grains to eligible households at subsidized prices and it will cater to the 75% of the rural population and 50% of the population residing in the cities. Once implemented, it will cover two thirds of the population.

The bill requires 75 million tonnes of rice and wheat. Our current production stands at 67 million tonnes so a further 8 million tonnes need to be procured to foot the two thirds of the population as envisaged earlier. This presents an interesting picture because for the last 2-3 years the rain gods have been very kind to us and so a figure of 67 million tonnes of rice and wheat was achieved. What if there is a poor monsoon? From where we will get those additional 8 million tonnes? The most shocking aspect of the bill is that it will obtain the supplies from small and marginal farmers and most of the beneficiaries are again those farmers so the government will give those farmers rice and grains at subsidized prices. This is crazy.

Another reservation which I have about this is that it takes back in time because after 1991 reforms this measure is more of a socialist one. The concept of socialism is a flawed one and in these times of slow growth, widening fiscal deficit, free fall of our currency our economy is going to suffer because of this. The bill looks flawed especially looking at its logistical provisions and it was obvious from the fact that 300 amendments were suggested by different parties.  

And the bill will cost our country a whopping Rs 1.23 lakh crore at a time when our economy is in crisis. This populist scheme will add to the fiscal problems which we’ve been facing for the last few years. There would be more administrative problems and the corruption which goes hand in hand with any scheme of this Government. The food subsidies will rise once again and that would pose problems to the economic scene. Sonia Gandhi said during Loksabha that we have to get this done irrespective of whether we can do it or not. This shows only one thing; vote bank politics and the timing of the bill is a testimony to it. The present government is in serious danger of losing the elections and at this moment a scheme of such scale is bound to get messed up, paving the way for leakages and corruption. Such is wrong timing of the bill that our PM has no right to call himself an economist. He remains a rubber stamp of National Advisory Council’s chairperson.

In 2009, the UPA waived 60,000 crore loans from farmers and that compounded our problems and now this food security bill is again a tool to just fool the farmers and the rural people to gain political edge. The much touted MNREGA scheme for the rural youth has been a failure and it costs our country a bomb. The present government has a history of targeting rural population and manipulating them with their unsubstantiated claims but this time the food security bill would also be used to hide their failures.

Why a brother-sister bonding is special for me.

A lot’s been said and written about the importance of parents, friends, better half in life but one bonding which rarely gets the same mention is that of a brother and sister. Traditionally, brotherly and sisterly bonds are known to be very strong. But, on this occasion of Rakshabandhan I’d like to talk and cherish my bonding with my sister who also doubles up as my best friend.

As we grow up, we realize the value of each and every relationship and this has been the case with me throughout the way till date. I might not have been the best of the brother during the childhood days when I used to speak less and was by and large a shy person, but now at this juncture of life I value this bonding as a life changing one for the simple reason that friends, girl friends may come and go but my sister will always remain mine. I have been through my fair share of failures and I know she’s the only one who supported me throughout the journey. In fact she’s the one who pushed me to start a blog and here I am writing this post. I believe she is the true owner of this blog and not me. Always brimming with positive and optimistic thoughts, she brings in a lot of fresh air when we talk.

There have been numerous instances when I was literally down and out in life but her words have been like those soft feathers constantly in touch with the depths of the heart. The camaraderie has been brilliant and I don’t how good a person I am but one thing’s very sure that she’s a gem of a person. I feel blessed to have her around me. She has inspired and motivated me a lot.

A lot of people can relate to this post and I urge all those caring and loving brothers to express their feelings to their sisters because the world looks a nicer place to live in when there is love, support and affection. Expressing oneself is an important trait in life and I know as a shy boy how difficult it is to say all these things to a girl but we seriously need to cross all these boundaries and make our sisters/mothers or for that matter anyone feel loved. We need to treat them with respect, dignity and love because all the time you see them sacrificing their own happiness for others. A woman's world revolves around her family and being a part of it I think we should make them feel special not just on the day of rakshabandhan but for the rest of the days as well. Expressing feelings is one part of the story but backing those feelings through actions will bring a lot of happiness to everyone who's involved.   

It’s been said that love and support cause great miracles in life and I fully agree to the statement.

Searching for the Soul and discovering the Truth

As the day falls over and night begins you start thinking about the various turns’ life has taken; you cannot help but feel frustrated and ask yourself, “Why was I brought into this world?” You meet people who have discovered their passion and true calling. You find your friend celebrating life after been through with a life threatening illness. Sitting quietly you think about a near and dear one who is no more with you. You go deep into the things you possibly could have done better in your life and at the same time remembering those beautiful memories bring a smile on your face. All of a sudden, you decide to begin life afresh and vow not to look back. This is really the story of life; all of us some day or the other go into this soul searching mode. If you are going through all this now then you are not alone for there are millions who have experienced this at some time or the other.

The quest for the ‘soul’ or the ‘truth’, that little thing inside us catches up at different points of time, at varying ages. The answers often push us towards some more questions probably more complex than the previous ones. And since life is difficult to comprehend, how we interpret and relate to it is extremely significant in becoming the individuals we ultimately become. During the course of exploring and discovering, there may be lots of confusion, hassles and disappointments in dealing with the challenging circumstances. This confusion may have serious implications. But a person who derives a lesson out of his experiences, education, relationships and other such events is likely to more closer to his soul or rather he/she can easily connect with their soul.

Sometimes, I feel life’s truths' lie in small, insignificant events which occur mostly in innocuous settings like the words and actions of a child, putting your head in your mother’s lap after a hard day, reading a nice book when breeze is gently blowing away or helping an old man to cross the road. The beauty of life can be easily felt once we feel all these moments. Also going through the rarely visited memories, talking with long lost friends, getting a hug after a long time from your siblings brings out the magnificence and the essence of life.

But, it is very important to draw reflections from each and every event whether good or bad and in the process there might be some feelings of regret, guilt etc but as a person you need to clear the mind, apologize and leave behind the irrational thoughts. Once you find your true calling your soul searching in all probability will come to an end.

In the end, the ability to draw conclusions and observations coupled with a desire to improve remains the only way for all of us to become more evolved.