Tag: India

The Subtle Art of not giving a F***K & Think like a Monk – Book Review !!

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**K
A book, That I had heard a lot about. But, never did I find out what it was about. Maybe because it had become such a big sensation and had hit the best-selling charts. That I was slightly sceptical to read at that time, So this year… In The Bookclub we decided to read “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**K” And literally within two days, I was done reading this book. 
Let’s start with what I liked about this book. 
The tone is very conversational, with examples for explanations, so that it becomes very relatable, unlike other self-help books the language is easy to understand. 
The authors refer to his situations in his life, this makes the book trustworthy and gives the confidence to be the change. 
the chapters too are captioned with the doubts or questions we always come across or have come across that makes it a fun read. 
Yes! Happiness is a problem, We always do have a choice, Why we must say “No” and We are always wrong about everything.
This book is like you have always heard someone say those same things, but this time you are not listening, but you have understood his argument. 
CHAPTER 1: Don’t Try
CHAPTER 2: Happiness Is a Problem
CHAPTER 3: You Are Not Special
CHAPTER 4: The Value of Suffering 
CHAPTER 5: You Are Always Choosing 
CHAPTER 6: You’re Wrong About Everything (But So Am I) 
CHAPTER 7: Failure Is the Way Forward 
CHAPTER 8: The Importance of Saying No 
CHAPTER 9: . . . And Then You Die 

 

Think Like Monk – Jay Shetty.

You might think, If you have read a book on spirituality, Zen, Buddhism all are the same. Yes, Most of them are very similar to a great extent. But giving relevant examples that one can connect to the current generation, can install the belief and practice of enlightenment yet again.

Whether it was Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse to finding out the secret by Rhonda Byrne or To know about the Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma to Learning The Art of not giving a F**K Mark Manson to Thinking like a Monk by Jay Shetty.

All have their way of telling you the same thing, But they use the relevant examples to keep the practice going- If Think as a monk spoke about Brain Acton’s rejection to not giving up and come up with WhatsApp to giving each of us simple practices to practices to live a life of detachment.

Jay Shetty’s this  book, one should read today if they want to connect and change their way of living.

The book is written in three parts – Let Go the first part, Grow second and Give the last part…With some practical applications.

Indian Matchmaking! Now Streaming

It’s Funny! How many things I have done related to weddings, Right from a  show on a popular television channel that highlighted a designer doing a makeover for the bride for their wedding to ending up in Wedding planning with a destination wedding planning organisation to being one of the contenders for the series on the streaming platform. And over the years, working with so many different aspects of weddings & relationship, there are quite a few things I learnt, and quite a few questions to those who answer aren’t justified. 
While working on the makeover for the bride about five years ago, I realised girls and women are now taking their time to settle down, They are more confident and independent. 
While working with wedding planners – I Realised marriage is more of a “Show Business” 
And while auditioning for “India Matchmaking” It was the first time  I got the answer to some of the question, which I always looked for. 
“Why do people get married” – A Question which is never asked by the boy & girl who would be spending their life together. 
What do I really look in a partner – The Answer to this question is always looking at a friends/ role model’s marriage and answering those points without looking into what the person is actually looking for?
Why haven’t you found anybody yet and why arranged marriage? – Maybe it truly is the fault in my stars. 
And lastly, when the series streamed and I watched the complete series, none of the genders knew exactly what they were looking for in each other? 
While the fascination for the west and international audience on the concept of “Arrange Marriage/ Matchmaking”  questioned them about the Indian culture of marriage in many ways, Why is our media shying away from admitting who we are actually? 
Why is marriage so important? Today thank god. Marriage by some isn’t prioritised like a Goal or landmark. While for the others their only “Goal” is to be married not because they are “ready”, not because they have “connected” but rather because of the peer & family pressure that forces them not to question what marriage is? Why some question it too much and have high expectations, others just follow the checklist one should follow in a regular “Life” 
   

Documentary Series on Netflix !!

Rotten

A Series that tells you about the business practices and the problems of the food supply chain,
Yes the business of all edible, Food Products we like to eat, But at what cost? Bitter Chocolates, Avocados, Wine, Honey, Milk and a lot of the perishable items we consume might have a mafia running or are either convincingly produced at a cost with the brands making a competitive profit without giving enough to the manufactures who do all the groundwork to produce the finest end product we consume.
This documentary-style series is a total eye-opener for the consumer who demands are being met by the companies, monopolising their market share and quality control practices are being ignored only and only keeping their profits in Mind. A Highly recommended series that questions what exactly are we consuming & How does it finally get to us.

Pandemic

The Series that is very topical & Apt for today’s Time is a must watch to understand what is defined as a pandemic & how in the past they were eradicated and controlled.
A Six episode takes us through all the scientist and researchers knew about a Pandemic coming soon, But How soon, From where will it begin and how contagious would this one.
The Series also takes us through some start-ups with experienced researchers are working on a Vaccine that would fight any disease a one-shot for all. The trials are going on & How sad is the state of Affairs in the USA as many county hospitals & hospitals are shutting down as they have a lack of funding from the government. 

Some More of My Writing #2

The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger!

The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger. This was a book that I read totally by accident- I have been borrowing books during this lockdown from a friend and thank god for the recommendation.

This Book was a beautiful ride into a journey of how much ones goes through to reach the top. But, In an entertainment business & media business, it’s very competitive. During Robert’s tenure, there were so many important acquisitions he acquired and managed to keep re-innovating and to keep Disney relevant as an organisation to an extent that he acquired Rupert Murdoch organisation for Disney and got access to a bunch of media channels including a popular streaming platform of theirs in India the Hotstar app and rebranded Disney+. There are so many insights to share, The relationship with Steve Jobs and how he convinced him and manages to acquire Pixar.

Trivia:

  • Wide World of Sports an ABC Broadcasting channel became the 1st U.S Media house to enter North Korea in the late 70s.
  • Apple & Disney collaborate for Television Shows on iPod Touch.
  • Marvel, 21st century Fox Studio, Star Wars acquisitions by Disney.

 

Robert Iger shares some of his lessons.

  • Tell Great Stories
  • Innovate or Die
  • Relentless Pursuit Of Perfection
  • Take Responsibility, When you screw up
  • Be Decent To People
  • Excellence & Fairness
  • True Integrity
  • Value Ability
  • Ask Question You Need to Ask.
  • Managing Creativity is Art.
  • Don’t Start Negatively
  • Don’t be in the business of playing it safe.
  • Don’t let ambition get ahead of the opportunity
  • We all want to believe we are indispensable
  • A company’s reputation is the sum total of the actions of Its people and the quality of its products
  • Optimism emerges from faith in yourself and in the people who work for you
  • You need to convey your priorities clearly and repeatedly
  • It should be about the future
  • Treating others with respect is an undervalued currency when it to negotiating
  • You have to do the homework
  • If something doesn’t feel right to you, it won’t be right for you.

This is one of the best books, I have read this year! And another interesting bit of news is recently Robert Iger announced he would be taking the role as the CEO For the popular video app Tik Tok an App that is currently banned in India As there have been ongoing conflicts with China.