HYDERABAD: Nistha Tripathi left behind cushy cubicle jobs in New York to write and educate in India. She has studied from University of Illinois and NYU in USA. Her debut book, ‘Seven Conversations’, is a spiritual odyssey of finding inner happiness by exploring ancient Vedic wisdom in a modern-day perspective, told in a fascinating tale of Meera An avid traveller and reader herself, she shares her top reads:
1. I am Another You
by Priya Kumar
Apart from ‘The Alchemist’, this book falls in the spiritual self-help genre for me. Priya Kumar does a good job in giving nuggets of timeless wisdom which she absorbed from a spiritual retreat in Netherlands. Each day’s episode is easy to absorb and yet powerful lesson that makes you pause and apply it to your own life. Author is herself a spiritual coach and certified fire-walker and this book seems to be the essence of it all.
2. Devotion of Suspect X
by Keigo Higashino
I loved reading Agatha Christie and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ as a child. Somehow, no one could elevate the mystery genre after these two. But Higashino, the best selling Japanese author, has not only revived the genre of mystery, but given it a tasteful modern twist. The writing (at least the English translations) keep the reader engrossed in the intricacy of the plot without getting lost in an embellished language or unnecessary gore. The beauty of this book is that the killer is revealed in first few pages itself and yet the plot thickens! A must read for the mystery lovers.
3. Case of Exploding Mangoes
by Mohd Hanif
A blend of real life characters and rich fictional account of General Zia ul-Haq’s mysterious death makes it a delightful read. I couldn’t help but admire the witty, ironical, dark imagination and fantastic expressions. Mohd Hanif’s imagination knows no bounds and he makes you feel as if you are watching Zia ul-Haq grapple with his fears and dilemmas live, which is such a big accomplishment for any author.
4. Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
I don’t think one can write anything more ridiculous than this story (except Saki and Wodehouse perhaps). He talks about universe and human beings and how we complicate things but thats’s simplifying it too much. The book has infinite layers of hilarious non sense and it has bits of sci-fi. Everyone should try reading this book because I feel human life cannot be complete unless you have seen it through Adam’s keyhole. You will be hooked right from its brilliant opening line.
5. Mrityunjaya
by Shivaji Sawant
It’s a Marathi book that tells the story of Mahabharat from Karna’s perspective and I read its Hindi translation. I was mesmerised by the rich portrayal of the dilemmas that Karna faced. I also strongly feel that Indian languages and our mythology have so much to offer and I wish coming generations will not lose touch with it.