I wasn't sure what to expect from the book because of its unique title, Renewal. It turned out to be an insightful yet immensely practical guide to reboot one's life with an eye towards preventing self-destruction. The entire book is in the form of a discourse delivered by the charismatic Guru Pranachandra. This is a clever way to hook the interest of readers and keep them reading further.

The author uses simple language to deliver his powerful message with remarkable clarity and impact. Examples are drawn from various aspects of everyday life, making the message relatable and actionable. For instance, the Guru, in a talk, says, "We have unfortunately cultivated the habits of valuing the things we make – like phones and cars, rather than the things we were gifted by nature – like our minds, air, water, and stuff. This warped value-system is what we can change by simple habit-switches."

In the preface, the author mentions that with the onset of the pandemic, the message in this book becomes all the more important--and I agree with him. A temporary pause in human activity has helped nature recover quite a bit, which is at the core of what the Guru is talking about -- renewal.

There's a subtle call to action in nearly every page -- "You play your unexpected role in re-embracing ancient wisdom and practices and bringing common-sensical aspects of it into your daily routines." It isn't possible to absorb everything that the book has to offer in a single reading, and I recommend that readers take time to pause after every chapter or so and think it over before moving on.

The tone of the book is insightful, non-preachy, immersive, and even humorous in some places. What I found striking was that even though the Guru's teachings are deep and meaningful, they are not abstract. They are practical and can be immediately applied to one's life.

The author presents the Guru's unique take on concepts like mindfulness, meditation, "obfuscation," oneness, objectivity, Say-Do-Be harmony, the Parrot, and so on. There are references to people who currently influence thought, such as Greta Thunberg and Yuval Harari.

The bulk of the book talks about habits that are needed for what the Guru calls self-renewal, symbiotic renewal, and systemic renewal. Important concepts are summarized in text boxes, making it easy to recap what you've read. A snapshot of the 30 habits is also given at the end for quick reference.

This book is worth reading for its pragmatic approach to developing habits today that will halt the path of self-destruction that humans have currently taken.