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Book Title: Love, Peace and Happiness: What more can you want?

Author: Rituraj Verma

“Stories surround us.”

So starts the text on the back cover of the Book ‘Love, Peace and Happiness: What more can you want?’

And I thought it was just another one straight out of the league of books inspired by Chetan Bhagat and other writers with a MBA degree. Then I chided myself for being prejudiced. I turned the pages and reading the foreword made me curious. It was wistful, delicate and evoked a humane interest in the author.

As I started with the first story ‘A high, like heaven’, the book started growing on me. And I read it at one go, never wishing to quite part with it as I pondered over the meaning of Love, Peace and Happiness along with the myriad characters in the book.

In each story, each character goes through a private journey, reminding us that essentially what we all want is happiness, though the definition of happiness may be different for all. Sometimes, their lives intermingle, each affecting the other in a profound way. In the process, there are certain tradeoffs that we make in this quest for peace. Whether it be the middle aged man pondering over the question ‘who am I?’ to the man looking to commit to a prostitute, there’s a Hanif, an Anamika, a Rasheeda, a Rajesh in each one of us.

What is unique about this book is that the Author invites the readers to write alternate endings if they don’t like the ones in the book. That makes one feel as if one is a part of the story, as if what think matters. In fact, this book is perfect as a travel companion. It is simple, easy to understand and yet conveys a whole lot of meaning. Read it if you want something light to read but at the same, contemplate about some serious questions raised by life.