Book Review: The Magic Of Friendships

Author Shubha Vilas has made a name for himself over the years with his Ramayana: The Game Of Life series. In the five out of the six books that have been released so far, he has given his own flowery touch to the Indian epic, making it more relevant for people of today’s era.

The author’s latest offering is much different than his previous works. Titled The Magic Of Friendships, this non-fictional book speaks about the importance of friendship and dwells deep into the subject.

The book has various chapters that throw light on friends and friendships from different perspectives. Right from the type of friendships in terms of closeness, the author has also touched about the topic of jealousy among friends and why it should be avoided for your and your friend’s sake.

One of the most striking messages of the book is that it states that friendship is as important as a romantic relationship, if not more. In fact, the author has delved deep into the subject of friendship, just like one does while dealing with romantic relationships.

As one would expect from Shubha Vilas, he has listed incidents from Ramayana and Mahabharata that offer interesting perspective about friendships. Although he has given examples of many commoners as well, this aspect remains the highlight of the book.

Arjuna’s friendship with Krishna, Krishna’s friendship with Draupadi and Rama’s friendship with everyone he comes across are examples that move you and indirectly highlight the relevance of these epics even in today’s times.

In the age of internet and social media, the mention of online friendship is a must and that is exactly what Shubha Vilas has also touched upon. But instead of criticizing online friendships [which a lot of elders do], he has also spoken about its importance with just adding a word of caution.

Also read: Book Review – Ramayana: Radiate Confidence

We have heard a lot of times how important it is for parents to be friends with their children, especially in today’s times. The author has given a good amount of footage to this aspect of friendship too, in a way that it can be appealing to both children and parents.

What takes you by surprise is the portion about friendship with pets. Speaking about the need for friendship with animals and its importance further shows about the author’s commitment to the subject.

There are no such negative points here. The only area of concern is that there are few portions which appear preachy.

Overall, The Magic Of Friendships is a fine read for those who are ready to look at the relation of friendships from a deep or spiritual perspective.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publishers: Penguin Ananda

Pages: 201

Price: Rs 199/-