1.) On the Beach (By Neville Shute) - One of the first books I have read after graduating from Hardy Boys, Famous Five, etc.. Made me cry. Made me question the absurdity of hatred and war. Made me question humanity and the kind of society that we have made around.
2.) The Fountainhead Ayn Rand ; Atlas Shrugged - Read this during my time in college which helped me with my metamorphosis. From a useless loafer to becoming a silent self-absorbed and aloof youngster. Loved reading it at the canteen, bunking my classes. Made me angry and self-alienated but accidentally helped me to realize the wonders of solitude. Could identify the rebel and of course, one of my first steps towards philosophy which led later to spirituality.
3.) Lust for Life by irving Stone - a Biography on Vincent van Gogh. My greatest inspiration. I have never read a book with a lump in throat other than this one. Helped me discover the inner richness and completely redifined my idea of 'success' or 'social acceptance'. Made me wonder how and if I can justify my life, only if i can. What a name too for the book!
4.) Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard bach- Questions, questioning the world, the social obligation and empty rituals. And came Jonathan Livingstone Seagull to help me look inwards again to get some hesitant answers.
5.) Conversations With God Neale Donald Walsch ; Book 1,2,3 - Helped me loosen out. Be more acceptable to more views. And also be slightly more open to other people, speaking to them.. Also, probably helped me open up to a relationship I very much respect and admire to this day.
6.) The One by Richard bach - "I have lived all my life to be the person that I am right now. Was it worth it?" Enough said.
7.) The Alchemist ; Eleven Minutes - The books which introduced me to the philosophical and self-searching enquiry of Paulo Coelho. Isn't life supposed to be an inquiry?
8.) Osho books on Zen and Buddha ; Krishna ; Sex to Spirituality- The wily fox and very gifted Osho certainly kindled a good deal of flame of spirituality in me. My understanding of Zen, Buddha and Krishna which are just the dimensions of my 'self' would have been incomplete with out this player of words.
From internal science to external science...
9.) A Short History of Eveything by Bill Bryson - What challenging concept? How does one write like this? How does one grasp so much? Read this to understand this little world a little better.
10.) In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbin - The most challenging book ever I have read. Don't know how he thought he could write Quantum Physics and Science for the layman. I hope I have grasped at least something...
11.) Phantoms in the Brain ,and A Tell Tale Brain by VS Ramachandran- We have as many neurons in our brain as there are stars in the universe (unverified) but speaks for the magnitude of complicated ecostructure we carry on our shoulders. We haven't yet developed our brains enough to learn our own brains.
12.) If you Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him by Sheldon B. Kopp - My effort in understanding psychotherapy which further added to my belief that almost all the answers to some of the 'mental ills' are within one own.
External science to some Indian 'cult'...
12.) Aghora Trilogy by Robert Svoboda - Thanks for giving me an insight to the cult and the supposed 'hokum pokum' of one of the least understood ways of ancient indian life. I would have never grown to be accomodating of different ways of life, have an open mind to concepts I am unable to understand - if I hadn't read this one.
To one of the greatest stories which captures almost all the human experiences...
13.) Jaya by Devdutt Pattnaik ; Mahabharata by Kamala Subramanian ; The Mahabharata Literal translations by Bibek Debroy - Jaya kindled a very good obsession within me to understand this grand epic. Then I started researching and reading whatever I could get on Mahabharata. Then fortunately Bibek Debroy thought of translating the world's longest epic in English and I was hooked on. I might have never understood how I should interact with this world, my place in it if I hadn't read this epic. To have your own 'dharma' and yet understand other's 'dharma'. To have your own 'truth' and yet understand that there is equally strong 'alternate truth' out there and needs to be respected. Other than that - what a gem this is. it is not just a simple story of feud between cousins but so much more. Just like all the Indian mythology, it is reflective and never gives real answers. It makes the reader reflect and reach answers themselves. "“Whatever is here is found elsewhere. But whatever is not here is no where else.”
2.) The Fountainhead Ayn Rand ; Atlas Shrugged - Read this during my time in college which helped me with my metamorphosis. From a useless loafer to becoming a silent self-absorbed and aloof youngster. Loved reading it at the canteen, bunking my classes. Made me angry and self-alienated but accidentally helped me to realize the wonders of solitude. Could identify the rebel and of course, one of my first steps towards philosophy which led later to spirituality.
3.) Lust for Life by irving Stone - a Biography on Vincent van Gogh. My greatest inspiration. I have never read a book with a lump in throat other than this one. Helped me discover the inner richness and completely redifined my idea of 'success' or 'social acceptance'. Made me wonder how and if I can justify my life, only if i can. What a name too for the book!
4.) Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard bach- Questions, questioning the world, the social obligation and empty rituals. And came Jonathan Livingstone Seagull to help me look inwards again to get some hesitant answers.
5.) Conversations With God Neale Donald Walsch ; Book 1,2,3 - Helped me loosen out. Be more acceptable to more views. And also be slightly more open to other people, speaking to them.. Also, probably helped me open up to a relationship I very much respect and admire to this day.
6.) The One by Richard bach - "I have lived all my life to be the person that I am right now. Was it worth it?" Enough said.
7.) The Alchemist ; Eleven Minutes - The books which introduced me to the philosophical and self-searching enquiry of Paulo Coelho. Isn't life supposed to be an inquiry?
8.) Osho books on Zen and Buddha ; Krishna ; Sex to Spirituality- The wily fox and very gifted Osho certainly kindled a good deal of flame of spirituality in me. My understanding of Zen, Buddha and Krishna which are just the dimensions of my 'self' would have been incomplete with out this player of words.
From internal science to external science...
9.) A Short History of Eveything by Bill Bryson - What challenging concept? How does one write like this? How does one grasp so much? Read this to understand this little world a little better.
10.) In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbin - The most challenging book ever I have read. Don't know how he thought he could write Quantum Physics and Science for the layman. I hope I have grasped at least something...
11.) Phantoms in the Brain ,and A Tell Tale Brain by VS Ramachandran- We have as many neurons in our brain as there are stars in the universe (unverified) but speaks for the magnitude of complicated ecostructure we carry on our shoulders. We haven't yet developed our brains enough to learn our own brains.
12.) If you Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him by Sheldon B. Kopp - My effort in understanding psychotherapy which further added to my belief that almost all the answers to some of the 'mental ills' are within one own.
External science to some Indian 'cult'...
12.) Aghora Trilogy by Robert Svoboda - Thanks for giving me an insight to the cult and the supposed 'hokum pokum' of one of the least understood ways of ancient indian life. I would have never grown to be accomodating of different ways of life, have an open mind to concepts I am unable to understand - if I hadn't read this one.
To one of the greatest stories which captures almost all the human experiences...
13.) Jaya by Devdutt Pattnaik ; Mahabharata by Kamala Subramanian ; The Mahabharata Literal translations by Bibek Debroy - Jaya kindled a very good obsession within me to understand this grand epic. Then I started researching and reading whatever I could get on Mahabharata. Then fortunately Bibek Debroy thought of translating the world's longest epic in English and I was hooked on. I might have never understood how I should interact with this world, my place in it if I hadn't read this epic. To have your own 'dharma' and yet understand other's 'dharma'. To have your own 'truth' and yet understand that there is equally strong 'alternate truth' out there and needs to be respected. Other than that - what a gem this is. it is not just a simple story of feud between cousins but so much more. Just like all the Indian mythology, it is reflective and never gives real answers. It makes the reader reflect and reach answers themselves. "“Whatever is here is found elsewhere. But whatever is not here is no where else.”
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