HYDERABAD : When the movie ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ had made an appearance in the theaters, everyone wanted to own a hot lehenga like Deepika adorned in the movie. When ‘Friends’ series became popular, Jeniffer Aniston’s hairstyle inspired youth to change their look like her. But little did anyone know that the characters in the books can also help one take life’s decision. City Express got in touch with people who think reading a particular book has made taking decisions in their life easier.
While studying in Anna University, Chennai, Harshit decided to read Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and the impact the book had on him could not have been better than this. “The book was about an architect who was striving for perfection. He never compromised on it, neither for money nor for position. I was leading a life where I was mostly dependent on my friends. I always did things that were acceptable by everyone around me. I never dared to move away and take my own decisions. After reading the book, I realised that I should focus more on my studies. I always remained isolated,” recalls Harshit. Though he was content being himself, his friends and lecturers were left worried as the person who was always seen hanging out with friends had suddenly become a silent guy and always focussed on studies. They had to call his parents too verify if everything was fine with him.
Well Harshit is not the only case. ‘The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd inspired Suhani Dewra, a feature writer quit her job and inspired her to look for better jobs ahead. “After I finished reading the book, one thing that stayed in my mind was that taking risks sometimes can prove to be fruitful. The book is a fiction based on facts and deals with slavery prevalent in 18th century in America. While I was am no slave and am harassed by no master, I felt like breaking away from the mundane life in which my job occupied an important space. I was in my comfort zone at work. I felt after reading the book that perhaps taking a risk and seeing what is there in the world outside may only lead to a better career prospect. And it did! I found a job which came with better designation, better pay check and a new set of people to learn new things from!” beams Suhani.
While Suhani found a new job, for Pratap, life became much easier after reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s books. “’Namesake’by Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the books that has made life easier for me. There is a certain charm which this book holds. I’ve read it numerous times and each time I find something new. I recommend every person to read this book at least once in their lifetime. The book has given me an insight into the kind of life I will get to lead if I move abroad and has also prepared my for it,” says Pratap who is a student at Wesley Degree College.
Answering the question if reading a book can really make people to take decisions of their life, Lakshman Sharma, psychologist at Dawn Org, says, “While reading books, one gets to know about people who have overcome difficult times in their lives. That itself inspires them to set difficult goals for themselves. Like an antivirus helps one clean up the computer, reading books like autobiographies can also reduce the negative thoughts from one’s minds and boost up the positive thoughts.
One will learn how to overcome difficult situations and the books will give them a better direction. I suggest all my patients to read books like ‘The power of your subconscious mind’ by Joseph Murphy and Bhagavad Gita as it helps one relax their mind and bring ion positive thoughts in their mind.”
