Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach

“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self"

This book is counted amongst the best spiritual and self-help classics of the previous century. You will find it quoted and referenced in many places, and this was the prime reason I picked up this book.

After reading it, I can say that it is a good read, not just due to the concise manner in which it deals with heavy topics like spirituality, individuality and dream chasing, but because the simplicity of language and allegorical references used, make it easy to forget that the story has a deeper meaning (whether this is a plus or a minus, I will let you judge for yourselves). While reading the story, I felt that at times, it was abrupt, concentrating more on the end results or teachings rather than providing actual justification or the rational behind the views given. Maybe a deeper discussion or justification of the ideas would have helped both the 'Breakfast flock' and the readers. Then again, as is often said, actions speak louder than birds*, the obvious happiness and greatness achieved by Jonathan Livingstone, can be a regarded as a more proper justification of his views, than any other.

The book tells the story of a misfit bird, Jonathan Livingston, whose sole goal in life is to fly faster and with more control. He stays away from his flock and concentrates all his energy on flying. Upset by his attitude and believing him to be wrong, the flock banishes Jonathan. Despite becoming an outcast, Jonathan sticks with his love of flying and keeps on practicing. His practice and perseverance are rewarded when he meets another flock of gulls, who love flying as much as he does and are willing to teach him. Under the guidance of his new teachers, Jonathan learns a lot about flying, life and spirituality, until he decides to spread the message amongst his old flock and leaves his new one to go back.

Animal farm - George Orwell

“All animals are equal , but some are more equal than others”

Some books win your heart simply by the simplicity of its language and the depth of the ideas they convey. For me , animal farm is one such book.

This book talks about animals living on a farm ( hence the name :P) and manges to allegorically convey the story of the Russian revolution and the reasons for its decay in an simplistic manner.Like the Russian revolution in 1918, the story starts off with the farm animals revolting against their greedy farmer, Mr Jones, and chasing him off the farm. Then, they establish a new estate based on the principle of equality for all animals. However, as history has often shown, things start going downhill, when the “brains of the revolution”, the pigs, start allocating more food for themselves. What starts off with more food, ends with the pigs living in houses and becoming increasingly autocratic. The other animals driven by their fear of the “humans” keep shut.

Why don't they raise their voice against the pigs? Why do they continue to work hard, despite living miserable lives? What makes them suffer the purges and “show trials” in silence? The reader feels amazed at their stupidity. Stupid animals,he thinks, anyone could have seen the truth. But then again , millions of us failed to too.

A revolution which starts off with the slogan “Four legs good, Two legs bad” ends up with the slogan “Four legs good, Two legs better”.

Reasons to Read it :

•  A masterpiece of allegory, read it, if only to be amazed and the imagination and creativity of its author.
• Its a short book and teaches its readers a lot about how politicians manipulate the public. Learn from it and avoid falling into the same trap.

The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli

"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both"

The Prince, is one of the most discussed political treatises in the world. It talks about the actions and methods a ruler must adopt in order to stay on his throne. Unlike various other works on the same topic, this book separates the practical aspect from the ethical ones. The author has no qualms advocating violence and treachery if the situation calls for it. Indeed, many of his recommendations seem cold hearted and calculating.
I like this book because of its brutal honesty. Machiavelli has no hesitations in calling a spade a spade. He creates a lot of scenarios which a ruler might face and proceeds to tackle each one of them. One might question his morality, but has to admire his understanding of statecraft.
Though the book was written two hundred years ago, its principles are just as true in the modern day world. Whether it be the employee looking for a promotion or the businessman seeking to outshine his competitors, Machiavelli's work can be adapted to a lot of situations. This book has inspired a whole genre of writing “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene seems an apt example.

Reasons to read it: 

• Wish to know why you missed that promotion or why your employees hate you? Read this book and draw parallels between the world of then and now. The times may have changed, but the factors influencing human decisions have remained much the same.
• He talks about whether a Prince should be generous or parsimonious,cruel or merciful etc are.He talks about the importance of keeping up appearances.The topics would make an interesting read for any employer. 
• Again the discussion on prudence of a prince and the care he takes in selecting in staff, is important for those who wish to hire. 

Memorable Quotes:

“If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.” 

“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” 

“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”  

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

This book has often been criticized for being immoral.However, it is also true that many of our present day management gurus seem to be influenced by it. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in philosophy and management. Others can read its modern day adaptations, which discuss the same principles albeit in a toned down way.

The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

“If a man were invincible, why would he act justly?”

- The Republic, Socrates. [Adapted]

All of us live dual lives. Many of our actions are done to please the society , to “fit in”. But what if we didn't have to? What if , we were blessed with a mask, that hid all our follies, no matter what?The picture of Dorian Gray , is the story of such a man.

On seeing a life-like portrait of his, Dorian, wishes to be young forever and wishes that his portrait grows older instead. His wish is granted and all of his actions(good or bad) leave him unspoiled and untainted. The world always sees his youthful and charming avatar . However, his debaucharies and misdeeds change his portrait , which becomes a mirror to his soul. How does a man deal with that? What does one do when the only one looking , is your own self?

While reading this book, I found myself admiring the subtlety of the author. The witty comments which Lord Henry makes on the subjects of hedonism,society and marriage made me laugh. At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder at the depth of the insight. What would I have done if I had been Dorian Gray? The greatness of the author lies in the way the story is presented and the fact that the reader is left to draw his own conclusions from it. The sarcastic commentry on victorian society makes the book a great read.

Key issues it deals with

• Is man an animal, tamed only by the laws of society? Or do we really have an inner conscience guiding us?
• Who is responsible for your actions? Was it the knife who killed the man or the hand which held the knife?
• Bad advice can destroy a man's life. However, even in such a situation, whose fault is it? The giver's or the taker's ?

Memorable Quotes 

“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”

"Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different."

“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.”

“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”

Of the many books I have read, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is definitely amongst the best. Read it,if only, to laugh at Lord Henry's comments and admire their depth.

Train to Pakistan - Khushwant Singh

“I am the village badmash..... I do something and its always wrong”

I had heard a lot about this book. So I had a basic idea of the storyline and plot before I started reading it. Yet, while reading this book, at no point,did I feel it to be predictable or boring. The way it describes the pre-partition days, the impact of parition and its after-effects(which are left unstated mostly) kept me engrossed.

 Key Points:

• Reading this book made me realize the basic principle behind Gandhi ji's lines, “An eye for an eye,makes the whole world blind” Both the sides,Hindus and Muslims, justify their acts because the “other side is doing it too”. Neither of them takes responsibility for their own actions. This knee-jerk response from both sides leads to a lot of bloodshed.
• “Chaos is good, its fair”. The book makes a good case against it. As the Muslims evacuate their homes , the charge of their property is given over to the local goons “to protect till the rightful owners come back”. The unscrupulous and the greedy are the only ones who enjoy seeing the Muslims leave. 
• Actions speak louder than words. Education has a tendency to complicate simple things. What's obvious to the uneducated seems complicated to us. While the educated social worker,Iqbal sits and ponders over the point of self-sacrifice and Hukum Chand, the local magistrate, debates with himself the extent of his duties and responsibilities, the uneducated simpleton,Juggut Singh, faces no such doubts and worries. He does what needs to be done.

Reasons to read it:

• The India-Pakistan partition was a gruesome and painful affairs. By concentrating on the human element, the book shows how much damage was wrought in the span of a few days.
• The dilemmas faced by the various characters are beautifully described. A lot of people could have done things to stop the wrong doing. The reasons why they did not do it, the ways they might have justified their actions to themselves, all of it is described nicely.
• The simple manner in which such heavy topics are dealt with makes it a fun read.
• There's something in the simplicity of the characters which ensures that you won't forget the story anytime soon.

Memorable quotes:

“The point of sacrifice is the purpose. For the purpose, it is not enough that a thing is intrinsically good, it must be known to be good.”

“Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians - or the Pakistanis.” 

It's one of the best books I have read. Hope you enjoying reading it too.

Cheers.