The Obvious Truth that is Hidden is one of the latest non-fiction titles written by Chethana. More than a book, it is a spiritual journey of hers that embarks with intolerable pain and suffering. In other ways, some extremely distressful incidents in the author’s life result in her inclination on the spiritual path. And it’s been many years now as her journey is going on. Though this book begins with the negative side of life, it eventually discusses positivity, learning, guidance, freshness and ancient parables that help people realise the uniqueness, goodness and importance of life in various aspects. The reason behind picking this book (or any other inspirational and spiritual title) is my mother who always pushes me to read self-help books for three reasons. First, by seeing or reading about other person’s pain and distress, you will understand that it is not you who alone face troubles and problems in life. And it is also not that your sufferings are greater than others. Second, by empathising with someone else’s pain you become more humble and positive towards society and life. And third, these books help you clear your doubts to an extent, show you the right path and aid you in healing fast. Also, they are one of the good sources of gaining ancient knowledge. Because spiritual books (especially written by Indian authors) are filled with teachings from our ancient texts.

As this book is the journey of the author herself, she has shared her experiences and learnings through interesting anecdotes. Let me give you an example here. What is right? What is wrong? Between these two questions, almost every one of us is hanging. However, according to Chethana, it is all about the perspective with which we see a situation and thing. Perception and narratives play a tremendous role in our lives. Most of us perceive the same thing in different ways and think ours is the ultimate truth, which is not the case at all. Humans tend to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people’s limited, subjective experiences that may be equally true. And the author has explained this through a very inspiring and engaging story of a blind man and an elephant.

As we go into the depth of this book, we will find that this book is not limited to the author’s own experiences and understandings. Chethana has discussed, in great detail, Soul, Karma, Freewill, and Mantra Chanting. Four chapters are dedicated to these four concepts. I was startled by the way the author described the meaning and vastness of the Mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. This is the Mantra we all chant every day since our childhood without knowing the meaning of it. Today, after reading this book, I learned that in this three-word Mantra, the essence of life is hidden. Through talks by popular psychologists, saying of various sages and saints, stories of the lives of Ram and Krishna, teachings of Bhagvat Gita and other online and offline references, the author has included everything in her book to prove her points and make it more meaningful and profound.

The book might have a few shortcomings as well. The first thing is a lack of order. You might find order in this book. This is, I think, fine because readers will be busy reading and understanding many things new to them. The Obvious Truth that is Hidden also lacks a uniform style. You seldom realise when the track changes, when third person narrative is involved and when it changes back into the first person. Such things happen with first-time authors and that is natural. However, one must expect the author to mend these things when she decides to release an updated edition of the same book or write something new.

Nevertheless, You will enjoy reading this book as it is. It brings newness. It brings fresh perspectives on life and different aspects. Get a copy from Amazon India and start reading it today.

Click here to buy a copy now – Amazon India

Review by Ashish for ReadByCritics Book Reviews Blog