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It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate.
She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life.
More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the 'hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains — most of which lie deep within us…our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the 'heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside
out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
Walk with Kiara to find a better you, because It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice.
She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life.
More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the 'hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains — most of which lie deep within us…our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the 'heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside
out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
Walk with Kiara to find a better you, because It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
20 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Amisha Sethi
1 book13 followersShe is an executive scholar from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, and holds an MBA degree in Marketing from Amity Business School. She was awarded the "Young women rising star" at World Women Leadership Congress 2014 and has won numerous awards and recognition in her corporate life including top 50 most talented brand builders of Asia, Asia Pacific Women business leadership award 2013 and Youth achievers award 2012. Along with holding top notch positions in leading companies like BlackBerry, Airtel & AirAsia in the past thirteen years, she has also done extensive research in ancient scriptures. In her debut book, she uses certain hilarious, dramatic and enthralling experiences of a young girl to understand the ultimate purpose of life – to be a better human with each passing day.
She loves to paint and dance and currently stays in Bangalore, India with her family. Amisha is also a motivational speaker and uses live interactions with a dash of comedy to drive her message.
Check out www.amishasethi.com for more details
Join the NICE GANG on facebook for fun, contests and latest updates.www.facebook.com/amishasethia...
For media queries or speaker invites write to reach@amishasethi.com
She loves to paint and dance and currently stays in Bangalore, India with her family. Amisha is also a motivational speaker and uses live interactions with a dash of comedy to drive her message.
Check out www.amishasethi.com for more details
Join the NICE GANG on facebook for fun, contests and latest updates.www.facebook.com/amishasethia...
For media queries or speaker invites write to reach@amishasethi.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 25, 2017
Spirituality bundled with simple story of a girl Kiara was wonderfully penned down by Amisha Sethi in 'It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice'
The book talks about Kiara’s life. Kiara came across many problems in different phases of her life. Problems at each phases were typical to the problem faced by every individual during their life. Problems like which career to chose, in-laws issues, indifference with life-partner, irritating boss, etc. Amisha has beautifully described all such events of the Kiara’s life and had showed how they shaped her life.
The best part of the book is simplicity and smoothness. Though the book is philosophical, it not just so called self-learning or 'Gyaan'-filled book. Author has given enough emphasis on story at same time to stick reader to book. Book generally speaks of life and their importance with help of incidents from Kiara's life and supported her action from Vedas or Upnishadas or Gitas teaching. This made book an easy and speedy read. Book will leave a positiveness in readers mind. Those who cannot stand philosophical books can read this book. A good food for thought.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2016/0...
Author Interview Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2017/0...
The book talks about Kiara’s life. Kiara came across many problems in different phases of her life. Problems at each phases were typical to the problem faced by every individual during their life. Problems like which career to chose, in-laws issues, indifference with life-partner, irritating boss, etc. Amisha has beautifully described all such events of the Kiara’s life and had showed how they shaped her life.
The best part of the book is simplicity and smoothness. Though the book is philosophical, it not just so called self-learning or 'Gyaan'-filled book. Author has given enough emphasis on story at same time to stick reader to book. Book generally speaks of life and their importance with help of incidents from Kiara's life and supported her action from Vedas or Upnishadas or Gitas teaching. This made book an easy and speedy read. Book will leave a positiveness in readers mind. Those who cannot stand philosophical books can read this book. A good food for thought.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2016/0...
Author Interview Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2017/0...
October 6, 2015
By writing It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover spirituality, served with a pinch of salt and humour, author Amisha Sethi has served her purpose in life. She truly captures the essence of human nature and what we need to basically keep going on. She has done her part by sharing the same with readers. Intentionally or unintentionally, that's exactly what the book is about. It's about finding your purpose in life and striving to be better each day than you were yesterday, which basically sums up my own belief as well, so that's a plus point.
I wouldn't say that It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice is a philosophical discourse that is highly enlightening, but I can say with confidence that it helped me understand better what I already know and wish to practice as well. The book comprises of a collection of incidents from the life of the main character Kiara that end up teaching both her and the reader a lesson. A healthy dose of quotes from ancient Indian scriptures sheds light on rich and valuable teachings, which is perfectly balanced with the amusing and easy to relate to incidents from Kiara's life.
While I did have my apprehensions about reading It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice, especially since I thought I would need to roll my eyes every two pages since I'm not into a hundred percent positivism through and through, the book ended up being very nice and was somehow fun to read. I do wish that it were more concrete, in the sense that it would concentrate on one aspect at a time. At the same time, however, I see how that would have ended up being way too long as a book.
Overall, I do agree with the title of the book: it really doesn't hurt to be nice, but I do believe that being nice ends up hurting you. Anyway, all that aside, the book is definitely worth a try as it is a quick read through which you can learn something or the other.
*A copy of It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice by Amisha Sethi was provided by Srishti Publishers and Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank them for the book.
I wouldn't say that It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice is a philosophical discourse that is highly enlightening, but I can say with confidence that it helped me understand better what I already know and wish to practice as well. The book comprises of a collection of incidents from the life of the main character Kiara that end up teaching both her and the reader a lesson. A healthy dose of quotes from ancient Indian scriptures sheds light on rich and valuable teachings, which is perfectly balanced with the amusing and easy to relate to incidents from Kiara's life.
While I did have my apprehensions about reading It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice, especially since I thought I would need to roll my eyes every two pages since I'm not into a hundred percent positivism through and through, the book ended up being very nice and was somehow fun to read. I do wish that it were more concrete, in the sense that it would concentrate on one aspect at a time. At the same time, however, I see how that would have ended up being way too long as a book.
Overall, I do agree with the title of the book: it really doesn't hurt to be nice, but I do believe that being nice ends up hurting you. Anyway, all that aside, the book is definitely worth a try as it is a quick read through which you can learn something or the other.
*A copy of It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice by Amisha Sethi was provided by Srishti Publishers and Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank them for the book.
September 20, 2015
Review @ A Lot of Pages
What works in the favor of this book is that the lessons it shares, interesting ones at that, can be more related to our lives because of the story of its main character, Kiara. That is what pushes the story along almost till the end. But without the story, the lessons at the start of each chapter don't appeal as much, and the story itself feels hurried towards the end. How her story ends doesn't seem in line with what the lesson was a page ago. I'd rate this somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, but not quite a 4.
What works in the favor of this book is that the lessons it shares, interesting ones at that, can be more related to our lives because of the story of its main character, Kiara. That is what pushes the story along almost till the end. But without the story, the lessons at the start of each chapter don't appeal as much, and the story itself feels hurried towards the end. How her story ends doesn't seem in line with what the lesson was a page ago. I'd rate this somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, but not quite a 4.
September 26, 2018
Good book with a mix of fiction and nonfiction. I like the way fictional story balance's with the non fictional part. Both runs parallel yet they do not hinder the message author wants to give. Interesting read.
June 20, 2017
A collection of anecdotes from the life of protagonist Kiara, presented as lessons on peace, trust, love and a wholesome life! The mentions of vedas, upanishads and other texts of timeless wisdom makes for an interesting read! Looking forward to Amisha's upcoming books!
September 15, 2015
4.5 Stars!!
Sometimes when reading book after books, you come across a wonderful book which you wish wouldn't end soon and when it does, you want to go back and read it all over again! 'It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice' by Amisha Sethi has been one such book for me. There are a very few who can write about philosophy and make the readers fall in love with the book. Amisha has managed to that just fine. And when I saw that the author is just 30 something, I was shocked! With the amount of wisdom she has poured in this book, I really wasn't expecting a young author.
This book has around 10 chapters and each chapter deals with different aspects of life. Every chapter started with some profound thoughts, followed by some life incident of Kiara which helps the reader understand the importance or the necessity of following certain aspects of life. These incidents are realistic, which happen to us or around us in day to day life. The author describes how Kiara dealt with these things differently and how she found happiness in doing so. These stories are again followed by some titbits of wisdom, which will leave you thinking and reflecting. There were also extracts from The Bhagawad Gita and The Upanishads which I loved reading.
Usually when I pick up a book of 130 pages, I will finish it within an hour or two unless it is slow. But this one took me 6 hours! Not because it was boring but because every chapter, every page and every paragraph had so much information that I couldn't just hurry through this. I read it slowly, digesting and processing each bit of wisdom and when I did finally finish the book, I somehow felt happy with what I have learnt.
Read the full review here - < a href = 'http://stareyedreviewer.blogspot.in/2...' > Escape Reality - Book Reviews
Sometimes when reading book after books, you come across a wonderful book which you wish wouldn't end soon and when it does, you want to go back and read it all over again! 'It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice' by Amisha Sethi has been one such book for me. There are a very few who can write about philosophy and make the readers fall in love with the book. Amisha has managed to that just fine. And when I saw that the author is just 30 something, I was shocked! With the amount of wisdom she has poured in this book, I really wasn't expecting a young author.
This book has around 10 chapters and each chapter deals with different aspects of life. Every chapter started with some profound thoughts, followed by some life incident of Kiara which helps the reader understand the importance or the necessity of following certain aspects of life. These incidents are realistic, which happen to us or around us in day to day life. The author describes how Kiara dealt with these things differently and how she found happiness in doing so. These stories are again followed by some titbits of wisdom, which will leave you thinking and reflecting. There were also extracts from The Bhagawad Gita and The Upanishads which I loved reading.
Usually when I pick up a book of 130 pages, I will finish it within an hour or two unless it is slow. But this one took me 6 hours! Not because it was boring but because every chapter, every page and every paragraph had so much information that I couldn't just hurry through this. I read it slowly, digesting and processing each bit of wisdom and when I did finally finish the book, I somehow felt happy with what I have learnt.
Read the full review here - < a href = 'http://stareyedreviewer.blogspot.in/2...' > Escape Reality - Book Reviews
October 28, 2015
For a debutant author to write about philosophy and learning of life at such a young age, seems to be awkward but you can only believe in the content of the book by giving it a try. ‘It doesn’t hurt to be nice’ by Amisha Sethi is a genuine try to write up on a topic that is pretty of track for the audience those were potential readers of the book.
The book talks about Kiara’s life and her encounter with different scenarios that generally get faced by everyone on different stages of life and are having very simple logics behind them that shapes our future. Author has beautifully described those small events of the protagonist’s life and had explained the way it shaped her life. The overall concept of the book is the title of the novel itself, that is, it doesn’t hurt to be nice.
The book is philosophical, so don’t expect a quirky highs and lows in the storyline. It generally speaks of life and their importance. Author has used various teaching of Gita and Vedas to emphasis her point and the overall flow of the book is pretty good and is having the tendency to leave you with thoughts of changing or living your life in a better way.
The negative about the book is that there was nothing new to learn out of it. You already know all the things that are written in the book and if you are not in reading philosophy, this book could be a kind of moral science study for you.
Overall, the book was a speedy read for me and had vibes of positivity in it and hence I loved my experience with the book.
The book talks about Kiara’s life and her encounter with different scenarios that generally get faced by everyone on different stages of life and are having very simple logics behind them that shapes our future. Author has beautifully described those small events of the protagonist’s life and had explained the way it shaped her life. The overall concept of the book is the title of the novel itself, that is, it doesn’t hurt to be nice.
The book is philosophical, so don’t expect a quirky highs and lows in the storyline. It generally speaks of life and their importance. Author has used various teaching of Gita and Vedas to emphasis her point and the overall flow of the book is pretty good and is having the tendency to leave you with thoughts of changing or living your life in a better way.
The negative about the book is that there was nothing new to learn out of it. You already know all the things that are written in the book and if you are not in reading philosophy, this book could be a kind of moral science study for you.
Overall, the book was a speedy read for me and had vibes of positivity in it and hence I loved my experience with the book.
March 6, 2016
"It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice" was gifted to me by students of DCAC where I attended an event as a judge. As I was coming home from the event, I opened the gift wrap and saw the title of the book. It seemed to be just another book from a young girl. But the moment I turned to read the blurb, it seemed someone had written answers to the burning questions I was facing. In a similar age group as Kiara, I too am seeking the purpose of life and have been reading through different religions to figure out my fitment into one of these.
The beauty of the book lies in the simplicity of language. A topic of spirituality and self growth has been dealt beautifully without being too complex. The author comes across as a girl next door with her practical challenges being same as that of probably 90% of Indian girls.
She is successful and yet restless. She has a picture perfect world and yet seeks something more from life. Her honesty seems to be her biggest strength. Her ability to bring out such complex instances in a light manner and through examples, give us solid foundations for life.
Hats off to Amisha.
Loved the ending poem - 'As I promised God' . Looking forward to her next book already. Would love to meet Amisha some day :)
The beauty of the book lies in the simplicity of language. A topic of spirituality and self growth has been dealt beautifully without being too complex. The author comes across as a girl next door with her practical challenges being same as that of probably 90% of Indian girls.
She is successful and yet restless. She has a picture perfect world and yet seeks something more from life. Her honesty seems to be her biggest strength. Her ability to bring out such complex instances in a light manner and through examples, give us solid foundations for life.
Hats off to Amisha.
Loved the ending poem - 'As I promised God' . Looking forward to her next book already. Would love to meet Amisha some day :)
March 2, 2016
The author has even quoted beautiful lines from Bhagvat Geeta. Apart from this being a reader, not even once I felt that story was going off track. Amisha has very well managed and balanced the story along with the teachings and lessons. The title, “IT DOESN’T HURT TO BE NICE”, itself is inspiring. To be nice, to be kind enough, to help others won’t hurt you. It would give you immense happiness and satisfaction.
Read full review at :
https://iwritenidhi.wordpress.com/201...
Read full review at :
https://iwritenidhi.wordpress.com/201...
March 12, 2017
I actually thought this book was funny and since I was in desperate need for a laugh I bought it after browsing for an hour in the bookshop. This book turned out to be a disappointment in more ways than one.
For starters it wasn't in the least bit funny
Secondly it seemed to be a thinly disguised biography.
Lastly it was a total waste of time - neither this nor that:
The language was pathetic
There was no story line
and all in all if you are short of time as I am, totally avoidable.
For starters it wasn't in the least bit funny
Secondly it seemed to be a thinly disguised biography.
Lastly it was a total waste of time - neither this nor that:
The language was pathetic
There was no story line
and all in all if you are short of time as I am, totally avoidable.
July 24, 2016
It really doesn't hurt to be nice..I loved kiara's progress in professional life..Life is all about experiences and book described it very well..with each passing experience your new avatar emerge..Its up-to you what you want to become..detachment chapter is nice part of book..book teach you to be free ..self development and self improvement..
January 17, 2016
IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE: Beautiful Illustrations with Spiritual Theme (Rating: 4.15/5)
I am back with one more book review. Yes! I read It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour by Amisha Sethi. Before writing my review, I would like to thank my friend Tushti Bhatia from Author Paradise for gifting me such a NICE book.
BOOK COVER
Front cover of It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour is attractive. Use of different colors in title attract readers' attention. Smiley for alphabet ‘O' in DOESN'T makes happier. It feels that a paper duck has just freed from hands of an unknown girl. Paper duck seems flying with a thread of love in a mouth. Two paper boats look there. Title It Doesn’t Hurt To Be Nice carries subtitle 'Rediscover Life/ Spirituality, served with a Pinch of Salt and Humour' but the subtitle is not mentioned in the book. Background scene on the back cover is also catchy. A girl's image while running backward holding her dress towards camels in the desert seems like a scene of any Bollywood movie. Overall Pinaki De has designed a perfect cover for the book published by Srishti Publishers.
ABOUT THE NICE AUTHOR
Amisha Sethi is an executive scholar from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, and holds an MBA degree in Marketing from Amity Business School. She was awarded the "Young women rising star" at World Women Leadership Congress 2014 and has won numerous awards and recognition in her corporate life. Along with holding top notch positions in leading companies in the past thirteen years, she has also done extensive research in ancient scriptures. In this book, she uses certain hilarious, dramatic and enthralling experiences of a young girl to understand the ultimate purpose of life – to be a better human with each passing day.
BLURB OF THE BOOK
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate.
She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life.
More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the ‘hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains – most of which lie deep within us… our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the ‘heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
Walk with Kiara to find a better you, because It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice.
INTERESTING FEATURES
The Story is narrated into 10 chapters and every new chapter is directed by a cartoon with an idea about next chapter. The picture of paper duck looks in the beginning of each chapter. Many chapters start with a spiritual quote or a thought. Symbol of heart (L♥ve) in a box as a prefix to quotes catches attention. Pictures are also printed for the reference of few scenes from Hindu mythology.
SETTING
It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice is based on different themes like spiritual, psychological, philosophical and thriller. The story of the book is set in past tense.
Locations: Story runs around different location like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Chennai in India; Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan, Chicago and Los Angeles (USA) and Canada. Description of Jakarta Airport Indonesia and Universal Studios Singapore are scribbled in detail so the reader feels like a live experience. Swat Valley in Pakistan is described in brief, but wonderfully.
Language and Writing Style: Authoress uses the style of diary writing to denote particular period. She doesn't use complicated language so one can understand the story in an easy way. Spiritual words, sentences,thoughts and quotes are printed in italic fonts so one can find those easily. She mentions so many mantras, phrases, proverbs, figures of speech and quotations for the reference. I found a unique feature in her writing style. She uses both Devnagri and Singlish (Sanskrit and English) fonts along with the meaning of Mantras from Hindu mythology. I liked this experiment by the authoress Amisha Sethi and wish this experiment would be followed in English literature by other authors too who refer regional language in their books.
CHARACTERS:
Authoress Amisha Sethi sketches over 34 characters in the book. Kiara and Ram are main characters in the plot. I found 14 major characters and 16 minor characters among those 34, and other 2 characters are spiritual. Authoress introduces each character individually.
PLOT:
The story and plot of the book 'It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice' by Amisha Sethi is narrated into 10 chapters. In the first chapter titled ‘Oh God!' Kiara sarcastically comments on nicknames and she remarks about embarrassment boys and girls have to face because of childish nicknames in their younghood. She gives short but important information and meaning of Gayatri Mantra and it's origin. She explains that how kids are taught to fear to the god by their family and appeals in her quote "Dothings not because of a fear of God or any kind of pressure, but to grow the fruits of love, trust and truth."
Second chapter ‘Give Unconditionally' is about the importance of selfless donation. Authoress' research on food and realistic figures of malnutrition are really horrible and make sensitive readers worried. Kiara appeals for selfless donation- "The $240 billion net income of the world's hundred richest billionaires would have ended poverty four times over, according to the Oxfam report released in 2013. Imagine: just a hundred people can eradicate extreme poverty from the world and feed the billions of hungry people on the planet. Forget the billions… Can you attempt to feed just one person every day or week or month or even a year selflessly? One who is truly in need?" She explains food donation as "The spiritual teachings of the ancient Upanishads consider the giving of food as the most honorable donation."
Authoress defines trust as "Trust is the basis of any relationship that one might have with animate and inanimate beings on this planet."and "Trust is the foundation for peace, growth and evolution. The biggest enemy of trust is deceit and diffidence." in the third chapter Trust, Trust and Trust.
The fourth chapter ‘Fear Nothing' is bit longer. Authoress gives a glimpse of an arrange marriage fixing process. She writes about the problems in working women's life that how they have to face their duties for the family and obstacles in maintaining the balance between house and office. She indirectly criticizes TV series. A bittersweet conversation between Ram and Kiara in their husband and wife relationship is really enjoyable to read. Authoress fabulously compares incidents in Kiara's life with a cricket match. Authoress describes the philosophy of death through the character of Yama "The ignorant run after sensory pleasures and fall into the cycle of numerous births and deaths; but the wise, knowing that the self, the soul is deathless, try to attain the lord of love within themselves and become one with him. The supreme one is beyond name, fame and form. It has no beginnings and no ends. Beyond time and space, it's immortal. Those who achieve self are forever free from death. When the body dies, the self does not die."
I am sure that you won't control yourself from laughing out loud while reading the conversation between Heena and Kiara about CH3CH2OH. Authoress gives all boyfriends (lovers) a message not to demean girlfriends in the next chapter ‘The Art of Detachment’. The title of the sixth chapter ‘Kindness is Your Character; Don't Lose It' is meaningful itself. The genre of the book suddenly turns into a thriller when Nirvaanbecomes missing in chapter seven. The scene becomes more interesting after entry of a Muslim woman. Author gracefully tries to change the negative image of Muslims into positive in readers' mind, and she became successful in what she wanted to convey by connecting Hindu and Muslim in one bond in an incident takes place abroad. She writes- "When God created this world, I am sure he never thought that his most intelligent life forms would divide it into segments based on caste, creed, colour, religion, names, nationalities, districts, designations and the like." "The biggest religion on this planet is love." A bittersweet conversation between Kiara and her mom is also enjoyable. And yes, the title of this chapter ‘Never Stop Thanking' is also noteworthy. Authoress explains 3 DAs (Damyatta, Datta and Dayadhavam) from Brihadranyaka Upanishad in the next chapter ‘DA, DA and DA'. Authoress informs about biophoton emission with reference. She explains a philosophy of fullness from Bridaranyaka Upanishad with easy examples and she elegantly connects the spiritual philosophy of fullness with the biological theory of DNA in the second last chapter ‘The Light Within You'. She suggests her readers get control over thought by spiritual powers in the last chapter ‘Master Your Thoughts'. In the end, the book is concluded with the poem ‘As I Promised God'.
Nice QUOTES
Authoress' study, knowledge, reading so many authors can be seen from so many quotations. It seems that she would have referred so many scriptures from not only Hinduism but from Buddhism too. So the book conveys a message to respect every religion.
1."You are what your deep driving desire is, As your desires, so are your thoughts, As your thoughts, so is your will, As your will, so are your deeds, And as your deeds, so is your destiny."– Vedanta
2."Respect food, give food, the body is made of food… Food and the body exist to serve the ‘self'. Don't waste food, water and fire… fire and water exist to serve the self. Grow more food; the earth can deliver food in abundance. Earth and space exist to serve the self. Refuse not food to the hungry, for when you feed the hungry, you serve the Lord." – Taittiriya Upanishad
3."The marg of satya (the path of truth) and faith (an undiluted reverence for the Supreme Being) is the way to achieve and create everything which exists and will exist on this planet."
4."Every experience, good or bad, is to make you realize that ‘trust in self' and ‘others' is the foundation of a pure mind and heart."
5."You had nothing when you were born and will take nothing back with you when you die. Just live life with the purpose of fearing nothing and loving everything that nature has to offer. After all, there is a bit of you in everything you see around you. Our own bodies are made up of approximately seventy percent water. Ancient Indian sages believed that from water came plants, and from plants came all living creatures and the basic germ of humanity."
6."Biochemistry tells us that human beings are composed of different types of large molecules: proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. These molecules are held together by intermolecular forces. Imagine what would happen if all of these molecules start to fight with each other? I wonder if our body would hold out even for a day. Similarly, we human beings are held together by a spiritual force: the force of love, compassion and light. How can we survive together if we don't appreciate the very being next to us?"
7."Free yourself from the fear of me, the fear of seeing me in intergalactic form! I am in every form both material and living, only a still mind with peace at heart can attain me, Those whose minds are fixed in me in total faith, He who hates none, he who has no envy or ego, He who is kind, full of love, graceful, compassionate, Stays the same in happiness and sadness, He who is forbearing, masters his thoughts, Unattached to fear and anxiety is dear to me, Those who are dear to, reach me." – Lord Krishna inspires Arjuna
8."The ones who break trust or are insecure, no matter how much they earn or gain in a short horizon, can never be a true yogi." –The Bhagavad Gita
9."You came empty handed and will depart empty handed. There is nothing that you truly own in this world. What is yours today will belong to somebody else tomorrow, and the day after to somebody else. There is simply nothing that you are going to take with you. The pure self which is inside you, is absolutely complete, and the one who realizes the self, realizes the love of the Lord. Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was, and cannot be destroyed. There is neither in this world nor in the world beyond, happiness for the one who fears." – TheBhagavad Gita
10."There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills." – Gautam Buddha (the enlightened sage who was the leader and founder of Buddhism (583 BC))
11."Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely." – Gautam Buddha
12."When words are both true and kind, they can change the world." – Gautam Buddha
13."Three Golden rules of life, Who is helping you, don't forget them, Who is loving you, don't hate them, Who is trusting you, don't cheat them…"
14."If things are going your way, it is good. But if they are not, relax because it's going God's way."
15."A true leader never claims but distributes success."
16."Fear is much like a false verification that appears to be real. The biggest fear for humans is the idea of losing what they have, or what they perceive in their minds as their ‘own'. Fear is like fog, that can impede your vision without prior notice. Today, most human beings fear almost everything in their lives. We are scared of losing our jobs, status, power, love, money, house, property, girlfriends, youth… the list is endless. Whereas, in reality, there is nothing that you ‘own' in this world; simply nothing and thus, there is no reason to fear the loss of it."
17."Fear is nothing but a figment of our imagination; we fear that something might happen, not something that has happened in the past or is happening right now. You are here in the present moment but your mind is in the future scaring the daylights out of you. This is one of the reasons for all the anxieties, restlessness and corrosion in our relationship. If you fear nothing, you can achieve almost everything."
18."The biggest gift you get from God is a bad time, because that teaches you in the real sense what is good in your life."
19."One of the best ways to become detached is to forgive and forget."
20."Evil is nothing but an absence of kindness."
21."In this so-called corporate jungle, there have to be people planting seeds of trust, help, team work and above all, kindness. And that can only happen when you are not inhibited by mindless insecurities."
22."The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed." – Mahatma Gandhi
23."Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." -Rao-Tizer(4th century BC)
24."What lies behind us/ And what lies before us/ Are tiny matters compared to/ What lies within us." –Ralph Waldo Emerson (an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist Movement in the mid-19th century.)
Hurting DRAWBACKS:
1.Weak proofreading: punctuation marks are missing in some lines.
2.No use of italic fonts to highlight Hindi words and improper use of italic fonts.
3.Use of names of several brands like Adidas, Nokia and Blackberry, and the names of living celebrities Bappi Da and Angelina Jolie.
4.Use of short forms like c'mon for come on and ASAP for as soon as possible. Using short forms is against ethics of literature in any language.
5.The book Price Rs. 175 is expensive a bit but it's OK for this book because of its genre.
REVIEWER'S NOTES:
It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour is the fabulous book authored by Amisha Sethi. The book It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice is a perfect entertainer with an interesting plot which doesn't let you put down the book. I would recommend this book to every human being living on this planet who think that he or she is nice or want to be nice. So… are you NICE? Or would you like to be NICE? Then just go for it. Because IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE.
My RATING: I will give 4.15 out of 5 stars to this really nice book IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE.
BOOK IN BRIEF:
Title: It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour
Text and Illustrations by AMISHA SETHI
Publisher: SRISHTI PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
First published in 2015
Text Copyright: ©Amisha Sethi, 2015
Illustrations Copyright: © Amisha Sethi, 2015
Cover design by Pinaki De
Binding: Paperback
Printed and bound in India
ISBN- 978-93-82665-48-9
Price: Rs. 175
Pages: 144 (excluding cover)
Genre: FICTION
Rating: 4.15/5 Stars (**** | Nice)
Reviewed by: © Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)
Notes:
1.This is my honest analysis of the book IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE and your reviews may be different.
2.The Review Copy of IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE was sent to me by Tushti Bhatia (Author Paradise)
3.Reviewer of this book is working as the President of Gondia District at Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Pune.
Source: RDH Sir's Official Website
I am back with one more book review. Yes! I read It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour by Amisha Sethi. Before writing my review, I would like to thank my friend Tushti Bhatia from Author Paradise for gifting me such a NICE book.
BOOK COVER
Front cover of It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour is attractive. Use of different colors in title attract readers' attention. Smiley for alphabet ‘O' in DOESN'T makes happier. It feels that a paper duck has just freed from hands of an unknown girl. Paper duck seems flying with a thread of love in a mouth. Two paper boats look there. Title It Doesn’t Hurt To Be Nice carries subtitle 'Rediscover Life/ Spirituality, served with a Pinch of Salt and Humour' but the subtitle is not mentioned in the book. Background scene on the back cover is also catchy. A girl's image while running backward holding her dress towards camels in the desert seems like a scene of any Bollywood movie. Overall Pinaki De has designed a perfect cover for the book published by Srishti Publishers.
ABOUT THE NICE AUTHOR
Amisha Sethi is an executive scholar from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, and holds an MBA degree in Marketing from Amity Business School. She was awarded the "Young women rising star" at World Women Leadership Congress 2014 and has won numerous awards and recognition in her corporate life. Along with holding top notch positions in leading companies in the past thirteen years, she has also done extensive research in ancient scriptures. In this book, she uses certain hilarious, dramatic and enthralling experiences of a young girl to understand the ultimate purpose of life – to be a better human with each passing day.
BLURB OF THE BOOK
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate.
She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life.
More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the ‘hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains – most of which lie deep within us… our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the ‘heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
Walk with Kiara to find a better you, because It Doesn't Hurt to be Nice.
INTERESTING FEATURES
The Story is narrated into 10 chapters and every new chapter is directed by a cartoon with an idea about next chapter. The picture of paper duck looks in the beginning of each chapter. Many chapters start with a spiritual quote or a thought. Symbol of heart (L♥ve) in a box as a prefix to quotes catches attention. Pictures are also printed for the reference of few scenes from Hindu mythology.
SETTING
It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice is based on different themes like spiritual, psychological, philosophical and thriller. The story of the book is set in past tense.
Locations: Story runs around different location like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Chennai in India; Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan, Chicago and Los Angeles (USA) and Canada. Description of Jakarta Airport Indonesia and Universal Studios Singapore are scribbled in detail so the reader feels like a live experience. Swat Valley in Pakistan is described in brief, but wonderfully.
Language and Writing Style: Authoress uses the style of diary writing to denote particular period. She doesn't use complicated language so one can understand the story in an easy way. Spiritual words, sentences,thoughts and quotes are printed in italic fonts so one can find those easily. She mentions so many mantras, phrases, proverbs, figures of speech and quotations for the reference. I found a unique feature in her writing style. She uses both Devnagri and Singlish (Sanskrit and English) fonts along with the meaning of Mantras from Hindu mythology. I liked this experiment by the authoress Amisha Sethi and wish this experiment would be followed in English literature by other authors too who refer regional language in their books.
CHARACTERS:
Authoress Amisha Sethi sketches over 34 characters in the book. Kiara and Ram are main characters in the plot. I found 14 major characters and 16 minor characters among those 34, and other 2 characters are spiritual. Authoress introduces each character individually.
PLOT:
The story and plot of the book 'It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice' by Amisha Sethi is narrated into 10 chapters. In the first chapter titled ‘Oh God!' Kiara sarcastically comments on nicknames and she remarks about embarrassment boys and girls have to face because of childish nicknames in their younghood. She gives short but important information and meaning of Gayatri Mantra and it's origin. She explains that how kids are taught to fear to the god by their family and appeals in her quote "Dothings not because of a fear of God or any kind of pressure, but to grow the fruits of love, trust and truth."
Second chapter ‘Give Unconditionally' is about the importance of selfless donation. Authoress' research on food and realistic figures of malnutrition are really horrible and make sensitive readers worried. Kiara appeals for selfless donation- "The $240 billion net income of the world's hundred richest billionaires would have ended poverty four times over, according to the Oxfam report released in 2013. Imagine: just a hundred people can eradicate extreme poverty from the world and feed the billions of hungry people on the planet. Forget the billions… Can you attempt to feed just one person every day or week or month or even a year selflessly? One who is truly in need?" She explains food donation as "The spiritual teachings of the ancient Upanishads consider the giving of food as the most honorable donation."
Authoress defines trust as "Trust is the basis of any relationship that one might have with animate and inanimate beings on this planet."and "Trust is the foundation for peace, growth and evolution. The biggest enemy of trust is deceit and diffidence." in the third chapter Trust, Trust and Trust.
The fourth chapter ‘Fear Nothing' is bit longer. Authoress gives a glimpse of an arrange marriage fixing process. She writes about the problems in working women's life that how they have to face their duties for the family and obstacles in maintaining the balance between house and office. She indirectly criticizes TV series. A bittersweet conversation between Ram and Kiara in their husband and wife relationship is really enjoyable to read. Authoress fabulously compares incidents in Kiara's life with a cricket match. Authoress describes the philosophy of death through the character of Yama "The ignorant run after sensory pleasures and fall into the cycle of numerous births and deaths; but the wise, knowing that the self, the soul is deathless, try to attain the lord of love within themselves and become one with him. The supreme one is beyond name, fame and form. It has no beginnings and no ends. Beyond time and space, it's immortal. Those who achieve self are forever free from death. When the body dies, the self does not die."
I am sure that you won't control yourself from laughing out loud while reading the conversation between Heena and Kiara about CH3CH2OH. Authoress gives all boyfriends (lovers) a message not to demean girlfriends in the next chapter ‘The Art of Detachment’. The title of the sixth chapter ‘Kindness is Your Character; Don't Lose It' is meaningful itself. The genre of the book suddenly turns into a thriller when Nirvaanbecomes missing in chapter seven. The scene becomes more interesting after entry of a Muslim woman. Author gracefully tries to change the negative image of Muslims into positive in readers' mind, and she became successful in what she wanted to convey by connecting Hindu and Muslim in one bond in an incident takes place abroad. She writes- "When God created this world, I am sure he never thought that his most intelligent life forms would divide it into segments based on caste, creed, colour, religion, names, nationalities, districts, designations and the like." "The biggest religion on this planet is love." A bittersweet conversation between Kiara and her mom is also enjoyable. And yes, the title of this chapter ‘Never Stop Thanking' is also noteworthy. Authoress explains 3 DAs (Damyatta, Datta and Dayadhavam) from Brihadranyaka Upanishad in the next chapter ‘DA, DA and DA'. Authoress informs about biophoton emission with reference. She explains a philosophy of fullness from Bridaranyaka Upanishad with easy examples and she elegantly connects the spiritual philosophy of fullness with the biological theory of DNA in the second last chapter ‘The Light Within You'. She suggests her readers get control over thought by spiritual powers in the last chapter ‘Master Your Thoughts'. In the end, the book is concluded with the poem ‘As I Promised God'.
Nice QUOTES
Authoress' study, knowledge, reading so many authors can be seen from so many quotations. It seems that she would have referred so many scriptures from not only Hinduism but from Buddhism too. So the book conveys a message to respect every religion.
1."You are what your deep driving desire is, As your desires, so are your thoughts, As your thoughts, so is your will, As your will, so are your deeds, And as your deeds, so is your destiny."– Vedanta
2."Respect food, give food, the body is made of food… Food and the body exist to serve the ‘self'. Don't waste food, water and fire… fire and water exist to serve the self. Grow more food; the earth can deliver food in abundance. Earth and space exist to serve the self. Refuse not food to the hungry, for when you feed the hungry, you serve the Lord." – Taittiriya Upanishad
3."The marg of satya (the path of truth) and faith (an undiluted reverence for the Supreme Being) is the way to achieve and create everything which exists and will exist on this planet."
4."Every experience, good or bad, is to make you realize that ‘trust in self' and ‘others' is the foundation of a pure mind and heart."
5."You had nothing when you were born and will take nothing back with you when you die. Just live life with the purpose of fearing nothing and loving everything that nature has to offer. After all, there is a bit of you in everything you see around you. Our own bodies are made up of approximately seventy percent water. Ancient Indian sages believed that from water came plants, and from plants came all living creatures and the basic germ of humanity."
6."Biochemistry tells us that human beings are composed of different types of large molecules: proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. These molecules are held together by intermolecular forces. Imagine what would happen if all of these molecules start to fight with each other? I wonder if our body would hold out even for a day. Similarly, we human beings are held together by a spiritual force: the force of love, compassion and light. How can we survive together if we don't appreciate the very being next to us?"
7."Free yourself from the fear of me, the fear of seeing me in intergalactic form! I am in every form both material and living, only a still mind with peace at heart can attain me, Those whose minds are fixed in me in total faith, He who hates none, he who has no envy or ego, He who is kind, full of love, graceful, compassionate, Stays the same in happiness and sadness, He who is forbearing, masters his thoughts, Unattached to fear and anxiety is dear to me, Those who are dear to, reach me." – Lord Krishna inspires Arjuna
8."The ones who break trust or are insecure, no matter how much they earn or gain in a short horizon, can never be a true yogi." –The Bhagavad Gita
9."You came empty handed and will depart empty handed. There is nothing that you truly own in this world. What is yours today will belong to somebody else tomorrow, and the day after to somebody else. There is simply nothing that you are going to take with you. The pure self which is inside you, is absolutely complete, and the one who realizes the self, realizes the love of the Lord. Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was, and cannot be destroyed. There is neither in this world nor in the world beyond, happiness for the one who fears." – TheBhagavad Gita
10."There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills." – Gautam Buddha (the enlightened sage who was the leader and founder of Buddhism (583 BC))
11."Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely." – Gautam Buddha
12."When words are both true and kind, they can change the world." – Gautam Buddha
13."Three Golden rules of life, Who is helping you, don't forget them, Who is loving you, don't hate them, Who is trusting you, don't cheat them…"
14."If things are going your way, it is good. But if they are not, relax because it's going God's way."
15."A true leader never claims but distributes success."
16."Fear is much like a false verification that appears to be real. The biggest fear for humans is the idea of losing what they have, or what they perceive in their minds as their ‘own'. Fear is like fog, that can impede your vision without prior notice. Today, most human beings fear almost everything in their lives. We are scared of losing our jobs, status, power, love, money, house, property, girlfriends, youth… the list is endless. Whereas, in reality, there is nothing that you ‘own' in this world; simply nothing and thus, there is no reason to fear the loss of it."
17."Fear is nothing but a figment of our imagination; we fear that something might happen, not something that has happened in the past or is happening right now. You are here in the present moment but your mind is in the future scaring the daylights out of you. This is one of the reasons for all the anxieties, restlessness and corrosion in our relationship. If you fear nothing, you can achieve almost everything."
18."The biggest gift you get from God is a bad time, because that teaches you in the real sense what is good in your life."
19."One of the best ways to become detached is to forgive and forget."
20."Evil is nothing but an absence of kindness."
21."In this so-called corporate jungle, there have to be people planting seeds of trust, help, team work and above all, kindness. And that can only happen when you are not inhibited by mindless insecurities."
22."The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed." – Mahatma Gandhi
23."Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." -Rao-Tizer(4th century BC)
24."What lies behind us/ And what lies before us/ Are tiny matters compared to/ What lies within us." –Ralph Waldo Emerson (an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist Movement in the mid-19th century.)
Hurting DRAWBACKS:
1.Weak proofreading: punctuation marks are missing in some lines.
2.No use of italic fonts to highlight Hindi words and improper use of italic fonts.
3.Use of names of several brands like Adidas, Nokia and Blackberry, and the names of living celebrities Bappi Da and Angelina Jolie.
4.Use of short forms like c'mon for come on and ASAP for as soon as possible. Using short forms is against ethics of literature in any language.
5.The book Price Rs. 175 is expensive a bit but it's OK for this book because of its genre.
REVIEWER'S NOTES:
It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour is the fabulous book authored by Amisha Sethi. The book It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice is a perfect entertainer with an interesting plot which doesn't let you put down the book. I would recommend this book to every human being living on this planet who think that he or she is nice or want to be nice. So… are you NICE? Or would you like to be NICE? Then just go for it. Because IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE.
My RATING: I will give 4.15 out of 5 stars to this really nice book IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE.
BOOK IN BRIEF:
Title: It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice: Rediscover Life with a Pinch of Salt and Humour
Text and Illustrations by AMISHA SETHI
Publisher: SRISHTI PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
First published in 2015
Text Copyright: ©Amisha Sethi, 2015
Illustrations Copyright: © Amisha Sethi, 2015
Cover design by Pinaki De
Binding: Paperback
Printed and bound in India
ISBN- 978-93-82665-48-9
Price: Rs. 175
Pages: 144 (excluding cover)
Genre: FICTION
Rating: 4.15/5 Stars (**** | Nice)
Reviewed by: © Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)
Notes:
1.This is my honest analysis of the book IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE and your reviews may be different.
2.The Review Copy of IT DOESN'T HURT TO BE NICE was sent to me by Tushti Bhatia (Author Paradise)
3.Reviewer of this book is working as the President of Gondia District at Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Pune.
Source: RDH Sir's Official Website
October 19, 2019
The Ones who break trust or are insecure,no matter how much they earn or gain in a short horizon, can never be a true yogi.
- Bhagavad Gita.
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate. She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life. More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the 'hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains — most of which lie deep within us…our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the 'heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
🌞
The book was a soathing read. It is filled with Spirituality, SelfLove, Phrases, Positivity at the same time philosophical.
I loved the illustrations inside the book. It added as an advantage.
The book is for all the person who feels low, depressed, fear, negativity etc.
There were many positive lines I read, some of them were-
1) I am the richest, if my heart is full of kindness.
2) Every experience good or bad, is to make you realize that trust in self & others is the foundation of a pure mind & heart. (Pg- 33)
3) The mind is a master troublemaker, it always tries to deny the present. It runs away from it. (Pg-58)
4) The Biggest religion on this planet is love. (Pg-89).
Do read the book to make yourself positive towards life.
- Bhagavad Gita.
Kiara is a dynamic, thirty-something girl who has reached great heights professionally, and is the apple of the eye for almost everyone who knows her. But she never took any short cuts to become happier, wiser, healthier and more compassionate. She had to find rays of hope where the dark tunnel seemed unending, and identify shade in life's burning path. She found little pearls of wisdom in chasing her dreams, in spreading laughter, in learning from scriptures and philosophers, and even at one point in almost ending her life. More than Kiara's story and the wisdom she achieves through the various dramatic and hilarious experiences, this book is a motion picture with you in the lead role. You as the 'hero' who can beat the most stubborn of villains — most of which lie deep within us…our fear, unkindness, selfish interests, negative thoughts and jealousy. You as the 'heroine' who is sharp and witty in talking, selfless and caring in love, and charming and beautiful inside out, like none other (perhaps a 2.0 version of you).
🌞
The book was a soathing read. It is filled with Spirituality, SelfLove, Phrases, Positivity at the same time philosophical.
I loved the illustrations inside the book. It added as an advantage.
The book is for all the person who feels low, depressed, fear, negativity etc.
There were many positive lines I read, some of them were-
1) I am the richest, if my heart is full of kindness.
2) Every experience good or bad, is to make you realize that trust in self & others is the foundation of a pure mind & heart. (Pg- 33)
3) The mind is a master troublemaker, it always tries to deny the present. It runs away from it. (Pg-58)
4) The Biggest religion on this planet is love. (Pg-89).
Do read the book to make yourself positive towards life.
August 31, 2017
This is not my typical fare hence the lukewarm rating. Self help books (I'll dump this into that category) are only worth reading the first time round. If it changes you, then good, all the rest will say the exact same thing as the one you've read just in a different way. If it doesn't, the rest won't help you either.
The good
1. I don't know much about the hindu spiritual teachings. My knowledge is based solely on the mahabharat and ramayan series of my childhood. I liked the dips into hindu scripture and it was refreshing to see that like all other religions, cardinal virtues, love and respect of fellow man are prominent. Seems like all religions preach the same thing. If we could only learn to listen.
2. There's an upbeat and positive outlook to all situations and characters. At times it's saccharine and feels artificial. If I was a real life person who was this positive, all the time. I'd strangle them in a day.
3. The messaging the author is communicating resonates.
The bad.
1. The writing and the prose are poor. This is very distracting.
2. Grammatical errors in the book. Who edited this?
This is the longest review I've written for a book I did not quite enjoy. Go figure.
The good
1. I don't know much about the hindu spiritual teachings. My knowledge is based solely on the mahabharat and ramayan series of my childhood. I liked the dips into hindu scripture and it was refreshing to see that like all other religions, cardinal virtues, love and respect of fellow man are prominent. Seems like all religions preach the same thing. If we could only learn to listen.
2. There's an upbeat and positive outlook to all situations and characters. At times it's saccharine and feels artificial. If I was a real life person who was this positive, all the time. I'd strangle them in a day.
3. The messaging the author is communicating resonates.
The bad.
1. The writing and the prose are poor. This is very distracting.
2. Grammatical errors in the book. Who edited this?
This is the longest review I've written for a book I did not quite enjoy. Go figure.
October 4, 2018
This book beautifully rediscovers spirituality. It is a story of a young woman Kiara, who shares her life experiences including personal and professional and then she tries to learn the ultimate purpose of life-which is to be a better human being with each passing day. First,author focusses on the importance of giving unconditionally to receive unconditionally. She believe in the spiritual teachings of the ancient Upanishads. Our biggest motto in life should be to achieve the self, the Lord of Love, the Supreme, the Brahman. And, the path to achieving the higher consciousness and peace through unconditional giving.
She focus on the power of TRUST because trust is the basis of any relationship. We must trust our inner self and people around us.Trust in self and others is the foundation of pure mind and heart.Even I have experienced the same in my life. When I had no trust in me and people around me, I was not confident about myself,my decisions and my happiness. From the moment I started trusting myself,I felt good about me ad everything in my life.
The most important lesson I learnt from this book is to FEAR NOTHING.
She focus on the power of TRUST because trust is the basis of any relationship. We must trust our inner self and people around us.Trust in self and others is the foundation of pure mind and heart.Even I have experienced the same in my life. When I had no trust in me and people around me, I was not confident about myself,my decisions and my happiness. From the moment I started trusting myself,I felt good about me ad everything in my life.
The most important lesson I learnt from this book is to FEAR NOTHING.
August 22, 2019
I started reading this because I was bored and THIS bored me to death, even more. I am a complete spiritualist therefore the books I read on the subject are a bit too brill, to say the least. From a beginner’s (or a person new to spirituality) perspective and the concepts henceforth, you can try to read it but will enjoy only if you read fiction because chapters are written in a story like manner with lessons on spirituality and a little bit of ancient shlokas sprinkled here and there. I couldn’t get past two chapters! The things discussed were purely common and even a run off the mill Indian is aware of it provided he is brought up in a Hindu family. Lol. Also, the author seemed to be too much into Utopianism, which is nothing but SAD. Life, world, people are not as they seem. Rather, they are worse than your perception sometimes. Spirituality discussed here might make you blind but the real spirituality is about facing whatever comes your way. Being a kind, loving, emotional and blaaah person is completely different from being a doormat. The two stars are just for trying! Good try but it didn’t quite work for me.
June 5, 2020
This is the story of the protagonist Kiara and her hilarious, dramatic and vivid experiences to understand the ultimate purpose of her life, which is – to be a better human with each passing day. Kiara, is perhaps the reflection of author Amisha’s own life story—she is the character who serves as a mirror to the author. Through this book, Amisha has tried to take us through the twists and turns in Kiara’s life. Backed up by the author’s detailed research on ancient Indian scriptures and religious texts worldwide, the character of Kiara comes out to be someone who imbibes the values and philosophies she comes across. Ranging from the hymns of the Vedas and Upanishads and up to morals popularized by celebrated spiritual or social icons like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, the book is a delightful mix of spiritual lessons and the fictional storyline. We are given the chance to look upon the roots of Kiara’s high self-esteem and unconditional faith and discover the source of all the positive vibes she emanates.
In each chapter, the author draws lines from these scriptures to make us familiarize with one philosophical idea after another, and then relates it with stories from Kiara’s life. Kiara’s life is colourful and vibrant and she goes through her shares of troubles and ecstasies—but she doesn’t let anything chop her roots of the values she grew up with. So, with each passing phase in her life, Kiara fleetingly extracts a positive learning and edges forward with the newly acquired experience. Amidst a promising love affair which leads to a very turbulent and unbalanced marriage, Kiara continues to advance in her career and nurture the relationships of her dear ones. Being a working mother and the marketing head of a top multinational company, she struggles to make the ends meet. But each time, with an unnatural resilience she manages to bounce back and regain her stead. She does this by falling back on her understanding of the ancient philosophies and lessons by great personalities—which teach her the secrets to live a happier and wealthier life, not only in terms of riches, but also in terms of positive energies and diverse experiences.
The author’s immense understanding of the scriptures and various spiritual texts is visible in each page of the book. Kiara is the brainchild of her own raw feelings, through whom she teaches us that “it doesn’t hurt to be nice” and the world can be a much happy place if we are a little more compassionate and thoughtful. But with all the spiritualty and motivation radiating from the book, the book gets a bit too preachy at times. The philosophical discourses go on and on quite often and we lose track of Kiara’s life-story. Personally, I found the conflicts in Kiara’s life much more interesting than the parts where she was brimming with happiness. The book lacks a concrete structure—in terms of the arrangement of chapters and the showcasing of each aspect of Kiara’s life. A deep insight inside Kiara’s childhood perhaps could have been more valuable of a lesson than the repeated descriptions of her professional successes.
The book has the capacity of connecting with each reader at different levels. But I believe that each of them who flips through its pages, will certainly have a special takeaway to be carried as a token of the journey he/she goes undertakes alongside Kiara.
Title:☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Plot: ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Characterization: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Engrossing factor: ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Overall impact: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
I will end by giving an excerpt from the Rig Veda quoted in the book, which I found really intriguing:
“Two birds live on the same tree,
inseparable, mutual friends
one bird eats the fruit of pleasure and pain
the other looks on without eating
the one who is detached from pain and
pleasure is heading
for the supreme human destiny.”
Disclaimer: This review is in lieu of a review copy
Originally published on my own blog: https://deepansbookshelf.blogspot.com...
In each chapter, the author draws lines from these scriptures to make us familiarize with one philosophical idea after another, and then relates it with stories from Kiara’s life. Kiara’s life is colourful and vibrant and she goes through her shares of troubles and ecstasies—but she doesn’t let anything chop her roots of the values she grew up with. So, with each passing phase in her life, Kiara fleetingly extracts a positive learning and edges forward with the newly acquired experience. Amidst a promising love affair which leads to a very turbulent and unbalanced marriage, Kiara continues to advance in her career and nurture the relationships of her dear ones. Being a working mother and the marketing head of a top multinational company, she struggles to make the ends meet. But each time, with an unnatural resilience she manages to bounce back and regain her stead. She does this by falling back on her understanding of the ancient philosophies and lessons by great personalities—which teach her the secrets to live a happier and wealthier life, not only in terms of riches, but also in terms of positive energies and diverse experiences.
The author’s immense understanding of the scriptures and various spiritual texts is visible in each page of the book. Kiara is the brainchild of her own raw feelings, through whom she teaches us that “it doesn’t hurt to be nice” and the world can be a much happy place if we are a little more compassionate and thoughtful. But with all the spiritualty and motivation radiating from the book, the book gets a bit too preachy at times. The philosophical discourses go on and on quite often and we lose track of Kiara’s life-story. Personally, I found the conflicts in Kiara’s life much more interesting than the parts where she was brimming with happiness. The book lacks a concrete structure—in terms of the arrangement of chapters and the showcasing of each aspect of Kiara’s life. A deep insight inside Kiara’s childhood perhaps could have been more valuable of a lesson than the repeated descriptions of her professional successes.
The book has the capacity of connecting with each reader at different levels. But I believe that each of them who flips through its pages, will certainly have a special takeaway to be carried as a token of the journey he/she goes undertakes alongside Kiara.
Title:☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Plot: ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Characterization: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Engrossing factor: ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Overall impact: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
I will end by giving an excerpt from the Rig Veda quoted in the book, which I found really intriguing:
“Two birds live on the same tree,
inseparable, mutual friends
one bird eats the fruit of pleasure and pain
the other looks on without eating
the one who is detached from pain and
pleasure is heading
for the supreme human destiny.”
Disclaimer: This review is in lieu of a review copy
Originally published on my own blog: https://deepansbookshelf.blogspot.com...
March 21, 2020
'It doesn't hurt to be nice' is an amazing book by Amisha Sethi. This book is so interesting that i read it in one stake. The book suggests us to be kind and helpful. It's just amazing how writer described philosophy of life using vedic mantras, quotes from the GEETA and upnishads.
.
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This book deals with the story of a dynamic thirty something girl named KIARA , who is quite professional, confident and all the above very kind-hearted. She love to help others. She moves from school to college, falls in love, gets married, fulfils her dream and moves her way up the success ladder. This book beautifully shows the teachings of ancient scriptures and global philosophers. .
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You can say this book is a mixture of fiction and self help, because each chapter gives lessons like fearing nothing , the art of detachment, being thankful and kind, and all that through the stories.
.
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I really liked the concepts of the book. It's good for a light read. The writing style is simple but the illustrations could have been better or it's not so important in the book. .
.
.
This book deals with the story of a dynamic thirty something girl named KIARA , who is quite professional, confident and all the above very kind-hearted. She love to help others. She moves from school to college, falls in love, gets married, fulfils her dream and moves her way up the success ladder. This book beautifully shows the teachings of ancient scriptures and global philosophers. .
.
You can say this book is a mixture of fiction and self help, because each chapter gives lessons like fearing nothing , the art of detachment, being thankful and kind, and all that through the stories.
.
.
I really liked the concepts of the book. It's good for a light read. The writing style is simple but the illustrations could have been better or it's not so important in the book. .
August 23, 2019
3.5 ***
The author has done a great job beautifully writing the verses from Upanishads and GEETA and at the same time aligning it well with her real-life experiences.
This is a book about positivity deriving some real experiences and guiding us through the same. Although, positivity seems to be flourishing almost all the times in her story and feels unreal sometimes. But she has done a good job of keeping readers march until the end.
The author has done a great job beautifully writing the verses from Upanishads and GEETA and at the same time aligning it well with her real-life experiences.
This is a book about positivity deriving some real experiences and guiding us through the same. Although, positivity seems to be flourishing almost all the times in her story and feels unreal sometimes. But she has done a good job of keeping readers march until the end.
July 17, 2020
Basically this book is spiritual book and it is explained by fiction character Kiara. I believe when it comes to spiritual learning it is very subjective. Chapters that clicks one not necessarily clicks another one. It very much depends on ones life, situation, state of mind, learning ability and many more. It’s an easy read and different experience to read someone else’s spiritual growth and knowledge.
January 3, 2018
A tell tale on the road of spiritual belief with real time experiences..
Amisha Sethi shares her journey towards the learning of life and its values that are bound by the philosophical ties entailed with.She tries to bring out the story of new learning and a better living with simple examples quoted from her own experiences.
A story narrated to cater to the philosophical journey!
Amisha Sethi shares her journey towards the learning of life and its values that are bound by the philosophical ties entailed with.She tries to bring out the story of new learning and a better living with simple examples quoted from her own experiences.
A story narrated to cater to the philosophical journey!
March 29, 2020
Good thoughtful book while part of the book is nice the rest isnt keeping it going. However there are certainly things to learn adopt and implement in life.
The reference to upanishads is the highlight of the book, that really interested me the most. A casual read, need not run for it but can try when at leisure.
The reference to upanishads is the highlight of the book, that really interested me the most. A casual read, need not run for it but can try when at leisure.
December 29, 2017
a book which very nicely summed up the quest that I was on. it's so strange that throughout the last year I have come across books that have conveyed to me my most innermost desire to learn about something.
April 8, 2018
Hmmm. The book is a collection of episodes from the author's life. Her attempt at mixing the events of her life is commendable, yet it doesn't flow as a good analogy. Simple and just okay kind of read. Don't dive in with a lot of expectations.
November 19, 2020
Great narration of life. Characters could've been more realistic.
September 2, 2016
The feeble sound of that quiet voice
*
Review of ‘It doesn’t hurt to be nice’ by Amisha Sethi
*
This book isn’t a novel and yet it is full of stories. This book isn’t a boring sermon and yet it has lessons that stand on their own legs and walk straight into your heart. This book isn’t mythology and yet it takes a reader on a ride into the sublimity of the ancient texts. This book isn’t shouting at you and yet ‘the feeble sound of that quiet voice’ that is within us all, is activated and ready to lead us on.
Yes, this book by Amisha Sethi is about moments where most of us will murmur: It doesn’t hurt to be nice, which incidentally, is the title. I guess this book fits rather well, the definition of hybrid literature that its proponents are always talking about. There are pictures, sketches, doodles, and even poetry to add to the story that Kiara, a ‘dynamic thirty-something’ protagonist of the book is telling the readers.
As I read on, I realised that there are concepts that even I have believed in for ages… and they are ideas that have given me a lot of happiness. For instance, the idea of giving unconditionally has given me more happiness than even when I have won prizes that matter. What I liked best was the author unequivocally adding that ‘if the input is not with selfless intentions, the output can never be right’ and goes on to write that giving unconditionally makes one eligible to receive unconditionally. Now this is precisely what I have always believed in and giving includes not just things that money can buy, but even intangibles like happiness. She writes: ‘When you ask for happiness, try to ask not just for yourself, but for everyone. Can you imagine how amazing you would feel if someone out there is secretly wishing you bliss and hoping that all your desires are getting fulfilled by the universe in abundance.’
Now, if you’re beginning to think that this slim volume by Amisha is doling out advice and is just a step away from resembling a text-book, you’re wrong. Kiara, the protagonist, has enough examples from her personal as well as professional life to emphasise a point. What a lesser writer would have converted into a text that preaches becomes a set of tales woven expertly into a series of learnings that are not completely unknown anyway.
I guess I will be almost correct to say that the book is a set of stories that wrap around thoughts worth following. One such story is where Kiara talks about Henna who is bent upon allowing a relationship to hurt her… and she drives to her place in the dead of night after getting a rather cryptic SMS that reads: ‘Keep smiling Kiara. Take care. God bless.’ Now these are moments that come packed with panic and the protagonist doesn’t sleep over it but takes proactive action. When Kiara rings the bell, ‘she opened the door finally and there she was, a total wreck. I had not seen her for the last three months. Her beautiful face looked like that of the actress in The Exorcist. For a minute I was scared.’ Anyone would be in such a case… but Kiara goes one step ahead, calls up the person who has played with her friend’s emotions, and tells him to ‘don’t ever call her again. And one ore message on any freaking messaging platform on the planet, I am going to turn you into CH3CH2OH and put it in my martini with a dash of lemon.’ Who will say the book doesn’t have its share of creative and bold solutions to problems that might appear common place. Well, the author goes on to connect this incident with Lord Vishnu teaching a lesson to the demon Mahisasura… and she doesn’t stop there. We also have a verse from the Kamasutra where true love is likened to a cosmic alignment of one’s body, heart, and mind. And thereon, the author’s philosophic banter moves on to serenity and detachment...
...please read the complete review here:
http://passey.info/2015/10/the-feeble...
*
Arvind Passey
http://www.passey.info
*
*
Review of ‘It doesn’t hurt to be nice’ by Amisha Sethi
*
This book isn’t a novel and yet it is full of stories. This book isn’t a boring sermon and yet it has lessons that stand on their own legs and walk straight into your heart. This book isn’t mythology and yet it takes a reader on a ride into the sublimity of the ancient texts. This book isn’t shouting at you and yet ‘the feeble sound of that quiet voice’ that is within us all, is activated and ready to lead us on.
Yes, this book by Amisha Sethi is about moments where most of us will murmur: It doesn’t hurt to be nice, which incidentally, is the title. I guess this book fits rather well, the definition of hybrid literature that its proponents are always talking about. There are pictures, sketches, doodles, and even poetry to add to the story that Kiara, a ‘dynamic thirty-something’ protagonist of the book is telling the readers.
As I read on, I realised that there are concepts that even I have believed in for ages… and they are ideas that have given me a lot of happiness. For instance, the idea of giving unconditionally has given me more happiness than even when I have won prizes that matter. What I liked best was the author unequivocally adding that ‘if the input is not with selfless intentions, the output can never be right’ and goes on to write that giving unconditionally makes one eligible to receive unconditionally. Now this is precisely what I have always believed in and giving includes not just things that money can buy, but even intangibles like happiness. She writes: ‘When you ask for happiness, try to ask not just for yourself, but for everyone. Can you imagine how amazing you would feel if someone out there is secretly wishing you bliss and hoping that all your desires are getting fulfilled by the universe in abundance.’
Now, if you’re beginning to think that this slim volume by Amisha is doling out advice and is just a step away from resembling a text-book, you’re wrong. Kiara, the protagonist, has enough examples from her personal as well as professional life to emphasise a point. What a lesser writer would have converted into a text that preaches becomes a set of tales woven expertly into a series of learnings that are not completely unknown anyway.
I guess I will be almost correct to say that the book is a set of stories that wrap around thoughts worth following. One such story is where Kiara talks about Henna who is bent upon allowing a relationship to hurt her… and she drives to her place in the dead of night after getting a rather cryptic SMS that reads: ‘Keep smiling Kiara. Take care. God bless.’ Now these are moments that come packed with panic and the protagonist doesn’t sleep over it but takes proactive action. When Kiara rings the bell, ‘she opened the door finally and there she was, a total wreck. I had not seen her for the last three months. Her beautiful face looked like that of the actress in The Exorcist. For a minute I was scared.’ Anyone would be in such a case… but Kiara goes one step ahead, calls up the person who has played with her friend’s emotions, and tells him to ‘don’t ever call her again. And one ore message on any freaking messaging platform on the planet, I am going to turn you into CH3CH2OH and put it in my martini with a dash of lemon.’ Who will say the book doesn’t have its share of creative and bold solutions to problems that might appear common place. Well, the author goes on to connect this incident with Lord Vishnu teaching a lesson to the demon Mahisasura… and she doesn’t stop there. We also have a verse from the Kamasutra where true love is likened to a cosmic alignment of one’s body, heart, and mind. And thereon, the author’s philosophic banter moves on to serenity and detachment...
...please read the complete review here:
http://passey.info/2015/10/the-feeble...
*
Arvind Passey
http://www.passey.info
*
November 20, 2015
REVIEW:
The title and the cover give you an idea of what the book is going to be about – and you know what to expect!
First Impression:
The cover is one of the first attractions of this book. The brown tone and the paper boats combined with the colourful font of the title attracted me enough to pick the book up and read the summary.
The printing and the font are clear, the paper is slightly browned and smooth to turn and hold. The caricatures need special mention and they are printed in such a way that they do not hamper the typeset of the book.
Now the Review:
I have read many self help books recently, and that includes two Christian books that talk about encounters with the metaphysical being. These encounters usually are not direct, but are projection of thoughts and feelings. While I frowned internally when I read through these, I realised that the book summary did give me subtle hints about the same. It was up to me to read or refuse to read the particular book.
‘It Doesn’t Hurt To Be Nice’ by Amisha Sethi is a book about – yes, you guessed it – being nice. It is not pretentious; it does not try to tell you something else. It tells the story of Kiara, a dynamic career woman who faces various situations in life and realises that in all situations, it doesn’t hurt to be nice after all!
The writing is simple, clear and the language is not difficult to understand. What to expect from this book:
o Verses from the holy Gita, with English translations – in easy to understand phrases are the highlights. They are given in their native Sanskrit, and the pronunciation is then done in English.
o Little cute caricatures at the beginning of each chapter that have a Calvin lookalike who is adorable and cute – and yeah, they have conversations too!
o The book has used a fictional story as a medium to send across what it calls positive thoughts. But this means there is not much of a plot and rather a set of events put together as a story.
Overall, a casual observer cannot but feel that this is the Hindu version of the Christian spiritual tale. But I read it when I was a bit low and loved the positive, overly cheery mood of the book. If the good philosophy of ‘doing unto others what you would like to be done to you’ is one of your life mantras, this book will give you a lot to think about.
WHAT I LIKED:
o The illustrations
o The verses
o The name Kiara.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
o The summary gives no clue as to what you could expect from this book. In an angle, the book is way different from what I expected from it.
o The book could have used fiction to better effect, and made a much stronger impact, given the content it had.
VERDICT:
Go for this one if you like philosophical stories told with a tone that speaks as if to youngsters.
RATING: 3.5/5
The title and the cover give you an idea of what the book is going to be about – and you know what to expect!
First Impression:
The cover is one of the first attractions of this book. The brown tone and the paper boats combined with the colourful font of the title attracted me enough to pick the book up and read the summary.
The printing and the font are clear, the paper is slightly browned and smooth to turn and hold. The caricatures need special mention and they are printed in such a way that they do not hamper the typeset of the book.
Now the Review:
I have read many self help books recently, and that includes two Christian books that talk about encounters with the metaphysical being. These encounters usually are not direct, but are projection of thoughts and feelings. While I frowned internally when I read through these, I realised that the book summary did give me subtle hints about the same. It was up to me to read or refuse to read the particular book.
‘It Doesn’t Hurt To Be Nice’ by Amisha Sethi is a book about – yes, you guessed it – being nice. It is not pretentious; it does not try to tell you something else. It tells the story of Kiara, a dynamic career woman who faces various situations in life and realises that in all situations, it doesn’t hurt to be nice after all!
The writing is simple, clear and the language is not difficult to understand. What to expect from this book:
o Verses from the holy Gita, with English translations – in easy to understand phrases are the highlights. They are given in their native Sanskrit, and the pronunciation is then done in English.
o Little cute caricatures at the beginning of each chapter that have a Calvin lookalike who is adorable and cute – and yeah, they have conversations too!
o The book has used a fictional story as a medium to send across what it calls positive thoughts. But this means there is not much of a plot and rather a set of events put together as a story.
Overall, a casual observer cannot but feel that this is the Hindu version of the Christian spiritual tale. But I read it when I was a bit low and loved the positive, overly cheery mood of the book. If the good philosophy of ‘doing unto others what you would like to be done to you’ is one of your life mantras, this book will give you a lot to think about.
WHAT I LIKED:
o The illustrations
o The verses
o The name Kiara.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
o The summary gives no clue as to what you could expect from this book. In an angle, the book is way different from what I expected from it.
o The book could have used fiction to better effect, and made a much stronger impact, given the content it had.
VERDICT:
Go for this one if you like philosophical stories told with a tone that speaks as if to youngsters.
RATING: 3.5/5
November 3, 2015
I must say Ameesha Sethi did a good job with this philosophical work even though her background is one of management, but as you must know, knowledge comes from experiences and not just education and this is one hell of an example.
It Doesn’t Hurt To BE Nice is a philosophical read, leaving me disturbed for few hours. I correlate with this book at a personal level due to the turbulences my life served me till now and I know will do in the coming future as well.
Something Different:
I liked the practical approach Kiara has embedded in her life even though she believes in karma, as people say one who is philosophical or spiritual in nature tends to get indifferent towards people and situations in their life, but here Kiara has fought her way from bottom to top with love for her parents and friends. It shows that in this race of life, it is easier to blame others for your insecurities, but when you find the real reason of your being, you’ll see how wrong you were.
Dilemma of mine:
It is a good read for people who are trying to be themselves in this slaving and chaotic era but do you think by reading this book or we can say any other book for that matter can help them? Because even though books are what made me a better human being at the time when I was struggling with emotions and lots of changes in my personal life, I don’t feel like reading philosophical books at that time.
I know the importance of this book as I can relive my life through some of the instances in this book, but I find it difficult that it can help at the crucial stage.
To understand spirituality, one needs to be a best friend with themselves and then and then only there can be any scope of going a level ahead. One must perceive the meaning of “Love” and “Wisdom”, you need to study your happiness, feelings and what karma is.
Author’s work according to me:
With the help of her personal situations, author Ameesha Sethi has managed to come up with something that an educated layperson can follow. The arguments and justification about every philosophical point she has included which makes you feel comfortable in a way that yes, I am not the only fool who thinks like this (No pun intended).
What could have been an advantage:
I little bit too fast paced to cope up with as author takes you on a journey of life i.e. from past to present and then back. It could have been a little better. It is full of verses from Bhagwad Gita which I enjoyed immensely because I believe in philosophy and spirituality, but when I try to explain anything to my friends or even my siblings, they are not at all interested in listening to me, so I would recommend this book to people who are into philosophy, spirituality, and wisdom because it is really good for those who knows the value of it.
- Aradhna Tiwari
It Doesn’t Hurt To BE Nice is a philosophical read, leaving me disturbed for few hours. I correlate with this book at a personal level due to the turbulences my life served me till now and I know will do in the coming future as well.
Something Different:
I liked the practical approach Kiara has embedded in her life even though she believes in karma, as people say one who is philosophical or spiritual in nature tends to get indifferent towards people and situations in their life, but here Kiara has fought her way from bottom to top with love for her parents and friends. It shows that in this race of life, it is easier to blame others for your insecurities, but when you find the real reason of your being, you’ll see how wrong you were.
Dilemma of mine:
It is a good read for people who are trying to be themselves in this slaving and chaotic era but do you think by reading this book or we can say any other book for that matter can help them? Because even though books are what made me a better human being at the time when I was struggling with emotions and lots of changes in my personal life, I don’t feel like reading philosophical books at that time.
I know the importance of this book as I can relive my life through some of the instances in this book, but I find it difficult that it can help at the crucial stage.
To understand spirituality, one needs to be a best friend with themselves and then and then only there can be any scope of going a level ahead. One must perceive the meaning of “Love” and “Wisdom”, you need to study your happiness, feelings and what karma is.
Author’s work according to me:
With the help of her personal situations, author Ameesha Sethi has managed to come up with something that an educated layperson can follow. The arguments and justification about every philosophical point she has included which makes you feel comfortable in a way that yes, I am not the only fool who thinks like this (No pun intended).
What could have been an advantage:
I little bit too fast paced to cope up with as author takes you on a journey of life i.e. from past to present and then back. It could have been a little better. It is full of verses from Bhagwad Gita which I enjoyed immensely because I believe in philosophy and spirituality, but when I try to explain anything to my friends or even my siblings, they are not at all interested in listening to me, so I would recommend this book to people who are into philosophy, spirituality, and wisdom because it is really good for those who knows the value of it.
- Aradhna Tiwari
October 27, 2015
Read Detail Reviews on My blog : Book Reviews From Heart
I received this book as a review copy from Author paradise in exchange of an honest review .
So , " It doesn't hurt to Nice ' revolves around the a Marketing professional , Kiara , who left her highly placed office to surrender herself to the supreme truth and 'cause it's narrated in first form by Kiara so She depicts her journey to spiritual world since her birth to the very stage when she resigned . In her narration , she covered all major incidents which an average human face in his/her life . The book helps you to always stay ' Nice' with people no matter what happens 'cause being 'Nice' is itself a legacy . With Kiara's character author has built a castle of fable to enlighten the readers with supreme truth of being Calm , Patient , Truthful & Nice to everyone as spread-ed by legends with reference to Upnishads and vedas . Author has beautifully quoted hymns and lines from different religious books which let the reader believe in himself .
Points Flagged up by Author through book :
# Pet names which turned permanent but cause embarrasement .
# True meaning of being a corporate professional .
# A leader is one who walks with his whole team
# Anger , just mess up things , better to work out things patiently .
# Believe in what Parents say .
# Traditional Methods sometimes works the best .
# If you call someone friend, stick with'em in their highs and lows
# Never lose your identity for making someone else comfortable .
# Live your life without any fear .
# Love God ...... No need to be scared from God .
# Be Kind . Always and with everyone .
# Biggest Religion on Planet is love .
and list is endless 'cause once u start the book , you'll end up using Highlighter or stick pads on every page .
Fav. Moment : When Kiara & her team handles the situation of Mis-Printing contract with calmness .
Kiara without any fear tabled her words when she was framed as a suspect in her first job for passing codes .
Negative : Author , with Kiara's character , has embed some very good Quotes from various Vedas and Upnishads but its no where mentioned in whole fable , from where she had learned or stumble into Vedas .
So ' It doesn't hurt to be Nice ' is a healthy read which could raise anyone's morale and is surely a must read !
I received this book as a review copy from Author paradise in exchange of an honest review .
So , " It doesn't hurt to Nice ' revolves around the a Marketing professional , Kiara , who left her highly placed office to surrender herself to the supreme truth and 'cause it's narrated in first form by Kiara so She depicts her journey to spiritual world since her birth to the very stage when she resigned . In her narration , she covered all major incidents which an average human face in his/her life . The book helps you to always stay ' Nice' with people no matter what happens 'cause being 'Nice' is itself a legacy . With Kiara's character author has built a castle of fable to enlighten the readers with supreme truth of being Calm , Patient , Truthful & Nice to everyone as spread-ed by legends with reference to Upnishads and vedas . Author has beautifully quoted hymns and lines from different religious books which let the reader believe in himself .
Points Flagged up by Author through book :
# Pet names which turned permanent but cause embarrasement .
# True meaning of being a corporate professional .
# A leader is one who walks with his whole team
# Anger , just mess up things , better to work out things patiently .
# Believe in what Parents say .
# Traditional Methods sometimes works the best .
# If you call someone friend, stick with'em in their highs and lows
# Never lose your identity for making someone else comfortable .
# Live your life without any fear .
# Love God ...... No need to be scared from God .
# Be Kind . Always and with everyone .
# Biggest Religion on Planet is love .
and list is endless 'cause once u start the book , you'll end up using Highlighter or stick pads on every page .
Fav. Moment : When Kiara & her team handles the situation of Mis-Printing contract with calmness .
Kiara without any fear tabled her words when she was framed as a suspect in her first job for passing codes .
Negative : Author , with Kiara's character , has embed some very good Quotes from various Vedas and Upnishads but its no where mentioned in whole fable , from where she had learned or stumble into Vedas .
So ' It doesn't hurt to be Nice ' is a healthy read which could raise anyone's morale and is surely a must read !
October 26, 2015
It Doesn't Hurt To Be Nice By Amisha Sethi
Kiara says one should compliment the inner beauty but i must say Pinaki De(Cover designer) has done a wonderful job where the outlook of this book is concerned.
My Verdict :-
This book is a spiritual transformation that guide & enlighten us to the point where we realize that in our own Being, We are Enough !
From Kiara’s Wisdom and kindness to enlightening spiritual teachings, From Inspiring Bhagwat Geeta verses to power-packed Upanishad’s, From Ram’s faded love to their “stock-market” kind off marriage, From hustle- bustle of cooperate life to Devils & gods guiding illustrations, From Gujju’s sweetness to punjabi’s “show off” trait, From the materialistic life to the ethereal calmness..This book is a relishing read.
My fav Quotes from the book :-
:- Life is a bucket full of experiences, some are strange, some enthralling and some just leave you gasping for breath.
:- The Biggest religion on planet is love.
:- To attain the pure bliss in our lifetime, one has to start with the mind and its mastery of thoughts.
:- What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Spirituality V/S Reality :-
Content :-Beginning was electrifying as simple and understandable language was used but the sync was hampered by the chaotic jumping & juggling between the past and present situations and those complex “biochemical theories” added a fuel to it.
Whats new :- Explaining spiritual stuff with the help of illustrations was a great idea but all these years our families have been installing this same spiritual “Gyaan” in our system so whats new ?
Audience & Effects :- This self book is a pure delight for spiritual seekers but in this high-tech 21st century practising these teachings will be a bit unrealistic and impractical.
Conclusion:-Captivating & Promising blurb, optimistic teachings, interesting illustrations and achieving that Spiritual oneness pretty much sum up this book.
Rating – 3.5/5
© Komal Priyani 2015
Kiara says one should compliment the inner beauty but i must say Pinaki De(Cover designer) has done a wonderful job where the outlook of this book is concerned.
My Verdict :-
This book is a spiritual transformation that guide & enlighten us to the point where we realize that in our own Being, We are Enough !
From Kiara’s Wisdom and kindness to enlightening spiritual teachings, From Inspiring Bhagwat Geeta verses to power-packed Upanishad’s, From Ram’s faded love to their “stock-market” kind off marriage, From hustle- bustle of cooperate life to Devils & gods guiding illustrations, From Gujju’s sweetness to punjabi’s “show off” trait, From the materialistic life to the ethereal calmness..This book is a relishing read.
My fav Quotes from the book :-
:- Life is a bucket full of experiences, some are strange, some enthralling and some just leave you gasping for breath.
:- The Biggest religion on planet is love.
:- To attain the pure bliss in our lifetime, one has to start with the mind and its mastery of thoughts.
:- What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Spirituality V/S Reality :-
Content :-Beginning was electrifying as simple and understandable language was used but the sync was hampered by the chaotic jumping & juggling between the past and present situations and those complex “biochemical theories” added a fuel to it.
Whats new :- Explaining spiritual stuff with the help of illustrations was a great idea but all these years our families have been installing this same spiritual “Gyaan” in our system so whats new ?
Audience & Effects :- This self book is a pure delight for spiritual seekers but in this high-tech 21st century practising these teachings will be a bit unrealistic and impractical.
Conclusion:-Captivating & Promising blurb, optimistic teachings, interesting illustrations and achieving that Spiritual oneness pretty much sum up this book.
Rating – 3.5/5
© Komal Priyani 2015
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