Siddartha vs julian Mantle

Ever since I have been at my current organisation, one thing that I have had in abundance is loads n loads of free time. To make things worser, I have to stay back 4 a stipulated number of hours. Well, this ensures that I cannot go home n indulge in my favourite activity i.e. SLEEP. I could do the same out here, as there is one huge air conditioned dorm, but 2 my dismay I always find it filled. There is nothing much I can do out here, coz unlike my previous orgs I donnot have a gang 2 hang out with :-((( n to make things graver I just have limited access 2 the net. The only sweetener is that v have a huge library, but sans the genre of books that I generally read.

I generally take an year or so to complete a book n I read atleast 4-5 books in tandem. So, I am sure u can understand the kind of confusion I am in when I open a book. Sometimes I end up reading a few pages(coz I always run out of my book marks ;-)) all over again n have this stupid sense of dejavu, as if I had read the book in my dreamz. I attributed all this to the lack ot time, coz my fav indulgence eats away a lot of my spare time. But now the situation is very different, I have a lot of spare time n nor can I indulge in my fav activity. So, I listed down a few books that I always wanted to read. Well, believe me guys I completed a book that I started reading 14 yrs ago!!! But then this blog is not abt that book.

I also listed out a couple of books, just bcoz they were best sellers. One of the authors also had won a Nobel in Literature. So u know that I had listed a couple of real serious books. I was not sure if these could b assimilated by a sumone with my kind of taste. A rather interesting fact about these books is that both served the same purpose, but with a very very different approach. These were written about a century apart. One of the books "Siddartha" was writen in the early 1900's. The other book is abt a Monk who sold his Ferrari. The first picture that I had as soon as I read the name of this book was of, Dalai Lama getting into a blazing RED Ferrari, n flooring down the gas pedal n taking off with plumes of fume gushing off the exhaust. Well, I cannot curse my imagination 4 this. They say that the gray cells that r responsible for artistic imagination reside in the right half of the brain, n in my case there is nothing RIGHT about this half(yeah, the same old stupid joke n only Suchin can manage to LOL at this!!!). My friend on reading the title was concerned abt the price at which the monk sold his Ferrari.

"Siddartha", in contrast to what the name suggests, has nothing to do with "Gautam Buddha" the founder of Buddhism. It is a story of a young Brahmin boy's travails in search for the all elusive eternal truth. This book is allegorical by nature. In complete contrast to my belief b4 I started reading this book, I could easily relate myself to Siddartha in many ways n I am sure that there is a bit of Siddartha in every one of us. It is also a bit lyrical in nature. It deals with the stark realities that v as humans face at different stages of our lives. The book has been aptly divided into different chapters, each chapter corresponds 2 a particular stage of in our lives. All I understand after having read this book is that hell, heaven, Nirvana.....r all just a state of mind(Jai ho Mithun Baba!!!). The book is philosophical n has no religious overtures in ne way. The tale although philosophical is so gripping that u walk along side Siddartha throughout the book. The whole story was set in medieval India, n to c a German explain the customs n traditions so well is amazing. Well, the last chapter was amazing n I was awe struck with way the stark realities r unravelled. Yet there were a few things that were incomprehensible, looks like I lack the gray cells fit enough to decipher the code. They say that a few books r to b read, n a few 2 b studied. But this is a kind of book that has 2 be thoroughly assimilated n imbibed. I loved it to the core. This book was originally written in German, so u could get a lot of translated versions by different publishers. I suggest u 2 go for the "Bantom Books" publication ( yeah, I am endorsing their books n I get paid) coz the tone of this book is really soothing.

Well, abt a century later Robin Sharma, cums up with his master piece " The Monk who sold his Ferrari". The protagonist in this book, Julian Mantle happens 2 b a master litigator who leads a fast paced chaotic life. The story is set in the bustling city of NewYork. Julian Mantle is a hugely successful lawyer, who owns all the material comforts that ne one could dream of...n that includes a blazing red Ferrari. So u now know the rationale behind the title of this book. One fateful day, JM has a huge heart attack owing to his chaotic life. JM realises that this is a harbinger for worser things to follow. He relinquishes all his materialistic comforts n sets out on a soul searching journey. His journey takes him to the mystical ranges of Himalayas, where he cums in contact with a cult called " Sages of Sivana". Here JM learns the secrets to an eternally joyful life. He realises his past follies, n JM returns back 2 New York with a new previously unforeseen vigour n purpose. Now, this purpose( i.e. to share the mystic knowledge that he imbibed from the sages ) oiled the wheel of his life. He first meets his co-worker n his best Buddy John. Here on, it is a conversation between John n JM. Embedded in this conversation is the gyaan that JM promises to help us transcend to the next level. The book is definitely not as gripping as "Siddartha". There were umpteen moments where all the gyann sounded a bit reiterative. This was not the first time I was listening to all that. An year ago I had taken up a course that helped me kick my smoking habit(give me a call to know more...I get paid for this too ;-)), n I could easily draw parallels between the two. Yet, I liked the book for purpose it served n simplicity.

V all lead a fast paced life, n loosing touch with our own self is easy. Robin Sharma's book is an antidote 4 all of us who r in search of our former selves. This book is a lot practical in its approach. In complete contrast, "Siddartha" is contemplative by nature. U could get stuck at an excerpt for hrs, trying to figure out the right meaning. "Siddartha", is a lot more rhetoric as compared to "The monk who sold his Ferrari". I also could c a couple of contradictory opinions in what the 2 books preach(or say). U can pick the one that suits u. Herman Hesse's narration was par excellence. U don't get a Nobel just like that!! Robin Sharma, on the contrary will probably never win a Nobel for his books, but then his book could help churn a few Nobel laureates amongst his readers. If u were to ask ur self "Who r u" n r groping 4 an answer( I know that it is too much 2 hear from sumone like me)...these r the books to read. How I wish I had read "Siddartha", on a rainy day sitting at my home by the window, sipping a hot cup of tea n munching my mom's Jackfruit happala.....hmmmm.....Yummy!!!!