Trends in book writing keep changing ever so often. The readership patterns shifts from one genre to another and so most of us discover that sales graphs shift strangely from romances to thrillers to spy craft to horror to science fiction to historical fiction or to biographies, self-improvement, and other genres. It is obviously the job of a writer to thoroughly research the sort of books being preferred by readers and some do this rather well. In fact, a few writers go a step further and make value additions to the latest preferences of readers and this is what lends a novel touch to a book. ‘Jasmine builds on shifting sands’ by Sanjay Desai is one book where the writer has discovered the art of leading a reader on from the printed words in his book to a creative involvement through courses and workshops in the online world. This, I believe, is what makes this work stand out.
One of the things that many readers keep searching for are answers to dream power and creative power that they assume may lead to finding out more about themselves and thus help in improving the intensity of whatever it is that they are involved with. This is a mystery that is most intriguing because ‘in your material living, you may strive for efficiency. In matters of experiencing the world personally, how can you have any standard of efficiency?’ Sanjay believes that ‘the world is full of living beings with the power of creation. They are all exercising this power together, and the one who sustains all exercising the existence of such power, emerges as a more distinctive creator than others’ and this is what forms the central core of not just his story but even the prologue and the epilogue.
The story of Jasmine does attract because deep down inside, she ‘was unsure of her success in the fashion world because it was so new to her’ and probably needed a lot of guidance to help her focus on her goals and also to keep her away from any sort of distractions. Distractions these days are mostly revolving around the disorienting force of the social media because it is here that psyches experience not just addictive influences but also destructive interjections that have a record of leading creative lives astray. Moving away from distracting influences and remaining focused on whatever it is that you wish to excel in is the path that Jasmine learns and adopts over a period of time. One can easily surmise that the book is a compendium of incidents in the life of Jasmine, a fictional character with which many youngsters today would tend to identify with. These incidents and her interactions with the right influences without attempting to change the course of her inclinations is what leads her on to discovering the essence of life.
The writer employs new ways to make his message of self-improvement create a better impact… and give him an opportunity to interact with his readers in a far more personal way than is possible through only the medium of a book. To make this possible, the writer has interspersed the book with a QR code at critical spots in the narrative and they lead a reader to his website where techniques of dealing with making distractive powers of the social media are listed. Well, the this does give the author an easy access to contact details and a made-to-order list of readers looking for a better handling of the social media. This is going to be helpful to the author if at some stage he plans to launch his own workshops, courses, and even paid interactions. From a writer’s point of view, this is a helpful ploy. Even readers find this a rather attractive bridge to move from reading a fictional tale to the hard-nosed non-fictional details of dealing with the social media.
So far as the content is concerned, this book explains concepts through incidents in the life of Jasmine and promote the positive value of remaining absorbed in the action, staying focused, developing a strong will and nurturing this will to sustain the tornadoes of unpredictable moments as they unfold. According to the narrative, the book is about adopting and nourishing a sustained warrior state that always needs a justified cause. It is this justified cause that prompts him to believe that going with the flow is what is recommended. The book thus is a ‘journey of power, fulfillment and letting go’ though it is all, in the final analysis, a rather personal choice. It is all up to an individual to choose how well he wishes to build on shifting sands! Jasmine does.
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Book details:
Title: Jasmine builds on shifting sands
Author: Sanjay Desai
Publisher: Conscious Leap
ISBN: 978-81-949172-0-5
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Arvind Passey
08 February 2021
