Nagpur: It would have been easy for Mandeep to bask in the warm glow of her husband Rajkumar Hirani’s success and pursue her high-flying career as a pilot with Air India. “But I am a seeker and have always looked for something new to do” Mandeep told TOI on the sidelines of the launch of her debut book ‘How to be Human’ on Saturday, at Crosswords. “I have never been close to art and literature, but began reading intensely in my free time,” she says.
But it was only after a pet dog arrived at their home that she decided to give her thoughts shape of a book. “After the shooting of PK was completed, the little dog Nakku — shown as actor Anushaka’s pet — came to our home and the responsibility of caring for him fell on me.”
Mandeep says that in the everyday chores like taking the dog for a walk, feeding him, observing his behaviour under various situations made her draw comparisons between how a dog and a human respond. “There are 20 behavioural heads which I have taken to explain this. I realized that our dog Buddy (as we call him) doesn’t discriminate. He loves those who love him regardless of class caste or creed. Dogs are not superstitious even though they understand nature better than us.”
Drawing further on her observations Mandeep has put these comparisons between behaviour of man and a dog under heads like fitness, mindfulness, the power of now, intelligence and not bearing grudges which she says impresses her the most.
On the observations that have human beings fallen to such lows that they now need to learn from dogs, she is quick to say, “Maybe yes. Putting down a dog for his lowly behaviour is seen mostly in Bollywood dialogues but in real life I think we can learn from them.”
Tell her that these musings may be treated as trivializing profound philosophy of life, Mandeep replies, “We can draw from different situations, I chose to learn from my pet and find these observations quite relevant.”
Terming the book as also an expression of her inner feelings, Mandeep says, “Many of these thoughts have been with me for long, others just crystallized as I observed Buddy’s behaviour.”
Being an author also takes her beyond being wife of a famous filmmaker. “The book is a professional work and carries my perspective of life. My second book ‘I have made friends with Venus’ is also ready. This is more profound as for it I have dipped into my experiences while flying.”
Mandeep Hirani got emotional when she watched a recorded speech of her mother-in-law at her book launch event,... Read More
