Enlightenment through a book on spirituality

Book/Film Review- 8

      Horse itself does not define its efficiency, it is the rider that determines its efficacy. Similarly, without a reader, books are meaningless even after holding the fervour of real-time essence, but whenever they would be read they prove their importance. In this trail, I found a book named ‘Striving to Attain Enlightenment’ written by Pankaj Kumar, introduced in the book as an ordinary man in his bio, but I term him as a writer who has almost travelled half mile of becoming a full-grown author. 

What is the book about?

       The book is actually an account of the writer’s life journey. What the contents written in the book are at least once experienced by the writer to all intents and purposes which make the writings virgin and filtered. As a consequence of it, the book becomes a sovereign remedy of getting motivation in distress, finding ways of becoming a writer and dealing modern problems through spiritual ways.

       William Walker Atkinson, author of the book ‘The Art of Logical Thinking’ writes that truth is of two kinds: contingent and necessary. Contingent truth is derived from the facts whereas the necessary truth is derived from the axioms and theorems. In my opinion, this book analyses the contingent truth and makes its presence far beyond the necessary truth. It deals the abstract idea, and maintains itself from the beginning to the end as a thought-building approach not pertaining to concrete. 

The book teaches us…

       This book is jotted down in five chapters with several sub-chapters in each focusing on modern problems, perspectives of thinkers, writing for therapy, writer’s personal experiences and how to maintain a symbiotic relation between individual and creation. After reading it a man can learn spiritual approaches like the power of meditation, mind, japa, sleep etc. to come out of problems arisen due to the modernity. In support of those, the writer not only provides the thought and insight of some thinkers and philosophers but also sets his personal experiences. 

The book deals with the…

       Going through the chapters on ‘the perspectives of some thinkers and the writing for therapy and personal growth’ a man can deal with not only his distressful life, backwardness in career, desire-lost, alienation from society etc., but can also get motivation from the episodes of Nirad Chaudhury, Schopenhauer, RK Narayan, Stephen King, Anne Lamont, Ruskin Bond etc. 

        Also, taking a grip on chapters ‘Some Thoughts and Experiences’ and ‘some important things worth mentioning’, a reader can enrol him/herself with dealing the habit of tobacco, how to rejuvenate the mind, following celibacy and non-violence, strengthening bond with parents, need of religious reforms, goals and life-leading purposes, finding pleasure in our work, view on sex and so many contemporary issues.

The book sets itself in the spiritual genre

        The writer expresses his gratitude to several writers specially Swami Sivananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda whose writing and thought have been dominating in this book. Their thought controls the contents because of the unavoidable contributions of them to the spirituality that rivets the flow of conception, as I find in my analysis. The book extracts its material, idea and supposition from the literatures of almost all influencing religions. The writer again and again quotes the thought of Sivananda, Gandhi and others, and propels the story from Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity to find out the spiritual solutions of modern problems that automatically sets the book in the genre of spirituality.

What we can learn after going through its chapters 

        Experiencing the multiple distressful episodes in my hitherto life, I was in the devoid feeling of hope and motivation that led me to the frustration and depression. Work place had become a haunted place for me in terms of my personal growth, enrichment of skills and irritable work culture. 

      At that moment, I was in search of a path that would lead me to a quiet and peaceful journey. I was looking for something new which is able to keep me motivated. I could not find any explanation to deal with the daily affairs at work place. 

        Finding out its solution had become my first priority because I was passing, and still I am, my more than 8 beautiful hours of a day there. And, I have no hesitation to confess that this book actually provided me melodious tips to go with the current situation in the manner of acceptance. It happened because I read several writers’ early life experiences and journey compiled at one place in this book. Everyone can learn this book in own manner with own purposes to get benefitted of it.

Where the book lacks to pace its importance 

       The book centres its conception in dealing the odd events, problems and unfamiliar conduct by the way of spirituality. No doubt, for a person who believes in the spirituality, the book will be bible in the context of going symbiotically with the above. Today, spirituality is losing its space in this world rapidly becoming materialistic that makes it luxury for the people. 

        Many meditation and yoga centres, that are claimed to be spiritualistic’ demand large sum of money for practising the yoga at their lawn. Low income persons have no scope to experience this ancient science of attaining peace by going through these centres however they need more of these because these people keep encountering financial, social, religious and family problems on daily basis.

       They are out of spiritual knowledge and this book can assist them to practice the spiritual means for coming out of their different set of problems. But, it furnishes a little scope for them without sharing out the key steps for it. 

        The book is written with ideal purposes for the people of ideal nature where it loses its pace to make connection with the people of modern mindset like university students, professors and professionals. It holds minimal and temporary verified way to practice the spirituality. Here, the book demands the authorised verification of what it is scripted in the book.

       Undoubtedly, the book grips the vast and filtered idea of spirituality, but without empirical approach, it lacks in logic and does not provide a ground for the persons of reasoning. Although the book explains its intent with normative approach, but it is the need of the hour to back this empirically for explanation. At many places, the book provides highly motivated stories, but what the writers and thinkers were doing in their inopportune moment and distressful time and how they come out of it, the book unfolds minimal in this context. That is main reason where it lacks, I think.

Remark- It is a book of worthy reading. It touches almost all modern topics, makes statements over these and leaves the reader to make a judgement on what is right and what is not right.

Star- 2 out of 5.

Book- Striving to Attain Enlightenment

Price- Rs. 150/-

Publication- notionpress.com

Writer- Pankaj Kumar

SCM: My experience with a man of word, administrator and motivator

         A proverb has been roaring the place where I am coming from, ‘The footprints of the future will be ahead, not behind because the future is like sand that casts no sign of past, but a pathway to the lessons.’

Me and my first boss at ANI, photo snapped by a staff photojournalist Rahul Singh on Rakshabandhan, 2022

    These lessons started accommodating during my short journey in the ANI photo division that get enriched by the trail when I preferred to be snapped with my current boss for the first time on Rakshabandhan because he has been a desirable motivation for me.

        In his experienced hands, the photo division is getting recognition by the publication of the pictures in the front pages of newspapers regularly, and the department is touching the new and newer peak each and every day from its beginning. There is no doubt.

        His name is not uncommon to the Indian photojournalists, and he is paid attention in this field as Subhash Chandra Malhotra, former head of PTI photo and current head of ANI photo division.

       He is too old to work, but it is only his passion and dedication that keep him motivated even at the age of 75. He is accustomed to come office steadily and to work for almost 6 to 7 hours, and sometimes on the special occasion, he does it for more than 8 hours. 

        He does not take any leave except a weekly off on Sundays. If I compare with him, I find myself far beyond in this context with a habit of taking 2-3 extra leaves in a month rather than weekly offs. And, I think, these qualities of him ought to be a motivation for everyone.

       His devotion towards work has not been faded off by ageing factors. He, again and again, has been proving the well-versed line ‘Age is just a number.’ He utilises his experiences to manage the team and has been displaying skills administering the department.  

Me and my first boss at ANI, photo snapped by a staff photojournalist Rahul Singh on Rakshabandhan, 2022

        His communication skills are fabulous except the rarest of the rare examples of age-motivated shouting on employees. Initially, his nature of shouting hurts the employees, but over the time they start taking it as learning, and keep their first step of being familiar to this circumstances. No doubt, he is virtuous by heart, and almost everyone loves him.

        Even after that, I find myself unfamiliar to the work culture of photo division. If I compel to teach me that it is my inopportune moment and one day a light will come and cover the darkness of what-I-am-doing by what-I-wish-to, I find nothing except an unlucky moment and a thought of being denied. It has probably become my destiny enjoying the instances of rejection. 

       It’s all, and in this regard, my friend, psychiatrist, always feels comfort to say, “it’s your dark phase of life, and a good is waiting. All doors are open for you after being denied for one and two.” But, it is nothing to me except a laughing stock, and half an hour of communication with her ends with the last sip of coffee at CCD. 

        Peddling many steps through several ways of potential, behaviour, attitude and professionalism of colleagues, I draw a set of conclusions, but I don’t feel free to comment on these at now.

        At moment, I can remember only one line said to me by my first boss: you have lots to learn! And, I take it as a learning of professionalism because learning is an everyday process.

         Slowly-slowly, I have completed one and half year in the department and it happened because of him, as I believe, and with an approach of developing the level of patience with colleagues of different particularity. 

Mood- Peaceful😉😉

Remark- Complete your work hour, go home, indulge in constructive work, read books and avoid the colleagues, do justice to your work and learn new skills in your leisure time and one day a person will be at the right place because talent and skills are worshiped.