WHAT is life? It is like an ever-flowing river – from human to society, society to culture, culture to country, country to humanity and humanity to universe. We understand each other’s feelings through language and then understand the whole world. A river never stops. No matter what obstacle, a dam or a mountain, comes in its path, it keeps flowing. But man is not able to cross all obstacles as we do not use our full potential. The author, a renowned Hindi writer, talks of his life and time in this book which comprises seven chapters. He begins with the basic issues before moving on to solving riddles of life. His advice is to have faith in our capabilities and make full use of the opportunities that come our way. He quotes eminent personalities like Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi and others who became successful through concentration, reform and hope.
The author considers life a great teacher. We acquire experience when leading our life. “We can’t learn better by reading books; we learn much more by doing experiments. Similarly, one can learn every day through life’s experiences.” He quotes Carlyle, who said, “One has to pay a heavy price for gaining experience. The morals one learns due to experience cannot be learnt through any other mode.”
In Ramayana, Valmiki says,
“Yon vishadam prasahate vikrame samupatbite
Tejasa gtasya heenasya purushartho na sidhyati |”
(One who becomes depressed with grief at the time of displaying valour cannot work like a man who has to deliver concrete results.)
(Diamond Books, X-30, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 020; www.dpb.in)
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