Seva: Sikh wisdom for living well by doing good

by Jasreen Mayal Khanna

'Demystifies the Sikh way of living a good life in seven simple steps' Vogue IndiaThink of any scene of disaster and you'll find Sikh volunteers rallying to the site to perform seva - pronounced 'say-va', meaning selfless service - feeding migrant workers, helping riot victims, and cleaning up after earthquakes and floods. Why has this 30 million strong community become the world's Good Samaritan? What is it about their values that makes so many of them do so much good? And how is it that they're also able to channel so much joy and laughter while serving others?Through science-based studies, interviews with Sikhs and a look at history and fables, Seva unlocks seven Sikh-inspired rules to help anyone become kinder, happier and lead a more meaningful life. A secular handbook for the modern world, Seva is a beautiful, inspiring and moving book that will change you from the inside out.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Audiobook

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2022

Reviews

[Jackie Scully · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chardi kala are two words everyone should know! A beautifully made and written book that reminds us all that doing good, embracing joy, saying thank you, laughing at ourselves, working hard and being brave will help us live well. So much wonderful wisdom in a quick read. Loved it. Now to apply it all.

[Michael Kott · Rating 2 out of 5]

None.

[Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good entry level introduction to sikh culture, it’s easy to follow and understand. Reading it feels very casual and informal, so don’t expect anything in depth. One thing I will mention is the negative comparisons to other religions and cultures seemed a little off putting at times.

[sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book, a postive read.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is written in an accessible style, is positive, inspiring and filled with real life examples. Great read for anyone interested in learning more about Sikh culture and philosophy!

[Ashpreet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for more insight, a deep dive into the concept but Khanna clearly intended the audience to be those looking to use this as a self help guide. Seva is inherently tied to Sikh ways of understanding the world, the universe and god which the book barely touches. The moments it does are wonderful but I wanted more deep dives in chardi kala and how sikhs got here. Instead it tells its audience to have dinner together as a family and play music more.…wow revolutionary. Its understanding of even the Sikh community is very surface level, and generalizing. It touts out facts and news paper articles titles without considering the why, the how we got here, and the deeper meaning. Very disappointing

I really wanted to like this book. It’s writing style was very accessible, but it was all fluff. If you grew up around Sikh’s or raise Sikh this book will provide nothing for you.

The audiobook’s narrator also put on a heavy superficial accent whenever it quoted anyone, which the narrator didn’t have otherwise, which was really a shame.