In the sacred realms of spirituality, Ravi Valluri is undeniably one of the names to reckon with. He has already attained international recognition through his deeply engaging books and his spiritually imbued experiences that he keeps sharing on various social media platforms. Now with his book ‘ Art Of War To Art Of Living ’, this highly sought-after yoga practitioner and life coach has offered an ideal pathway of solutions to the people of the modern age whose vehicle of life has got stuck in the logjam of innumerable problems. Therefore, this book has been purposefully conceived to empower the human beings for successfully combating the challenges that life hurls at them. All that glitters is indeed not always gold. Even an apparently happy and well-settled man, living a life filled with worldly luxuries and creature comforts can be the victim to the emotional turmoil and mundane vicissitudes in reality. Exposing the other side of life, it can be most pertinently remarked that behind the smiles, everyone is going through personal struggles we know nothing about.
While flipping through the magnum opus work of author Ravi Valluri, we get to know that this profoundly engaging book which instantly captivates our attention due to its quite a catchy title has been primarily inspired by the true story of a highly successful technocrat who hails from China. Xi Xiao Ming, our chief protagonist’s real-life journey of self exploration to free herself from worldly bondages and discover her Self, forms the true essence of Ravi Velluri’s “Art of War to Art of Living”. As we begin to absorb ourselves into her tale, we are informed that the protagonist who is a young woman rightly epitomises the idea of a modern day successful young individual who has all the luxuries to her credit with which she can lead a comfortable life.
Undeniably, since our inception on this earth we are haunted by certain existential questions. Therefore, we remain engaged in a perpetual pursuit of unravelling the conundrum about the existence of soul. Consequently, we begin to tread upon the path of spirituality and our real journey is embarked upon from this point of time.
While such a journey in life is fraught with fathomless confusion, immeasurable angst, and deep despair, here, the fact can not be refuted that it emerges rather as a challenge to be a witness to the various spectacles of this journey and shed light on each and every step of it. How does one describe the complex movement of the mind when it is so fluid, when it never anchors itself down? Here the author must be profusely adulated as he has consummately managed to do it with a remarkable adroit. The writer retains the profound prowess of transporting the readers into the mindscape of the chief protagonist. Here as readers we really feel one with the character. Such is the intensity of our resonance with the chief character that quite spontaneously we begin to realise that it is in fact our own journey. The way the author successfully manages to establish a strong connect between the reader and the character speaks volumes about the fact that he has an excellent understanding of human mind and its mysterious meanderings. It is quite heartening to notice the most commendable way in which the profound wisdom of life has been weaved through the myriad threads the narrative.
One of most astounding aspects of the book is its somewhat intriguing title. But the realisation dawns upon us as Sun Tzu alludes to alternatives to conflict, to war in his philosophy and that’s exactly what human beings instinctively aspire for. Man is primordially a peace-loving creature. Violence is a baser instinct which is predominately present either in some animals or a few of human beings with animalistic tendencies. Wars and bloody conflicts are imposed on humanity however humans do not want them to be the parts of their lives. Ghastly massacre and gory carnages are the sights we all loathe to witness. No one enjoys stress. No one wants conflict, be it in the mind or expressed in action. We look for an eternal peace. Therefore, it would not be a fallacy to remark that reading Ravi Velluri’s subtle and sublime description of the various paths taken by the protagonist Xi Xiao Ming is not just deeply absorbing it rather lays a reassuring pathway for the reader or seeker. The book has a greatly commendable ability to soothe the frayed nerves and it has also come up with a bit of didacticism when we conclude that life can not be viewed only through the prism of just black and white. Like a rainbow it is a multi- hued phenomenon which makes our life brightly refulgent and colossally colourful. Though the contrasts offer a referral and act as catalysts for change. To end the matters on a fairly sanguine note the book ‘Art of War to Art of Living’ must be the part of your personal library. After all, every end has a new beginning.
(Prof Shiv Sethi is a renowned columnist and book reviewer. He writers for the best national and international media houses) .
