Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Happiness

  • The Eternal Radiance of a Diwali Celebration in Indian Literature

    Celebrating the good things in life,

    with hope of happiness and prosperity for you!

    Diwali, or the “Festival of Lights”, is celebrated around the world with family gatherings, prayers, and festivities that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. The festival marks the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, and has been a profound source of inspiration in Indian literature throughout history.

    Diwali, Festival of Lights, flame, Indian, candle, lantern

     From ancient epics to contemporary novels, Diwali has been depicted India’s rich cultural significance and the deep-rooted traditions. 

    The origins of Diwali come from within the deep cultural history of Indian literature. Ancient Indian texts, particularly the Ramayana describes the festival as a celebration to honor Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after his victory over the demon king Ravana. In Valmiki’s epic, the joy of the citizens lighting oil lamps (diyas) to welcome Rama symbolizes the triumph of righteousness and good over evil, light over darkness. This theme of victory is echoed in various forms across different literary genres, capturing the essence of hope and renewal in the original story.

    Hands, flame, lantern, diwali, Hindi The stories that keep it alive!

    Diwali is steeped in and immortalized in various forms of literature. Tales of goddess Lakshmi, the embodiment of wealth and prosperity, and Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, are recounted in regional literature and oral traditions. These stories emphasize the spiritual significance of Diwali, reminding readers of the importance of virtues such as generosity, compassion, and humility.

    Moreover, regional tales often present a more localized version of Diwali, reflecting the diverse customs and rituals practiced across India. Each region brings its unique flavor to the festival, enriching the literary landscape and showcasing the country’s cultural pluralism.

    Diwali in Poetry

    Indian poetry has beautifully encapsulated the spirit of Diwali, often intertwining personal emotions with collective celebrations. Poets like Rabindranath Tagore have used the festival as a lens for enlightenment and spiritual awakening. In his works, the lighting of lamps becomes a symbol of the inner light that guides individuals through darkness, echoing the belief that each person carries the potential for goodness.

    Contemporary poets have also embraced Diwali, infusing it with modern sensibilities. For instance, in urban settings, Diwali is portrayed not just as a festival but as a time of reflection on social issues, consumerism, and environmental concerns. This nuanced representation enriches the literary tapestry of the festival, making it relevant to today’s world.

    Indian, girl, thought bubbles, elephant, man, dancers, books

    Fiction and Diwali

    In novels, Diwali often serves as a backdrop for significant plot developments and character arcs. Writers like Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy have woven Diwali celebrations into their narratives, using the festival to explore themes of identity, community, and belonging. For instance, in The God of Small Things, the chaotic yet joyous atmosphere of Diwali reflects the complexities of familial relationships and societal norms.

    Short stories also find a place for Diwali, where the festival acts as a catalyst for change. Authors like Ruskin Bond capture the essence of childhood nostalgia and innocence associated with Diwali, portraying the festival as a time of discovery and learning. These narratives often highlight the values of love, forgiveness, and unity that the festival embodies.

    Diwali, rainbow, flame, lantern

     

    A New Perspective on the Festival of Lights

    In recent years, contemporary Indian authors have begun to explore the complexities of Diwali in a globalized world. Novels set against the backdrop of migration, urbanization, and multiculturalism depict how the festival is celebrated away from home. This exploration reveals the challenges of maintaining traditions while adapting to new environments, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Diwali in a changing society.

    It’s time to light up the night during Diwali!

    Diwali is more than just a festival; it is a profound cultural phenomenon whose roots in ancient text continue to be explored and expanded upon in today’s literature. It symbolizes hope, unity, and the enduring human spirit, giving light to even the darkest of themes. As we celebrate Diwali, let’s reflect on contemporary Indian authors who continue to share their cultural heritage with the world with stories that illuminate the human condition and the need for hope, happiness, and love.

    Fireworks, Indian, Family, firelight, sparklers, garlands, presents, mandala

    Interested in exploring the wonderful storytelling of Indian authors? Check out these amazing Indian authors!

    Operation Mom

    Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.

    Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?

    Read more!

    Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery
    By

    A complex murder mystery always requires a little spice. In Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery, that extra seasoning is provided by the casting of an Indian American woman as the amateur sleuth, despite her realistic fears for her personal safety.

    Professor Rekha Rao is no Bollywood Mighty Girl. She’s a whip-smart American-born 32-year-old college instructor who must deal with her own PTSD after the murder of her father and her unstoppable passion for releasing the man wrongly convicted of her father’s slaying. That obsession is the reason Rekha was dismissed from her old teaching position. The scene is set for deep, personal involvement in the murder of a colleague, a fellow professor who is killed. And a rare, centuries-old statue excavated from an archeological dig in India is the murder weapon.

    Read more!

    Inner Trek Cover

    Inner Trek
    By

    A disinclined traveler journeys into the heartland of the revered Mount Kalash Parikarma in Tibet. Inner Trek by Mohan Ranga Rao follows a voyage that culminates in self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment.

    Mohan Ranga Rao, a retired Indian businessman, finds himself between a rock and a hard place when a ruthless Bangalore mob boss threatens him to sell his land at a throwaway price. The situation escalates when he discovers that his trusted lawyer has joined forces with the enemy. He can only turn to his wife for solace.

    With nothing for him to do about his land, Rao vows to trek around Mount Kailash, a holy Tibetan Mountain. This travel memoir traces his and his wife’s journey to the deified Himalayas, the land of Lord Shiva. Rao shares intimate details of his experience, including the spiritual transformation that he went through during his challenging high-altitude trek.

    Read more!

    Night Jasmine Tree Book Cover Image

    Night Jasmine Tree
    By

    Shankar, a recently retired professor of physics, and his wife, Durga, have left Michigan to resettle on Long Island with their son’s family in Debu Majumdar’s award-winning novel, Night Jasmine Tree.

    While the migration from the Midwest to the East Coast is a small one, considering both characters moved from India decades before, the move spurs Shankar to ponder the life he left behind and to reassess his relationship with his sisters and parents.

    In India, there are many different cultures, the main sprouting from the Hindu faith and political structure, the caste system.

    In the West, we may be familiar with this caste system, we mostly are all aware of the ‘untouchables.’ However, what we may not understand, is how rigid the caste systems truly are. Durga and Shankar are not from the same caste. Shankar is Brahmin, his wife is of a lower caste. This difference is enough for Shankar’s family to reject her outright and disown him.

    Read more!

    In the sparkling tradition of Diwali, the Festival of Lights

    May the light of Diwali illuminate your home and heart with happiness and prosperity.

    Happy Diwali from Sharon, Kiffer, David, Dena, Scott, Anya, Andy, and the whole Chanticleer Team!

    Thank you for being part of the Chanticleer Family! 

    lights, lanterns, flames, Happy Diwali, 2024

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  • A YEAR of LIVING KINDLY: Choices that will Change Your Life and the World Around You by Donna Cameron – Spiritual Growth Self-Help, Happiness Self-Help, Communication and Social Skills

    A YEAR of LIVING KINDLY: Choices that will Change Your Life and the World Around You by Donna Cameron – Spiritual Growth Self-Help, Happiness Self-Help, Communication and Social Skills

    I & I Instruction & Insight Non Fiction 1st Place Best in Category for A YEAR of LIVING KINDLY

    Donna Cameron’s guide, A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You, invites readers to live more richly, thoroughly, and fruitfully.

    Perhaps the best way to enjoy Cameron’s guide to kindness is to drink it in slowly, for a year, as its structure suggests. Savoring one of its 52 meditations – thoughtful, introspective, resonate, and wide-ranging discussions – each week. She turns to a new topic grouping with the advent of each new month, traversing the four parts, the “seasons,” as the year progresses.

    Of course, as Cameron will tell you, living a year of kindness is not, in the end, enough; it’s a journey suited to a lifetime. But the habit of it, the joy of it, can take root throughout a year.

    Based on the experiences of its author, the book’s foundation lies in the work of a lifetime of nurturing nonprofits and championing causes from the varied perspectives of executive, consultant, trainer, and volunteer. The guide incorporates observation and situates itself also in research. In and among her insights, Cameron weaves the thoughts, studies, and findings of cultural anthropologists, philosophers, physicians, psychologists, investigative journalists, mindfulness experts, and other teachers. The source notes at the back are modest enough to be accessible to those outside academia, yet extensive enough to show sinew.

    So that readers might more easily incorporate these habits of thought into their own lives, each meditation ends with a Kindness in Action exercise. Together, these exercises are the passageways to reshaping ourselves.

    The four seasons – Discovery, Understanding, Choosing, and Becoming – mirror the natural contours of such a journey.

    In Discovery, we learn about kindness: what it is and what it isn’t, the health benefits that being kind grants, how we might begin to be truly warm and caring. In Understanding, we learn the barriers to kindness – from within and without – and delve more deeply into opening ourselves to this way of encountering the world. In Choosing, we explore the courage that kindness can take, the roles of vulnerability and curiosity – yes, curiosity – play, and what it means to extend compassion to all, including standing up to bullies, online and off. In Becoming, we settle in to look soberly at the challenges, at what we might do to create a kinder world, and at what it means to live in kindness every day.

    This structure makes for a powerful presentation and easy entry into the eddies and currents of these gently meditative discussions. But it is not, as Cameron herself notes, necessary to follow a linear path. A reader could just as quickly open the book and flip to any point within it to encounter something rich and thought-provoking to ponder that day, that week, that month.

    In this journey to kindness, we might each of us follow whichever path calls to us.

    Giving our whole selves to kindness helps us to become whole.

    A Year of Living Kindly is a generous book brimming with open good-heartedness and calm practicality, with guidance firm yet gentle. Wise, yet itself kind. Cameron undertakes her journey from a position many would recognize – not so much unkind as hurried, distracted, disengaged. Perhaps in the habit of being, when the situation calls for it, “nice.” Civil, not especially warm. Cautious, not connected.

    Cameron invites us instead to be open to the world. To be generous with our time and our talent, in word, deed, and spirit. To be aware of and awake to others. To be fully present. To be, fully.

    She invites us to embrace kindness as a way of embracing life. Adopting the “mantle of kindness,” she says, will enable each of us to enjoy more entirely in the abundance of our own lives and in the richness the world has to offer. Such a journey connects us more deeply with ourselves and others, enabling us to live our best lives. And such kindness spreads. When we give so wholly of ourselves, others tend to take that gift and pass it along.

    The case she makes is compelling. The message, timely. It’s an invitation that’s difficult to resist, particularly in the company of such a guide. In the world it seems we’ve all been hurtling toward in the past five years or so, Donna Cameron’s steady voice and clear-eyed vision is a balm for the soul.

    Perhaps, just perhaps, with enough kindness, we might indeed remake neighborhoods, remake communities, and transform the national temper.  A Year of Living Kindly placed 1st in Category in the CIBA 2019 Instruction and Insight Awards for Non-Fiction How-To manuals.

     

     

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

    Non-Fiction Instructional & Insightful Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards 1st Place Winner