Books as Teachers

By - RKM GURUGRAM
30.09.26 11:45 AM

Books we read leave an impact on us. They teach, challenge and make us think in new ways. In this issue we discuss some such books that inspire and elevate our minds. We also celebrate the one year anniversary of the release of VIVA's first publication, 'A Voyage of Discovery'. It's a collection of poems on values and is written for the 'thinking teen'.

Revered Swami Shantatmananda speaks on his 3 most powerful book recommendations for spiritual growth

Books that make us think
​- Dr. Anuradha Balaram (Bangalore)

I draw inspiration and learn about life from many a book I come across. I must admit though that I’m a bit biased towards books written about Swami Vivekananda - especially those written by those who lived with him. As I read, however, I often found that different people offered contrasting glimpses of his personality and I needed to piece the conflicting views into a well fitted jigsaw in my mind. I was therefore happy to come across Asim Chaudhuri’s ‘Vivekananda- a Born Leader’ which I found most educative as a study of different facets of Swamiji’s personality. I will talk about one such contrast. Being an ordinary person I could not quite understand why Swamji, who was so particular about many things, did not pay much attention to being on time. This book discusses (among several such issues) how he once rebuked an American devotee who impatiently had said “Swamiji, you have no sense of time” with this classic retort “No you live in time, we live in eternity!” This does not mean that Swami Vivekananda took the passage of time lightly. He knew he had a limited time on earth and a lot had to be accomplished to fulfil his Guru’s vision. He worked like a cyclone gaining supporters and building a Math and Mission. The book notes something many of us know. The Ramakrishna Mission places great value on punctuality and timeliness and this, they drew from Swamiji. So, what did I learn from this? I learnt that in all our worldly transactions, we have to pay attention to time but when we are seeking liberation, we can calm ourselves - small and sure steps would do - after all we have all of eternity on our side.

My key learnings from 'Awakening India'
​- Dr. Rajni Bagga (Gurugram)

Reflections inspired by Swami Vivekananda

Reading Awakening India has reinforced in me the conviction that the awakening of India is fundamentally an awakening of our own self, of our character, our self-confidence.

1. Believe in Yourself

The first and most powerful lesson is faith in oneself. A nation becomes strong when its people develop self-confidence, courage and the conviction that they are capable of creating change.

2. Character is the Foundation

True education is not merely the accumulation of knowledge. It must build our character, integrity, courage, self-discipline and compassion. What ultimately matters is not what we know, but what we become and how we use our knowledge for the good of others.

3. Education must awaken the whole person

Education should bring out the perfection already existing within every individual. It should develop the head, heart and hand—knowledge, values and the ability to act. Education must therefore create responsible human beings, not merely skilled professionals.

4. Strength through Fearlessness

Swami Vivekananda's message of strength and fearlessness remains deeply relevant. Difficulties, uncertainty and failure should not paralyse us. They should become opportunities to discover our inner strength and move forward with courage and perseverance.

5. Service as a form of Spirituality

One of the deepest lessons is the dignity of Seva. Serving people, especially those who are vulnerable and marginalised in our society, is an expression of respect for the divinity within every human being. Service to humanity becomes service to the Divine.

My Personal takeaway

The most important message I carry from Awakening India is:

“Awaken our strength within, build our character, serve others and work for the larger good of the community.”

For me, India's awakening is about awakening human potential and creating individuals and organisations guided by competence, character, compassion and a sense of responsibility towards society.


(To read the book online, please visit: https://ereads.rkmm.org/s/er/m/awakening-india)


Reflections on the first anniversary of VIVA's first publication 
​A book of poems titled 'A Voyage of Discovery'
​- The grateful contributors 


The contributors responded to the following questions (don't miss how one of the poets responds poetically):

  • What inspired you to contribute to our poetry book, ‘A Voyage of Discovery’? 
  • When did you fall in love with poetry?

  • I was trying to find unconventional creative ways to encourage assimilation of values in children and poetry struck me as one such medium.
  • I loved poetry even as a child. 

A Voyage of Discovery became more than just a book;

It became a journey inward, where my soul learnt how to look.

For perhaps this is what poetry has always been to me...

To take what time can never hold,

And give it to eternity.

 

For young hearts standing at the doorway of life, discovering who they are,

May these little poems become a gentle light, guiding them towards their own star.

May they help them pause, wonder, dream, and see...

That within every question lies a journey,

And within every heart, a universe waiting to be free.

I do not remember when poetry first came to me...

Perhaps it found my soul before I knew what words could be.

Before I learnt to name the feelings, hidden deep inside,

Poetry became the voice, where all my silences could reside.

 

When joy had no words, poetry taught my heart to sing,

When sorrow had no voice, it gave my tears a wing.


Sometimes I feel

that poetry itself is a poem. 

I have written about the words

that found me when I had none,

about the silences that became verses.





  • I had never tried poetry before, but when this idea came up, I seized the opportunity and felt very fulfilled afterwards.
  • I always loved poetry but never felt I could write myself.

  • I was happy to be part of the book as an illustrator. I have enjoyed sketching and illustrating since childhood, so interpreting poems through drawings felt very natural to me. I would often carry one poem with me through the day/s—thinking about it, visualising it and letting images take shape in my mind. At night, I would sketch, sometimes working into the early hours and then revisit the illustration the next day. I really enjoyed this process of reading, thinking and sketching and seeing each poem slowly turn into an image.
  • I have always enjoyed reading poetry, though writing a few lines myself has never come easily to me. I remember helping my daughters with their poems, finding rhyming words and helping them express their thoughts…one rhyme at a time…that’s all for me 

  • It was an evolving process of writing poetry on random subjects and working with teenagers alongside. Observing the daily struggles, aspirations and interests of teenagers, relating them back to own experience of teenage years inspired me to contribute to ‘A Voyage of Discovery’.
  • When it became simpler to express my inner thoughts through abstract and rhyming words put together is how the journey of falling in love poetry began.
  • It was an organic process which ended with a poetry book. Frankly, I didn’t see it taking shape the way it finally did. For me, the joy of writing poems, on a cadence, was refreshing amidst a busy work schedule. I set myself a target to write a poem-a-day for about a fortnight and was surprised by the output. However, the best part of seeing how collaborative the process was, with each of us giving suggestions to each other. The process was as creative as the outcome. 
  • The first poem which struck me was “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth. I can still recall our English teacher bringing out the rhyming scheme. It was then that I decided that it's worth reading and writing poetry, getting a chance to publish a poem when I entered college.
  • I had never focussed on ‘values’ as a theme for poetry. When the opportunity came through VIVA, I hesitated initially since I hadn’t been inspired in a long time but eventually took on the challenge. Grateful!
  • I have been fascinated with poetry of all forms and languages since childhood.
'A Voyage of Discovery', Illustration by Nidhi Agarwal, the illustrator of the poetry book of the same name. Dedicated to the one year anniversary of the book

'Why I write poems' 
by the Contributors of the 'A Voyage of Discovery'

A poet sees beauty, that escapes my eye
A poet sees depth, that makes me sigh
Poems have magic, poems have wonder 
Poems share secrets, that make me ponder

Some days when, words gently knock
A drumming starts in my mind, all noise stops
A poem takes shape and comes alive
A kind moment that helps me thrive

The rhyming waves of the mind do a poetic dance
It has begun to find a rhythm even in life’s restless glance
Being lyrical may not solve my distress
But it really stands a chance to witness and impress!

A poem is a poem when 
It rhymes like a wind chime
Evokes a feeling, that sends me reeling
Staying with me, like a mind always praying

A poem is a whisper that time cannot erase,
A heartbeat made eternal, a soul given space
It gathers fleeting moments and sets them free
So, what was once a moment may live through eternity

I pour out my soul 
And come out feeling whole
Give it a try
You will never feel “Why”

(The original collaborators of the poetry book sent in 4 lines each and these joined together formed a beautiful poem - a reminder and reliving of the magical collaboration that, by the grace of God, gave birth to the 'Voyage of Discovery'.)

RKM GURUGRAM

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Inspiration
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VIVA Poem Swami Vivekananda Art Books