Journey Is My Path by Trablogger #BookReview

I don’t really recollect how I came across PhoTraBlogger but I can tell you what caught my attention. This guy was churning pic after pic of everyday things that made gorgeous pictures when he took them. Mundane Monday Challenge he called it. Eventually I started participating in it. I read his blog and quite enjoyed the techniques and photo challenges he put up. When I read that his book is being published, I was like, “Wow! Yet another blogger gets published”. I congratulated him about it and then got engrossed in my own life…. One day, he asked me if I had read his book yet. I started to look at Amazon to see if they had a kindle edition. But then, my boss called and I realised I would get busy again. That is when I asked him to ping me the Amazon link to Journey Is A Path. He did and I started the book the same evening!

My Thoughts about Journey Is My Path

The book tells the story of an Indian boy who tries to find his purpose in life. He is a brave boy who is able to break norms, is able to chase dreams. He fails, gets up again, tries again and is wise enough to give up and move on to something else. You get a glimpse into his simple childhood, his carefree adolescence and restless youth. In the end, he does realise his purpose. He rises above his fear and is all set to enjoy the journey of life. It is his journey to becoming a man, a wise one at that.

What I liked about the book is how grounded it is to reality. His reason for choosing to pursue engineering over medical are the same as mine! The description of college life took me back to my engineering days. I think I know now why the Mech guys always stood together 🙂 The confusions over placement and taking some hard calls there are familiar too. We read a lot about the protagonists feelings and his thoughts and is very easy to identify with the guy. The story does not really slag but is not very fast pace either.

Each event in his life teaches him something and his lessons are articulated well. There are some beautiful lines in the book when these realisations dawn on him. These were a pleasure to read. Simple truths that we often forget. They were about kindness, about the importance of the journey rather than the finishing line. A line I tweeted about went like this

[Tweet “”He had seen many unkind people, but a single persons kindness was enough to make him forget that” “]

I promised Jithin an honest review and so I will talk about things that felt missing. The central character is pivotal to every story but in this book it was so much so that everyone else faded into insignificance. For example, his parents who were instrumental in shaping his early ideals and beliefs and for influencing his decisions around education are not mentioned after he leaves college. They may have been mentioned once or twice in passing. The great college friendships that are talked about are all nameless. Every person he meets in his journey comes in, plays a small part and leaves. It may be deliberate on the author’s part but to me the whole thing seems one dimensional.

Overall, if you are into breezy reads like I am and like to read Indian authors, go ahead and get the book. If you like books that tell a heart felt story in a very simple easy way, then click on the Amazon Widget below to buy the book!

Day 12 – September Blogging Challenge