A Street Puppy’s Guide to Indian Religious Wisdom by Dr. Hari Haran with Iniya
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
Pages: 188
Price: Rs. INR(paperback), Rs. INR(Kindle edition)
ISBN: 978–9354382437
Buy here: https://amzn.to/3hM4mtL
My take on the book:
An abandoned street puppy is rescued and brought home, but it has the wisdom that any common man would be shocked to know of. That is because, the puppy is a man Vasu who has taken birth as a dog in this lifetime, with his earlier wisdom intact. Hence Vasu keeps ranting and passing on his opinions on everything around him, derived from his erstwhile knowledge of Advaitha Vedanta. Read ‘A Street Puppy’s Guide to Indian Religious Wisdom’ to know more about Advaita Vedanta explained in simple terms against a fictional story backdrop.
The book starts with the author giving a brief introduction of the concept behind the book, idea behind a dog narrating the story. The reader would need some time to understand the flow of the narration and the intention of the incidents dealt in the story and hence a bit of patience is needed in the initial chapters.
The concept of a dog explaining the philosophical concepts instead of a human being is fresh and brings an interesting perspective to the book. The beautiful illustrations add to the story, especially if the reader is a child, to pique their interest and attention. Though the book looks fun and light on the exterior, the author raised few important questions and debates around the perception of religion presently in the country. Hence the likeability of those concepts and the story overall also depends on the reader’s general understanding of religion and their tolerance to varied opinions on the same.
I have widely read Swami Vivekananda’s teaching from my school days so this book immediately caught my attention; it would be a good, enjoyable read for those who like to read about more perspectives on Advaita Vedanta. It is also commendable that the book has been co-authored by a young girl who took interest in the ancient Indian Vedanta wisdom in current times. There are some interesting links and references provided at the end of the book for those keen to read further on the topics touched.
If you like to read prose with deeper meaning or even a beginner intending to pick a book with philosophical concepts, then this book will be a good start.
My rating:
4/5.