Ever since my father had a stroke in early 2025, I have been trying to come to terms with what exactly happened on the day of stroke, how as his daughter I could have handled that situation better and what is that I could do to speed up his recovery so that he is independent again. I picked up the book “My Stroke of Insight” by Dr Jill Bolte Taylor, a renowned brain scientist and a neuroanatomist, hoping that it would answer my questions.  This book went above and beyond, helping me understand what actually happens inside the brain of a stroke patient and do’s and dont’s for caregivers. 

Think Faster Talk Smarter is a book written by Matt Abrahams, an expert in communication and a Stanford University professor, who teaches organizational behaviour. Communication is the lifeline of any relationship- be it personal or professional. Interestingly, while our educational system prepares us for communication in a formal setting - such as delivering a presentation, writing clear emails, rehearsed conversations etc., it doesn’t coach us for speaking in an informal setting...

None likes facing crisis in life but we all know that it is inevitable though it's form and severity may vary. Some crisis could impact self while some like Covid 19 could impact people at large. Darwin's theory of evolution talks about survival of the fittest, which emphasizes on the adaptablity to the adverse situations as a quintessential quality to live to see another day. This theory is very much and all the more relevant in present scenario given the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) nature of the world. But what are the essential qualities, you may wonder. Thanks to the authors T N Hari and Sanjay Swami....

It's a common saying which goes like 'Marriages are made in Heaven'; but we all know that the couple should still lead their lives on (beautiful yet complicated) Earth!! All of us want and yearn for a happy, peaceful, fun filled and satisfying married life and a partner who would support, defend, and handhold us in this journey. But very rarely do we come across couples who have achieved this stature. This book 'Row, Row, Row your Boat' is a book written by couple therapists, Sophia and Roopak(a couple themselves!!), who turned around their married life which was on the verge of collapse with therapy's help. This is a short but insightful read on little things that couples could do 'together' to reach their vision of becoming a made-for-each-other couple, which apparently was their original vow when they got married but may have fizzled out as years passed by. 

Let's assume this situation. You are working in a reputed organization and your appraisal is underway. You have high hopes of getting a sizeable increment with a promotion to a leadership role. All of a sudden, your manager invites you into his room and asks you to poach some information to a competitor firm for some illegal commission. Would you be okay doing this so that your appraisal sails through, which will also keep you in your manager's good books or would you back off as you would be hurting the organization for illegal short term again. This is just an example of one of plethora of daily dilemmas that life throws at you with varying complexities. This book by Hardayal Singh, a civil service Officer, attempts to highlight through fictional and real stories of common men, that choosing and walking along the righteous path with an unwavering mind is possible but acknowledges that it is extremely difficult.