*(Kannan is a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary, having worked as Head of Finance, Director, MD, Mentor... and now runs a charitable trust for upskilling financially challenged students from Tier-2 colleges in small towns and providing them with placement assistance. Also my wife's brother.)
Happily, as the very title suggests this book is a fictional Rajan family’s attempt to understand Santana Dharma, and not a heavy-weight book that will demand repeated readings to get to the bottom, let alone its possible sedative side-effects. Simple, straightforward.
To pack a subject that many would write in volumes, Kannan manages to do it in 315 pages - as they say, containing the ocean in the palm. हथेली में समंदर समेटे हुए - hathelee mein samandar samete hue. Full marks on this, Kannan.
Converting such a demanding subject into a lucid discussion point within the confines of 12 x 14 drawing room of a middle-class family, takes the cake; and the author does it with undiluted success. Simple, conversational style. Cheers.
The author makes no secret of the fact that very often he himself was unable to answer some of the spiritual queries of his children, and hence he did not want to broach the subject with them unless he was fully equipped to do so. Hence, over a period he read and assimilated several Hinduism books before embarking on the subject in the form of this book, so that the explanations reach way beyond his own sons. Well done.
Some of the fundamental concepts Kannan chose to deal with are: Is it Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma, Life’s Purpose, God and Godliness, Who Am I, Fate (Prarabdha) versus Free Will (Purushartha); the suggested paths for attaining bliss; Your Prakriti and Gunas Decide your Best Path; Duties are not negotiable though; Inaction Not an Option, Mind Management (for long I have been looking for something on this).
This book liberates readers from having to read it with a pen and pad to note down the key takeaways. Kannan does that with aplomb in a separate section on Takeaways and Conclusion – Atmano Mokshartham Jagat Hitaya Cha; The Ten Minute Summary, Takeaways for the Rajan Family, and A Festive Feeling.
Personally, on reading the book over thrice - earlier in manuscript and pre-final forms, and now in its finished format, I feel I lost a wonderful life-time opportunity from Kannan to be a co-author. But then, dashing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s, and adding no substance or content whatsoever just does not entitle one to co-authorship. First deserve then desire.
A copy of the book rightfully deserves its place in every household for its simplistic, lucid explanations of all that one might have wanted more clarity on. But don’t take my word for it. Just see what some of the top echelons of the society who read the book have to say:
“For a long time it was my fond wish someone would come up with a simple and concise book on Sanatana Dharma – not complicating it too much…This book exactly does all those and surpasses all expectations…” writes a retired senior executive from Tatas.
“It (the book) elucidates the core of Hinduism/Sanatana Dharma which focuses on attaining permanent Peace and Happiness by managing one’s own Mind, Energy, Body…Highly recommend reading this book and sharing with the younger generations so that they can manage their lives better holistically and create a better world order.” – opines a leader from India’s Tech industry.
‘All fine uncle, but how can we get a copy of the book?” Yes, you can buy it on Amazon India https://shorturl.at/9jOvy; You can buy it on Amazon USA https://tinyurl.com/2upduf5y; You can buy it on Amazon UK https://tinyurl.com/3jkupfju; You can buy it on Amazon Australia https://tinyurl.com/4aw9z3zt; You can buy it on Amazon UAE https://amzn.eu/d/ggPjFzs
The Author’s earnings from the book are pledged to Swapnodaya Charitable Trust (www.swapnodaya.com)
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3 comments:
Last weekend, when Sundaram Chitappa and Lalitha chitti mentioned about this book, I promptly ordered my copy online here in the US. It arrived a couple of days ago.
Confession - I buy many books but it’s been years since I actually read any book completely.
So it was with a bit of hesitancy that I started reading the book last evening, doubting whether I would actually finish it. I haven’t finished reading, but - this has been amazingly easy to read. The subject is spot on, the style of writing simple and super clear. Love it.
Thank you Kannan mama for sharing this book of knowledge with us all. Awesome work.
I also showed this book to my older son, 15 years old. Like me, he hasn’t read a (non-school) book in years. To my surprise, he read the back cover and flipped through the book, promising me he would get to it. Trust me, he, of the TikTok generation, hasn’t even done that much of reading with any other book in years.
Thank you 🙏
Read the book since I too had many of the same questions the Rajan family had about Hinduism. Not only did the book answer these questions, it also left me with a sense of pride in the cultural heritage of the land I come from. To think that such an inclusive, and flexible culture was devised at a time when the rest of humanity was busy imposing themselves on each other makes me feel a lot better about who I am.
I completely agree with this blog. To begin with, the book does an amazing job in teaching us about Hinduism in a manner that’s extremely easy to consume. In addition, it gave me a sense of pride in being a Hindu. We are often defensive about our roots outside our homes and this book helps us fight that defensive mindset!
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