I have not been a hardcore fan
of non-fiction or self help books, except for a few extraordinary ones like
"The Secret" or the Monk series by Robin Sharma. It isn't that I don't
like this genre. Infact few books have the capability to change your life. However
there is so much more to read in the fiction genre that I always end up
preferring that genre.
Sanjay Desai's book titled
"Jasmine Builds on Shifting Sands" is a unique book which combines
fiction and non-fiction. But it doesn’t end here – he even makes us experience
a totally novel concept – that of E-microlearning. How did I find the book? Let
us find out!
PLOT AND
WRITING STYLE
This is essentially a
self-help book, however to cater to a wider audience and to make it more
interesting and relatable, Sanjay adopts a combination of fictional as well as
non-fictional elements. And that works really well.
So we have a real story – that
of Ma Krishnanandgiri whom Sanjay met in the Himalayas. The story starts with
Sanjay meeting Ma Krishnanandgiri who narrates a beautiful story – the story of
Jasmine.
Jasmine's story is nothing
short of a film – how a simple college girl rises and makes her way to the top
of the modelling industry is very well told by Sanjay. The language is simple
and yet effective. Jasmine's character immediately makes you like her. You inwardly
cheer at her success and right decisions. You feel for her during her dull
moments. There is a time when you feel this plot will veer the Madhur
Bhandarkar way – that just like the film "Fashion", Jasmine will
slowly fall prey to the glamorous fashion
world. However the way the plot develops further is simply marvellous. Kudos
to the author for making it so beautiful and retaining the sanctity and purity
of the story as well as the character.
Sanjay's writing style is very
good. You easily get hooked to the plot. Infact I finished the book in a single
sitting. There is not a single dull moment despite there being a lot of preachy
content in between.
At the end of 4 chapters,
there are QR codes given. You need to scan them and LO! There is an entire
different content available online when you scan the QR code. There are short
explanatory videos, small opinion polls, some nice tips for improving your
inner self and many more things. For me, the first chapter on how to reduce the
use of social media was the best – something I need to improve myself too.
POSITIVES
& NEGATIVES
The unique concept is the
biggest plus point of this book. By dividing the book into a written format and
an e-microlearning format, the author reduces the size of the book, thus not making
it a very lengthy read. Also, this e-microlearning concept is pretty fun. It gives
you a feeling of having an interactive session with the author.
Secondly, I loved the way
Sanjay developed the character of Jasmine. Also, isn't it a coincidence that
she always met good people? Maybe that is how life is – if you yourself develop
a positive attitude, you will only meet similar people in your life.
Thirdly, the portions of the
Ayurved centre of Kerala were excellent – I could read them over and over again
whenever I feel low.
Amongst the negatives, I really
didn’t feel any such point. While reading the prologue, once I did feel that
the author was trying too hard by using too many metaphors. However I was proven
wrong as I progressed further.
Overall, I would recommend
this book to everyone. The reason being most of the people will be able to
relate to this book at one point or the other. And if this book helps people
improve even a bit, it will be a victory for the author.
My Rating –
4/5
Comments
Post a Comment