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The Fine Print of Life THE book throws light on man’s quest for happiness and wisdom. The story unfolds through the main protagonist Panna Lal. As a small boy, Panna Lal used to play in a beautiful garden with all the other children in his neighbourhood. As time passed and he grew older, his visit to the garden became less frequent. The garden became deserted soon and later, someone dumped debris into it.
Like any normal person, Panna Lal, Jelebi Devi, Imrati Devi, Mishri Devi and Hira Lal go through ups and downs of life and struggle to become someone in life. They do face doubts, difficulties and insecurities. The writer guides us to a new awareness of ourselves through these characters. The book is divided into five and a half wheels—Minding it, Finding it, Seeing it, Being it, Walking it and Playing it. Each of the wheels in turn has five and a half inner wheels, which is the core of everything. The book is a journey to the center—our own centre. Minding it is about the state of mind of Panna Lal. His never ceasing outer activity is the first part of his living experience. There is also something going on in his mind that affects his thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Inner activity is never ending. Thus, his mental and physical states are affected by each other. Finding it discusses the inner processes of the functioning of the heart. Body is one system, and it comes as one complete whole and not by putting individual parts together. When the opposites blend, they make one whole truth. Trusting and living spontaneously cultivate the optimal state of mind. In Seeing it, the writer says, "The idea of enlightenment is vague and hazy. The experience of enlightenment is a mystery as it is supposed to be accessible only to a chosen few." At times, there are many who boast of being enlightened wear their enlightenment lightly. "As a matter of fact, enlightenment is not something we can put on. It is a state that can neither be faked nor concealed." Being it brings out five and a half different aspects of truth of enlightenments, which can help us develop a direct feel for that state, while Walking it discusses the five and a half ways to go about the journey. It is good to have well-defined goals, he says, but we have to be prepared for unexpected also. Playing it says that life is an amazing game, which has fixed rules and cannot be altered. We absorb from life and learn the rules, but they are not same for everyone. Life is a curious game with a one-way track; whatever has happened cannot be undone. "Life has a very funny dimension—a solid past, a liquid present and gaseous future! The past is solid in that it is unalterable. The present is liquid that Panna Lal has the ability to change his course. The future is gaseous in that it is wide open." The book guides us to a new awareness about ourselves. Its message is clear, that "life is beautiful and it is great to be alive".
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The writer has compared
the garden with Panna Lal’ mind. When he was young, his mind—garden—was
without any debris but with the passage of time, acquiring knowledge,
adapting to his environments, he lost all his wondrous innocence and
later, his mind became full of debris. This book is not about working
hard in life but the enjoyment, effortlessness and spontaneity in work
and the qualities one possesses as a kid.