1st Book of 2022
There are few public figures you always feel associated with – Reason? You have seen them through your growing years and you feel connected with them for being a part of your childhood/youth. Samir Soni is one such actor whom I have seen in the serials like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi whereas I have loved his acting in movies like Baghban, Vivah etc. I also remember him in the 4th season of Bigg Boss and that scene where he goes and sit near the gate with his belongings to leave the show is still engrossed in my mind. I never knew that he has gone through a long phase of depression, isolation and loneliness. The release of his first book named “My Experiments with Silence” was a surprise for me as the book speaks about his journey through these tough times. Before starting the review, I must say that the poems written by Samir in the book are top-notch and you will not be able to believe that a regular poet has not written it. I am in just awe of all the English poems in the book.
The book also has a tagline which says “The Diary of an Introvert” and I must say it will relate to many people reading this book. Right from the 1st page to the last, you get a feeling that this person had nobody to open his heart too and hence the book has pages filled up with so much where he keeps talking to himself or Universe or God. I have been an introvert for most of my life and I am someone who doesn’t open about himself with the world hence I could relate with every sentence that the author has scribbled. I must say that it’s not easy for anyone to come out of the closet and share their personal diary stuff with the public. I have been a Blogger since more than a decade now and I still think twice before exposing my vulnerable self out there for the people to judge me. Samir, being a celebrity who is still very active in the movie industry, doing this is a commendable job.
This 190-pages book is a short read which you can complete within a day or so but it’s written in a way that it takes time for you to grab things and consume them. If you have been in this phase ever, you’ll understand it very clearly what the author or the protagonist of the book is going through. The book is written in a diary format along with the dates. For some reason, author has hidden the year when it was happening with him which confuses you because sometimes, I thought it’s from 2004-05 whereas sometimes it seemed to be 2011-12. I don’t know when this exactly happened but what matters is that it busts many myths about mental health.
We always think that people with money, success and fame can never go through something like this but this personal diary of Samir states that even after having spotlight over you, winning awards here and there matters nothing if your mind is wandering and not giving you peace you are longing for. There are instances in the book where you find the writer alone on a weekend wanting to share time with someone but there’s no one he can call and be with. Such phases can be very tough for someone to bear – and mostly when you live in a posh area of a Maximum City like Mumbai. Author has defined loneliness quiet aptly in almost every chapter.
There’s another perspective that the author gives about us being that 5-years old always in our heart. It is so well observed because even when I talk with myself today, I feel as if I am talking with the kid version of myself with whom I have always had my conversations. I never feel that it has also grown up like me. Author also talks about other aspects such as our temptation for validation from others. He also talks about fear, hope, longingness, insomnia, illusion, reality, success, rejection, tough times in career & job, divorce, marriage, insecurities etc. The book has almost every keyword associated with mental health and this is my personal opinion that read it only when you are on the last leg of your recovery phase or have been through this in past. If you are currently going through such times, the book can make it more tough for you as your inner demons will start troubling you more reading something that’s already troubling you.
Now, talking about the drawbacks, I must say that author has very vastly mentioned all about his tough times and vulnerability but doesn’t give any idea on how he overcame it. He doesn’t talk about recovery methodology at all. He doesn’t tell us if he’s seeing therapist or doing it all by himself. Yes, he makes it clear that he trusts in God but apart from that, he never lets us understand how he came out of the situation. I was expecting some great insights from his journey of recovery too. Secondly, as I mentioned, author should have given little clarity about what was happening with him when he wrote the certain section as it builds up the curiosity but doesn’t let us understand the complete picture. Thirdly, whenever a celebrity writes a book, they must be aware that they have a certain fanbase who would want to meet them through their work irrespective of whatever it is. Here, there’s no Samir Soni’s personal talk with us at all which can make us connect with his personality.
Overall, this is a very fresh attempt which will give you many beautiful quotes, proses, poems and stories. It will make you want to understand what goes in the mind of an introvert who’s going through tough times. I give this book 3.75 stars out of 5.
Thanks.
WRITING BUDDHA
