BOOK #1: Infinite Vision
This book has meant so much to me because it shows the power of infusing compassion into business practices. Even if we cannot do as much as Aravind Eye Care has, we can learn much from their success. I know some of the Aravind family and can vouch for their authenticity and sincerity. There is a Harvard Business Case about this organization because of their remarkable story.
Click HERE to read an excerpt from the beginning of the book. Below is from the back cover.
THE WISDOM OF AN IMPOSSIBLE ORGANIZATION
“Again, may I say, how profoundly I admire your work and how deeply gratifying it is for me to hear that you appreciate mine.”
–PETER F. DRUCKER in a letter to Aravind’s founder, Dr.V
When a crippling disease shattered his lifelong ambition, Dr. Venkataswamy (better known as Dr. V) chose an impossible new dream: to cure the world of blindness. The tiny clinic he founded in India defied conventional business logic and is now the largest provider of eye care on the planet.
At Aravind, patients choose whether to pay or not. Millions are treated for free, yet the organization remains stunningly self-reliant. Serving everyone from penniless farmers to the president, it delivers world-class outcomes at a hundredth of what similar services cost providers in advanced nations. Its model is emulated by organizations everywhere from Rwanda to San Francisco.
Infinite Vision uncovers the radical principles behind Aravind’s baffling success. Charged with profound insights and stories, it draws readers to the heart of Dr. V’s selfless vision, proving how choices that seem quixotic can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield incredible results — results that can light the eyes of millions.
“Reveals the power of a model that combines business discipline with compassion. May the wisdom of Dr. V and Aravind shared here inspire many such initiatives for the wellbeing of future generations.” -MUHAMMAD YUNUS, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Founder, Grameen Bank
“A must-read for anyone interested in leadership, service, and the building of institutions that release the best energies of the human spirit.” –JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ, Founder-CEO, Acumen Fund, and author of The Blue Sweater
“Aravind may be a case study for MBA students, and a model social business, but to me this book told a story, with elegance, clarity and intimacy.” -FRED DE SAM LAZARO, PBS NewsHour
“In the world of blindness Dr. V has performed a miracle.” -RAM DASS, Author, Be Here Now, Co-founder Seva Foundation
100% of the authors’ royalties are being gifted to Aravind’s sight-restoring work.
BOOK #2: Sustainable Happiness
I have been moved by the work that YES! Magazine does, and this book is a collection of their most popular articles featuring the compassion-based work of progressive individuals. Some of these ideas are revolutionary and exploratory, and others are tried and tested. By offering this book, I do not mean to advocate for everything in it since it covers such a wide range of topics, but rather to share other perspectives.
Click HERE to see a table of contents and HERE to read the book’s introduction. Below is from the back cover of the book.
We’re bombarded by messages telling us that bigger and better things are the keys to happiness—but after we pile up the stuff and pile on the work hours, we end up exhausted and broke on a planet full of trash. Sarah van Gelder and her colleagues at YES! Magazine have been exploring the meaning of real happiness for eighteen years. Here they offer fascinating research, in-depth essays, and compelling personal stories by visionaries such as Annie Leonard, Matthieu Ricard, and Vandana Shiva, showing us that real well-being is found in supportive relationships and thriving communities, opportunities to make a contribution, and the renewal we receive from a thriving natural world. In the pages of this book, you’ll find creative and practical ways to cultivate a happiness that is nurturing, enduring, and life affirming.
Sunaina Chugani Marquez 