'Another Sort of Freedom' to Live Lightly by Gurucharan Das

My very first thoughts after skimming through the initial pages of Gurucharan Das's memoir were simply about what an amazing writer he is. I'm guilty of not knowing him before and only found out about him after someone gifted me this book. Had it been up to me, I might have missed this incredible read altogether.

Before diving into the book, I must dwell on my immense love for autobiographies and biographies. The first biography I ever read was that of Madam Curie during my summer vacation in the 8th grade. Thanks to my short memory, I had forgotten reading it when our teacher asked if any student had read books during the vacations. Some other kid stood up in the class and proudly said he had read a comic book. Had I remembered, I could have also had a chance to show off my budding interest in books in front of the entire class. But sadly, I missed out on that chance.

One might wonder, what is the relevance of this story nestled in my childhood? Well, nothing much, but it is just a glimpse of what this book is all about. It is filled with such heartfelt stories layered with nuances of every emotion that Das experienced in those moments. The 'lightness' of his thoughts and actions come across easily, so much so that it removes some burden from your own life too. The heavy ideas of who we are, why we exist and what our purpose is, that plague many minds, find new ways of existence in ours. Yes, we can ponder life as much as we want but still do so lightly. Living lightly through all our experiences is the core message of Das's life.

In almost the last half a decade, I've started to realize how we are not more than the sum total of our surroundings. This is valid for most of us. There might be some exceptions who have the courage and craze to venture beyond their circumstances and sometimes they successfully do so. But for the majority of us, getting beyond our surroundings is rather difficult. Hence, whatever we achieve in life, a significant part of it is just luck because of the resources and opportunities we have in life to explore its diversities. But yes, despite the chances, the actual task of making something out of those opportunities is the real magic of life. Gurucharan Das's life felt like a testament to it. His chance to be in the USA due to his father being transferred there and even better having a father who always made it clear that 'making a life' was way more important than 'making a living' were the amazing circumstances of life. However, despite all the best chances, his hard work and talent to create something meaningful out of it was the real magic. An example of this is that despite having a Philosophy degree from Harvard early in his career, he ventured into the corporate world. And not just venture, he successfully went on to become the CEO of P&G India, which was a testament to his intelligence and smartness that allowed him to follow his passion and switch careers successfully multiple times.

The humor and thoughtfulness that simultaneously flow through his writings are bound to bring a smile or chuckle every now and then, while glimpsing the depth of his thoughts and ideas, especially about the metaphysics of life. His core value of merging depth and lightness reflects not just in his writings but in his way of life too.

One lesson he learned from the CEO of a small Midwestern company who he befriended at Harvard Business School, is to say 'No'. In his words, 'It is much easier to say 'yes', but it takes character to say 'No'.' This is so true and probably one of the most important skills, as it saves up the most crucial resource of all - our time so that we can invest it in what matters the most.

His mantra - run a little, smack a bit, laugh a lot - epitomizes his approach to life. The spirit of lightness defined his attitude toward existence. As Nietzsche aptly put it, "You must have chaos in your heart to give birth to a dancing star." Das exemplifies this beautifully in his life and writing.

An interesting incident from his childhood perfectly encapsulates his philosophy. One day after his school results, his mother asked if he'd stood first. His father said it was the wrong question. Instead, the question should have been if Das was happy in school. And after school reopened, when his teacher asked the class what they wanted to be when they grew up, his answer was 'happy.' The teacher said he didn't understand the assignment. His father retorted that she didn't understand life. Happiness is key to success in life.

The memoir resonates with a profound yet simple wisdom: humility is to take one's work seriously, not oneself. This is reflected in Das's own life and the lessons he shares. As W.C. Fields said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool." In Das's words, "Be an honest coward and save yourself from wasting years of precious life."

From highlighting the issues of mid-life crises to the various business lessons he learned throughout his career to life's philosophies, the book has something beautiful for everyone who aspires and hopes not to settle for something they aren't happy about. So looking for some answers, why not begin here?