VERDICT: Provin Kami has made a good attempt to discover and reveal the path to happiness. But the book is quite deceiving at times.
My Review: “There is no such thing as a free lunch” I remember Professor Dias reiterating in our class, way back in 2007. Which in other words states that nothing comes for free, one has certainly got to pay the cost.
The cover of the book is not that attractive and doesn’t speak much of happiness as such. The title of the book and the subtitle can also be a point of solid discussion. The text in the book speaks of practicality of how one can live a happy life. The language is good, the book in that way is a smooth read. It is to some extent error free. But I have some inhibitions regarding the thought pattern concerning the philosophy that revolves round the thinking of the author. The very meaning of the word ‘Free’ is been distorted in the last chapter of the book, when the author gives a ‘to do’ list to gain happiness.
Blurb
“The best and most beautiful things in the world like love, peaceful mind, positive attitude, compassion, forgiveness are free absolutely free. This is what adds up to free happiness in our life.
Happiness lies within us in our attitude, compassion, right action and conduct. However, we search for it outside like Deer who has fragrance in its navel but run after hither to thither thinking that the fragrance lies out there. You have to choose between “Out-there-happiness” tagged with moving milestones or “Right-here-happiness” strung with happiness moment.
There are three broad aspects enjoying free happiness the easy way: Understanding the concept of happiness; Happiness with self; and Happiness with others.
We need to understand that pleasure hunting is road to misery and material prosperity after certain level is no guarantee of emotional prosperity. You need to be happy with your own company and be patient and compassionate with others. As a thumb rule, apply your head to handle yourself and while dealing with other use your heart. Be loving, grateful and positive towards others. Remember the Mowgli boomerang, what you throw at universe comes back to you. You need to stand up for your happiness and make it your priority because all our action is towards attaining happiness.
Let happiness be criterion for your action.”
About The Author
Provin Kami is a Post graduate in Economics and works in Reserve Bank of India. He is a competent communicator from Toastmasters International. He has got various essays published in national magazines. He is a voracious reader. He lives in Mumbai.
Book Title: Happiness is Free
Author: Provin Kami
Publisher: Partridge, A Penguin Random House Company
