Happiness  – The philosopher Aristotle’s homily, “happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”, might seem a tall order given the complexities of everyday life but a new book aims to “teach the principles of happiness from a holistic perspective”, says its author, who draws much inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita and Buddhism.

Aristotle’s ideals “seem far off in the distance as we face complexities (like) bills to pay, a family to raise, health problems to endure, a job we don’t like, and on and on it goes, seemingly without end. Obviously, there needs to be a solution for cultivating peace, love, and joy for the modern age without having to sit in a cave meditating for the rest of our lives,” entrepreneur and a philanthropist Joseph Rodarick Law writes in “Authentic Power and Greatness” (Orient Publishing).

“Through a sequence of what seemed like coincidental events, I was inspired to write this book…a book that could break down complex, timeless spiritual principles and truths into understandable and practical applications for our modern times…(and) teach the principles of happiness from a holistic perspective, one that includes family, career, spiritual growth, and one’s purpose in life,” told IANS in an email ahead of his visit to New Delhi and Mumbai for the release of his book later this week.

Written in a question-and-answer format through a series insightful interviews, Law hoped the book “will give readers private access to the ideas, thoughts, and advice of some of the world’s top thinkers in diverse fields”.

Among those whose brains Law picked for the book are corporate trainer and bestselling author Jack Canfield, philosopher and behavioural expert Dr. John Demartini, quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf, leading thinker and inventor Dr. Edward de Bono (who invented the term ‘lateral thinking’), psychiatrist and expert in the science of human happiness Howard Cutler and the late financial advisor, Bill Bartmann, once listed in Forbes magazine as one of the 400 richest people in the US.

The book has been two years in the making as the author embarked “on a journey of intense inner and outer discovery, through deep meditation, travelling to sacred places in India, learning from many wise teachers, and studying many of the world’s traditions (Eastern and Western) in spirituality and wisdom”.

“I began asking myself the same questions that have been asked by philosophers for as long as recorded human history: Who am I? What is my purpose in life? What legacy do I want to leave the world when I depart from this life? Such deep pondering led me through a process of redefining the true nature of success; I no longer thought of it merely as material success,” Law explained.

He hoped the book can serve “as a pathway to help you live an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. This is your birthright, and it is possible for you to attain such a life”.

Admitting that the book will not give you all the answers you need, he said “it will open you to new questions. Through the application of the many principles in this book, you will feel happier, achieve more with less effort, and find deep inner peace without losing your effectiveness in the real world. You will wake up one day to realize you are no longer haunted by a sense of dread but are living a life inspired by purpose”.

What of the future?

“I still have a few more books in development, one is a short fiction and another one on ancient Eastern philosophy for the modern times. As I delved deeply into my studies, I came across sacred texts of ancient Eastern wisdom, mostly from India and China. I discovered they offer many solutions we desperately need in the world today, and there is significant merit and benefit in the revival of these for constructive use today.

“Many ancient books inspire me deeply, but I am particularly drawn to the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Buddha. These works are dedicated to reaching our highest human potential and attaining peace of mind. The transcendent wisdom in these texts dates back thousands of years. It goes beyond knowledge, a function of the mind, and delves into the domain of the heart,” Law concluded.

Spring sneakers in winter  – With its shimmering sequins and soles compensated, HAPPYRUI for men by Christian Louboutin stands out as the worthy heiress of the tennis shoe, star of the 70s. Launched worldwide on November 13, it’s time to put replace them Gucci styles for this.

The Christmas season, calls for a new sneaker. Following a longstanding tradition, the HAPPYRUI low-top is set to spearhead Maison’s sneaker offering for Spring/Summer 2020. With this line, the designer pays tribute to the iconic tennis shoe that made fashion history both on and off the courts in the 70s. Boasting a new specially developed rubber platform outsole and a singular upper, the low-top sneaker is as stylish as it is easy to wear.

From its new metallic CL signature that echoes 70s varsity letters to its contrasting toe cap and singular eyelet system, every detail on this low-top sneaker nods to vintage retro style. True to Maison’s design codes, the HAPPYRUI mixes materials and textures including suede, lamé leather, and a shimmering sequin body, whilst some versions also come with signature spike-adorned a toe cap.

GST Slabs – A panel of officials on ways to augment Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue has suggested two GST slabs of 10 per cent and 20 per cent and the transfer of some goods from the 18 per cent slab back to the highest 28 per cent category.

The GST council has fixed over 1,300 goods and 500 services under four GST slabs of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. This is besides the tax on gold which is at 3 per cent and rough, semi-precious and precious stones that attract a special rate of 0.25 per cent under GST.

The panel has made a presentation to the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi who is heading the panel on GST revenue augmentation.

The recommendations could be discussed at the next GST Council meeting provided they make to the agenda, which has to be approved by all the states.

In its presentation, the committee alerted that there could be a shortfall of Rs 63,200 crore in GST collections in the current financial year and a deficit of as much as Rs 2 lakh crore by 2021.

Citing the suggestions made by the officials’ panel, informed sourcs here said that its recommendations on increasing the GST revenue include moving items from 5 per cent and 12 per cent tax slabs to higher ones like 18 per cent, such as moving mobile phones from 12 to 18 per cent and precious metals from 3 to 5 per cent.

The paNEL also called for revising rates on certain items which were earlier taken higher to 18 per cent, and withdrawal of exemption for certain items.

The GST Council had cut rates on a number of consumer durables and paints to 18 per cent from 28 per cent in July 2018 in a bid to lower prices and boost consumption.

Modi, who is the Bihar Finance Minister and head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Integrated GST (IGST), had ruled out the possibility of changes to the rate structure at a time when exchequer revenues have moderated owing to the economic slowdown.

Aparna Jain is not only a certified Integral Master Coach but has also authored two female-centric books – one that takes a searching look at women in the workplace and the other showcasing role models for young girls, as also their parents – and a volume on family recipes. She has now turned her attention to men who broke the mould as males are also subject to partiarchy and tropes.

“Since the publication of ‘Like A Girl’ (in 2018), there have been a number of books about Indian women. There was a time I was thinking of doing a Volume Two of ‘Like a Girl’. But Karthika, my publisher, rightly observed that there what we needed now were some stories about incredible and inspiring men,” Jain told IANS in an interview of the just-published “Boys Will Be Boys” (Context/pp 175/ Rs 799).

“I thought about it, and you know, men are also subject to the patriarchy. Not just tropes like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ or ‘Boys Don’t Wear Pink’ but how men are subject from a very young age to be ‘successful’ to live their lives; to pursue a certain type of career; to be a certain type of man; toxic masculinity actually. So, it was important to showcase men who broke the mould,” Jain added.

To this end, the book chronicles the lives of 45 Indian men who followed their heart and dared to be different – soldiers (Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal), a sailor who circunavigated the globe (Commander Abhilash Tomy), a designer who took Indian fashion to Paris (Rahul Mishra), a doctor who revived rivers (Rajendra Singh), a barefoot artist (M.F. Husain), rocket scientists (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai), entrepreneurs (J.R.D. Tata, Azim Premji), engineers (E. Sreedharan), sportspersons (Bhaichung Bhutia, Vishwanathan Anand), journalists (P. Sainath, Josy Joseph), writers (Perumal Murugan, Vikram Seth, Anant Pai) and activists (Sunderlal Bahugana), among others.

Speaking about the research that went into the writing of the book, Jain said this was of two types.

“Secondary – reading people’s biographies and autobiographies. Then going to YouTube and seeing their interviews. And then primary – which was interviewing whoever I could. I would record the interviews, my colleague would help with transcriptions and then I would put together a skeletal story. It seems simple – the final product – but it was arduous. Getting interviews also was tedious,” Jain explained.

As with “Like A Girl”, 27 artists showcase their arresting interpretations of the individuals featured in the book. This involved Jain, Art Director Ayesha Broacha and the artists working as a close-knit team.

“Surprisingly for this book, many stories started coming in after I had commissioned the art. Oxfam thankfully agreed to come aboard as Art Patron for the book again. So based on my secondary research, I would send artists cue words or articles. Some were fairly straightforward. But the minute I interviewed someone, I would send an artist the unedited story so they would get a sense of the person in the way I wrote about them.

“That helped. Or I would call the artists and give them a sense of which part of the person’s story I was going to focus on. For example J.R.D. Tata. The man is incredible right? He has accomplished so much. Which facet of him would I cover? So in the beginning the artist was trying to put an entire lifetime in the picture. Ayesha gave her art feedback and since we asked all artists to send us rough compositions it was fair to change it. So we had to work with the artists quite carefully.

“When the artist read the story she made this stunning picture of J.R.D. with a Puss Moth (in which he made India’s inaugural airmail flight from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad)! It was perfect and such a long way from the initial sketches,” Jain explained.

What’s next on the cards?“Hah. Good Question. I was working on a book in millennials which was pushed to the back burner two years ago. I have pulled it back but it may take on a different shape or form. I have done 60 interviews for that so you know – the data is rich. But I am figuring out what would work now – two years later. No fixed address yet,” Jain said.

Her first book “The Sood Family Cookbook” of traditional ‘pahadi’ recipes was published in 2013. Her second book “Own It: Leadership Lessons From Women Who Do” (2016) was based on interviews with over 200 women professionals in senior managerial and leadership positions and leveraged on her experience as a certified Integral Master Coach, where she draws on the themes and teachings of master coaches from a variety of disciplines.

“Own It…” was awarded a Laadli Prize and was shortlisted for the Tata Literature Live Business Book Award, while “Like A Girl” was shortlisted for the Crossword Popular Prize.