Book Summary - The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad : Book By Twinkle Khanna

Well, I am not a person who would read fictional books so often unless it has a touch of practicality and reality in it.

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is just that, a collection of 4 stories, inspirational yet practical. Each story a key takeaways and small learnings that we can imbibe in our day to day life.

Story #1

The first story is about a small village girl "Lakshmi Prasad" who brought a revolutionary movement in her village with her wit and wisdom.

The place where women are considered a burden and killed or tormented till death, Lakshmi initiated a small act of goodwill that would help generations to come and also ensure financial independence of the women till their last breath.

The legendary hero of this story, Lakshmi, did something that each one of us can do. An act to thrive through the ups and downs, an act that would help women to keep their head high by earning their own living, an act that would not just help a woman, but also her kids, her family, her village, her country and also this world in a larger perspective. This simple and beautiful act was "to play 10 Mango Seeds every time a girl is born"! Isn't it amazing, the mango tree would start bearing its fruits in 8 years and all the money earned by selling these mangoes would be used for girls' education and marriage?

Who said you need out-of-the-box ideas to be a legend?!?!

Just think of a win-win situation and you can make a great impact. Relating this to the 7 habits of highly effective people, it becomes easy to correlate that Lakshmi's idea was legendary only because it solved a problem, as well as everyone, could earn a fortune or two from it! A true sign of a leader in a small village girl. 

Story #2

The second story talks about Noni Appa, a widow Muslim lady trying to fill her loneliness in the company of her younger sister, who too is a widow. A story of two beautiful sisters, giving relationship goals and demonstrating that you don't need a man to stay happy. You can rather involve in so many other activities and enjoy your sweet cup of tea in the evening. Two souls with different mindset yet sharing a beautiful bond. The excerpt from the book gives you a feeling of gratitude towards your family who may be pretty different from you but are your soul and spirit, the very reason you smile each day. In their journey, Noni Appa meets a yoga instructor, younger than her but their hearts resonating at the same beats. Their chemistry and bonding were beyond the understanding of this society, who would often look down on the couple from different caste, often belittle an old retired lady for having a relationship with a man younger to her and a Hindu married man being attracted to an old Muslim lady. What are the odds that this society would ever understand what love is? How would society justify a Hindu man unsatisfied with his arranged marriage because his wife would never understand him, instead abuse him for not earning well? The wife who is supposed to be Life-Partner becomes Life-threatening. Who would understand that the bond of love is stronger than anything that money can buy? Perhaps, no one! And that is what stopped Noni Appa and Yoga Instructor Anand Ji to live together their last few years of life happily. But one fine day, when Noni Appa had just woke up from a disease that took her almost to death bed, she was awakened by a realization that love is the biggest blessing and fake society will only earn her fake eulogy on her coffin. It is her decision to choose love over the fear of what society will think. The story teaches us the strange thing that this life is! And the stranger thing this society is! 

God bless all who suffer from - Sabse Bada Rog, Kya Kahenge Log!

Story #3

The third story is about a young dynamic lady, living her life to the fullest but is trashed by fate and yet again by society, more importantly by her family! It talks about the times when women get into a marriage with a wrong one and have already tasted the bitter soup of shame. The family becomes the biggest strength to bear the pain and rise above it. Unfortunately, not every woman is lucky to have that loving family.

Negativity attracts negativity.

Failed marriages, pressure from family and society on women, broken hearts, and broken self are the only things engulfing your true self! The story has a bit sad ending or rather best ending for Elisa when she dies of an accident while fleeting away from a toxic family trying to mould her into societal expectations. 

Story #4

The final story is one each one of us would have heard about, PADMAN or The Sanitary Napkins Man. A gripping story of sheer honesty and integrity of the Indian Entrepreneur who had just one vision, inspired by problems faced by his beloved wife, to make the life of all women safe and hygienic. Simply because they deserved it. The stigma around the periods is not unknown in our country and there are many superstitions attached to it. As the story is already known to many, I would love to list 7 lines from the book that churn out the key learnings from the story :

1) For people who imitate you or take credit for your hard work: " This country is full of untalented lazy scoundrels who are happy to bathe in a tub filled with another man's sweat"

2) On Superstitions in villages: "Put batteries in a torch and you can illuminate a room but it doesn't mean that a small star has fallen from the sky"

3) On Women Empowerment: "When a woman's economic status improves, her entire family's condition improves, whereas for a man that may not necessarily hold true. A man will spend on himself, buy a new bike, spend on drinks and friends but a woman will spend all her money on her children.

4) On opportunities that knock on our door and the risks we take: "Life is but a play of chance in the game of choice."

5) On Stakeholder Management: "Profit and loss always interested everyone" (not your product nor your cause)

6) On Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship: "Big business is like a mosquito, a parasite. It can make society ill. My method of business is like a bee. You take nectar from the flower while benefiting the system."

7) On Relationship: "Relationships may tear but they are not clothes where you throw out a ripped shirt and replace it with a new one. A principled man must try to stitch together his bonds carefully, time, and again."