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Yen's World
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Re: Yen's World
On the cover of “Yen’s World”,there is a quote,”Are you afraid to dream?.Do you have the courage to believe your dream?”. At the back,are printed the words,”faith”,”self belief” and “truth”.The unsuspecting reader’s first impression would be that this book probably is all about the life and times of…basically a biography. For any other book that would be true except for “Yen’s World” .Printed along with those fore mentioned, are the words “multiple genres”. This was a first for me. I asked myself,”Am I afraid to dream or have the courage to believe it?”. There was only one way to find out.I decided to immerse myself into Yen’s World.
As we delve into the first part of the book and reflect.One thought comes to mind,the narrative is nostalgia.However, as we immerse ourselves in the second,third and then the fourth part.We need to remind ourselves,this is not fiction but far from it.
From his childhood to his experiences on the high sea’s there seems to be danger coupled with hopelessness at every turn destiny’s hand throws. At the same time,is it divine interference?, or sheer ladies luck that pulls him through those unsurmountable odds?. The “Ladies” for the narrator, are the magnificent cargo and oil tankers he sailed with on the high sea’s. Its one thing to be a part of the crew and something else to command a vessel as a master mariner altogether. The hard days of yore on those maidens of the seven seas makes shipping in the modern world look like a video game. However this is just a part of Yen’s narrative in “Yen’s World”.
One gets a fascinating insight into the Indian Shipping Industry of the late sixties right through the difficult economic and drought laden years of the seventies and almost upto the millennia. What it took to be a sailor and how to make it against all odds. Stories that you will never get to read anywhere else. Gripping,romantic,frought with danger,the experiences of the narrator ends with one fascinating tale only to start another which supersedes the latter. Some narratives leave you with a haunting perspective as to how feeble life is. We all know how easy it is to lose everything you loved if the all mighty throws a bad hand at you. However, in “Yen’s World”,we learn time and time again that a bad hand comes with the truth that everything happens not by chance but for a purpose. The purpose, is the big picture that main stream science has not and will never answer unless drastic open minded researchers enter the field and straddle the supernatural and paranormal aspects of the infinite universe. “Yen’s World” grapples with the true nature of reality as well.
Unexplained phenomena and experiences are narrated right through the four sections of the book. The shocking aspect is that they are all true. The narrator does not put a finger on what the experiences mean or what they could. He leaves the question open ended for us to ponder on and arrive at own conclusions.Apart from these fascinating encounters ,we also get an unflinching description of the high sea’s and their awesome fury.The Wrath of mother nature.
This is a story about a boy who grew up not knowing what love meant.This is a story of experiencing love with the divine.This is a love story between a cadet who eventually became a master mariner and the ships he sailed on.This is a story about fate and destiny’s hand leading one down unchartered territory.This is a story about the mystery of life as we perceive. This is a story of what most cannot perceive when it comes to the mysteries of life. This is a story that questions what perception really means.This is a story that makes one question the lives we live and the reality of it all.
Then at the end of it all, the culmination of all thats “Yen’s world” is a chronicle of epic proportions. It is dripping with inestimable wisdom which, forged in the furnace of unshakable truth, gives us a lot to ponder about. Its not preaching a philosophy or an ideology that stares us in the face when we read the narrative. It is always the question or the courage to question any philosophy or ideology.Especially to have the courage to believe our dreams.
Verified Buyer
Re: Yen's World
There are books that have stories to tell, that want to bewitch you in their intricate web of words, books that want to exhibit author’s literary flourish. Then there are some books that want to repair you. Yen’s World seems to be written with the last purpose in mind.
Our souls go through a lifetime of ups and downs. We lose a lot and we gain some in our daily struggles. Faith is perhaps the last of the possessions that is snatched from our innocence by the harshness of adulthood. Every now and then, when we are down and out, we realize the gravity of this loss. Like a sudden jarring sound of an empty vessel falling on the ground, this sense of emptiness grips and engulfs. In these moments, we find ourselves helpless. Sometimes, we wistfully recall memories of our younger selves, when kissing the face of a deity hanging by a thread around our neck was enough to put our minds at ease. A silent prayer would do the trick and make us feel that help was on its way.
Based on true stories, the book weaves together some beautiful, some traumatic and some intriguing experiences of the author. All these various experiences test the author’s understanding of reality itself. His journey which incidentally traverses through some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring scenes and sights on this planet, forces him to question, rethink and finally cement his belief in the ethereal and eternal.
It is a five-letter word, but it seems to mean much more than what it says. When you have an unshakeable FAITH, the book shows that the spirit is able to call upon miracles. It might not always be a spectacle to behold, but among the routine and mundane, the spirit starts to witness the subtle hands of the sublime.
As the book sinks in, it stirs up those ebbing memories that were washed away by the stormy twists and turns of time. The pages of the past suddenly flip back and it strikes you like a gentle wave. It must have been a couple of days since I had finished the book. I was sitting at my desk in office. I was on a short break from transcribing some interviews and it struck me.
I had lost my dad in my early teens and my faith must have left me along with him; I felt I had stumbled upon the genesis of my faithlessness. He was a devout man and his belief in the eternal was the family’s anchor. Every evening, he would lead prayer sessions at home. He had a wide and varied collection of audio cassettes with recordings of spiritual talks by men of different orders. Spiritual books and other related literature was always stacked up on his study table. His faith was unshakeable. He had the courage to believe and his relentless belief was contagious. The loss of his presence had thrown my belief system into malfunction. This epiphany might be beginning of something new. Knowing and reminiscing the past may be one way to recover from it.
Hopefully, in reading this book the reader finds his own personal story and in putting together pieces of his own narrative, takes his first steps on the path of self-discovery.
- Jash Kriplani, Asst. Editor, Outlook Business, Mumbai.
Re: Yen's World
Starting mysteriously, this book takes you on a journey of a lifetime! One, that you will never forget.
From the streets of Mumbai and a small village in Kerala, slowly you are lead on a journey around the globe with its lead protagonist swimming against the tide all along.
Learning about life, nature, destiny, failure, faith, belief, success, love, determination, passion, ghosts, mystery and more.
Yen's World digs into your inner core!
How I love the narrative style!
The book gives you key and thought provoking insights in to the human mind. Such intangible emotions are described so beautifully and with so much ease, that it will leave you spellbound!
Inspiring to the core, Yen's World is quite informative too!
Life at Sea has probably never been described so well before..!!
Drama, Mystery, Intrigue, Horror, Romance, Spirituality - Yen's World has it all!
Apart from a romantic tale which is full of twists and turns, the book takes you into yet another kind of romance, probably that has never been revealed before - Romance of a Captain and his ships <3 That for me is the biggest take away..
The book has 4 parts - each part could be a book by itself.
Fabulously Written - Each part is a Masterpiece !
Would love to see a movie or maybe a complete series made on this.. It has the potential to be the next Titanic - added with more ships, tales, locations, stories, ghosts and romance, it just gets better!
Give it a shot! I am sure you will not regret!
Verified Buyer
Re: Yen's World
Instructive, thought provoking, enriching, fascinating - a kaleidoscope of images of glorious hues sprinkled with sombre shades.
Great storytelling. Serious reading. Leaves you spellbound.
You would have never read anything like this before.
Re: Yen's World
Captivating,brilliant narration,timeless truth's,scary but real life supernatural phenomena, blood curdling tales of the high sea's,the romance and dangers of life as a Merchant Navy Captain,these are just a few gems in this treasure trove,Yen's World.
From his days as a young boy in his native town,Chenganoor to his almost miracle like induction to the Merchant Navy and beyond,one has to remind oneself that this is not a work of fiction but a soul searching narrative of the truth.
Each incident leaves us with questions that are open ended.This leads the reader to question more and then realize that the answer's lead to more questions.The tough life of the old days at sea is narrated with passion.Yen's World also reinforces that life and happiness is so fragile and almost hinges on an outcome of mind numbing probability,a flip of the coin called fate. Yen's World grapples with is faith in the higher power and courage to believe in our dreams.
In today's world of Indian Author's writing for the sake of writing.It is becoming evident that most are "just another book". Yen's World however, from the first page to the very last is NOT just another book.Its a book of multiple genre's which will be read and re-read for generations to come.Pick Yen's world up and delve into the unknown.