I had always been an avid reader and writer. As a thirteen-year-old, I had written a long letter to my uncle, who was the first person to tell me that I should become a writer.

Then life happened. I was a good student, and my father suggested that I apply to medical schools. I did just that and was admitted to a medical school at the age of 18. Medicine engrossed me. I loved learning about the physiology of the human body and the intricate and meticulous functioning of every cell in the body. Each cell is a world of its own.

I must add; I did not like anatomy, memorizing the names of the multitude of nerves and arteries as they coursed through our body was overwhelming. In the anatomy class, where we dissected the brain and labeled every part of the brain, the mind which was what guided us throughout our life was not described.

This intangible thing called ‘mind’ was, in effect, non-existent in the anatomy class.

Through college and medical school, I would write poems, essays, stories, which were enjoyed by my friends and family; some of the material was published in school and community magazines. Last year, I was annoyed with myself for not having done anything with the stories I had written. One day, I spread all the manuscripts on my bed. As I looked at them, I felt these were human stories waiting to be told. 

There were stories exploring love and sexuality. There were stories about the pitfalls of modern living. The pursuit of happiness as understood and pursued was making people unhappy and not be at peace with themselves. Within a week, I decided to publish them.

If the reader sees slices of life in the pages of this book, these are stories told to understand the fickleness of the human mind, why we behave in ways detrimental to our well-being. Stories related to lay bare some of the myths associated with love and sex. Why the modern world, despite all its comforts and gadgets and being wealthier, than at any other time in history, stays stressed and unhappy across all strata of society?

This book is the culmination of that quest. It is written in the form of fiction, for in fiction, there is leeway to express oneself.

Every line in this book is written to convey something meaningful yet entertaining to the reader. It is a quick read. I deliberately made it so as this is the era of social media and distractions.

Every self-help book talked about success, but not many talked about the one thing that led to failure in life. If a person lacked this one thing, despite whatever money, fame or glamor one had, real happiness would elude him or her.

Shattering the societal definition of success, changing the paradigm of success can help us be successful in the true sense, and be genuinely at peace with ourselves. Worldly success does not always lead to fulfillment.

To understand the difference, please read ‘Tame The Mind: An Exploration of Love, Sex, Happiness.’