Book Review: Chip War by Chris Muller

Chip making technology is the latest driver of economic progress and provides a dominating power to the countries which possess it. It is like what nuclear weapons did to the second world war and how the crude oil became central to geopolitics in the recent past.

 

This book is not only about the war. The first half of this book is about the biography of the semiconductor industry. What was initially meant for defense equipment and space program of the US, found way into personal computers. As Moore’s law came into play, chip volumes grew as their prices were reduced and new applications & devices got built. Chips with increasing computing capacity were soon to be found everywhere from handheld devices to servers and they became integral part of many equipment control systems. As they moved from lab to commercial market worldwide, many billion-dollar companies got created in the chip industry. Competition among them shaped the industry, while benefitting consumers.

 

Though chip making took birth in the Silicon Valley of the US, it found a strong contender in Japan in the 80’s and 90’s. A decade later, South Korean companies began making their presence felt with raging price wars. And later the chip making process was honed to perfection by TSMC in Taiwan. While the dominance got moved from one country to another, there were many failed attempts too. Russia had missed the bus despite its many attempts which did not yield desired results. China did not want to be left behind. It’s huge investments during last few years has multiplied the chip making capacity it has on its land. It did not go all well for China as geopolitics came into play and the restrictions to acquire latest chip making technology began to hinder its ambitions to rule the chip market.

 

Technological progress drives the costs down in this industry. And the progress comes from the combined effort of end device makers, chip makers, equipment makers and their suppliers. It is hard to duplicate the entire ecosystem and the interplay between them. This book makes you aware of all of those things.

 

If you happen to be working in the semiconductor industry, you will enjoy reading this well-written book. Its style is a mix of a biography book and that of a popular science book. You will not only know about the companies in this industry, but also the people who made it possible and the personalities of many founders and technologists as they influenced the outcome. This book is not to be read in a single sitting as it packs lots of information which can be digested well when read slowly and pondered over.

Book Review: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

A person convicted of armed robbery escapes from a jail in Australia. He is not a seasoned criminal but a first-time convict who wants to escape the jail term. He gets a fake passport and lands in Bombay. He is fascinated by the vividness the city offers. In no time he becomes part of it. He goes by the name in his fake passport “Lin”. He becomes a part of foreigners group living in Bombay. All of them have a criminal past in their respective home countries and they do not want to go back. They are all people with normal lives who accidentally got into crime and found Bombay as their hideout and a place to heal and thrive. ‘Leopold’ a restaurant in ‘Colaba’ area of Bombay is the place they meet regularly.

 

Lin has a personal tourist guide, Prabhakar, who helps Lin find a hotel and takes him around the town. Not just the regular tourist spots, he takes Lin to the dark side of Bombay too, like the slave market. They become close friends and Lin goes with Prabhakar to his native place, a village in Northern Maharashtra. Not only he enjoys living there, but he also gets an Indian name “Shantaram” chosen by the villagers for him.

 

After he returns to Bombay, he runs out of money and his visa is expired too. He goes on to live in a slum where Prabhakar lives where no one questions his visa status, and he does not have to pay any rent. One day, when the slum is caught on fire, Lin treats those affected with the first aid he has with him. Then on he becomes the doctor, the first person to go for medical assistance in the slum. The goodwill developed attracts the underworld don of Bombay, Khader Bhai (loosely based on the real character of Karim Lala). Lin gets medicine supplies and references to the hospitals and doctors with the help of Khader and he becomes a well-known person in the slum.

 

While trying to help his friend, Karla, with whom Lin is in love, he gets into a negative spiral. He gets jailed in Bombay and severely beaten up by police for four months. Khader helps him to get out. To repay the due, Lin becomes part of the illegal businesses Khader Bhai runs. Li becomes part of foreign currency exchange, passport forgery, and gold smuggling all of them operated by underworld gangs. He becomes confident of Khader Bhai and goes on to fight the war in Afghanistan. There Lin learns that he was part of a bigger scheme of Khader and that meeting him and Karla were no random events. In Afghanistan, Khader dies in the conflict. Lin returns to Bombay. He has a score to settle with a person who had sent him to jail. But he learns that that person is already destroyed mentally. Prabhakar dies in an accident. Love for Karla dies. But life goes on.

 

This is a 930 pages novel set in the Bombay of 1980s. It was on my book rack for years but as it became a TV serial now, my interest got rekindled. I put my hands on it and could not take it off. This book reads like a work of fiction but feels real. In fact, most of this book is real and is loosely based on the author’s real-life experience.

 

Conversations with Didier (a character in the novel) are deeply psychological and the discussions in Khader's council are philosophical. I have learned many things in this novel that I could not grasp in the books of Psychology and Philosophy. The character of Karla is brilliantly crafted. Many of the passages are worth re-reading. Surprisingly for a first-book writer, literary quality is very high. The author has not only lived an interesting life; he has mastered putting it into words also.

 

This book has a sequel (a novel running 870 pages). It has already arrived on my study table.

ಅಧಿಕಾರ ಹೋದ ಮೇಲೆ ಯಾವ ರಾಜ, ಎಲ್ಲಿಯ ಅಹಂಕಾರ

( "Tears of the Begums" ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಒಂದು ಅಧ್ಯಾಯದ ಭಾವಾನುವಾದ)

ಮುನ್ನೂರು ವರುಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಭಾರತವನ್ನು ಆಳಿ ಮೆರೆದ ಮೊಗಲ್ ವಂಶಂಸ್ಥರ ಕೊನೆಯೂ ಕೂಡ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಭೀಕರವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ೧೮೫೭ ರ ಸಿಪಾಯಿ ದಂಗೆಯ ನಂತರ ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷರ ಎದಿರೇಟಿಗೆ ಮೊಗಲ್ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಅವನತಿ ಹೊಂದಿತು. ದೆಹಲಿಯ ಕೆಂಪು ಕೋಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ರಾಜ ವಂಶಸ್ಥರ ಮನೆಗಳು ನಾಶಗೊಂಡವು. ಅರಮನೆ, ಪಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಊಟ ಅರಸಿ ಬೀದಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ಅವರುಗಳು ಪ್ರತಿಕೂಲ ವಾತಾವರಣ ಎದುರಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋತು ಹೋದರು. ಹೊಸ ಶತ್ರು ತಂದೊಡ್ಡಿದ ಕಷ್ಟಗಳನ್ನು ತಾಳಲಾರದೆ ಕಣ್ಮರೆಯಾದ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೊಂಬತ್ತು ಜನ ರಾಜ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಸದಸ್ಯರ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದದ್ದು ಮೊಗಲ್ ವಂಶದ ಕೊನೆಯ ರಾಜ ಬಹದ್ದೂರ್ ಶಾಹ್ ನದು.

ಒಂದು ವೇಳೆ ಬಹದ್ದೂರ್ ಶಾಹ್ ಸಿಪಾಯಿ ದಂಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಮೀಲಾಗದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಅವನ ಜೀವನ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯಿಂದ ಮತ್ತು ವೈಭವದಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ದಂಗೆ ಎದ್ದವರು ಹೆಣೆದ ಬಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಕೊನೆಯ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ದುಸ್ಥಿತಿಗೆ ಬಂದುಬಿಟ್ಟ.

ಕೊನೆಯ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ದೆಹಲಿ ಕೋಟೆಯಿಂದ ಹೊರ ನಡೆದಾಗ, ಅವನು ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದದ್ದು ಮೆಹಬೂಬ್-ಈ-ಇಲಾಹಿ ದರಗಾಕ್ಕೆ. ಅವನನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಖುರ್ಚಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊತ್ತು ತಂದ ಸೇವಕರನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಅವನ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಬೇರೆ ಯಾರು ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವನ ಮುಖದ ತುಂಬಾ ಚಿಂತೆ ಹೊತ್ತ ಗೆರೆಗಳು. ಹಾಗೆಯೆ ಅವನ ಬಿಳಿ ಗಡ್ಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಧೂಳು. ದರಗಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ಕ್ಷೇಮ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿದವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ಹೇಳಿದ:

"ದಂಗೆ ಎದ್ದವರನ್ನು ಬೆಂಬಲಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ ತಮಗೆ ಕೆಟ್ಟದೇ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿದಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಅದು ವಿಧಿ ಲಿಖಿತ ಆಗಿತ್ತೋ ಏನೋ? ಅವರು ಓಡಿ ಹೋದರು. ನಾನು ಭಿಕಾರಿಯಾದೆ. ತಿಮೂರನ ವಂಶಸ್ಥನಾದ ನನಗೆ ಹೋರಾಡುವುದು ರಕ್ತದಲ್ಲೇ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ನನ್ನ ಪೂರ್ವಜರು ಎಂಥಹ ಕಷ್ಟದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ಆಶಾವಾದಿ ಆಗಿದ್ದರು. ಆದರೆ ನನ್ನ ಕೊನೆ ನನಗೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದೆ. ತಿಮೂರನ ವಂಶದ ಕೊನೆಯ ರಾಜ ನಾನೇ ಎನ್ನುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸಂಶಯ ಉಳಿದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆ ವಂಶದ ಬೆಳಕು ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವು ಘಂಟೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆರಿ ಹೋಗಲಿದೆ. ಅಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ರಕ್ತಪಾತ ಮಾಡಿ ಏನು ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ? ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನಾನು ಕೋಟೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬಂದದ್ದು. 

ಈ ದೇಶ ಭಗವಂತನಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿದ್ದು. ಅವನು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸಿದವರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನನ್ನ ವಂಶಸ್ಥರು ಹಿಂದುಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ನೂರಾರು ವರುಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ತೋಳ್ಬಲದಿಂದ ವೈರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಹೆದರಿಸಿ ರಾಜ್ಯಭಾರ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಈಗ ಬೇರೆಯವರಿಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ನಡೆಸಲು ಅವಕಾಶ. ನಾವು ಆಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವವರಾಗುತ್ತೀವಿ. ಅವರು ಆಳುವವರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಮೇಲೆ ಯಾರೂ ಅನುಕಂಪ ತೋರಿಸುವ ಅಗತ್ಯ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಾವು ಬೇರೆಯವರ ವಂಶ ಕೊನೆಗೊಳಿಸಿಯೇ  ಸಿಂಹಾಸನ ಏರಿದ್ದು.

ಇಂದಿಗೆ ನಾವುಗಳು ಸಾವಿನ ತುದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಕಳೆದ ಮೂರು ಹೊತ್ತಿನ ಊಟ ನಮಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಏನಾದರು ತಿನ್ನಲಿಕ್ಕೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ತಂದು ಕೊಡಿ"

ತನ್ನ ಮೆಲ್ಲನೆಯ ಧ್ವನಿಯ ಮಾತು ಮುಗಿಸಿದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಮೊಘಲ್ ಚಕ್ರವರ್ತಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಅವನು ಹುಮಾಯುನ್ ನ ಸಮಾಧಿಗೆ ತೆರಳಿದ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನನ್ನು ಬಂಧಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಬಂಧನದಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ಕೊನೆಯ ಉಸಿರು ಹೋಗುವವರೆಗೆ ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಸಾಧನೆಯ ಕಡೆಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಹೊರಳಿಸಿದ್ದ ಬಹದ್ದೂರ್ ಶಾಹ್ ಜಫರ್.

ಈ ನಿಜ ಕಥೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾನವರಿಗೂ ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆಯ ಘಂಟೆ. ಇದಾದ ಮೇಲೆಯೂ ಅಹಂಕಾರ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಜೀವನವೇ ಪಾಠ ಕಲಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

ಮನಸ್ಸು, ದೇಹ ಮತ್ತು ರೋಗ

ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಭಾವನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಬರೀ ಮೆದುಳು ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಇಡೀ ದೇಹವೇ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ ನೋಡೋಣ. ಬೇರೆಯವರ ಏಳಿಗೆ ಕಂಡರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ಸಹಿಸಲು ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವರನ್ನು ಕಂಡರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ 'ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಉರಿ'. ಯಾರೋ ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಹಾಡಿ ಹೊಗಳಿ ಬಿಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆಗ ನಿಮಗೆ 'ಹೃದಯ ತುಂಬಿ' ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ತೀವ್ರ ಕೋಪ ಬಂದಾಗ ಆಗುವುದು 'ಕಣ್ಣು ಕೆಂಪು' ಮತ್ತು ಸಣ್ಣಗೆ ನಡುಗುವುದು 'ಕೈ ಕಾಲು'. ಇನ್ನು ಸಂದೇಹವೇ  ಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ ಅಲ್ಲವೇ. ಮನಸ್ಸು ಮತ್ತು ದೇಹ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಅಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ.

ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ದೀರ್ಘ ಕಾಲದ ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳು ದೇಹದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೂಡ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರತೊಡಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ವಿಪರೀತ ಕೋಪ ಅಜೀರ್ಣತೆ ತಂದಿಡಬಹುದು. ಭುಜಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ ನೋವು ಹೊರಲಾರದ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯಿಂದ ಉಂಟಾಗಿರಬಹುದು. ಗಂಟಲು ನೋವು ಮನ ಬಿಚ್ಚಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು ಅವಕಾಶ ಇಲ್ಲದ್ದು ಸೂಚಿಸಿರುತ್ತಿರಬಹುದು. ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗದ ಕೆಮ್ಮು ನೀವು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸಮಾಧಾನದಿಂದ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಉಂಟಾಗಿರಬಹುದು.

ಸಣ್ಣ-ಪುಟ್ಟ ದೈಹಿಕ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಹೃದ್ರೋಗ, ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್ ನಂತಹ ರೋಗಗಳ ಮೂಲ ಕೂಡ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಸಮಸೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ ನಿವೃತ್ತ ವೈದ್ಯರಾದ Dr Gabor Mate. ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ವೃತ್ತಿ ಅನುಭವಗಳನ್ನು ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿಸಿ ಒಂದು ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬರೀ ದೈಹಿಕ ಏರುಪೇರುಗಳು ರೋಗಗಳನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ವಾತಾವರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀನ್ ಗಳು ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ಹೊಂದಿ ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್ ನಂತಹ ದೊಡ್ಡ ರೋಗಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಡೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುತ್ತವೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅವರ ವೃತ್ತಿ ಜೀವನದ ಅನುಭವ. 

ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಪರಿಹಾರವಾಗಿ ಅವರು ಏಳು ಸೂತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲನೆಯದು ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಹೇಗಿದೆಯೋ ಹಾಗೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಅದು ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಒತ್ತಡ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಲು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಎರಡನೆಯದು, ನಮ್ಮ ಅರಿವನ್ನು ವಿಸ್ತಾರ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಅದು ರೋಗಲಕ್ಷಣಗಳನ್ನು ಬೇಗನೆ ಗುರುತಿಸಲು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಧ್ಯ ಪರಿಹಾರಗಳ ಅರಿವು ಕೂಡ ಮೂಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮೂರನೆಯದು, ಕೋಪವನ್ನು ಹತ್ತಿಕ್ಕದೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ದಾರಿ ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ನಾಲ್ಕನೆಯದು, ಬೇರೆಯವರು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮೇಲೆ ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆ ಮಾಡದಂತೆ ಗಡಿ ರೇಖೆ ಗುರುತಿಸಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ನೀವೇ ದಬ್ಬಾಳಿಕೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಪ್ರವೃತ್ತಿಯವರಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ, ಅದರಿಂದ ಹೊರ ಬರುವುದು. ಐದನೆಯದು, ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳನ್ನು ನಾವು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳದೆ, ಸಮಾನ ಮನಸ್ಕರಲ್ಲಿ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಉತ್ತಮ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಆರನೆಯದು, ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಸ್ವಂತಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ವಿಶೇಷ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಬೆಳೆಸುವುದರ ಮೂಲಕ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ನಾವು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಏಳನೆಯದು, ಹವ್ಯಾಸಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ (ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ, ಸಂಗೀತ, ಚಿತ್ರಕಲೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ) ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಭಾವನೆಗಳನ್ನು ವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಪಡಿಸುವುದು ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಉಲ್ಲಾಸಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಕ್ರೀಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು.

ಅಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ರೋಗ ಬರುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಅವರು ಹೇಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ರೋಗ ಬರುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಗಳು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ರೋಗ ಉಂಟು ಮಾಡುವ ಮತ್ತು ಉಲ್ಬಣಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಭಾವನೆಗಳು ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಹತೋಟಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿರುತ್ತವೆ ಅನ್ನುವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ವಿವರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ "When the Body Says No" ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದಿ.

            

Book Review: Stalking the wild pendulum by Itzhak Bentov

First published in 1977, this book is at the intersection of Modern Physics and Yoga. Of late, I have been reading books separately on Astro Physics and on Yoga. I was getting a notion that both are connected somehow but after putting my hands on this book, things seem much clearer now.

 

The majority of modern astrophysicists (or at least of those I have read) don’t explain what was in place before Big Bang. They all start with Big Bang creating the Universe, its galaxies, stars, and the planetary system thereof. And they all agree with Einstein that nothing can travel faster than light. But this book proposes a model (not the ultimate theory) that describes the continuous process of recreation of the Universe, all physical objects being sucked by a black hole into nothingness, and they are being recreated from the other end of a black hole – a white hole, through the big bang. This book describes it as a continuous process and not a one-time phenomenon.

 

How does this author know that this is the case? He says by expanding one’s consciousness anyone can become aware of this. Then, how can one expand his/her consciousness? He says that is possible through meditation. From unknown times, sages who meditated have been telling the same although not in scientific terms.

 

Modern physics is getting beyond quantum physics and exploring the string theory which says sub-atomic particles (Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons) are nothing but vibrating energy strings. In his famous equation, Einstein said energy and mass can be converted into each other. This author too shows that is the process happening at the source of creation (Black hole sucking mass converting into energy and White hole converting energy into mass). He further explains how the Universe expands and shows where our Galaxy is placed in that scheme. Well, all of it seems to be convincing though I could not digest it fully.

 

There are particles that can travel at a higher speed than light (which modern science is exploring now, though no firm explanations are available), and our souls too can travel to other parts of the Universe (beyond Earth and other Galaxies in no time) and exchange information and energy. Well, that is possible when one is at the highest level of consciousness. All of us are not born with that level of consciousness. Most human beings have their consciousness closer to that of animals and plants. But with the training (through mediation) our level of consciousness can be raised. Kundalini Yoga too teaches the same that through the activation of various chakras our awareness levels raise.

Our physiology and neurological systems enable higher consciousness when they are healed and prepared for it. They have a higher potential to do higher tasks than what an ordinary human being uses them for. As health issues and emotional disturbances reduce in a person, his/her brain will get tuned to vibrate with Earth's frequency. When mediation practitioners are put into vibration resonance with that of Earth, energy and information exchange is possible with it. Though we call it intuition, it is the information we downloaded from the space and its members. It also enables one to get back into time (or forward) and get to know the past and the possibilities of what the future holds. Our yogis have been doing the same but without scientific explanation. But this book discusses the scientific models to enable a discussion of how this is made possible.

 

What we think of as superhuman skills, yogis seem to do them with ease. They are the siddhis one acquires with the expansion of consciousness. It is not that they become superhuman or those capabilities were not in existence before, only that we were not in tune to access them. But the process of yoga expands one’s consciousness and in the journey, many of the siddhis become possible. This is very similar to what Sage Patanjali had described in his Yoga sutras.

 

Thus, this book bridges the gap between the ancient system of Yoga and modern physics. The meaning of Yoga – becoming one with a higher self and what is proposed in this book, the purpose of raising consciousness – merging with the Universe are one and the same. I know I will have to visit this book again.

 

For those who practice meditation and aspire to understand the mechanics of consciousness, this book is a great read.

ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಪರಿಚಯ: My India by Jim Corbett

ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದುಗರಿಗೆ 'ವಿಶ್ವ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ದಿನದ' ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು. ಅದರ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ ಜಿಮ್ ಕಾರ್ಬೆಟ್ ಅವರು ಬರೆದ 'My India' ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಪರಿಚಯ ಪುಟಗಳ ಭಾವಾನುವಾದ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ.

 

'ನನ್ನ ಭಾರತ' ಅಂದರೆ ಏನು ಅರ್ಥ ಎಂದು ನೀವು ಕೇಳುವ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಸಮಂಜಸ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರ ಮೈಲಿ ಉದ್ದ ಮತ್ತು ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಅಗಲದ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸಿಸುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಜನರನ್ನು 'ಭಾರತೀಯರು' ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯುವುದು ವಿಶ್ವದ ವಾಡಿಕೆ. ಆದರೆ ನಲವತ್ತು ಕೋಟಿ ಜನ ಭಾರತೀಯರು ಜಾತಿ, ಮತ, ಪಂಗಡ, ಭಾಷೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಯಾಗಿ ವಿಂಗಡಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟರೂ, ಯುರೋಪ್ ದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣ ಸಿಗಲಾರದ ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆಯಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

 

ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ನನಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಶೀರ್ಷಿಕೆಯ ವಿವರಣೆ ನೀಡುವ ಅಗತ್ಯ ಇದೆ.

 

'ನನ್ನ ಭಾರತ' ಇದು ನಾನು ಚಿಕ್ಕಂದಿನಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದ, ನಾನು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿದ, ಸುಮಾರು ಎಪ್ಪತ್ತು ವರುಶಗಳಷ್ಟು ಕಾಲ ಕಳೆದ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳ ಜನರ, ಅವರ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವಗಳ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ಜೀವನ ಶೈಲಿಯ ಕುರಿತಾದದ್ದಾಗಿದೆ. ಭಾರತದ ನಕ್ಷೆಯನ್ನು ಕೈಗತ್ತಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತರ ಭಾರತದ ಗಂಗೆ ಹರಿಯುವ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಮಗೆ 'ನೈನಿತಾಲ್' ಎನ್ನುವ ಗಿರಿಧಾಮ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಬೀಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಜನರಿಂದ ಗಿಜಿಗುಟ್ಟುವ ಈ ಪ್ರದೇಶ, ಚಳಿಗಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ತದ್ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ಕೆಲವೇ ಜನರಿಗೆ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಶ್ವತವಾಗಿ ವಾಸ ಮಾಡುವವರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಕೂಡ ಒಬ್ಬ. ಮತ್ತೆ ನಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗಂಗೆ ಸಮುದ್ರ ಸೇರುವ ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗಿ. ಅಲಹಾಬಾದ್, ಬನಾರಸ್, ಪಾಟ್ನಾ ದಾಟಿ 'ಮೊಕಾಮೇ ಘಾಟ್' ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು ವರುಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು. ನನ್ನ ಭಾರತ ಇವೆರಡರ - ನೈನಿತಾಲ್ ಮತ್ತು ಮೊಕಾಮೇ ಘಾಟ್ ಗಳ ನಡುವಿನ ಪ್ರದೇಶ.

 

ನೀವು ನೈನಿತಾಲ್ ತಲುಪಲು ಸುಸಜ್ಜಿತ ರಸ್ತೆಯ ಸೌಕರ್ಯವಿದೆ. ಸುಮಾರು ೪,೫೦೦ ಅಡಿ ಎತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ, ಪೂರ್ವದಿಂದ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮಕ್ಕೆ ಹಬ್ಬಿಕೊಂಡ ಕಣಿವೆ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಇದು. ಮೂರು ಕಡೆಯಿಂದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳು ಸುತ್ತುವರಿದಿವೆ. ತಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಮೈಲಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪರಿಧಿ ಇರುವ ಸರೋವರ ಇದೆ. ಕಣಿವೆಯ ಒಂದು ತುದಿಯಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ತುದಿಯವೆರಗೂ ಬಜಾರಗಳು ಹಬ್ಬಿವೆ. ಅವಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡಂತೆ ಮನೆಗಳು, ಚರ್ಚ್ ಗಳು, ಶಾಲೆಗಳು, ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಗಳು ತುಂಬಿಕೊಂಡಿವೆ. ಸರೋವರದ ಒಂದು ತುದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಹಿಂದೂ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನವಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಕಲ್ಲುಗಳಿಗೆ ಪೂಜೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಪೂಜಾರಿ ನನಗೆ ಅಜೀವ ಪರ್ಯಂತದ ಗೆಳೆಯ.

 

ಸರೋವರ ಹೇಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಉದ್ಭವ ಆಯಿತು ಎನ್ನುವದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಭೂವಿಜ್ಞಾನಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಭಿನ್ನಾಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳಿವೆ. ಕೆಲವರು ಅದು ಹಿಮಪ್ರವಾಹದಿಂದ ಆದದ್ದು ಎಂದರೆ ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರು ಅದು ಜ್ವಾಲಾಮುಖಿಯಿಂದ ಆದದ್ದು ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಹಿಂದೂ ಪುರಾಣಗಳು ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಮೂಲ ಕಾರಣ ಮೂವರು ಮುನಿಗಳು - ಅತ್ರಿ, ಪುಲಸ್ತ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಪುಲಹ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಸ್ಕಂದ ಪುರಾಣದ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಆ ಮೂರು ಮುನಿಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಬಾಯಾರಿಕೆ ಆಗಿತ್ತು, ಆದರೆ ನೀರಿನ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಅಡಿ, ಕೆರೆ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾನಸ ಸರೋವರದಿಂದ ನೀರು ತುಂಬಿದರು ಎಂದು ಪ್ರತೀತಿ. ಕೆರೆಯ ಸುತ್ತ ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಡು ಬೆಳೆದು, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಮಳೆಯಿಂದ ಸಂಗ್ರಹವಾದ ನೀರು ಸರೋವರಕ್ಕೆ ಹರಿದು ಅದು ಪ್ರಾಣಿ, ಪಕ್ಷಿ ಸಂಕುಲವನ್ನು ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸಿತು.

 

ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಇರುವ ಸರೋವರ ಇದೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ವದಂತಿ ೧೮ನೆ ಶತಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷರನ್ನು ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸಿ ತು. ಮತ್ತು ಅವರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ತಳ ಊರಲು ಕಾರಣ ಆಯಿತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಸರೋವರದ ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳಲ್ಲೇ ದೊಡ್ಡದಾದ ಚೀನಾ ಬೆಟ್ಟವನ್ನು ನೀವು ಹತ್ತಿದರೆ ವೈವಿಧ್ಯಮಯ ಗಿಡ-ಮರಗಳ ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳ, ಹೂಗಳ ಸ್ವರ್ಗವನ್ನೇ ಕಾಣಬಹದು. ನೀವು ಮುನಿಗಳ ಹಾಗೆ ಬಾಯಾರಿದ್ದರೆ, ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲೇ ಇರುವ ನೀರಿನ ತೊರೆಯನ್ನು ನಾನು ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ನೀವು ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಆಚೆಗೆ ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿದರೆ ಕಣಿವೆಯ ಕೆಳಗೆ ಹರಿಯುವ ಕೋಸಿ ನದಿವನ್ನು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. ಆ ನದಿ ಹರಿವಿನಲ್ಲೇ ಅಲ್ಮೊರಾ, ರಾಣಿಖೇತ್ ಊರುಗಳು ಕಾಣ ಸಿಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಇನ್ನು ದೂರಕ್ಕೆ ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿದರೆ ಹಿಮ ಮುಸುಕಿದ ಹಿಮಾಲಯ ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಯೇ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ.

 

ನೀವು ಉತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಸುಮಾರು ಅರವತ್ತು ಮೈಲಿ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ತ್ರಿಶೂಲ್ ಎನ್ನುವ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ದೃಷ್ಟಿ ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣವಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಗಂಗೋತ್ರಿ, ಯಮುನೋತ್ರಿ, ಕೇದಾರನಾಥ್, ಬದರಿನಾಥ್ ಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಯಾತ್ರಿಗಳ ಗುಂಪುಗಳನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸಬಹುದು. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಇನ್ನು ದೂರಕ್ಕೆ ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿದರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ನಂದಾ ದೇವಿ (೨೫,೬೮೯ ಅಡಿ ಎತ್ತರ), ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲೇ ಅತಿ ಎತ್ತರವಾದ ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಕಾಣ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದರ ಪೂರ್ವಕ್ಕೆ 'ಪಾಂಚ್ ಚೌಲಿ' (ಅಡಿಗೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಸ್ಥಳ) ಎನ್ನುವ ಐದು ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳ ತುದಿಗಳು ಕಾಣುತ್ತವೆ. ಆ ಮಾರ್ಗವಾಗೇ ಪಾಂಡವರು ಕೈಲಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಿದ್ದು ಎಂದು ಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ.

 

ನೀವು ಹೊರಳಿ ನಿಂತು ದಕ್ಷಿಣದ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಮುಖ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಸಮತಟ್ಟಾದ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೈಲಿ, ಕಾಶೀಪುರ ಮತ್ತು ಮೊರಾದಾಬಾದ್ ಪಟ್ಟಣಗಳು ಕಾಣುತ್ತವೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯವಸಾಯ ಮತ್ತು ರೈಲು ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಗಳಿಂದ, ಅಪಾರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಜನ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಬೆಳೆದಿದೆ. ನೈನಿತಾಲ್ ಗೆ ಹತ್ತಿರದ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳೆಂದರೆ ಕಲಾಧುನ್ಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಛೋಟಾ ಹಲ್ಡ್ವಾನಿ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲು ಕಬ್ಬಿಣದ ಅದಿರು ತೆಗೆದದ್ದು. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಳೆಯುವ ಗಂಗಾ ನದಿ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ.

 

ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನೀವು ಪೂರ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ತಿರುಗಿದರೆ, ತ್ರಿಕೋನಾಕಾರದ 'ಛೋಟಾ ಕೈಲಾಸ್' ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದರಾಚೆಗೆ ಕಾಣುವ 'ಕಾಲಾ ಅಗರ್ ' ಪರ್ವತ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಚೌಗರಃ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ನರಭಕ್ಷಕ ಹುಲಿಯನ್ನು ನಾನು ಬೇಟೆಯಾಡಿದ್ದು. ಇನ್ನು ದೂರಕ್ಕೆ ನೀವು ಕಣ್ಣು ಹಾಯಿಸಿದರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ನೇಪಾಳದ ಪರ್ವತ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಗಳು ಕಾಣುತ್ತವೆ.

Book Review: Science, A History by John Gribbin

• When Copernicus published a book in 1543 suggesting a model of the Universe with Sun at the center (correcting the earlier misconception of Earth being the center), the original edition of 400 copies did not even sell out!
• Galileo was trained in Medicine, but taught Mathematics at a University in Pisa and he was an Astronomer by practice. Apart from compass, he built his own telescope which was the best in his times.
• Unbiased historians find it impossible to say whether Newton or Hooke made more significant contribution. Not just in Mathematics and Physics, Newton had talents to rewrite history in his own favor as well.
• When James Watt patented his steam engine in 1769, it was not an immediate commercial success but two decades later, it was at the heart of industrial revolution.
• Marie Curie was banned from main laboratories for fear that sexual excitement of her presence there might prevent any research getting done.

 

Science is impersonal but scientists are not. Many of them struggled to make their ends meet but were driven by the pleasure of finding things out. They did not want to believe what their religion or society asked them to believe. They rather preferred experiments and equations to find the truth. One invention led to another and misconceptions were corrected with better explanations. It led to evolution of science. From Galileo to Stephen Hawking, science not only grew in volumes, it changed the way we live our lives. There were numerous scientists who dedicated their lives in pursuit of science. And standing on the shoulders of such giants were Newton and Einstein.

 

The history of science in the last 500 years is documented in this 600-page book through the lives of scientists who created it. You won’t appreciate science much by just going through a textbook. They are just theoretical equations and experiments. But when you understand the people who developed them along with their lives, their challenges and dilemma, you would appreciate more how the science we study came into existence.

 

John Gribbin, author of this book is a British science writer (has many popular science books to his credit), an astrophysicist and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His books are not only fascinating reads but make the science concepts such as quantum mechanics easier for a common man to understand and relate.

Book Review: The beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch

Human beings have been staring at the sky since time immemorable. Our ancestors felt everything went around them. So, they said the Sun rises and sets. Few centuries ago, that misconception was corrected with a better explanation. Though we can’t confirm with our bare eye experience how the Solar system looks, students in school now are taught about solar system with a better explanation than that existed many centuries ago.

 

Newton’s laws of motion and his explanation about gravity have a universal appeal. All that is fine for those dwelling on the Earth. But for those traveling in a space shuttle or studying astrophysics, they begin to lose accuracy. If someone is traveling across a Galaxy and is nearby a Blackhole, Newton’s explanation becomes hopelessly wrong. Thanks to Einstein who offered a better explanation about time-space warping.

 

Science advances with error correction and better explanations. Nature packs the evolutionary progress in the form of genes and leads to biological evolution. But human beings have a special gift – creativity. Human beings are not limited by biological evolution and that is why we are so advanced than all other living beings on the Earth. Our ability to learn new things, communicate it with others, correct misconceptions with better explanations puts us on the path of progress. We move from infinite ignorance to infinite possibilities.

 

Naval Ravikant had mentioned about this book in his podcast. This book took few weeks of intensive reading for me. I had to re-read many of the paragraphs to digest the information and close my eyes to ponder about it. Not an easy book to read but no knowledge comes without toil. Physics, Astronomy, Microbiology, Evolution and Philosophy are all merged in this book and makes the reader understand the evolution of human beings and the advancement of science are interwoven.

 

Author of this book David Deutsch was born in Israel, now lives and works at Oxford. His research in Quantum Physics has been highly influential and highly acclaimed.

Book Review: Don’t kill him by Sheela Bernstiel

I have read many books of Osho. I have watched lots of his discourses on Youtube. I have listened to his lectures on Podcasts for hundreds of hours. He has an unimaginable influence on my psyche. But all of that I know of him are his teachings only and not of the man who he was. Though I did read his autobiography, it did not give me a complete picture of his weaknesses or vulnerabilities. But this book by Sheela made me see the unknown side of Osho which was largely kept private.

 

Sheela was a close aide, a personal secretary and an ardent devotee of Osho. When Osho was becoming uncomfortable in his Pune ashram, Sheela was very instrumental in making the arrangements for Osho’s relocation to the US. Also, she was hands on in setting up the ashram there. Not just identifying and buying the land in the state of Oregon for Osho, she was completely immersed and dedicated in raising the funds, building the premises, setting up the environment as per Osho’s instructions and successfully administering it for few years. That brought Sheela close to Osho and see personal life of Osho which others could not.

 

In the eye of the public, Osho never seemed to be interested in micro-managing the affairs of the ashram. But he was getting it done through his puppets and one of them was his secretary Sheela. She explains in this book how she and her fellow sanyasin’s dedication towards Osho made them do everything asked of them. They also had to manage a mad side of Osho. His sexual relationship with an associate, his unending desire for luxury cars, his tantrums about him leaving his body soon, his impatience and rage when things were not done to his satisfaction and so on. Though Sheela accepts the enlightened man to be a divine being, but in the same breath she exposes Osho's limitations and compulsions as a human being which made him no better than any other common person.

 

She also reveals the tactics employed by Osho in calling some of his rich followers as enlightened beings. That was only to empty their pockets to fulfil his personal desires and lavish lifestyle and he would soon deflate their egos once his task was accomplished. Nonetheless, there was no dearth of followers and the flow of money towards Osho. Tired of his tantrums, Sheela separated herself from Osho and his organization she had helped to build. Later Osho accused Sheela on several fronts and she got convicted and went through a jail term. Many years later, she has put forward her side of story through this book.

 

Osho’s teachings are unquestionable but his conduct and personal life is not. He remained controversial throughout his life and openly admitted that he was a Guru for rich people. But beyond that, his personal life was unknown to even people lived in his ashram except a very few in his closest circle. And one of them has put forward her version of story. Osho is no more to defend or give any response. But the interesting takeaway from this book is, Osho went through the same emotions of a normal person though he was spiritually evolved. Though his knowledge had known no bounds, his charm was artificial. He showed pathway to spiritual seekers but also emptied the pockets of the unsuspecting rich. He was an enlightened Guru but also a cunning businessman. This makes me think the Bhagawan was also a common man in many aspects as he could not live a life of austerity.

Book Review: The Audacity of Hope by Barrack Obama

Politics without doing politics

 

When Barrack Obama was calling for press meets during earlier days of his political career, no one would turn up. He had to drive for hours to deliver a speech only to find that there are only two people sitting across a kitchen table. But he had the audacity to hope that his ideals would be noticed, and his thoughts accepted sooner than later. So began his journey into politics while he remained humble throughout his journey to the Whitehouse.

 

His thoughts, ideas, opinions, and struggles are all documented in this book ‘The Audacity of Hope’. This is not just his account or biography. It is much more than that. It is about American dream. It is about the oppressed. It is about Democrats vs. Republicans. It is about those who built the constitution. It is about what politics can do and cannot do to uplift the lives of those at the bottom of pyramid. It is about the values one brings to the table. It is about identifying the opportunities and taking bold steps to realize them. It is about representing his voters and constituency. It is about why few politicians change their personalities and become corrupt on the way. It is about how to influence the larger society to bring in a change. It is about bringing in policies that would show results only after a decade. It is about his religion and race. It is about remaining empathetic while being in control of political power.

 

If you had liked Obama delivering his speeches, he would further impress you in this book with his finer arguments, care for the underprivileged, and his ideas about a broader society not limiting to citizens of America. I wish I had read this book earlier but nevertheless better late than never. I wish that my sons read this book too when they are ready, to get a broader view of what life offers. For budding politicians, this book could be an inspiration. And for any other regular readers, this book will surely expand their horizons and refine their thoughts and perspectives.

Book Summary: Autobiography of a Yogi

This book is not just the tale of Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. It is also account of his lineage of Guru’s, Sri Yukteshwar Giri and Lahiri Mahasaya. And many numerous yogis who had supernatural powers.

Determined to be a Yogi from childhood, Sri Paramahansa Yogananda captures vivid memories of his meetings with various yogi’s during his spiritual journey. One yogi who levitated during meditation, another who appeared in two different places at the same time, one who tamed wild tigers, one who never slept, another who never ate, and the list goes on and on. All these fetes appear to be supernatural to us which science can’t explain yet but are quite common in the world of spiritual practitioners. For those who could transcend materialistic inclinations and practice meditation for long periods, certain siddhis come naturally. That would be to foresee the future or the power to heal the ailing. But they are more interested in their spiritual sadhana than showing off their supernatural powers.

This book provides insight into the world of numerous such yogis, their ways of thinking and living which are very different than that of common men driven by sensual pleasures and hoarding of wealth. For those on the spiritual path, this book would certainly be a motivation and the yogi’s mentioned in this book would only increase their resolve to remain committed to the spiritual path.

Book Summary: Genome by Matt Ridley

The time scale of evolution is very wide, it is scaled not in years but millions of years. Life came into being in the oceans as single celled creatures billions of years ago. They got evolved into multi-cellular organisms and into fish and amphibians. Few species deviated to be transformed into reptiles and plants. That took millions of years. Evolution further led to creation of birds and mammals and at last, came the human beings. That was 2 million years ago. In the time scale of evolution which spans a few billion years, 2 million years is a short span of time. As life transformed from one form to another, its genetic structure got modified to preserve and propagate the changes as new species.

 

Though our immediate cousins were Chimpanzees with whom we share 98% of genes, our common ancestor departed from other mammals a few hundred million years ago, so we share 80% of our genes with cow. Before we were mammals, our ancestors were birds and fishes, so we share 60% to 70% gene pool with them. Even before our ancestors we were animals, they were plants, so we share roughly 50% of genes with apple and banana.

 

Though majority of Genome (complete set of genes) is shared across life in this Universe, what makes each plant/animal unique is the minor difference in its gene pool. Chimpanzees have 24 pairs of chromosomes (which carry the genes), that is how they retain their uniqueness. In humans, it is 23 pairs of chromosomes. We get one set each from our father and mother and they together as a pair provide the necessary instructions for us to grow into an individual human being. Each chromosome, having a set of genes together, influences the anatomy of our body, its functions and the behavior. Some take care of growth of physical organs as we grow into adulthood. Some take care of bodily functions like digestion. Few are responsible for repair from injury and regaining health from sickness. Few prepare us for reproduction when we reach sexual maturity. Few genes instruct our cells to decay and die. Some genes influence our behavior too.

All of these instructions are packed into genes in a language with just four letters (A, T, C, G). and each letter is a chemical. Together, they have the blueprint of our physical body and govern its functions as well. While the scientists have seen some success in decoding this language, our understanding of it is not yet complete. But whatever we have understood so far is mesmerizing. All the learnings from a billion years of evolution is packed in the form of genes and as we understand them better, our understanding of ourselves get better too.

This book, in its 23 chapters, investigates how genes on each chromosome governs what happens within our bodies. Some of the genes influence our behavior and they are in turn influenced too with our behavior. It is a 2-way street. Our food intake, lifestyle, age, stress on body and mind, all lead to switching on or off some of the genes which in turn help us recover from illness or succumb to a disease.

 

Though I had attempted reading this book twice in the past, I could not digest or appreciate it. In the last few months, I had put efforts to improve my understanding of molecular biology, read many books on the subject, watched videos and listened to podcasts. And the third attempt to read this book kept me engrossed for a week. I could appreciate it this time and write a book summary.

Book Summary: The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

Gene editing is no more a science fiction. The Nobel Prize for the last year (2020) in Chemistry was awarded to two women - Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, for the development of a method for genome editing. This book has Jennifer Doudna as the protagonist and many more interesting personalities who have contributed to the field of genetic engineering and the development of gene editing platform known as CRISPR.

The timing is important with the assault of Corona virus. Viruses can only live if they find a host. They cannot replicate on their own but once they enter a host cell, they gain control over it by entering its nucleus and begin to spread. Many bacteria have been found with resistance to virus, not just to Corona but all kinds of viruses. These bacteria had clustered patterns in their genes which offered immunity from viruses by not allowing them to replicate themselves. Researchers agreed to name this genetic pattern as ‘Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats’ or CRISPR in its short form.

This book in begins with exploring the origins of life, the works of Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel. Then it moves on to James Watson who improved our understanding of structure of Genes and their functioning. Then comes in Jennifer Doudna who had read James Watson’s book ‘The Double Helix’ as a child and then went on to work with him as an adult. As the book progresses, it throws light on hundreds of scientists and researchers working across the world in the field of gene editing, sharing their knowledge and collaborating with each other. But it is Jennifer Doudna who takes it to the finish and wins the Nobel Prize.

This book is more biographical and includes discussions on science only to support the development of story and explain how one event led to another. Walter Isaacson who has authored many books including the best seller biography of Steve Jobs, is well-known to make his readers understand the intricacies and eccentricities involved in the personal lives of well-known public figures.

Gene editing is an evolving branch of science which would potentially change the field of medicines and bio-tech engineered plants. Apart from knowing the science behind it, it would be interesting to know the people behind it as well. And this book just helps with that.

Book Summary: Delhi by Khushwant Singh

This is a monumental literary work by Khushwant Singh. It took more than 20 years for him to write this novel. For me, it took many weeks to read. Initially I was reading few pages a day, only to put it down and get something else to read. It went on like this for some time, until I got into the groove. Then pages just flipped and I was gripped feverishly till end.

This book is written in first person where the narrator tells the plot in autobiographical tone. It moves back and forth between history and current times with each chapter. One must tolerate the adultery and erratic behavior of the narrator in this book as everything else here is a great piece of work. Not sure adding ample erotic scenes were necessary for the plot, but that is the style of this author.

Delhi has been the seat of power for many centuries. Many kings have looted it and destroyed it. Many others made it their home and built monuments making their names permanent in the history of Delhi. There were few kings who got destroyed by Delhi for the comforts it did provide. They all have many interesting stories to tell. This novel makes use of the opportunity to recreate the life and livelihood of people who lived during different times in the same town.

What is more interesting to observe in this book is, author’s deep understanding of the religions – Hindu, Muslim and Sikh. The characters in this book depict the conflict and cooperation among these religions during different times.

If the reader appreciates the knowledge and style of Khushwant Singh, this book is a treat. Also, one gets a perspective on how the city of Delhi got shaped and evolved over many generations.

Book Summary: Gandhi, A Spiritual Biography by Arvind Sharma

There are more than 400 biographies written on Gandhi. But this one focuses on the spiritual aspect of Gandhi’s life, the making of a saint.

At a very young age, the play of “Shravanakumara” had made a long-lasting impression on Gandhi, so was another play of ‘Satya Harishcandra’. Pursuit for truth had begun very early for him. As an adolescent, he had read ‘Ramayana’ to make Rama’s resolve to keep the promises made his as well. When he had travelled to England for studies to become a barrister, he could keep the promises made to his mother, to stay away from meat, wine and women. His first mentor Ray Chand and whose practices of Jain religion too had a subtle impact on Gandhi. Jains used fasting to purify themselves, also to protest which became a Gandhi’s way as well later in his life and set his moral compass.

The transforming point arrived in South Africa where he was working on legal matters of a client. Getting pushed out from a train was not just another event for Gandhi. He did not seek revenge but justice. A leader was born in him that night. He called a meeting of all Indians staying in South Africa and delivered his first ever speech. He said, if they desired to be treated properly, they must deserve it. Change was not coming easily. Gandhi was beaten up badly many a times and during his protests, he was arrested and released multiple times. Gradually people on Gandhi’s side increased and finally Govt. offered negotiations to mend their ways. ‘Satyagraha’ – asking for truth began to yield results. Whatever values Gandhi had learnt in his childhood, he could put into practice for the welfare of a larger society.

Upon his return to India, he traveled around entire country to acquaint and then plunged himself into the struggle for independence. The salt march and Gandhi’s ways of protests where no killing was involved surprised the British. Not just them, Gandhi had stirred the local feudal system with campaign against untouchability. Whether it was fight for independence or the social reforms, it was Gandhi’s way of pursuing God. In ‘Bhagavad Gita’, Arjuna was offered spiritual redemption in the battlefield. Gandhi used this expression to say he was doing what he did to attain ‘Moksha’ – salvation through his work.

Thus, this book explores spiritual side of Mahatma Gandhi. Any political decisions and the consequences thereafter are not the scope of this book. For those who want to learn spiritual dimensions of Gandhi, this book makes a good read.

Reconstructing History: The Siege of Krishnapur

Ninety years before India got freedom, in 1857, many dramatic events led to ‘Sepoy Mutiny’. With struggle and losses, East India Company managed to quell the storm of rebellion. That story is reconstructed in this book and is told from the perspective of a company official (District Collector) and his companions.

Though it is conveniently called a work of fiction, it is a well-researched book based on facts collected through letters, dairies of East India Company officials of that time and other communications and journals. The city of Kanpur became a fictional town Krishnapur in this book. This book brings to life the culture, lifestyle of the British ruling in India during colonial times. Since this is a British version of the story, native Indians may find many perspectives mentioned in this book a bit unpleasant.

While the British were biased in believing that they had the right to rule India, the natives disagreed with them on many fronts and the suppression led to the spark of rebellion. Though the British were successful in regaining the control, the mutiny firmly led to a new beginning.

This book was awarded Booker Prize in 1973. Author J.G.Farrell produced three books which dealt with political consequences of British colonial rule.

Salman Rushdie: For those who love magic of a language

Even for Salman Rushdie’s fans, his books are hard to read and digest but they enchant and hook them up. While his non-fictional works appear rational, his fictions are very different. He employs ‘Magical Realism’, a style where-in protagonists of his plots have unnatural powers and he mixes up the characters from the real world with imaginary one’s. So, an ordinary reader would find it difficult to make sense of what he is reading. Well, Salman Rushdie is no ordinary writer. The reader should not pick his books like any other regular novel. If one can keep away the common notions, a finer world unravels.

Here is an excerpt from “Midnight’s Children”:

“Unless, of course, there’s no such thing as chance; in which case Musa – for all his age and servility – was nothing less than a time-bomb, ticking away softly until his appointed time; in which case, we should either – optimistically – get up and cheer, because if everything is planned in advance, then we all have a meaning, and are spared of the terror of knowing ourselves to be random, without a why; or else, of course, we might – as pessimists – give up right here and now, understanding the futility of thought decision action, since nothing we think makes any difference any way; things will be as they will.”

Book Summary: Only The Paranoid Survive

“A strategic inflection point can be deadly when unattended to”. So wrote Andrew Grove, Intel’s then executive in his 1996 book titled “Only the Paranoid Survive”. He emphasized that those companies who are not paranoid would find themselves decoupled soon from what really matters, lose their relevance and competitive edge. Twenty-five years later, we find that the speed at which technological transformations happen, the intensity of competition and the disruptions in the way business is done have only further accelerated, making the message of this book more relevant in the current times.

Salespeople understand shifting customer demands before management does. Financial analysts are the earliest to know when the fundamentals of a business change. How to know when the changes are just transitory (noise) and when they represent the beginning of a new era (signal)? How to raise our awareness and how to use the opportunities these inflections offer to break out to a higher level of achievement? This business strategy book helps with that and provides a framework to deal with them.

For those who want to trace how the semiconductor and computing industry evolved through many strategic inflections, this is one of the books to learn from. Though this industry has significantly changed since this book was first published in 1996, it sets a stage to understand how things worked in the 1980’s & 90’s and we can clearly see that inflections are happening in a similar fashion now as well but at a larger scale and more frequently. Since the framework to understand inflections and responding to them remains the same, this well-written book helps us understand the industry we serve better.

Book Review: Bliss by Osho

Osho occupied my hands, mind and soul this month and for sure I learnt few important aspects of meditation. He says meditation is doing absolutely nothing and remaining motionless (body) and thoughtless (mind). No techniques are needed for meditation but they are needed to avoid distraction. Doing Yogasana would make your body strong and flexible and would let you sit comfortably for meditation. Similarly, pranayama and chanting mantra would help in reducing and avoiding thoughts. What is important to note is, one has to maintain a distance between oneself (soul) and the body and the mind and remain an observer. When you are hungry, you should think my body is hungry rather than I am hungry. While body is quite easy to master, mind throws lots of tantrums before giving up. But again distancing from it helps. Rather than trying to avoid thoughts, simply observe them how thoughts come and go. Don't get associated or identified with them. With this approach, you would be able to slip into meditation. The idea here is to remain aware. With time, this awareness would gradually extend to your sleep and dream states too. Then you have become a Buddha. That is the essence of this book.

How much I learnt from this book? Well, it is the better understanding of what meditation is and what it is not. However I had grasped the same message in the books and talks of people other than Osho, this book made me realize the essence much clearly. Though I have been attempting to distance myself from my own body and mind, I know it is a long way. As Osho puts across in this book, it may take its own time and may be few life times too. I am not in a hurry either. Let the bliss come when the time is right. Distancing myself from the mind itself is a great bliss as desires and sorrows are also at a distance from me. Thanks to Osho for this teaching.

Book Review: The Wellness Sense by Om Swami

This book is about the basics of how our body and mind functions and how to keep them in tune with the nature. This covers fundamentals of Ayurved, the three doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha in detail and how to identify which one rules our body the most and then take prescriptive and corrective actions thereon. It goes in detail of what to eat and what to avoid. It gives solid reasons how and why diseases manifest and what we can do to take preventive measures, cleansing measures and what kind of medication would work best.

It has been a great learning for me to understand how we are what we eat, how to eat sensibly and why it maters most. Reading this book and implementing the learning would surely put you into the path of wellness.