Excellent Book Ever

Author: Ruchita Mathur

  • How to grow your wealth:13 steps to bloody good wealth by ASHWIN SANGHI and SUNIL DALAL

    Definition of wealth varies from person to person. People in college think having cola is wealth since they have less pocket money. In India, many people think having 3 meals per day is wealth because many are poor.

    In this, it is shown how one can become Wealthy in a wise way. A word of caution . Since wealth is difficult to handle do read the chapter of this book again and again. It might not be possible to understand all at the first go.

    STEP 1

    The first step is to know what wealth means to you. Than only you will know how much of wealth you want. In college, people have little pocket money But after college the definition of wealth changes.

    STEP 2

    .Most billionaires did not really want to become rich but do something great. You have to know that wealth does not come overnight.Classify your goals. Short time goals or long time goals. Don’t make your long term goals into short term goals otherwise the process of generating wealth becomes difficult.

    STEP 3

    There are two things you have to know at this stage. Growth vs inflation. If your wealth is growing inflation is cutting the wealth. Also, the difference between real and nominal returns is explained in a manner that everyone will understand.

    STEP 4

    Some people think spending less will means they will have more wealth. Others think that if you earn more you will get more wealth. But if you are earning more and spending more you will end up having less money. Pablo Picasso said “I would like to live as a poor man with lots of money”. 

    Few important tips are given here

    Start a sinking fund

    Bonuses from employment, are for saving. Don’t spend them.

    Watch your bank account

    There is the Li Kashing model for allocation for budgeting which is useful for planning the budget.

    Step 5 

    Create multiple sources of income.

    Today it is easy to start a business other than your normal job.When my friend was in India she used to paint as hobby. Now in the USA, she is selling those paintings. What started out as a hobby turned into income generation. Since her husband was earning this was a side income If you write well become a content writer, other than your normal job

    Some side jobs

    Online tutor

    Blogging

    Researcher

    Videographer/youtuber

    Dealing in Forex

    There are lot many more side jobs in the book.

    Side activities can be a stepping stone to an career.

    Step 6

    Money is a great servant but a bad master. It does not matter how much money you earn, it is how much you invest

    Investment ideas:

    Provident fund. After maturity, it helps to get money to live comfortably after retirement.

    The post office have a saving scheme.

    Shares. But remember if you make money you can also lose it when the market is down 

     Look on the net for schemes and then invest wisely.

    Step 7

    Robert Kiyosaki “s Rich dad poor dad says “Rich people acquire assets and the poor and middle class acquire liabilities. An asset puts money into your pocket. A liability takes money from your pocket. So what is a asset? For Naryan Murty his employer is an asset. If you want to  buy an iPhone while you have an android phone is in your phone the iphone cant be your asset but investing in apple stock can be your asset.

    Step 8  

    This talks about world of finance .

    There are three things involved . Risk, return and time. This chapter is most important if you want to understand the investment.

    Risk in investment should be understood. The return would imply if you invested 2rs did you get 4rs or only 2rs. After how much time did you get this investment is to be seen .0ne should try and understand risk. You can do this by looking at investopedia.com.  

    Also, see after how many months you will start using the return.

    Step 9 

    This is about asset allocation.

    Put your money to work in the best place in a mix.

    Usually, the share of equity in your asset allocation should be 100 minus your age but  you need to understand the risk factor.

    Different allocations will have different risks at different levels. 

    Step 10

    In this step the various assets are discussed 

    In liquid assets, we have mutual funds, In Illiquid assets, we have insurance, gold Venture Capital hedge funds.

    I did not know so many assets existed. This is the best chapter in the book. Knowing about so many assets is important.

    Step 11

    This talks about educating oneself to keep track of what is going on in the assets market and read the fine print of the offer document. Stay one step ahead of where to invest. Track and review your investment.

    Step 12

    This takes about debts and how to avoid them.

    Step 13

    How to manage tax and assets are given.

    The best part of the book is the key takeaways that is give  at the end of the chapter. Overall I would say this a good for anyone who knows nothing about wealth and where to invest .

    The quotes are given from the same book.

  • How to overcome obstacle in life: The Obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday

    How to overcome obstacle in life: The Obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday

    I am sure we all have faced obstacles in our life. Be it business or life how do we tackle this obstacle ? Many men have tackled this “What stands in the way becomes the way” This book is about all this and more.

    There are three things that help us to overcome obstacles.

    Perception, Action and the will.

    It is how we see things around us that can be a source of weakness or strength. Whereas one person sees crisis, another person sees it as an opportunity.

    When faced with any problem do this

    We all are emotional. Try not to be emotional.

    Try to see the good in any situation.

    Do not  look at what distributes others 

    Try to see how things can be controlled

    I learned all this from the book.

    Sometimes we know how to solve problems. But we fear that the action we take might be risky. We might be getting a chance to invest in shares. But then we think let me wait something else might come. And we end up doing nothing.

    So the first step is to start somewhere. Take the example of Amelia Earhart. She wanted to be able to fly. An offer came up. someone was willing to fund the first female attendant on a flight. She said yes to this. 5 years later she was flying solo non stop flight from the Atlantic.

    Had she not taken a chance she would not have become a pilot. It is those that attack life with the most initiative do succeed. With regard to your goals do something. I like the motto of Nike (shoes). Just do it.

    In trying the wrong way you might discover a new way. This is how innovation works. Thomas Edison tested six thousand different filiations but he did finally make the bulb.

    Once you have decided to attack an obstacle why stop? When people ask about your problem say you are working on it and you will get the solution soon. Take failure as an asset you will succeed. Failure leads to improvement.

    Great entrepreneurs are never wedded to a position,  never afraid to lose a little of investment, never out of the game for long.

    Up to now, we were talking about perception and action. Now we will be talking about will.

    What is the power that is inside you? You alone can influence it. If perception and action were the deception and action were the disciplines of the mind then a disciple of the heart and the soul. Will is the strength to endure.

    In every situation, we can do the following

    Prepare ourselves for more difficult times.

    If you can’t change something learn to accept it.

    Learn to love our fate and what happens to us.

    Donot give in to other people’s views who try to change your inner self

    Try to look at a greater cause. 

    Theoradare Roosevelt suffered from asthma. His father came to him and said “Theoradare you have the mind but have not got the body. I am going to give you the tools to make your body. I think you have the determination to go through it.Theoradare looked at his father and said “I will make my body “.So his father built a gym for him. What followed was what he called “ The strenuous life “.Are you prepared to do that?

    If the answer is yes then prepare for the hard life. Nobody is born with a steel backbone. We have to make it.

    In this book, there are so many examples of how people overcame obstacles. If we follow this we will have dealt with life.

    The quotes have been taken from the book The Obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday. 

  • Conversation skills for Business and Life: How to talk to anyone by Leil Lowndes (92 little tricks for big success in a relationship)

    Conversation skills for Business and Life: How to talk to anyone by Leil Lowndes (92 little tricks for big success in a relationship)

    85 % of one’s success in life is directly due to communication skills. We fail because we don’t know how to handle our relationship. This book tells us how to do that.

    Did you ever wonder how people always throw good parties or how people always talk about someone’s party. Well it is because people have worked hard at what they do. It has taken them years to get here

    Here are some tips for business :

    Sales parroting 

    If you are selling cars and hear someone say I am not sure this car is right for me. Repeat to him Not sure for you. They will say not right for my personality which is sporty. So now you know that you have to show the person a sporty car.

    The above is just one point

    Another point in sales is this. Try to copy not only your customer class but the class of your product as well. Are you selling handmade suits Put a little decorum?If selling sweatsuits try to wear something a little sporty. Customer is buying your experience and hence you are part of the product they are buying.

    When in sales use their words, not yours. In case you are selling a car to a young mother and she is worried because she has a baby. Instead of saying child protection lock say No baby can open the window because of the driver’s control lock.

    Now let us talk about life in general :

    First impressions are important. Here are a few tips.

    Anything we say is fine when we enter a room but dont complain when you enter. Otherwise, they will think that you only complain and won’t stick around. Say what  at a nice dress they are wearing. May be

    Whatzit technique :

    Say wear a pair of old fashioned glasses around your neck. People will come to you asking why you are wearing that? You can say that it reminds you of your grandfather. In this way, the conversation can get started. You can choose any other thing to attract others to you.

    Whatzat technique :

    When you are at a party ask the party-giver to make introductions. Or ask the party-giver about some facts of other. Anything to become an ice breaker.

    Eavesdrop technique :

    This does not mean to wiretap or the like. Just stand near a group of people. Wait for a word that you can use to break into the group. Say something like  I could not help but hear you all. They might be taken back but only for a moment and get over it fast.

    When you are asked where you are from? Don’t just say Delhi or New york. They might ask you what is the latest mugging scene in New york. Or if you say Delhi they might ask you something related to politics. Learn some facts that people will find interesting from your home town.

    Suppose you want to ask someone what their job is. Then dont say what do you do? Say how do you spend your day. It is more polite and everyone asks what do you do. It is common.

    Also, you learn more if you ask things about the other person. That way they too will be happy and remember you.

    When going to a party read the latest news that way people will be attracted to you.

    When in a conversion think about how your professional life will benefit others. Say if you are a hairdresser. You might know of new styles of hair. Mention that to a lady saying that so and so hair style personality

    Lookup a few words in a thesaurus saying how much you have enjoyed a party. Everyone says  the food was so tasty. That way you will be verbally elite if you look up a few words. 

    Many times you have to know which words to use .Dont say do you work at a drugstore ? Say are you a Pharmacist. Dont say day care worker say child care worker. If you see someone in a wheelchair dont say a handicap person. Say a person with a disability. This will show that you respect people and make people feel close to you.

    When you are going to another of which you donot know anything but a book about that country . This way you will know about the taboo of that country.

    There are 92 techniques in this book. All cannot be discussed. But if you go through the book, one technique by technique you will learn a lot.

    You will have to practise what tricks you have learnt . If you practise daily it will become a habit .

    Your habit create your character

    Your character is your density

    May success be your destiny

    The above words were taken from the book How to talk to anyone by Leil Lowndes

    Desidiya 3D 7 Color Changing Moon Night Rechargeable Lamp with Stand Night lamp for Bedroom Lights for Adults and Kids Home Room Beautiful Indoor Lighting – 15CM

    This will look great on your table
    Buy on amazon

  • 25 Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Kendall Madron . A review about how people in Mediterranean region have better lifestyle and healthy heart.

    All humans these days want good health. They follow gurus of health. One diet after the other. Yet their health didnot improve. Seeing all this I came to the conclusion that Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean people have a much better lifestyle than most people in the world.

    I found this book and after reading it I was convinced that this diet was the best. So let me tell you what I learned in this book.

    What is the Mediterranean diet?

    Simply put this diet is eaten by people who live in countries that border the  Mediterranean sea. Eating styles vary here but a few common factors are there. It is noticed that fewer deaths occur due to a heart attack. Extensive research was done. The reason was simple. A traditional diet which included Herb, nuts , vegetables and whole grains was the reason. Saturated and trans fats are not eaten. This is common sense but I guess common sense is not common.

    Olive Oil

     This is liquid fat got from olives. This is a traditional tree crop of the Meditteranean. This is used for frying food or used for salads. This is found to reduce t.otal cholesterol and has low-density lipoprotein.

    Red Wine 

    Red wine in small quantity is good. It it is recommended that people  should have red wine since it is good for the heart.

    Since it is seen that people of Mediterranean region have good health, It is time to switch to this lifestyle.

    Some of the countries include Italy Greece and the rest.

    New England journal of medicine has published.

    1. The food of the Mediterranean is more wholesome and nutritious.

    2. They use olive oil.

    3. You will not find saturated fats or sugar in their diet.

    Changes that happen with a Mediterranean diet

    1. Lower Blood sugar levels which are ideal for Diabetic type II

    2. It Strengths muscles and bones. The bones of the elderly are strong.

    3. It will help you to reduce the risk of developing cancerous cells.

    4. Less chances of neurological diseases.

    5. Helps fights inflammation.

    6. It helps produce dopamine. This is a  molecule that plays important role in cells. This helps in leading to a feeling of wellness.

     7. Eating antioxidants reduce the effects of brain shrinkage in old age.

    8. Lose weight.

    9. You will feel fuller for a long time time. The reason being you will be eating more protein.

    Healthy eating: high angle view of a group of food with high levels of Omega-3 fat. The composition includes salmon, sardines, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, and various nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, chis seeds, pecan, almonds, pistachio, walnuts and hazelnuts.

    Useful tips :

    Replacing saturated and hydrated fats with olive oil is the major difference in the diet. we spend so much money on beauty parlours and gyms. Why not spend it on olive oil and see the difference. 

    Meditterance diet includes avocados and olives which is good for the heart.

    In case you are on-vegetation fish is also an important ingredient in diet

    There is a quick guide on major food stuffs.

    It is important to read labels on everything.In this way you will know goes on in the food you eat.

    Don’t be tense about making changes in your diet. It will take only a few days to get used to eating these new things.

    Now the about the mouth-watering recipes

    There are many main dishes;

    Beans 

    Whole wheat penne with shrimp and Broccoli

    Pestomstuffed shells

    For breakfast

    Omelets, Breads and Cereals

    Spicy Hummus in toasted pita Loaves

    Honey whole wheat bread

    Lavosh ( Bread left in the oven until it is golden brown)

    Next are Soups and salads

    Tomato soup

    Chunky Fish chowder with saffron

    Brown rice salad

    Farro  Salad

    Creamy salmon soup

    Fresh chicken broth

    Sweets

     Are made in a healthy way 

    Green beans and peppers mix

    Mashed Parsnips and carrots

    Creamy Sweet potatoes mix

    Snacks 

    Spiced almonds

    In case your kids don’t like almonds they will like these.

    Arabic style spiced roasted chickpeas

    Banana buttermilk pancakes

    In the end, a 30-day meal plan is given. Breakfast, lunch and dinner plans are given. Try out this diet. I am some of you have tired some diets and not found any improvement in your health.

    Advice on eating out.

    Just because you eat out does not mean that you do not follow the diet

    1. When you take a seat have water. When you drink water chances are you wont overeat.

    2. Avoid breadbaskets.

    3. Skip the appetizer.

    4. For the main course choose chicken or meat dish. It would be better to have vegetation.

    5. Try not to eat dishes with sauce. These sauces have sugar.

    6. Try and have fruits for dessert.

    7. Restaurant portions are large so leave some food on the plate.

    8. Enjoy a glass of red wine.

    There are many things you might not know in these diets. But believe me, this diet will help you in the long. Try it. In case you don’t find a difference in your health, You can always change back to your old diet.

    The photo of the food was taken from unsplash and the photo of bottle of olive oil was taken from amazon.

  • Selling To Win By Richard Denny

    Richard Denny was from the United Kingdom. He was sought after for motivational speaking. A foundation is open where training is given in this field. You can call him a millionaire maker. Your business I believe will grow if you follow his advice. In his own words and  I quote

    “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow – onwards and upwards”

     Among other things, you will learn

    Close a sale

    Find a new customer 

    Beat the competition

    Build a positive attitude

    After Reading his book I feel we all can sell . What is the difference between a salesperson that can sell and one that cannot sell. It is the attitude. The right attitude is that you will win.

    I think our attitude is influenced by our childhood and the company we keep. This is what I have learned from this book. The thing to do in order to sell is to improve yourself.

    How to use this book

    You will find many useful things in this book. It is not possible to remember all of them. In school or college, we used to use highlighter pens. You can still use that for marking ideas that you like.

    Keep on rereading the chapters that you like.

    There are more sales cassettes that you can listen to in your car.

    Desire to do something;

    It is all about how badly you want to do something .like I wanted to self-publish a book. So I did it. My desire was so strong that no matter what I faced I made sure I tackled it.

    Many people leave school but later on in life, they see a career that they can do. But they don’t have the qualification for it. So they go back to their place of learning. Such is the desire to do something. How strong is your desire? Do you want to sell so badly that you will do anything to sell the product?

    If you want to sell this has to be done. If you are busy during the weekday you can do this during the weekend. Plan your goal and give it your best say 3 months. Don’t make the goal very high or too difficult to achieve.If you set up a goal too high make sure to break it up. Don’t just have deadlines but write it in front of your bed so that you see it the first thing in the morning. So say how many units you want to sell. 

    Planning

    It is important to plan. Say you are selling shoes. Plan in which part of India you want to sell first . Say you want to sell in Delhi rather than Agra and so on. Also look at what companies sell the most in each city and plan to go there. For example, rainy shoes are needed so go before the rains to sell .

    Believe in yourself and you can do wonders.

    Remove the word impossible from your dictionary. For others to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself. Chapter 3 is the most important chapter in the book. Read this once in three months so as not to forget. But more importantly, practice what you have read. After all, practice makes perfect.

    Donot fear change 

    Change does not mean it will be for the worst. Don’t do things how they have always been done.If you have a plan to sell that has not been tried before do try it. You never know it might be a success.

    Build your confidence

    In order to sell you have to build your confidence . Here are some pointers on what to do.

    Try not to make excuses. if you do not succeed at something. Do not say I am old or things like that. Say I can still do it despite failure.

    How do you see yourself? Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you see a successful person? If you do so will others. Feel proud of yourself.

    Improve your appearance. This is true of women. Women feel better if they go to a hairdresser before a party . If you feel this will boost your confidence then do it. For men get a dinner jacket if going out. I am sure you will know of so many such examples.

    Are you an enthusiastic person?If you are excited about something you will end up doing that thing better.. Were you not better at Maths in school because you were excited about Maths?

    Linked to all this is being negative.

    As a professional, you must take care of attitude. Negativity is a curse in anything. People might say negative things about you . Listen from one ear and remove it from the other. There are three negative things that you have to take care of criticizing, condemning, and complaining. Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of these .

    Many people thrive on other peoples’ misery. So don’t listen to them.

    Also look at what kind of company you have. Are your results a drawback because of them?

    The chapter called The Principles of professionalism is excellent. Even if you think you are professional this chapter will tell you you are not.

    A few basic guidelines to make written communication better are given in the chapter on letter writing. Things like Avoid jargon Make your letters easy to read and many more tips are given.

    What should your body language be? What kind of chairs do you have for your visitors? If a client comes to your office these things are important.

    The last chapter is the most important. Donot quit, it is called. Everybody in marketing has its ups and downs. Look at your downside and try to improve.

    In the end, I would like to end by these words by saying something that Henry Ford had Said in 1922:

    “Selling is a profession and must have recognized professional ethics. professional spirit seeks professional integrity from pride, not compulsion. The professional spirit detects its own violations and penaltises them.

    The quote of Henry Ford and other quotes are being taken from the book selling to win

    By Richard Denny. His other books are :

    Speak for yourself 

    Succeed for yourself 

    Motivate to win.

  • Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

    Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

    I got interested in this novel having heard so much about it. Though not such a big fan of classic novel I had heard that this novel had action in it. So I picked it up. Many reviews give scene by scene summary. But I donot believe in that. The reading of the novel is always better.

    This novel is a historical romance. The setting is in Scotland and the year is 1751 .The story starts with David Balfour. His father leaves him a letter after he dies, saying to go to see his uncle. When he tries to find uncle house everyone gives him a wired look. He reaches his uncle house and his uncle tricks him.

    His uncle on the pretext of a business deal sells him into slavery. He travels on a boat which is shipwrecked and he makes friend with Allan. Alan is a classic rogue, with some fighting skill, a gift of gab, and a gambling problem. Thus there is an adventure. There also is a political and historical background.

    The writing is simple. But at times the writing is difficult because of the style of writing. It is written in lowland Scott a Germanic language that evolved from English.

    A central theme of the novel is the concept of justice. And adventure Stevenson was living in England when writing this novel. He had a physical illness and felt homesick. Being from Scotland many of his characters are Scottish. We also see how David is developed into an adult.

    David is the protagonist. Of the novel. He is young and inexperienced .The novel was targeted towards young boys. So young boys understood David very well. He meets Alan Breck . It is because of him that David comes to know what the real world holds. Due to this he is able to outdo his uncle and get his inheritance. Also he is more mature.

    Alan Breck is a person who is offended very quickly but forgives as fast. He is very loyal to his clan which is good thing. He believes that the Scottish strauts should be the true kings of England. He does not change during the course of the novel. He is only there to teach David about the world and guide him.

    He teaches David how to survival.in the world. Clan politics.is also taught to David. David is a wig and protestant. While Alan is catholic. In find this character interesting. Another character is Ebenezer Balfour. I would say he is a villa.   He is greedy. He decides to have David his nephew killed or kidnapped.

    Theme of the novel:

    It seems the central theme of the novel is friendship.

    There is friendship between David and Alan despite the fact that both are different. At the core is the fact that David is protestant and Alan is cathioc.This friendship is the important part in the whole novel.

    For some reason David feels loyalty to Alan. David remains with Allan when the latter loses their money/. Such is the sense of loyalty in David.

    In chapter 24 the friendship reaches its clixam.Other than the fact Alan has lost his money Alan keeping on talking against the Whig. You see David is a Whig.

    Another theme

    David does not understand the people of highland. He knows right and left from his religious teacher Mr. Campbell. He does not rely on himself as so much on religion.

    Both highlander like Alan have values like David. But they have important difference also. David believes that in any conflict find the guilty person and punish him. Alan does not believe in this. Thus David would be willing to agree that Campbell should be punished for his crimes.

    Stevson has given us and sight into highlander and their behavior. That is one reason I liked this novel.

    But the thing is that Jacobite and Whig come too often in this novel. I myself was confused at first. So let explain this. The Whigs have been loyal to the monarch. Whigs were protestant.

    The jacobite as a party were formed after the revolution of 1680s.They were catholic and hence fell out of place with the English government. The murder of Campbell is the central event in the novel.

    Coming to inheritance the eldest son always inheritances the property. The main theme would be that David comes to take charge of his estate while his uncle tries that David cannot do this.  

    There are some symbols that are worthy to be notted.There is a silver button that Alan has given to David. The importantance of this button is this. Whenever David shows this to anyone Alan instructions were found out.

    Background of Robert Louis stenson

    He was born and brought up in Edinburgh. But most of his life bronchial trouble. This did not stop him from writing.

    His novels were

    Strange case of Dry Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    Treasure Island

    Short story collection

    New Arabian nights

    Tales and Fantasies

    Non fiction

    Familiar studies of men and books

    On the choice of a profession

    The day after tomorrow

    In case you are studying this in school you can see the movie adaptations.

  • Animal farm by George Orwell

    Kindle : 78.27

    Paperback : 163.00

    George was called Eric Arthur Blair. His other books include Burmese Days ,Why i write and many more.

    After reading this book I felt like I was reading about Communism. Basically, the story is about animals taking over a farm run by humans. The animals are not fed well and have to do lots of work.

    The book starts with Major a White Boar giving a lecture to animals about how life is a misery for the animals.He further says that the misery is due to only humans. The reason being that they use animal products and do not produce their own.

    It is declared by the animals that whoever walks on two legs is their enemy. The meeting ends by signing “Beasts of England “ The Major dies but animals are inspired by the Major.

    Soon enough there is a coup against Mr Jones and other farmers, and the animals take over. Henceforth there are reading and writing classes. Everything is so organized. There were committees like the re-education committee.Napoleon a pig becomes the leader.

    Seven commandments are written. Does it mean that Orwell is introducing religion since there are 10 commandments in the bible.? “ All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others “.is one commandment.

    But as time goes on it is clear that all animals are not equal. Life becomes harder for the animals. A wind mill is broken and Snowball is accused of  sabotaging it. Also the animals starve .

    Tactics were used to remove animals that came in the way of running the farm. Snowball was one such pig and was removed.

    Meanwhile the pigs start to install radio and telephone in the animal farm. Also there is news paper in the farm. It looks like a normal society to me.

     The farm was not called Manor farm but an animal farm. The farm was declared a republic. Hence it was decided to have a president. But will the animals manage to run the farm on their own or will they end up fighting and destroying their freedom ?

    After a few years the Humans are invited to the farm to drink. Also the farm is again called Manor farm.

    Orwell was trying to show in the novel about Russian conditions under the communists regime 

    In 1917 Tsar was overthrown by the communist. It is in this context that the book was written. In communism everyone is equal. Everyone works but everyone benefits equally. Joseph Stalin was the leader of communist Russia in 1920s.

    But it became known that this communism was not working. There was not enough food for everyone. People were starving.

    But Stalin and other leaders could not do anything. They kept on reminding people how bad the conditions were under Tsar rule.

    Thought the novel was not for children. But the conditions Russiacan be explained well by reading this novels. Mostly Animals are used in the novel.

    One of the most common technique used in Russia and Animal farm is this.How to manipulate peopleso that they begin to doubt themselves.

    Another technique is that the masses are kept ignorant of whatever is happening. This is how people can be manipulated. This again shown in animal farm.Also so called “fake news” is there at the farm. No one knows the truth and everyone is confused.

    The pigs undo the “all are equal motto”. They think that they are better off and look down upon other animals.

    In this manner, we can see how Animal farm is compared with Russia during communism.

    The book is under 100 pages.

    I like the details about how exactly the farm is organized.

    Paperback

    George was called Eric Arthur Blair. His other books include Burmese Days, Why I write, and many more.

    After reading this book I felt like I was reading about Communism. Basically, the story is about animals taking over a farm run by humans. The animals are not fed well and have to do lots of work.

    The book starts with Major a White Boar giving a lecture to animals about how life is a misery for the animals.He further says that the misery is due to only humans. The reason being that they use animal products and do not produce their own.

    It is declared by the animals that whoever walks on two legs is their enemy. The meeting ends by singing “Beasts of England “ The Major dies but animals are inspired by the Major.

    Soon enough there is a coup against Mr. Jones and other farmers, and the animals take over. Henceforth there are reading and writing classes. Everything is so organized. There were committees like the re-education committee. Napoleon a pig becomes the leader.

    Seven commandments are written. Does it mean that Orwell is introducing religion since there are 10 commandments in the bible.? “ All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others “.is one commandment.

    But as time goes on it is clear that all animals are not equal. Life becomes harder for the animals. A windmill is broken and Snowball another leader is accused of sabotaging it. Also, the animals starve.

    Tactics were used to remove animals that came in the way of running the farm. Snowball was one such pig and was removed.

    Meanwhile, the pigs start to install radio and telephone in the animal farm. Also, there is a newspaper on the farm. It looks like a normal society to me.

     The farm was not called Manor farm but an animal farm. The farm was declared a republic. Hence it was decided to have a president. But will the animals manage to run the farm on their own or will they end up fighting and destroying their freedom?

    After a few years, the Humans are invited to the farm to drink. Also, the farm is again called Manor farm.

    Orwell was trying to show in the novel about Russian conditions under the communists’ regime 

    In 1917 Tsar was overthrown by the communist. It is in this context that the book was written. In communism everyone is equal. Everyone works but everyone benefits equally. Joseph Stalin was the leader of communist Russia in the 1920s.

    But it became known that this communism was not working. There was not enough food for everyone. People were starving.

    But Stalin and other leaders could not do anything. They kept on reminding people how bad the conditions were under Tsar rule.

    Thought the novel was not for children. But the conditions in Russia can be explained well by reading this novel. Mostly Animals are used in the novel.

    One of the most common technique used in Russia and Animal farm is this. How to manipulate people so that they begin to doubt themselves.

    Another technique is that the masses are kept ignorant of whatever is happening. This is how people can be manipulated. This is again shown in animal farm. Also so-called “fake news” is there at the farm. No one knows the truth and everyone is confused.

    The pigs undo the “all are equal motto”. They think that they are better off and look down upon other animals.

    In this manner, we can see how Animal farm is compared with Russia during communism.

    The book is under 100 pages.

    I like the details about how exactly the farm is organized.

  • Meditation and its methods by Swami Vivekananda

    Meditation and its methods by Swami Vivekananda

    Kindle : 34.22 rs

    Paperback : 174 rs

    Swami Vivekananda as most people know was a Hindu. He introduced the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and yoga to western world. But few know about his book on mediation.

    Mediation according to yoga. 

    Mediation is the power to resist things. Nature introduce us to a beautiful smell .I tell myself don’t smell it and the nose does not. When you mediate you can change all this .It is an attempt to change all this.

    Change to getting freedom will come.

    This about that change .Changing anything is difficult.

    The mind is a strange thing .It keeps on wandering away here and there. It might wander off to places where you have been .This will be stopped by the power of mediation. If we can control the mind we can control anything.

    Before any meditation  methods it is important to know where to mediate. Otherwise it is no use to meditate.

    These ideas will work since they have worked for me. Try to follow these ideas as closely as

    you can.

    The environment to mediate

    • Try to have a separate room for mediation
    • Try to place flowers in that room .It will enhance your meditation.
    • Also do not meditate when  you feel  lazy or ill.

    • If you want to burn incense in the morning and evening you can
    • Try not to have anger in that room 

    All these things will help in the mediation

    Whenever you are miserable or your mind is distributed, enter this room and you will be calm.

    Time for mediation

    Try to practice at least twice every day .Best times are towards morning and evening. These are times of calmness.

    Now if you are ready now repeat and i quote “ Let all beings be happy , let all beings be peacefully let all beings be blissful. Do this to the north, south, east and west. When you continue to do this you will feel better.i tired this for a few days and saw it made me feel better.If you believe in god than pray.

    Next look at your body and see how healthy it is.

    Another example of mediation

    Look at your heart, Think there is Space in your heart. In the middle of that space think that there is a flame that is burning .Inside this flame there is another flame.and that is your soul. Meditate on that. I know this is confusing when you read it for the first time. But keep on practicing it and you will understand it better.

    There is another method of meditation :

    First sit in the position that you can sit in for a long time. All the currents that are working pass along the spine. The spine is not intended to support the weight of the body. So the posture must be such that the weight is not on the spine.

    In the end I would say meditation is a means of controlling your mind . Practice meditation for months to benefit from it. Remain cheerful and yes patience is the greatest virtue that man  can have. You will see great transformation through meditation.

    This book has lots of meditation methods. Try all and see which works for you.

    The photo of a person doing meditation is taken from Dreamtime.com

  • Over My Dead Body By Jeffery Archer

    Over My Dead Body By Jeffery Archer

    Kindle Edition : 278 rs

    Paper back : 293 rs

    This is one of the many books by Jeffery Archer. The other being Only Time will tell, As the crow files and many more.

    The character is William Warwick. Archer has written more novels with this character in them.

    The setting is on a cruise ship at first. We see William James and wife Beth on the ship Pligirm Line.

    This is a luxury ship. There is a battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty.

    James Angus is the deputy chairman of the ship. James asks William to tell him how to take advantage of the family. I wonder why ?

    Fraser Buchana is the new chairman of the ship. He is friends with Miles Faulkner and Christina. Faulkner is believed to have died. His funeral also took place. Miles is a thief. Meanwhile, Miles is trying to escape from the police who knows that he is not dead. It is a game of cat and mouse between William and Miles

    One fine morning Fraser and the rest are having breakfast . All of a sudden Fraser it seems has heart attack and dies. But William thinks it is murder.  and tries to tell James who is sitting where at the table that morning. He is trying to solve the murder. There is a cat and mouse plot between William and Fraser.

    In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit—a cold case squad—to catch the criminals nobody else can. longtime undercover DI Ross Hogan, whom retiring Cmdr. Hawksby is grooming as William’s second, develops an altogether more personal reason for going after Faulkner and, at long last, begins to litter the path he blazes to his quarry with the bodies of his agents.

    But Archery has sub-plots in ll his novels. As usual writing is excellent . Archery has not le down his fans in this book.

    Jeffrey Archer is one of the world’s most famous authors, having sold over 275 million copies of his books in a ninety-seven countries. He is also a former member of Britain’s House of Lords.

    Buy on amazon
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    Fitness habits : Breaking the barriers to fitness  by  Amaresh Ojha and Subhra Moitra
    
			
    

    




    




    Pages :192 
    




    Price  : Paperback :156
    




               : Kindle     :119.77 
    




    




    I am not into fitness . But I picked this book up because of a friend. I used to  see her join the gym and then quit. She is a close friend . This happened too many times.So i thought let me read this book and help her.
    




    This book was written after the authors had researched  more then 100 fitness centres across India.The research involved engagement Enrollment patterns and things like that. With so much research behind them, how could they go wrong.
    




    Why do people do fitness for a while and then leave it ?
    




    




    • No passion
    




    • No motivation
    




    • Setting unrealistic goals
    




    




    If your body makes you feel better would you not want to continue to do the fitness regime.
    




    What I got from this book.
    




    1.It takes time to adopt a habit .
    




    2.Find out what helps you stay motivated.
    




    3. How to maintain a habit.
    




    If you agree to the above then this is the book for you.
    




    There is an exercise in this book which will help you understand your relationship with fitness.
    




    This is important, otherwise how will you know if you have any relationship with fitness.
    




    There are eight secrets in the book that will help you form fitness habits.
    




    Secret no 1
    




    Awareness
    




    In order to build a exercise regime you have to know your present state of health. How healthy are you ? You might think you are healthy just because you go for a walk. Once you do realize that you are unhealthy you yourself will want to make fitness a habit. Again there is a small activity that will help you understand your fitness level .
    




    Secret 2
    




    Find your why
    




    You will want to find out why you want to be fit. Is it because everyone around you is trying to be fit? You should want to be fit because you want it not because everyone is trying. Makes sense doesn’t it ?There is a small activity that will help you discover your why.
    




    Secret 3
    




    Go slow but go forward
    




    In case you want to start on a fitness routine, go slow. In case you try to do a lot of exercise or train a lot you will find it boring. Also your body will get used to any fitness regime in a slow manner. Your body might tear itself out if you do too many things all at once with your body.
    




    Consistency is important in forming any habit .So do exercise daily according to your regime.There is an exercise to maintain this consistency.
    




    




    

    set people doing exercise with exercise machine vector illustration graphic desing
    

    




    Secret 4
    




    Anything will be interesting when you add an element of fun in it. Try not to make fitness a struggle . Try music while exercising .For example Zumba uses music. The tempo of people doing Zumba is high when doing it with music. Try doing something in a group but remember to go at your own pace.
    




    Try doing various exercises and change it daily . That way it  does not become dull and boring.It will be just a sweat secession but something you will look forward to when you wake up.
    




    Secret 5
    




    Planning before performance
    




    If you plan anything it is likely that you will finish it. With a plan in place you will perform the routine. So plan but keep chaining the plan so as not to make it boring.Plan  would include keeping water and the like.Do you have a plan ?
    




    Secret 6
    




    Declutter your Cue
    




    Wondering what is cue ?
    




    Simply put  cue is the trigger that initiates a behaviour and says that if we do certain things we will get a reward.
    




    For example if you eat your pre  workout meal and miss on it due to reaching home late then decide if you want to eat the meal or go for a workout. I know all these things sound complained but Rome was not built in a day . Even your habits will take time to build.
    




    Secret 7 
    




    Prepare your environment
    




    If You need to take a bottle to the gym, do it. If you need to take a small towel then do that. In this manner you are comfortable in your environment. This will help you form a habit.
    




    Secret 8
    




    Evaluate your progress
    




    Whenever you start anything new you will have to see how well you are doing.
    




    If you are not doing well you will want to have a strategy .
    




    The best part about this book is that he has given small activities which I feel that will benefit people.
    




    

    Buy on amazon
    

    




    The image of people doing exercise was taken from vector stock.