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Qualitative Research in Asia

Chosen Book for this Month

Loti's idea in going to India was to discover if in the Buddhist faith he could find anything to replace the Catholic religion in which he could no longer believeLoti's idea in going to India was to discover if in the Buddhist faith he could find anything to replace the Catholic religion in which he could no longer believe. He visits the ruined temples of the ancient Gods, listens to the languorous Oriental music on the moonlight nights; he experiences nameless dreads, indescribable terrors.

About the Author

Pierre Loti, perhaps the world's most prolific, romantic and exotic travel writer and novelist, was born as Julien Marie Viaud in Rochefort in Western France in 1850. A childhood fascination with exotic lands across the seas led him to embark on a naval career that enabled him to seek love and adventure in many latitudes. He drew on these real life experiences when writing the romantic novels and travel books that made him one of the most popular authors of his day. Although his prolific output brought him both fame and fortune he remained a romantic escapist and never gave up his beloved naval career. He retired from the French navy in 1910 and died in 1923.

Archive

In his book, 'Chaos: Making a New Science', James Gleick chronicles the emergence of chaos theory from the first romantic insights to the dire ordeals endured by a few courageous thinkers.

In his book, 'Chaos: Making a New Science', James Gleick chronicles the emergence of chaos theory from the first romantic insights to the dire ordeals endured by a few courageous thinkers. Few writers distinguish themselves by their ability to write about complicated, even obscure topics clearly and engagingly. James Gleick, a former science writer for the New York Times, resides in this exclusive category. In Chaos, he takes on the job of depicting the first years of the study of chaos -- the seemingly random patterns that characterize many natural phenomena. Chaos is what takes place between dimensions, getting into the areas of fractals. An amazing book, that explains why clouds are the way they are, the rhythm of the human heart, & the labyrinth of pathways that are self-similar on smaller and smaller scales like the mirror images going into infinity in a changing room.

Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in Shantaram, a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel. Shantaram is the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life heroCrime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in Shantaram, a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel. Shantaram is the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It means "man of God's peace," which is what the Indian people know of Lin. What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall.

He was imprisoned for a string of armed robberies peformed to support his heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost custody of his daughter. All of that is enough for several lifetimes, but for Greg Roberts, that's only the beginning. He arrives in Bombay with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past, and no plans for the future. Fortunately, he meets Prabaker right away, a sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. He takes to Lin immediately, eventually introducing him to his home village, where they end up living for six months. When they return to Bombay, they take up residence in a sprawling illegal slum of 25,000 people and Linbaba becomes the resident "doctor." With a prison knowledge of first aid and whatever medicines he can cadge from doing trades with the local Mafia, he sets up a practice and is regarded as heaven-sent by these poor people who have nothing but illness, rat bites, dysentery, and anemia. He also meets Karla, an enigmatic Swiss-American woman, with whom he falls in love. Theirs is a complicated relationship, and Karla’s connections are murky from the outset.

Tales of Prison LifeTales of Prison Life

By Sri Aurobindo

Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry

An intense and uplifting collection of musings from a person who was a revolutionary fighting for the freedom of India, and then an Enlightened Being. He calls his days in prison as a year’s living in an ashram or a hermitage. He describes attaining an inner freedom that does not depend on others, of embracing solitude and of ‘tasting’ peace. The underlying wry humor through the book makes us closer to the spiritual message on every page.

The following is a poem by Sri Aurobindo that he composed in Alipore Jail, 1908-09 :

INVITATION

With wind and the weather beating around me

Up to the hill and moorland I go Who will come with me?

Who will climb with me? Wade through the brook and tramp through the snow?

Not in the petty circle of cities Cramped by your doors and your walls I dwell;

Over me God is blue in the welkin, Against me the wind and the storm rebel.

I sport with solitude here in my regions, Of misadventures have made me a friend.

Who would live largely? Who would live freely? Here to the wind-swept uplands ascend.

I am the Lord of tempest and mountain, I am the Spirit of freedom and pride.

Stark must he be and a kinsman to danger Who shares my kingdom and walks by my side.

"The Celestine Prophecy" contains secrets that are changing our world. Drawing on the ancient wisdom found in a Peruvian manuscript, it tells you how to make connections between the events happening in your own life right now - and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come."The Celestine Prophecy" contains secrets that are changing our world. Drawing on the ancient wisdom found in a Peruvian manuscript, it tells you how to make connections between the events happening in your own life right now - and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come.

 The story

"The Celestine Prophecy " tells is one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystalize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life - and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow. From the Back Cover OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD IN THE U.S.A.

Good Business Leadership, Flow and the Making of MeaningGood Business Leadership, Flow and the Making of Meaning

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

As humans, we cannot survive without hope. Remarkable cultures of the world always have a defined set of goals that help overcome the inevitable obstacles and tragedies inherent in living.

Csikszentmihalyi's books deal with fundamental aspects of human nature : The conviction that our existence serves a useful purpose and has value. That despite chaos and entropy, there is order and permanence in our relationships, and our lives are not wasted. In business, it is the philosophy that every single outcome must be the best in the world. "Not among the best - but the best. Every single thing." A very positive book, a very positive author. A role model to look upto to.

Steven Mithen Captures a 'Global Human History' from 20,000 - 5000 B.C. Recently, we watched the Tsunami askanceAFTER THE ICE

Steven Mithen Captures a 'Global Human History' from 20,000 - 5000 B.C. Recently, we watched the Tsunami askance. While we humans might like to believe we have conquered the world, the reality is that we are a blip on Nature's horizon. 'Human Civilization', as we know it, was born only when the last ice age receded, after its peak in 20,000 B.C. And we live in an ice epoch - other ice ages will come, just as 17 have arrived in the past two million years.

Books on India that have helped us professionally & personally:

Being Indian - Pavan Verma

An Indian Summer - James Cameron

India Unbound - Gurcharan Das

Intimate Relations - Sudhir Kakar

A Search in Secret India - Paul Brunton

To Read:

 Side Effects - Woody Allen

A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L’Engle

The Power Of Now - Eckhart Tolle

Living With Himalayan Sages - Swami Rama

My Family & Other Animals - Gerald Durrell

…that you might also want to read…

Illusions - Richard Bach

Quiver - Javed Akhtar

Five Point Someone - Chetan Bhagat

In the Beginning - John Gribbin

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