The Monk who sold his Ferrari

      The monk who sold his Ferrari, an intriguing and a well known title, engrosses its readers from the first page. It's narrative is in the form of a fable and rather helps us to assimilate the concepts readily. 

THE FABLE : 

     My experience in reading this book , I would say that I went on a journey with Julian Mantle in his search for self - discovery. Julian, a 53 year old,  sought after successful lawyer, collapses in a heart attack. And, later, he goes on a journey to the Himalayas to meet the mythical Sivana sages. 

    After years,  he meets his junior associate - John, who aspires to be like him. Julian, then, enlightens John on what he learned from the sages.

THE CONCEPTS: 

    Robin Sharma enshrines the concept of the seven virtues of enlightened learning, which is discussed in different chapters. With each virtue, he gives a habit changing exercise to be followed, to achieve that particular virtue. Also, at the end of each chapter, he illustrates the concepts with a mind map.  

     Julian narrates a small story encompassing all the seven virtues of enlightened learning to make us remember better 

( we remember well with stories 😜 ). 

A hint of the seven virtues are , 

    Added to it , Julian also instructs John about the

 ' Ten rituals for radiant living ' . These are 10 ways to become a better you with lots of habit changing modules.

 

FEW FAVOURITE LINES: 

🔸Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.

🔸Worry drains the mind of much of its power and, sooner or later, it injures the soul.

🔸First of all, begin to live out of the glory of your imagination, not your memory.

‌🔸I saw the seeds of opportunity in my painful experience.

🔸The moment you concentrate the focus of your mind on a singular purpose, 

extraordinary gifts will appear within your life.

( There are several lines I liked, but won't be able to mention them all here 😊) 

WHY THIS BOOK ? 

 If you're looking for books, that can transform your way of life, undeniably, this can be one of them. Every line seemed like a quote to me. This book was a fantasy and once we read it, we will yearn to undergo a self-changing voyage just like Julian. Also, the author explains easy and simpler methods to achieve the goals. 

THE OBJECTION:

   Though the author explains numerous simple  strategies, involving all of them at the same time in our lives would be a heavy task and may create some confusion. 

PS: I read this book through a free pdf obtained from the internet. You can download and enjoy it during these days. 

Glossary

Engrosses - absorbs

Assimilate - digest 

Enshrines - elevate 

Encompassing - involving, including

   

    

     

BIOGRAPHIES- I

BIOGRAPHIES- I
People I wish I would have met ...

  K.A. NILAKANTA SASTRI 

   A remarkable historian, an eminent professor and a prolific writer. A notable alumni of Madras Christian College, many of us would not be familiar with his name, as he lead a humble  and austere life. At a time , when South Indian history was largely neglected, Sastri was the pioneer to undertake the byzantine  history of South India all over the world and inspired many historians about it. 

   His book - 'The Cholas' is a magnified content on meticulous and detailed accounts on research and relevant evidences regarding the Chozha empire. He has written numerous volumes on South Indian history.
   What intrigues me the most is his style of writing. He had an immense knowledge in the English language. When you're reading his books or articles, it's necessary to have a dictionary with you, as you can encounter a number of new words in English. He always demonstrates every reasearch with validating evidences.
   Though there are very scarce biographic works available on him, he continues to live perpetually through his works. His books act as a foundation for anyone pursuing Indian  history in detail especially on South India. He had been awarded with the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours for his wide contributions in the field of South Indian history. Being one of the most revered historian all over the world, he is one of the people that I wish I would have met and had an acquaintance with. 

A QUICK GLANCE:
Birth year and place : 1892 , Kalladakurichi
Died : 1975 , Mylapore .
Alma mater:
                  B.A - Madras Christian College
                  M.A - Presidency College, Chennai
Other notable works :
                 The history of South India
Postions held :
                He worked in the department of  Indian History and archaeology at the Madras University and headed the department of Indology at Mysore University.He was also a visiting professor at the University of Chicago. Director of UNESCO's institute of traditional cultures of South East Asia
Reminiscence : Sastri was very close to Dr. Rajendra Prasad and the Maharaj of Mysore.
It was Sastri who taught the Maharaj of Mysore Sanskrit.

PS : Glossary

Austere -  giving little or no scope for pleasure, morally strict 

Byzantine - complex , elaborate

Meticulous - careful, diligent