'Once I started reading through the book, I felt sad that I was not taking care of myself properly...'

Book Review | Ikigai

Reviewed in Class by: Jenisha Elizabeth Thomas, II MA English

Jenisha reviewed Ikigai [by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia] in class today.

Over to Jenisha -

Well, I got this book for quite a few reasons. Firstly, blue is my favourite colour, and the cover of this book is in blue as well.

Secondly, the tree – Cherry blossoms! Some of my favourite cartoon characters including Doraemon sport Cherry Blossoms. Even when I create an account, I always favoured using the term ‘Cherry Blossoms’ to them.

Ikigai – or the ‘art of living’ tells us about the secret to living a purposeful life!

The book focusses on various aspects including - the importance of flow in one’s life, the importance of having long and lasting friendships, the reason for living, and finding a source of motivation.

This book is worth reading, especially in today’s fast-paced world. 

It recommends a few salients that include –

Surrounding yourself with good friends.

Having a smile.

Reconnecting with nature.

Giving thanks etc.

I started reading this book only when the lockdown happened.

Once I started reading through the book, I felt sad that I was not taking care of myself properly. Especially the little things that add value to our lives.

Indeed, the book tells us about how to create ‘free spaces’ for ourselves for our growth and happiness.

While I was a day scholar, shuttling between College and home, I was quite an introvert, and highly reserved in my disposition. But as Ikigai says, my good friends helped me come out of my cocoon. We used to sing together, and nurture our friendships, as advocated by Ikigai.

On an added note, Jenisha confessed, ‘Tea is my drug. I finished an entire flask of tea during a recent camp!’ Tea-lovers kindly take note! :-)

To conclude, being a good listener is a very good thing. Conversations with good friends act as a great stress relief, she signed off!

Teacher’s Remarks: Awesome, Jenisha! Yours was a very intense and highly thought-provoking review, interspersed with a lot of real-life anecdotes that made it engaging for all of us! Your confident presentation made it all the more absorbing from start to finish! Keep up the spirit!

Thanks a lot Manimaran for the lovely snaps.