Title: In Search of Success – A Rational Guide to Happiness
Author: Pratyush Pandey
Genre: Self Help
Publisher: Self Published on Amazon (Print and Kindle version)
Price: Kindle INR 199; Paperback INR 399.00
Pages: 160
The book, In Search of Success – A Rational Guide to Happiness – written by Pratyush Pandey is unique in many ways. It is styled as a self-help book that speaks the language of India’s new youth and the new young and upcoming generation. It takes its structure from – very interestingly – writer Rudyard Kipling’s poem, I Keep Six Honest Serving Men! And according to the poem, the six serving men are What, Why, When, How, Where and Who. Pandey’s 200 pages follows this cue and makes sense of today’s life and society by relating it to these words.
How are these words to be applied to one’s life? That is the onerous task that the author takes on his shoulders. He develops an interesting philosophy and describes it in the language of the new generation. He dishes out advice on how to dissect a new desire and how to cope with the challenges. The author, no doubt, is well read as he is equally at ease quoting Nietzsche as in talking about Batman!
Some of his golden words:
‘Everything has a price.’
‘Every decision is your choice.’
‘If you’re extremely fortunate, and already have every single thing you
want, you’ll probably still want to keep it, won’t you?’
The author calls the book – A Rational Guide to Happiness. He uses logic to guide the reader about his views but admits that there is a limit to logic and that it does not explain everything. Further, he feels that the chief issue with the new generation is achieving success and having achieved it, this will lead to happiness. Some would argue that happiness is a state of mind and may or may not intersect success, as we traditionally know it.
The book looks deceptively simple in reading, but it requires concentrated effort and focus to understand it fully as it connects many issues.
Will Pratyush Pandey become the Guru for the new young upcoming generation of Indians? Only time will tell.
This review is written by Mr. Vinod Kaul. He is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, a senior Management Consultant, a marathon runner preparing for the Ironman Triathlon, and an author soon to publish his next work of fiction.
