The gist of it all

Hello everyone!So...all of us are excited with the first showers of rain.I somewhat like the atmosphere that sets in just before it starts pouring.A few days back,we went to Pune for a function.While we were travelling by the expressway,it was pouring a lot and I was really excited looking at the way the clouds had descended down the mountains.It is a great experience to see the peaks of mighty mountains sandwiched between the clouds overhead in the sky and those serenely descending towards the hearts of the mountain ranges,creating an eye-pleasing view;especially when you are travelling in a car and can witness this at a comparatively closer proximity.

Recently,I finished reading a book called,’The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ by Robin Sharma.To start with,it is a great book;in the sense,worth-reading.It is woven around the theme of a workaholic lawyer,Julian Mantle,who has a heart-attack which serves as a wake-up call for him when the doctors ask him to give up law or his life.The real story starts from there,as he sells all his material belongings,including his Ferrari,to go to India and heal himself spiritually.The whole book is basically a conversation between John(his assistant) and the lawyer-turned-monk,as he shares the knowledge he acquired from the Sages of Sivana with him.

Well,the book is not in the least boring;the very fact that I read the whole thing is a good enough proof!After reading books like The Secret,The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,The Magic of Thinking Big,The Alchemist e.t.c. I have come to the conclusion that the basic gist of all these books is quite similar.It is possible that you feel a bit cluttered while reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,but after sometime,you will realise that each and every teaching is not to be blindly copy-pasted into your life and this thought will bring a kind of soothing effect.Thinking positive thoughts,living in the now,doing your work with dedication...all these things mainly form the gist of it all.Of course,there's much more to it than this but I couldn't help noticing the major similarities.

However,even if the basic gist is similar,I did not feel like I am reading something repetitive and monotonous.I loved the comparisons and metaphorical expressions used throughout the book.The occasional use of mythical and mythological stories as well as a hint of humour in John’s dialogue was like a cherry on the cake.The mystical fable used to keep the reader hooked throughout was purely remarkable and absolutely imaginative.Well,don’t expect me to describe what the fable is all about!Read the book and find out for yourself.In my opinion,a person of any age group will find reading this book a delightful experience.Well then,Happy Reading!

Closer to nature...

Hello everyone!A few weeks back,I went to Aamby Valley.Awesome place.Without even a hint of exaggeration in my statement,I might as well go on to say that it was heavenly.It was the kind of place I had always longed to go to;surrounded by nature.There was greenery all over with multi-coloured flowers everywhere along with modern,luxurious chalets(the Timber chalet in which we lived was marvellous)as well as other exciting things which I can’t wait to describe.

The boat ride was a wonderful experience.Not only did it offer a great view of nature in general,but we were also fortunate enough to see a peacock,standing atop the steep hills,drinking water from the lake.Maybe it got scared because of the sudden attention and finger-pointing and scrambled up through the marshy slope.Luckily,I managed to capture a few pics while it was there.I was really excited as I had seen a peacock for the first time in my life.I had seen a peahen in Singapore and then, I was pretty disappointed about the fact that I couldn’t see a peacock!It is strange that sometimes things happen when you are not at all expecting them to happen and they don’t happen when you do expect them to happen...

Alright,back to the boat ride.So,in short,I was thoroughly enjoying myself.I stuck out my hand out of the boat and felt the rippling water on my hand.We played air hockey and table tennis in the Mini Club.In the recreation centre,there was a combined reading room and siesta.I comfortably rested myself out there and the surprising thing was that while we were reading out there for a stretch of three to four hours,not a soul entered that room.Even the attendant out there wore an incredulous look when I enquired about the A.C. remote in the reading room!Weird...Later,we played carom,went to Four Seasons and then returned to our Chalet.

Oh!I forgot to mention the Golf Cart part.A golf cart would come to pick us up when we wanted to go up to the reception.I just loved the golf cart ride like anything.I mean,I can’t guarantee you that a golf cart ride would be as enthralling in the city because the beauty of nature and the pleasant,clean gusts of wind blowing on your face when you bend outwards to get a better view of the surroundings added to the pleasurable experience.

At times,I would just sit in the Timber Chalet balcony,close my eyes and listen to the sweet chirping of birds.I could experience a natural calm and serenity,effortlessly,without any attempt to forcibly quieten my mind like I used to before this,the thoughts seemed to drift away,as though on their own,without any breathing exercises or other methods of feeling deep calmness which I usually resort to.Heavenly.I had heard before this that getting closer to nature helps to gain peace of mind,but there is a huge difference between hearing from other people and finding out on your own.

At night,it was pleasantly cool.After a considerably long time,I found myself counting the innumerable stars spanning the night sky!So,all in all,the whole experience of Aamby Valley was extremely delighting and enjoyable!