The topic of self-help is relatively bland, but one author is changing the way the genre is perceived by readers
Amolak Singh Grewal
Books are the ideal companion – accompanying children and adults alike. The fresh pages of a paperback do not discriminate and the words on a page can lend a comforting warmth to anybody. But for even the most voracious readers a certain manuscript is kept at arm’s length — the self-help book. Dr. Preet Kanwal is an author out with his second book, changing the very perceived narrative of self-help books by writing self-help books that aren’t exactly self-help books.
This is not a book review, but like his first book his latest one (titled, “Secrets to a Blissful Life!”) should be categorised as an essay laden with anecdotes and reflective interjections. Both titles are crisp, lend a refreshing take and do not try too hard – perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
Dr. Kanwal possesses a pleasant persona and a first interaction hardly feels like one. It has the familiarity of meeting an old friend – a comfort that stems from something inexplicable. A dentist by qualification, Dr. Kanwal is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with two practices and teaching credits that began shortly after his senior residency at PGI. “My interest in the field piqued during my time at PGI, where a lot of facial trauma cases were regularly looked into by us,” he states. Dr. Kanwal also holds an empanelment with Fortis Healthcare Limited.
“Writing was an interest, perhaps even a passion,” he begins to elucidate on his published works.
Doctors hardly have time for anything else, after all.
But an amalgamation of penning down his thoughts, reading about the law of attraction, experiencing a few incomprehensible moments and meeting the right person at the right time led to the publishing of Dr. Kanwal’s first book — Beyond the Everyday Existence.
Two years later, the man found himself further down the rabbit hole and reading beyond the law of attraction – the seven Universal laws of life to be exact. Covid and all its subsequent happenings resulted in not just time, but even clarity of thought to some extent as he explains, “We’re all chasing a blissful life and everybody can relate to being locked up in the pandemic. The book is not only about surviving, but perhaps even thriving in a post-Covid world.”
Subscribe to read the full article: