Ekta | wisdomekta

Here comes the New Year… packed with lots of hope, plans, and to-do lists. To some degree, the planning of the new year resembles the planning of scoring good scores in the examinations. Because to score high we plan to be sincere throughout the academic year, but at times ( which is like always ) there are few to multiple distractions, resulting in a wastage of time and energy and we somehow convince ourselves that “ it is okay ”. On identical grounds, the New Year resolutions are put together with utmost sincerity and affirmative thoughts, however, the zeal, and trance of enthusiasm sometimes continue till mid of the first month, and at other times it refuses to haul to the 2nd day of the New Year.  We get absent-minded and let life make decisions for us. By saying this, I don’t mean to downgrade the implication of New Year resolutions . It may feel like a lie, but you may consent that to bring some amends in life, we need strong resolve which can steer radar in the storms of ex...

  Monkey mind: Overwhelmed by multiple branches. Monk mind: Focused on the root of the issue. Monkey mind: Overthinks and procrastinates. Monk mind: Analyzes and articulates. Monkey mind: Distracted by small things. Monk mind: Disciplined. Monkey mind: Multitasking. Monk mind: Single-tasking. Monkey mind: Looks for pleasure. Monk mind: Looks for meaning. Jay Shetty, a social media megastar and owner of a podcast named " On Purpose ", is the writer of the book "Think Like a Monk". The book regales the tale of Shetty’s “Becoming a monk” story (but not in autobiographical format) and alongside presents the process of " how to become a monk in everyday life ”. Being an Indian and born in a Vedic family the concepts in the book are not pristine to me… few of the ideas like chanting in the morning, meditation, etc. discussed in the book are part of my life… yet I found this book simply good in presenting the old age concepts and presenting their practical approach ...

“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...

  To learn the morale of " Slow and steady wins the race ", we have always referred to the story of the Hare and Tortoise. There is yet another tale to showcase the magic of patience and persistence . The story goes like this- It had taken the villagers a long time and had cost them a fortune, but they reasoned that it had been necessary to build a wall to protect their water supply from possible theft by their neighbors in the next village.  One hot summer day, a man was passing through the area, but his thirst overwhelmed him. As he staggered slowly along the wall, taking advantage of the little shade it provided, he hoped to find a way to the stream to sate his thirst. The sound of the running water was unmistakable, and soon the poor, thirsty man was unable to take another step. He spent his last remaining strength climbing the wall to at least catch a glimpse of the running water on the other side.  When he reached the top, he instinctively scooped up a handful of m...

  The latest book in Ramachandra Series is titled “ The war of Lanka ”. The narrative that was set through previous books in the series for the three main characters of the series i.e. Ram, Sita, and Raavan finally crash into each other and explode in a slaying war plot. Since it is the Amishverse , "The War of Lanka '' has its own set of unpredictability and new-set-of-angles. But one thing is for sure… this is no retelling of the original war. What continues to be original are the names of characters and places and the outcome… However, the mode of the war takes another avenue . It is a full-on-Bollywood-style drama with a Hollywood-style-war strategy. There are many occasions in the book which are a sheer pleasure to read and yet there are a few explanations that are duplicative (from the previous series) and others not-so-required elaboration. The war aims to strive for two things- first to win over evil/bad people and second to finalize the next ‘Vishnu’ – the flag b...

  Growing up, I remembered Raavan as a man of contrasts , of brutal violence and scholarly knowledge… as a proprietor of unlimited wealth but hauling a gloomy soul. He ‘ was ’ a villain in my edition of Ramayana. And then I read Amish’s version of Raavan wherein, I imagine, in some parallel universe he is struggling with his devil soul and is defying all the odds of society and trying to make an imprint in history. My perspective towards him is shifted…and that is definitive. "Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta" is the 3rd novel of the Ramchandra Series. The Amish's Raavan as a teenage pirate was violent… no question, and brutally so, but there were good points to him, too. He was genuinely a scholar, he was extremely well-read. He was a brilliant musician and invented instruments. He had written books. But at the end of the day, the king of Lanka was also the villain whose fearsome resolve is to be a giant among men, to conquer, plunder, and seize the greatness that he thinks is...

  Internet Picture The Indian female mythological figures have always fascinated me. I am forever in awe of their fears and their dares which may either be documented in history or illustrated through the cleverness of numerous writers. Part 2 of the Ramchandra Series by Amish has devoted to the legendary Indian queen heeded as an incarnation of Lakshmi, titled Sita. The portrayal of her is in total contrast to the classic tale of Ramayana.  At th e advent of the book, Sita is shown as a tiny foundling being guarded by a vulture and discovered by the King and Queen of Mithila who rescue her and then bring her up as their daughter. Sita grows into a young warrior and is depicted as the prime minister of Mithila. Her talent and potential are recognized by Guru Vishwamitra early on. It is his idea to groom her into becoming the 'Vishnu' whose duty will be to lead the country's dharma. As her future husband Ram is also being trained to take on the title of Vishnu by Vishwamitr...