Concept of karma explained

The protagonist's journey towards seeking spiritual awaken ing explores the basic tenets of Hi nduism

-li BY ,\; PRIYADARSH INI

There has been a proliferati o n of books on sptrimality and religion recently, carering co d1ose of us confused and weary with what life ilirows ar us, One book chat jotns this growing list is Tbe Sear-ch that Seeks ) -011 by Sangamicbra Amudba

The story revo lves aro m1d me experiences of the central character Karma, his spiritual awakening and journey through life. Karma is an engineering student who is disconsolate after his m od1et dies quite suddenly, A previous encounter at cbe Podhigai hills leads him to journey the.re agai n in search of something to calm his troubled heart. He meets a few ascetics who lead him towards a path of spitimali ty. He s carts to practise meditation, learns about controlfu1g bis thoughts and to keep calm , and foc u s on his goals. He also learns about ' karma' which is a central concept in the book. After a few days, be has to go back home to fulfil his 'material responsibilities'. However Karma is a changed man, ab le to face any simation with a calm strength tbar astounds bis friends and relatives. The rest of d1e book talks abour his life after thi s experience. The book finallr comes full circle w ith him going back co the hill s to join cbe ascetics. a message from

APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of I ndia

organisation's website A finalist at the International Book Awards 20'12, in the Sp iriruaJiry category, the book has a fore\vord by Dr Abdul Kalam, and even a chapter about him

She introduces certain basic concepts from Hinduism such as kar111a, and this book would certainly serve as a goo d i ntroduction to people not familiar with them. The book que.~tions some of the ritualistic religious practices mat are a part of Hinduism, and emph as ises the use of meditation and oilier introspective practices instead. The author talks about u sing medication and yoga as a tool to overcome problems cha t people face everyday. ln her fo reword she advises the reader co n ot just read tbe story, but ro place d1emselves in the posi tion of t he main procagonist and by comparing bis reactions to their own, t hey can l earn somed1ing about themselves in die process.

Most of di e characters introduced teach the protagoni st, Karma, something. The transformation that Karma undergoes is tocal an d is sometimes a litde hard co believe. The ending was rathe r rushed , and not very clearl y dlOught out.

The narrative i s simple and me sto ry Rows easily The language d oes tend to get heavy and laboured in a few p la ces, especially when concepts are being explained. This might be a fault of the translation, as the original was written in Tarnil. The aud1or, Sangamithra

Amudha, is the founder and trustee of me Sanmarga Foundation, a Cbennai based organisation which teaches medi tative teclrniques. She hersel f has been practising Kriya medication fo r some years now and has been a counsellor for over 15 years, according to the

Victor S. La mba

If die book was meant to guid e peopl e d10 ugb dieLr life, then getting the main protagonist to abandon hi s wife and child m tl1e process, was not something I appreciated. Also, the reactions and behaviour of me wo m en in cbe book are rather one -sided and caricatured, d isappointing in a book written by a woman herself. If you are .looking for an easy

The story revolves around t he experiences of the central character Karma, his spiritual awaken ing

And Journey Through Life

''introduction to me concept of kam,a, d1 is con.Id be the book for you. In describi ng a you ng boy's search for d1e trutl1, the boo k attempts co give people a way to l ook beyond their problems and find srrengtb \vithm t he m selves. A ll in all, iliis is a book that c o uld start you on a spir imal quest and help you look for die answers wimin yours elf.

''If the book was meant to guide people though their life, then getting the ma in protagonist to abandon his wife and ch ild in the process, was not something I appreciated mm e dia t e re turn of your lov e one, Husba nd and w i fe domestic prob lems,Fam i ly problem,Breaking all sort of bad t h i ngs in your life , Stress and Dep ression, Court cases, B ad l uck , L ucky

The man with bis natural God gifted p ower of second sig h t. Success fully help i ng desperate people for the pas t 27 years.