Ekta | wisdomekta

Picture from Internet Mahabharat is an epic Indian legend that is a precise mix of folklore, mysticism, and a story of numerous characters which not only diversify in their inherent traits but inevitably make me marvel upon varied types of human temperaments. "The Palace of Illusions" written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a retelling of Mahabharata from the standpoint of the famously maligned female of her times yet a dominant character of Mahabharat, Draupadi.  The Palace of Illusions seizes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. This book, in my view, is broadly an imaginary-autobiography of Draupadi. The book is inscribed in the first person. The Princess of Panchal begins with the portrayal of the sufferings associated with her shortly after she was born. Then she carries the reader to the journey leading to her matrimony with five princes, and of becoming the mistress of the breathtaking and stupendous palace named Indraprastha, to the ...

Being Grateful These difficult times have shown me many harsh truths about life and people.  Among many such heartfelt revelations is- Our minuscule and uncertain tenure on earth . This "mortality" funda , read in many books, is now becoming a daily visual in the form of the untimely death of young as well as old blood, the tearful eyes, the breaking of many dreams, the collapse of happy families. I marvel at what more a person can do with the remaining breath rather than being grateful to the almighty and the other earthlings. I am grateful... from the biggest things like the unadulterated love of my family, the never-ending support of friends, the incessant dedication of the medical system ...to the smallest unnoticed things like ceaseless electricity supply, the roof on my head, the fully functional body, the ocean of knowledge in form of books, and what in the world... I am even grateful for my ability to read and write!! If the notion is put in this, these are barely a f...

This post is about my recent read titled “The Diary Of A Young Girl” by Anne Frank ... but this is not a book review. This post is my way of paying honor to the 13 years old writer of this amazing diary which illustrated the best view of the worst times in the history of humanity and ushered me to contemplate the equivalent kind of horror felt during our current times. And even though this is just the beginning of the post, let me give you a tiny nudge so that this book is your next read or at least getting on the to-read list...this book is the SECOND MOST READ BOOK in the world after the Bible. It is explicit proof that words have strength, they have the power to remake and outlive human life, the ability to make one's life worth memorizing even though one believes his or her thoughts or doing means nothing all this time. Anne Frank wrote this diary (aka book) in her “Secret Annex”, as she calls the place of her hiding from Nazis in the Netherlands. Anne's wish to get her ...

Time to Move towards dream(s) Enlarging the maxima, propelling the known thresholds, and entering the unusual terrain- for me, this is THE DEFINITION OF SELF-GIFT. The biggest gift ever!! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you must be familiar with how this Covid time has realized the primacy of waking up at daybreak. The 5 o'clock schedule has stuck for more than 8 months now. I was still evaluating this emotional victory and was rejoicing in the discipline, I have managed yet another surprise that has left me in boundless exhilaration. My introductory 10 kilometers (10k) run. You may not agree less...if I say... that any self-gift is promptly related to our dream . In my dictionary, there are two types of DREAMS - one “ Marathon-type dreams ”…those huge dreams of fulfilling “this” or achieving “that” and the other “ Sprint-type dreams ” which attract magic into life…like an expedition, doing a workout, reading a favorite book or learning the bike riding, etc. I think that ...

Mindset to move ahead   Disclaimer- This book review is majorly a self-contemplation. The personalized meaning derived from books vis-à-vis life experiences. The quotes are used directly from the book . The tone for flipping through this book was instantly set for me because of two things- First, the title of the book itself, and second, when I found this delightful remark of the author at the outset of the book…which echoes my writing style. The remark says- “ A little note about grammar. I know it and I love it, but I have not always followed it in this book. I start sentences with and buts. I end sentences with prepositions. I use the plural they in contexts that require the singular he or her. I’ve done this for informality and immediacy, and I hope that the sticklers will forgive me. ” “Mindset” written by Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck conveys how established attitudes entail all facets of one's life, be it personal or professional. She emphasizes the need to...