Kailash Satyarthi launches his new book, Karuna, at the Jaipur Literature Festival today

Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi launched his new book Karuna: The Power of Compassion at the Jaipur Literature Festival adding a wave of positivity to the third day of the 19th edition of the literary festival. Satyarthi who wrote his biography Diyasalayi last year, launched the new book in the company of Liberian Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee who joined the chorus in advocating compassion and the need for it in today’s world. Also joining them was best selling author Amish Tripathi who later sat with Satyarthi for a chat that threw light on the concept of compassion, projecting it not as an emotion but as a force or a tool.

The book presents compassion as a

disciplined and transformative force. Satyarthi introduced the audience to a new concept — the Compassion

Quotient (CQ) — which will offer a practical framework to understand and enhance levels of compassion

in individuals, institutions, and society. “Compassion has so far been seen as a soft emotion. This book challenges that thinking. Compassion

is a transformative force that can solve today’s most complex problems. Through the Compassion

Quotient (CQ), I have presented a scientific and practical way to understand and strengthen

compassion,” said Satyarthi further informing the audience that very soon we will be able to pick up our life partners based on scientifically acquired CQ. It will also benefit companies in hiring employees, he added.

Talking further about the concept that is integral to Satyarthi’s DNA, he said: “Over the past nearly fifty years, I have fought for the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised

people. Throughout this journey, compassion has been my greatest strength. Today, compassion is

not an option but a necessity of our times. This book is an appeal to people to step out of indifference

and become part of the solution. Soon, I am going to give them a tool that will greatly help them do so.”

The session was marked by anecdotes from Satyarthi’s life that underscored the urgency of embracing compassion in a new form.