By Aravind Ramachandran
http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3207325&page=0
The city of Bangalore is never short of curious styles. This past week in the city, book lovers' haven 'Odyssey' played host to a charming lady who claims to have an obsession towards making excellence a scientific formula. Eminent spokesperson, motivational speaker, corporate trainer, internationally certified 'fire walk' instructor and now author, Priya Kumar unveiled her debut book - 'I am another you' - tracing her journey from a defeated woman to a spiritual mentor of sorts.
The book could be described as Priya Kumar's memoirs, if the strictest of technical terms are to be met, but that is hardly the focus point. Picking up at a time when she has lost everything, including her boyfriend and a fledgling business, she chooses to escape to Amsterdam, which she believes to be the land of spiritual awakening and relief. Her decisions are questioned by everyone near and dear to her, and she's caught in the classic 'you'll never understand' predicament.
A very personal and detailed account of her travels follows, through remarkable rituals of native tribes such as the Shamans. In essence, it is the modern, or even corporatized versions of these rituals that form the crux of the system of self-improvement that Priya professes. In fact, each chapter is followed by a bulleted list that highlights what the reader might have imbibed from the pages before.
A prediction of the success of the book might be off the mark, considering the interest it has already generated - with pre-orders already having crossed five-figures. But it must be mentioned that this is one book that depends very much on the openness of the reader and a keenness to identify merit in some of the rites. 'I am another you' holds something worthwhile, at least for that section of the readers, although the rest might feel it's an exercise in justifying or even adding credibility to some of the author's methods of realizing the self improvement promises .
Simplicity is maintained in both language as well as the ritual descriptions. But then again, as Priya herself puts it, "Drinking a cup of coffee can teach you many lessons". Good things don't always have to be complex, do they? To sum up, 'I am another you' does provide a few sparks for the spiritually inclined. A responsive atmosphere - a mind open to such stuff - might be able to make use of it and grow it into a lucid flame. But otherwise it is a matter of personal choice whether to take it seriously or not.
Source: India Syndicate
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