A book changed Sonu Nigam's life

Leafing through the pages of a book, Sonu Nigam looks up and says, “This is what changed my life forever.” Authored by Richard Carlson, the title reads: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff ... and it’s all small stuff.

Sonu recounts the eve of his 30th birthday, which he celebrated at the Miami airport, “I decided to gift myself something. I went to a bookshop and approached the lady at the paying counter with three books that I’d chosen. ‘Nice choice,’ she said, ‘but you’ve got to try this one’, and handed me this book by Carlson. ‘I’m not getting an extra cut on this one. It’s truly brilliant!’ she said. The three-and-a-half hour-long flight that followed reaffirmed all that I had known but had hesitated to believe. While reading this book, whenever I’d pause with a question, the answer would be right there in the following pages.”

Aage se right 
Sonu admits that as a kid, he would often observe others behave a certain way and would wonder why he acted differently. He says, “These questions remained unanswered and childhood just passed me by. Born in a typical lower middle class family, we started keeping domestic help at home only 1993 onwards. I grew up saying thank you to anyone who would take my food plate away or offer to iron my clothes. From washing my own undergarments to picking up the utensils I ate in, I had always led my life a certain away. Some of my friends found it funny and I started questioning my habits, until decades later, I chanced upon this book. It didn’t teach me how to treat my help as equals; it taught me to trust my own opinions. In one chapter, the author talks of sweeping the streets one fine morning, just to see what it felt like. This book redefined my naive definition of ‘being cool’.”

Full report here Times of India