Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Take a dive in the Literature Ocean, you will find many precious gems waiting for you! 

I am very proud of one specific reading habit that I have, is whenever I come across any new book title or author while reading, I immediately search for it and give it a try. This is my way of widening my reading circle. In one beautiful Marathi book I read just yesterday, I read about this novella- Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, published in 1970, written in three parts, with beautiful illustrations. 

Richard Bach is an American author who served in the United States Navy and the New Jersey Air National Guards fighter wing. That is a reason why flying is a constant theme in his writing. His books are mainly autobiographies inspired from his life events. The protagonist of this novella is a seagull - Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He lives with his flock, tries to obey all rules, yet he is distinct from his flock because his wants to fly higher. He just does not want to limit his life to the ground, he is passionate to get higher and higher, improve his flying, achieve perfection. All seniors advice him to restrict his life only to his basic needs, rules of a society he lives in, follow and do all exact same things that his fellow seagulls are doing. Deep within his soul, he knows it well, that he is not made for this normal, stunted life. He decides to listen to his inner voice and live beyond all limits and persue his passion for speed and flight. This novella captures his journey towards perfection. His diligence, his commitment, his urge of perfection is what makes him "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". 

This novella is a fable- Jonathan is actually a representative of you, of me, trapped by restrictions we accepted for ourselves. This novella gives us a message that you can go much higher, there is lot more awaiting for us. All we need to do is to be ready to spread our wings and fly without faltering. While reading this novella, one song I keep remembering was -  आकाशी झेप घे रे पाखरा सोडी सोन्याचा पिंजरा. Take a flight to sky, O little bird, leave that golden cage behind! 

This novella is full of lines of wisdom and inspiration, yet in a very simple understandable language. One quote which I like is , "Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly!" 

This novella is a warm hug to your soul, meant to rekindle your spirits. Anyone, of any age, who loves his/her life dearly and wants to live it to the fullest should definitely read this at least once. 

- Neha Jyoti Pradip Joshi

( 15-08-2023)