Ekta | wisdomekta

Believe. Be Different. Journey on unknown paths. Courage. Acceptance. In the days of social-media-wok-ism when everyone (including myself) seems to be in a rigorous search for self, peace, purpose and meaning in life, this re-read of “The Witch of Portobello” by Paulo Coelho gave a fresh insight on spirituality, love, life and hope.  Coelho's books offer an incredible journey not only into the plot of his story but also into the self-discovery of his reader. The Witch of Portobello is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, aka Sherine, who, at the onset of the novel, has been brutally murdered. The rest of the book is filled with transcripts of interviews with different people in her life- her mother, her ex-husband, a lover journalist, an actress who despised her, her teacher, and others- who claim to know her well—or hardly at all presenting the complex and differing views of “who Athena is” through the eyes of all the characters. As I read this book, I though...

“No matter which way I look at it, it’s clear that Verity was a master at manipulating the truth. The only question that remains is: Which truth was she manipulating?” This was my first encounter with Colleen Hoover. “Verity”, a book that is popularly suggested on many online sites, is now added to my overflowing shelves. A mind-boggling story that moves toward an artful twist is psychological suspense with a striking ending. It seems that the book shall remain imprinted in my mind… well…at least till the time I read another great nail-biter . It has set a bar in the thriller genre in my reading fling. The book begins with Lowen, a stumbling writer, who is offered to become a “ ghost ” writer with Verity Crawford, a top-name author who is currently incapacitated to finish what this popular author started. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, keen to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. While sorting through Verity’s notes...

  While reading this book, it so ensued that the book, in e-format, travelled with me at random places and wherever people enquired about my current read they implored- “ why do you require to read this book…you already are a thinker ”. Well, here is my instant thought on such queries …" Sir/Madam, I am just not a thinker…but an overthinker and this is the particular reason that I crave to supervise my thinking in the precise direction by forever reading ." The book title is “Think again”…and yes, this appears very lenient to advise anyone to “re-think”…but how to do that…is an important self-defining undertaking . The book is all about it. In 1933, the philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote that “ the fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt .” While this is just as true today as it was in the early twentieth century, the crisis runs deeper; almost everyone recognizes arrogance and overconfiden...

  “...It is fashionable these days to ignore history to preserve the peace between faiths. And I am all for peace and interfaith understanding. But, that process must start with recognizing what happened. Forced conversions did happen, and destruction of Zoroastrian places of worship did happen. Redeployment of fire temples as mosques did happen. Identification of Zoroastrians as a polluted being, najis did happen…. Compulsory humiliation of those paying jizya did happen… After all, if we don’t learn from history, history repeats itself!” The Magicians of Mazda is a part of the Bharat Series by Ashwin Sanghi. The Dan Brown style of writing with the revelation of diversified Indian secrets kept my patriotic heart enthralled and my mind dipped into the in-between lines reading to grasp all the ancient philosophy and the hidden secrets, not to forget the gripping story plot. The novel is the perfect amalgamation of high-speed drama and yet the elaborative history sharing. Humana, Huk...

This book amassed the highest rating on social media in recent years. And frankly , this is the prime reason for me to read it. But, (sadly!!) my opinion rather than the verdict is that the book is not-that-goo d. For me, the hype of the book is the classic case of media-driven marketing for a lazy attempt to assemble a bunch of write-ups ( and not essays…as the book title says ) claiming to be a self-help book. An Internet search shows Brianna Wiest is a 29 years old blogger-turned-writer. This book is an anthology of her published work on her blog. The featured pieces align to topics like… why one should pursue purpose over passion, embrace both negative and positive thinking to keep oneself on track, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way one sees her/his life …and these are the "glam" arena for the book. I do not hate this book (or the young author…as I feel that "human age" has no link to "soul ...

Image from Internet One of the subjects of my interest is KARMA. I have been reading about it, analyzing its various facets through several readings and also through my rendition and self-dialogues. After completing this recent read titled Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny by Sadhguru,  I realize that my previous blog relating to the topic-  The Law of Karma   is like a kid’s interpretation of Karma.    The very first chapter offers the definition of Karma which in itself is plenty to think about and self-reflect. “ Karma is the accumulated impression of past activity, either of thought, emotion, or physical action. The quality of the karma that you gather is not necessarily in terms of action alone. It is also in terms of the volition with which action is performed .” In this book, Sadhguru elucidates the common fallacies about the whole idea of Karma being a punishment or a reward for the deeds done. As per him “ Every moment of your life, you a...

Coincidently I opened to read this book on 2 February 2022 exactly 12 years after it got printed. Being a science student myself, the “ HeLa ” term is not new to me… however, the saga behind HeLa brought utter impact and revelation. In 1952, HeLa cells came to be the first human cell line that could thrive and divide endlessly in a laboratory , leading scientists to label these cells “ immortal ”. They are the world's most ubiquitous sources for medical research on everything… from hormones, steroids, and vitamins to gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, studying atomic bombs' effects, outer space …even the polio vaccine. It gives me goosebumps to realize that we all have benefitted from 'her' cells and shall continue to be part of our future generations as well! These Immortal ' HeLa ' cells belonged to 'her'. She was a 31 years old African American woman named Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, born into a family of tobacco farmers in Virginia...

     S ome novel underlies a handful of every variety of masala …a love story, a kind of science fiction, definitive historical fantasy, and some portion thriller…and my 2nd novel read after  Midnight Library  by English writer Matt Haig entails all.      Tom Hazard, the protagonist of “How to Stop Time,” is very, very old . He was born in the 16th-century but still looks like a 41-year-old man. He is employed as a history teacher in London. A reluctant member of the Albatross Society, a secret group dedicated to protecting the existence of these “immortals” a secret, Hazard is at odds with the Albatross Society’s founder, who is the oldest man on Earth, and devout supporter in immortals not establishing emotional attachments. Still mourning his wife’s death centuries earlier and hunting for his daughter with hope that she is ageless like him, 401-year-old Hazard encounters himself flooded by memories of his past and an unexpected attraction to ...

  With a hot coffee mug, I embarked on the life trip of a man called Ove. This was a perfect winter- read on the last day of the first month of this year. This tale of a grumpy little Old man called Ove grew on my heart with each chapter and made me laugh and cry and sometimes both. This is the story of an old-fashioned man who believes in action rather than words …who is more "engaged" with self rather than others’ lives…who is a disciplinarian… who is honest at all costs and knows which fight to pick. To me, this charming, heartwarming novel was an enjoyable read. Ove’s history trickles out in alternating chapters—a bleak set of events that smacks an honorable, hardworking boy around time and again, proving that, even by early adulthood, he comes by his grumpy nature honestly.  It’s a woman who turns his life around for the first time: sweet and lively Sonja, who becomes his wife and balances his pessimism with optimism and warmth. By 59, he's in a place of despair ye...

  If unexamined life was not worth living, was the unlived life worth examining? Heading into this year, I finished the recent read called “When Breath becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi. In my notion, the overview of the book is eloquently straightforward i.e. make life as meaningful as you can in the time you have. Be grateful . As the author said, “ you could either study meaning or could experience it ”. And fortunately, while breathing, I am on the quest of studying & learning and experiencing & learning. This book shows up in the first part i.e. learning from exploring others' experiences. When Breath Becomes Air is about the author, Paul Kalanithi, a 36 years old neurosurgeon, and his painful combat with cancer. In the first section of the memoir, the storyline is fairly peaceful and happy. It is all about Paul’s early life and his time in college. He highlighted a few of the more memorable moments in his life whether that was about his time in college, or about his time...

ebooks vs real book (image- internet) As far as I recollect, I have forever been a bookworm . Give me my books, a mug of coffee and leave me at the beach- THAT IS MY DREAM. Books give me solace when the going gets hard. Opening up hundreds of worlds as the pages flip, books are a secret door to an undiscovered place. Whenever my love affair with reading is talked about, I have been confronted with a particular question– ebooks or real books ? And my constant retort to this inquiry is- A book with great content is my certain requirement. It does not make a difference whether the pages are flipped or swiped!! With ramifications of the Covid pandemic and delivery constraints, e-books have turned out to be my recent favorite format of reading. However, the glamour of reading from the physical book is never-ever dying on me. To me, the excitement of getting an e-book instantly vs sitting tight on the door waiting for the arrival of a physical book is like the taste of sugar and spice- both...