Book Reviews

Book Reviews

FPJ BureauUpdated: Sunday, June 02, 2019, 12:00 AM IST
article-image

In Search Of Oneness

The Bhagvad Gita and the Quran through Sufi Eyes Moosa Raza Penguin Ananda Pages: 214; Price: Rs. 399 This free- flowing narrative illuminates the journey of the author, a devout Muslim, through sacred books and holy men of all religions- starting with his own- in search of a personal god and faith, and his coming upon the Bhagavad Gita. Examining commentaries on this text, from Sankara to Abdur Rahman Chishti, alongside some renderings of the Quran here, Moosa Raza finds many common threads: summoning God through sadhana or dhikr; reaching God through daan or giving and the service of the destitute; and seeking ecstasy through self- mastery, detachment and surrender.

These original observations are complemented by his encounters with people practising these values, like his ailing school teacher who felt God was always beside him or his friend, a senior civil servant, who, trusting in Allah’s providence, kept an open home for the poor and the homeless. Through these experiences and his own striving, Raza celebrates the oneness and power of faith and spirituality, showing a path for other seekers.

Designing Human Resources Management Systems

A Leader’s Guide Jayant Mukherjee Sage Publications Pages: 314; Price: Rs. 495 This book provides a framework for designing and implementing Human Resource Management ( HRM) systems in various kinds of organizations, even those with limited resources. It is intended for leaders, decision makers, senior managers, HR practitioners, and consultants wishing to innovate, structure, and implement HRM systems in organizations. The book comprehensively covers concepts and relevant theories pertaining to job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment and selection, performance management, training and development, 360- degree feedback, mentoring and executive coaching, and reward management. The guidelines present a logical, simple, and easy- to- adopt approach with examples related to what can possibly go wrong and therefore what to guard against.

Spent Lives

Sudhanshu Bankata Frog Books Pages: 102; Price: Rs. 150 Sarthak is a doctor in a soon- to- be busy hospital where doctors find time to narrate their unique experiences to each other sipping cups of sickeningly sweet coffee. The hospital houses hopes, prayers and disillusionments.

Days roll over, punctuated by funny incidents and cases, few of these tragic.

Till the day everything changes… Medical ethics and greed embattle and embrace in the uniquely grey backdrop of the hospital. What happens when doctors use their knowledge of medicine for purposes other than treatment alone? Is greed all conquering, or do the human spirit and mind stand a chance as they seek to gain command over the frail and sick body, which they once commanded? This book traces the journey of the ever changing view point, as a doctor traces this memories from viewing patients from a fellow human s point of view, through that of a doctor, then finally to end with their own helpless point of view.

RECENT STORIES