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Thursday 2 January 2014
Wednesday 1 January 2014
Book Review -- 6
Title of The Book : The English Language: A Historical Introduction
Author: Charles Barber
Publication: Cambridge University Press
First
Published: 1993
Fifth
Printing: 2004
Review:
Three years ago, when I was on bench, I visited our office
library. I wanted to read an off-beat book and randomly pulled one from the
shelf whose name read – The English Language: A Historical Introduction. Little
did I know then that this book would turn out be one of the most important books
I have ever read.
Long
story short, this book was informative, entertaining, gripping and
enlightening. Basically the book is
about the history of the English language. But apart from the history, the book
has so many layers to it you actually wonder if the name of the book is a
misnomer.
The history of English language in itself is as fascinating
as the history of mankind if not more. One thing about the book that impressed
me the most is its narration. You would feel like you are reading a story book.
The language is so simple that even a school student would be able to
understand it; there are hardly any jargons out there in it. Second thing that
impressed me the most is, its revelation of the hidden facts and information
that any of us hardly knew before. You actually wonder how come such ridiculous
amount of information can be crammed into one small book. Yes, the book is very
small about 200 odd pages, thereby very much portable.
Now, Let’s have a
sneak peek at its contents. The book starts with explaining what a language is
and how man is a special species because of his ability to speak a language.
Then the author explains different sounds a man can utter, how each sound is
generated from the different organs of the mouth and their phonetic symbols.
Then the author has beautifully explained with examples how in a spoken language,
the stress, rhythm and intonation are as important as grammar.
In the next few chapters the authors explains the connection
between English and Sanskrit! Surprised?
Read on. ‘Father’ in English is ‘Pitar’ in Sanskrit.
‘Brother’ is ‘Bhratar’, ‘Daughter’ is ‘Duhitar’, ‘Two’ is ‘Dwa’, ‘Nine’ is
‘Nava’ and so on. He explains that Sanskrit and English came from the same
parent called Proto Indo European language. There is a beautiful flow chart in
the book which shows how different languages of the world were derived from
their parent languages.
In the further chapters the origin of English in the 8th
century from Anglo-Saxons and Jutes who settled in England is described. That
was called Old English. After that English was heavily influenced by Greek and
Latin, there by majority of English words formed from those languages.
Do you know that the French ruled England for couple
centuries? Yes. And because of the Normans (French) conquest, most of the
legal, administrative and artistic words flew into English from French
language. Then how Old English evolved into Middle and then to the Modern
English with The Great Vowel Shift is a fascinating read.
Along the way the author enumerates how the grammar,
pronunciation and semantics (meaning) of English changed over the time before
being standardized.
In the later chapters how colonialization led to the spread
of English across the world and also how English loaned several words from the
different languages of the world thereby making it the language with the
largest vocabulary. Did you know that the word ‘Tank’ came into English
originally from the Hindi word ‘Tanki’? Did you know the word ‘Curry’ was
originally from Tamil? ‘Pub’ is a shortened version of ‘Public House’? These
little unknown facts are the reason you don’t feel like putting down the book
even for a second.
The
book explains how English is spoken differently in different parts of the world
viz. England, America, Australia, South Africa, India, Caribbean Islands and so
on. It also explains the varying
grammar, pronunciation and semantics of English words in each of those
countries and also how Indians learn English as a second language while
Europeans learn it as a foreign language.
The book ends explaining how the rise of the superpower USA
has made English the official global language and it’s predicted that American
English would rule the world in the future.
When I
finished reading it, I felt as if I had finished reading 10 books. I was
pleased to have absorbed such enormous amount of knowledge and wisdom.
When I reached the
penultimate page of the book, I was shocked to see that no one had borrowed
that book in the last 6 years from the office library. Disappointing
Final Comments:
English may not be
the greatest language but today it is inevitable in our academic and
professional lives. The problem with we Indians is, we are taught only written
English in schools. Books like this go a long way in teaching us the correct
pronunciation of words, correct stress and intonation which is very much
required in the current demanding global world where we need to communicate
with our clients across the globe at work. I recommend this book to every
student, teacher or any adult who speaks or want to communicate in English. It’s
a classic that should reside in every library and of course undusted..
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Book Review by : Sajid Ali Kalmani
: 7th Batch
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----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
Book Review -- 5
Book: "Tuesday's with Morrie"
About the Author:
Mitch Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American best- selling author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio, television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in the earlier part of his career, he is perhaps best known for the inspirational stories and themes that weave through his books, plays and films.
About the book:
Tuesday's with Morrie, the book which has held my soul from past two years. This book has life. Life of a an old admirable Professor Morrie, who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system and the book is all about his journey on the bridge death and his last days.The author Mitch Albon was a student of Morrie who flew flew hundreds of miles every Tuesday to spend time with his old, withering professor. As he puts it in his words "The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience. No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical tasks now and then, such as lifting the professor’s head to a comfortable spot on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Kissing him good-bye earned you extra credit"
Morrie, perceives his death differently. On death bed he resolves to live meaningfully. He starts giving lectures on life lying on bed. Many people start visiting his home to listen to him. Many write letters from far places to console Morrie and get some confidence through his words. People start sharing their grieves with him. People tell how they went through the agony of loss of their beloved, how difficult it's to forget them. Amidst all strains he replies with care to every letter. Morrie weeps when he encountered any death news in Tv's and news papers. And he tells "Death is a big thing. That makes even a stranger to shed tear for a stranger". As he always tells his people over there "Love everyone or perish".
Morrie always kept special time for his student Mitch. He loves to be called him as a coach by his most beloved student. Both talk many things about death, love, family, children, society, people etc. Morrie tells about his family. One day a letter comes. Since his father couldn't read English young Morrie reads it. It was his mother's death letter. He feels very sad and wails for reading his own mother's death news.He was shocked. He weeps telling Mitch that even his father didn't let him to remember his mother after her death. He so sadly expresses humiliation by his father. Keeping in mind every perilous moments he has gone through his life he chooses teaching and research as his profession since he believed that only these are the jobs which will not hurt human beings. And claims with teaching with little effort he can serve many. The book goes with the flow of many such things which can make our thoughts sterner.
Morrie dies serenely as he wished to. Without giving much trouble to others. Mitch defines this book as last assignment with his professor. This book is thesis submitted to his professor. The book comes to end with the author's following lines "The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week, in his home, by a window in his study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink flowers. The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience.
The teaching goes on".
Morrie, perceives his death differently. On death bed he resolves to live meaningfully. He starts giving lectures on life lying on bed. Many people start visiting his home to listen to him. Many write letters from far places to console Morrie and get some confidence through his words. People start sharing their grieves with him. People tell how they went through the agony of loss of their beloved, how difficult it's to forget them. Amidst all strains he replies with care to every letter. Morrie weeps when he encountered any death news in Tv's and news papers. And he tells "Death is a big thing. That makes even a stranger to shed tear for a stranger". As he always tells his people over there "Love everyone or perish".
Morrie always kept special time for his student Mitch. He loves to be called him as a coach by his most beloved student. Both talk many things about death, love, family, children, society, people etc. Morrie tells about his family. One day a letter comes. Since his father couldn't read English young Morrie reads it. It was his mother's death letter. He feels very sad and wails for reading his own mother's death news.He was shocked. He weeps telling Mitch that even his father didn't let him to remember his mother after her death. He so sadly expresses humiliation by his father. Keeping in mind every perilous moments he has gone through his life he chooses teaching and research as his profession since he believed that only these are the jobs which will not hurt human beings. And claims with teaching with little effort he can serve many. The book goes with the flow of many such things which can make our thoughts sterner.
Morrie dies serenely as he wished to. Without giving much trouble to others. Mitch defines this book as last assignment with his professor. This book is thesis submitted to his professor. The book comes to end with the author's following lines "The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week, in his home, by a window in his study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink flowers. The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience.
The teaching goes on".
My recommendation:
to all amigos who have met a great teacher. All Navodayans must read this book after coming out of Navodaya.
Final Words about the Book:
Flow of this book will drag tears down your cheek. This book has life. Few days back one senior asked me, which book you would like to read during your last days? And for sure this will be the book. Read it, love it and share it.
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: book review by : Ajay.M.Koyimuttal
: 18th batch
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----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
Friday 20 December 2013
BOOK REVIEW - 4
Title of the Book : Mahashweta
About the author:
Sudha Murthy, born on 19 Aug 1950, in shiggaon, Karnataka is a well known author, social worker and chairperson of Infosis. She did her engineering from BVB Collage of engineering and began her career as a engineer. She has written a lot of novels namely Gently falls the bakula, Dollar Bahu, How i taught my grand mother to read and write, House of cards etcPublication: Penguin Books, India
Brief about book:
'Anupama' bright, beautiful and talented girl is the
protagonist here in this novel 'Mahashweta'. It is taken from the female
protagonist in Banabhatta's play Kadambari. 'Mahashweta' a play by
which begins the novel unites Dr.Anand and Anupama. They got married
even though Radhakka, Anand's mother is shrewd bv agrees to below status
proposal and the grand marriage was an eyesore to Anupama's step-mother
and to her daughters. But her dream marriage falls apart when she
discovers a white patch on her foot and later comes to know that she has
leaukoderma. There starts the days of sorrow. She is abdoned by almost
everyone. But Anupama never looked back. Her struggle, determination,
strength is worth appreciating.
There are so many characters which helped her. She takes a job as a Sanskrit teacher in a collage in bombay. Anand after realising his mistake approaches her but its not Banabhatta's 'Kadambari' to give a "lived happily ever after" type of ending. Anupama rejects Anand. Now Anupama is independent, respectful and lives with satisfaction and joy. The novel ends with Anupama's students deciding on their next play- "Mahashweta" the play that began the novel ends it too, making tears to flow out of the reader's eyes.
As i have noticed the reader finishes it in a single sitting. Its like 'blink and you may miss it.'
There are so many characters which helped her. She takes a job as a Sanskrit teacher in a collage in bombay. Anand after realising his mistake approaches her but its not Banabhatta's 'Kadambari' to give a "lived happily ever after" type of ending. Anupama rejects Anand. Now Anupama is independent, respectful and lives with satisfaction and joy. The novel ends with Anupama's students deciding on their next play- "Mahashweta" the play that began the novel ends it too, making tears to flow out of the reader's eyes.
As i have noticed the reader finishes it in a single sitting. Its like 'blink and you may miss it.'
Final comments:
Sudha Murthy writes she was invited to a marriage but even after lot of brain storming she didn't get to know how she know them. But there it was actually her reader's marriage. After engagement it broke up after discovering girl has leucoderma. Meanwhile a friend of the boy gives him this book, the boy realises and decides to marry the same girl. Here "they lived happily ever after." This is what we expect from a novel, 'A positive change in the society.' Mahashweta achieved it...
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Book Review by : Sunanda.V.K
: 18th Batch
----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
BOOK REVIEW : 2
SIMPLY FLY
A Deccan Odyssey
Author: Captain G R Gopinath
Capt. G R Gopinath was the co-founder of Air Deccan and Deccan Aviation. He hails from Gorur, Hassan district. “Simply Fly” is his autobiography.
Author: Captain G R Gopinath
Capt. G R Gopinath was the co-founder of Air Deccan and Deccan Aviation. He hails from Gorur, Hassan district. “Simply Fly” is his autobiography.
Published by:
Collins Business
Genre: Autobiography
Some people change the rules of the game, in real sense. They bring in some ideas that not only change the way that particular business is done but everything.
There’s a book “Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey” by Capt. G R Gopinath, the father of Indian Low-cost airlines. This book is the journey of the captain who reaches the skies with Helicopters and Aero planes starting from Rs 6500, the money he received after retiring from Army.
Capt. Gopinath takes us through a journey from his small village, Gorur in
Hassan district to Sainik School Bijapur and then to a career in Army and then
eventually turning on the entrepreneurial spirit inside him.
The
book itself is a roller coaster ride, how the passing of Sainik School
examination changes the fate of a poor boy, how the army makes him stronger and
prepares him to face any challenge in World and the same army routine brings
boredom and forces him to leave it and go on and explore the World outside.
This book is not an autobiography of a person; it is the story of many of us who want to see the World through many lenses. Today we may dream of becoming a doctor and tomorrow and tomorrow someone else. And this book is the same;the author is an army guy, a farmer, a dealer of Enfield motorcycles, an agricultural consultant, an airline owner and a courier company founder. “This is the story of the new India” as the author himself mentions.
This
is a success story of a person who dreams and puts his heart at it and
succeeds. We find joy and luxury here and apathy and sorrow, as Captain leads
us through his journey. We see a farmer, a dealer and a politician too in him.
And as ever with everyone, he faces the shortage of money before he starts a
new venture and every time he overcomes the problem and succeeds.
There are touching stories in here, some so humble and touching that one cannot pass them without mentioning: the first story happens to the author himself – he flies his helicopter with the Chief Minister on board ven before the formalities with the DGCA, the aviation ministry, are over. Such zeal and spirit can be seen in his all ventures. The second is about a marriage that happened in his helicopter in air! This is a touching story of a small trader who wants his sister married in a helicopter as his grandfather has arranged the marriage of all his children on elephant! And Capt. Gopinath lets it happen at 50% discount!!
And there’s another story of a girl named Kavya who wanted to surprise her father by going to their home at Coorg unannounced in a helicopter on his sixtieth birthday. She makes it happen after a few years and they cut the cake mid-air.
There are touching stories in here, some so humble and touching that one cannot pass them without mentioning: the first story happens to the author himself – he flies his helicopter with the Chief Minister on board ven before the formalities with the DGCA, the aviation ministry, are over. Such zeal and spirit can be seen in his all ventures. The second is about a marriage that happened in his helicopter in air! This is a touching story of a small trader who wants his sister married in a helicopter as his grandfather has arranged the marriage of all his children on elephant! And Capt. Gopinath lets it happen at 50% discount!!
And there’s another story of a girl named Kavya who wanted to surprise her father by going to their home at Coorg unannounced in a helicopter on his sixtieth birthday. She makes it happen after a few years and they cut the cake mid-air.
These
are a few to quote and the book is filled with such anecdotes where the author
behaves more as a caring human being than a businessman.
The book is really a story that Entrepreneurs will face in their lives. Though fundamentally different, it is no less than Virgin Inc. in India. Even Sir Richard Branson shows interest in Deccan and meets him.
The book is really a story that Entrepreneurs will face in their lives. Though fundamentally different, it is no less than Virgin Inc. in India. Even Sir Richard Branson shows interest in Deccan and meets him.
This
book is a must read, as it is a story of an energetic Indian who loves the
challenges and moves up in life. It is more a story, a humble journey of a
common man who takes a leap of faith and builds his business.
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Book Review by : Nemichandra.B.H
: 17th Batch
: 17th Batch
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----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better
and knowledge sharing by your review ...
BOOK REVIEW : 1
TITLE OF THE BOOK : ‘ I DARE ‘ KIRAN BEDI
TITLE OF THE BOOK : ‘ I DARE ‘ KIRAN BEDI
AUTHOR; Parmeshwar dangwal
INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Parmesh Dangwal teaches English at the DAV college
,DehraDun,UP ,a postgraduate in
English from the
University of Allahabad , he earlier
taught at the
university of the
Delhi .
Publisher ;
NEW DELHI , BANGLORE, CHENNAI
NO.OF PAGES ; 380
YEAR OF PUBLISHING
; 1995
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK
As it is biography of Kiran Bedi....the main
character is Kiran Bedi
Lala Muni Lal , Prakash lal , Manohar lal....
INTRODUCTOIN ABOUT THE BOOK ;
Recently I
read I DARE by Kiran Bedi ,and I can say that it is
one of the most inspiring book I have
ever read . It is the complete story of the life of the first and role model of numerous people . And through
this book can understand how she was
able to
win the hearts of
millions of citizens
of the nation .
The book begins with
the family history
of Kiran Bedi . Her parents were much ahead of the times.
They sent all their four daughters
to the best
schools and encouraged them to
participate in sports
like tennis for
their all round development
despite the resistance
from the elders
in their family . Kiran Bedi won many
awards in tennis
. An important lesson which can
be learnt from
her is time management . She
used to
have a fixed
schedule and never
wasted a single
moment. All her focus was
on her studies
and tennis practice .
She was appointed
as the Cop
of the world
at the United
Nations. She travelled a lot
and grained a
global perspective . When she
came back she was
expected to be
appointed as the
police commissioner . But the
people inside always
hated her and
were jealous of her
.so despite she
being the highest
and the most
deserving candidate for
the position , she was
not selected for
that post . As a
result she resigned
and took voluntary
retirement .
THE CHARACTER
I LIKE MOST
IS obviously the great Kiran Bedi.....
Because, she
is one of
the very sincere
woman officer , she is leading
her life in a
very great manner
... And she was
the first woman
IPS of India
and was allocated the Delhi
cadre . She lead the
Delhi Police contingent
on republic day , 1975 and then
she was impartial and
never favoured anyone ,whatever their
rank or position .
I WOULD LIKE TO
SUGGEST THIS BOOK
FOR THE AGE GROUP OF 15 TO 20
YEARS OLD...
Because there
is much
to understand about
our jobs and
dedications to our
nation.
Youths must be
improve our nation... So
that I suggested
this book especially
to this age group...
MY FINAL COMMENT
ABOUT THE BOOK.....!
This book can
change the minds
of everyone...with this book
youths can learn
very great things.. Especially time management , nation spirit so on
. KIRAN BEDI has proved
that a woman
can do anything , she too can
face the problems herself
. In this book there are
so many collection
of photos of Kiran Bedi ‘s achievements . So that
helps to understand
better about her
great works and all ....
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Book Review by : Sneha.S.T
: 22nd batch
----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
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Book Review by : Sneha.S.T
: 22nd batch
----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
BOOK REVIEW -- 3
______________________________
[*A pre-comment-)I honestly confess that this review is more of a personal commentary than a critic. The readiness I ask for in the review is the courage to follow where the story takes us.]
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The Review :
And the little question arising here is the one most of us wish to know the answer for, in our deepest of desires. Though we may give elongated forms for that question, I quote it here in a concise way as- Why Life?.
Well. I presume, answer to that question is not so obvious. One needs to consider almost all the subtleties involved in each aspect of life. But with a general consideration and broader sense, it is possible to address this question. And JLS is an allegorical attempt in that way.Popularly, JLS story is considered as a fable in novella form or a homily. But I personally view this as a 'biography of true self'. By that I mean it is a life story of all of us as we truely are.
On the back of the cover it reads as 'this is a story for people who follow their dreams and make their own rules'. But in the pages of the book, author tries to convince us that everyone is worthy of that stature. In the front cover he begins with a take off into that worth along with Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Dedicated to all those who believe in self perfection,like Jonathan,the book tells the story of our spirits as Jonathan. Aptly divided into three parts, it primely deals with three P's- Perseverance,Perfection and Purpose. Each part,truely,is a great course in the University of Life.
1. Perseverance
As Aldous Huxley rightly claims-"There is one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that is your own self." If we are certain about this then why complain about the world around us? Why not just focus on the self?. This is how Jonathan views his world and himself. As a first step in self-improvement, he discovers his calling, as a seagull, in flying. Where all other birds struggle over food for mere living and consider flying as just a means to get to their food and back home, Jonthan seagull views flying as a more meaningful aspect of living. He practices flying whole the time without a master and experiments with different modes of flight like low-flying,speed-flying and aerobatics. Despite the disagreements and dismays of his parents he continues his quest. He pushes his limits in what he can, frequently failing but subsequently discovering new horizons in flight. His sole motto as he puts it is to know what he can do and can not do. By pulling himself hard he even encounters death but soon finds ways to come over his difficulties. His spirit for flying outruns his depressed promises to be a normal seagull. By the discovery of his breakthrough instead of appreciation he faces exile. He accepts it since there was no way to convince stubborn normal elder seagulls of the flock. He becomes an outcast. But never casts out his love for flying. His every breathe said 'never stop learning'. He practices what he learns and lives his practice. He leaves and lives alone discovering many applications of flight for survival. He perseveres.
But as human beings, we have got many ways in which to discover our interest. Are we really ready to dedicate and persevere, like Jonathan, in our calling despite the reluctance of the world or if it takes even to be the outcast?.
2. Perfection
Spending a lifetime of dedication, living up to his limits, Jonathan cruises up into a new level of living. He finds himself in a world that he initially thinks as heaven and wonders at the sparse count of seagulls there. But soon he discovers that it is another level in many stages of living. And here also he does not forget his breathe 'never stop learning'. He tests himself for his skills and finds it much easier to push his limits. But in that world the way ahead was not pushing limits but being limitless. Here author signifies being limitless as being perfect. Jonathan, guided by his masters, finds his perfection in flying by flying without flying. Strange but metaphorical, in a spiritual sense it means rising out of the confines of space and time ,that is, to be absolutely free. By this he realizes that he no longer has to fly and has no worries of missing anything. His quest was over. He can be there anywhere he wishes at anytime he desires. But his lesson was not complete though now his flying is perfect.
Really how many of us are ready to go that extra mile to find what awaits,before satisfying ourselves with momentary success and temporary joys in those limits we draw around ourselves? Are we ready to endure for the bliss of perfection though many say nothing is perfect?
3. Purpose
Being perfect and reaching the peak of excellence could not satisfy Jonathan. Throughout his life he believed in the truth of self perfection and higher meaning for life. But now, working on love and faith as his master suggested, he feels that self perfection is not everything in life. He thinks his purpose in life is not just to be perfect in flying but to wake his left behind flock from the darkness to the beauty and the meaning of flying. Despite the fact that they still look at him as an outcast, he sets out to help them realize their true selves. He begins by guiding an outcast back to the flock making him realize the meaning of love for his fellow seagulls. He gathers the outcasts and train them in turn to train the other gulls. Though, in the beginning the flock resisted them, slowly the younger gulls get interested in the marvel of flying. Jonathan makes his students realize their own selves and purposes. Denying their claims about him as divine from his powers, Jonathan puts the divine as being who you truely are. He imparts the true meaning of flight to a beloved student who learns that he is no less a gull than Jonathan. They are all one in their truest selves. And the true meaning of flight for a seagull was the freedom. Freedom for all was the purpose.
Then we ask why life? Repeating, what is this life for?.
A seagull as a symbol of self and flying as the motto of the living, Richard Bach makes us to look into our own lives and find who we really are and what we can and can not. He tells that to be perfect is to be limitless. So, as we learn to find our limits, we will move on to reach them and further without stopping we shall push those limits for perfection. And to share that perfection is the real purpose of living. So reason for the life can be found if we are ready to search. From the story of Jonathan Livingston seagull the reason I could find is simple.
______________________________
About the illustrator(as given in the book):-
Russell Munson started taking pictures of aeroplanes as a child and has been involved with flying and photography ever since. He owns a Piper Super Cub, from which he took some of the pictures in this book.
______________________________
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Book Review by : Ravikiran.B.S
: 19th Batch
.
----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
Education
Name:-Jonathan Livingston Seagull.- a story.
Author:- Richard Bach.
Publishers:- Harper Collins India.
ISBN:-978-81-7223-578-9
Category:- Fiction/Spiritual.
Pages:-87
1st published:- 1972, Great Britain
Present edition:- 23rd, 2013.
______________________________
Author:- Richard Bach.
Publishers:- Harper Collins India.
ISBN:-978-81-7223-578-9
Category:- Fiction/Spiritual.
Pages:-87
1st published:- 1972, Great Britain
Present edition:- 23rd, 2013.
______________________________
About the author (as given in the book):
Richard Bach is a writer and pilot, author of three books on the mystique of flight. During the past decade or so, he has edited a flying magazine, and written more than a hundred magazine articles and stories. A former US Air Force pilot, he is now seldom without an aeroplane.______________________________
[*A pre-comment-)I honestly confess that this review is more of a personal commentary than a critic. The readiness I ask for in the review is the courage to follow where the story takes us.]
-----------
The Review :
" Well, of course it works, Jon. It always works, when you know what you are doing."
The Question- it arises like a little cloud in a clear sky of comfort,when cool breezes of acceptance turn into harsh wind of doubts. The Question gains the form of a heavy black cloud with intolerance. Then …
The Question- it arises like a little cloud in a clear sky of comfort,when cool breezes of acceptance turn into harsh wind of doubts. The Question gains the form of a heavy black cloud with intolerance. Then …
And the little question arising here is the one most of us wish to know the answer for, in our deepest of desires. Though we may give elongated forms for that question, I quote it here in a concise way as- Why Life?.
Well. I presume, answer to that question is not so obvious. One needs to consider almost all the subtleties involved in each aspect of life. But with a general consideration and broader sense, it is possible to address this question. And JLS is an allegorical attempt in that way.Popularly, JLS story is considered as a fable in novella form or a homily. But I personally view this as a 'biography of true self'. By that I mean it is a life story of all of us as we truely are.
On the back of the cover it reads as 'this is a story for people who follow their dreams and make their own rules'. But in the pages of the book, author tries to convince us that everyone is worthy of that stature. In the front cover he begins with a take off into that worth along with Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Dedicated to all those who believe in self perfection,like Jonathan,the book tells the story of our spirits as Jonathan. Aptly divided into three parts, it primely deals with three P's- Perseverance,Perfection and Purpose. Each part,truely,is a great course in the University of Life.
1. Perseverance
As Aldous Huxley rightly claims-"There is one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that is your own self." If we are certain about this then why complain about the world around us? Why not just focus on the self?. This is how Jonathan views his world and himself. As a first step in self-improvement, he discovers his calling, as a seagull, in flying. Where all other birds struggle over food for mere living and consider flying as just a means to get to their food and back home, Jonthan seagull views flying as a more meaningful aspect of living. He practices flying whole the time without a master and experiments with different modes of flight like low-flying,speed-flying and aerobatics. Despite the disagreements and dismays of his parents he continues his quest. He pushes his limits in what he can, frequently failing but subsequently discovering new horizons in flight. His sole motto as he puts it is to know what he can do and can not do. By pulling himself hard he even encounters death but soon finds ways to come over his difficulties. His spirit for flying outruns his depressed promises to be a normal seagull. By the discovery of his breakthrough instead of appreciation he faces exile. He accepts it since there was no way to convince stubborn normal elder seagulls of the flock. He becomes an outcast. But never casts out his love for flying. His every breathe said 'never stop learning'. He practices what he learns and lives his practice. He leaves and lives alone discovering many applications of flight for survival. He perseveres.
But as human beings, we have got many ways in which to discover our interest. Are we really ready to dedicate and persevere, like Jonathan, in our calling despite the reluctance of the world or if it takes even to be the outcast?.
2. Perfection
Spending a lifetime of dedication, living up to his limits, Jonathan cruises up into a new level of living. He finds himself in a world that he initially thinks as heaven and wonders at the sparse count of seagulls there. But soon he discovers that it is another level in many stages of living. And here also he does not forget his breathe 'never stop learning'. He tests himself for his skills and finds it much easier to push his limits. But in that world the way ahead was not pushing limits but being limitless. Here author signifies being limitless as being perfect. Jonathan, guided by his masters, finds his perfection in flying by flying without flying. Strange but metaphorical, in a spiritual sense it means rising out of the confines of space and time ,that is, to be absolutely free. By this he realizes that he no longer has to fly and has no worries of missing anything. His quest was over. He can be there anywhere he wishes at anytime he desires. But his lesson was not complete though now his flying is perfect.
Really how many of us are ready to go that extra mile to find what awaits,before satisfying ourselves with momentary success and temporary joys in those limits we draw around ourselves? Are we ready to endure for the bliss of perfection though many say nothing is perfect?
3. Purpose
Being perfect and reaching the peak of excellence could not satisfy Jonathan. Throughout his life he believed in the truth of self perfection and higher meaning for life. But now, working on love and faith as his master suggested, he feels that self perfection is not everything in life. He thinks his purpose in life is not just to be perfect in flying but to wake his left behind flock from the darkness to the beauty and the meaning of flying. Despite the fact that they still look at him as an outcast, he sets out to help them realize their true selves. He begins by guiding an outcast back to the flock making him realize the meaning of love for his fellow seagulls. He gathers the outcasts and train them in turn to train the other gulls. Though, in the beginning the flock resisted them, slowly the younger gulls get interested in the marvel of flying. Jonathan makes his students realize their own selves and purposes. Denying their claims about him as divine from his powers, Jonathan puts the divine as being who you truely are. He imparts the true meaning of flight to a beloved student who learns that he is no less a gull than Jonathan. They are all one in their truest selves. And the true meaning of flight for a seagull was the freedom. Freedom for all was the purpose.
Then we ask why life? Repeating, what is this life for?.
A seagull as a symbol of self and flying as the motto of the living, Richard Bach makes us to look into our own lives and find who we really are and what we can and can not. He tells that to be perfect is to be limitless. So, as we learn to find our limits, we will move on to reach them and further without stopping we shall push those limits for perfection. And to share that perfection is the real purpose of living. So reason for the life can be found if we are ready to search. From the story of Jonathan Livingston seagull the reason I could find is simple.
And it is- Life is to persevere in your purpose unto perfection.
…the dark cloud slowly cools, in the breeze of realization that blow as the winds of doubts are calmed and pours the light rain of- the Answer.
"Heaven is being perfect"
[A post-comment-> the photographic illustrations by Russell Munson are as fascinating as the story itself but more realistic. This book will surely rouse an interest in flying as well as life.]
…the dark cloud slowly cools, in the breeze of realization that blow as the winds of doubts are calmed and pours the light rain of- the Answer.
"Heaven is being perfect"
[A post-comment-> the photographic illustrations by Russell Munson are as fascinating as the story itself but more realistic. This book will surely rouse an interest in flying as well as life.]
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About the illustrator(as given in the book):-
Russell Munson started taking pictures of aeroplanes as a child and has been involved with flying and photography ever since. He owns a Piper Super Cub, from which he took some of the pictures in this book.
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Book Review by : Ravikiran.B.S
: 19th Batch
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----- From OASIS : Thanks a lot for making this competition more better and knowledge sharing by your review ...
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