Review of Harnam Sethi’s Journey to Self Discovery

Author- P.S. Wasu

“Harnam Sethi’s Journey to Self Discovery” by P.S. Wasu,who has been a life skills facilitator, is a book that helps you to understand the true meaning of life. A philosophical book, which deals with the simple story of a boy named Harnam, the protagonist of the story. The book basically traces and discovers the journey of Harnam’s life.

As the blurb says that the book contains the three prime aspects: Dreams, Ideas and Feelings. These three aspects are the fundamentals of life. The story is about Harnam Sethi who was the only child of his parents. In his school days, he did well in his studies. Finally, his sincerity & diligence paid off and he got admission to one of the best engineering college. Later, in college he became negligent and careless towards his studies. He was totally disheartened and shattered by the circumstances. He was fed up with life and decided to end his life. Somehow, he got rescued by a kind person. Later, the story depicts how Harnam gradually realized several things in life and he did well in his job. Failure proved to be the greatest teacher in his life. Professionally, he became prosperous and affluent. During his job, he faced many highs and lows. But eventually he was growing as a person. After achieving a great amount of success, he was tired of it. A peculiar feeling of emptiness sneaked in him. He decides to understand the true meaning of life. This is the first phase of the book i.e. Dreams. He decides to pursue spirituality in order to recognize the real purpose of life. He became interested in Buddhism literature and other books to determine the principle that governs the universe. This is the second phase of the book i.e. Ideas. He visited several holy places, and also met some knowledgeable and wise people such as Mishri Devi, to find the answers of his numerous questions. The story represents that how he perceived and comprehend the simple realities and truths of life. The concluding part of the book is feelings. Unexpectedly, now love enters into his life. He now felt very serene and composed. An unseen void has been filled ,as love entered into his life. The story depicts that how Harnam felt a sense of completeness within and ultimately he finds happiness, how he became aware of his existence and he realized the hidden meaning of life.

The author beautifully described about the journey of life through this simple tale. This book is certainly capable of making one understand and grasp the truthfulness of life. The way how author talked about several kind of situations a man overcomes during his life span is praiseworthy. The author discussed about divergent issues of life such as success, happiness, love, and spirituality. The book teaches you how to seek happiness and realize the purpose of life. The language of the author is simple and straightforward but it is influential and impactful. Many minute elements of life are demonstrated in the book.

I felt the story of the book basically conveys a message to everyone out there i.e.-
“Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn and most of all, experiences to enjoy.”

I like the way that how the author explained about the human nature and an urge to seek and look for the truth. And most importantly to look and analyse your inner self. With every turn of page, the book throws countless questions at you and ultimately helps you to resolve the untold queries within you regarding life. Undoubtedly, it made me enlightened about the fact based realities of life. I perceived the significance of self introspection and self realization. You could connect yourself to the incidences and conditions that are illustrated in the story. The book is absolutely capable of answering one’s multitude of queries and questions pertaining to life and originality of life.

Rating- 4.1/5

Reviewer- Shivani Chauhan