Ekta | wisdomekta

“I know it sounds abysmal…” he chuckled at the mere thought of it, “but I just want to be happy and content.” “Do you not dream big? Do you not want to travel?” Kalki rounded his arms around his little brother. “Perhaps I chose not to. Perhaps big doesn’t always matter. It’s also the little things, specks of happiness, that we go through in a day that we should look out for. It’s funny how grief makes you realise the good things you have overlooked in life.” Yet another mythology read!! Our country has a rich heritage, history, and mythology that we are unaware of, and the many tales often lost within archives are yet to be explored. Books on Indian mythology are my weakness, and I love to read and be amazed by all the stories these books portray in the vivid imagination of the writers. This long-pending to-read book from my list is the recent read Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu by Kevin Missal. It is the first book in the trilogy. The plot's setting is (around 36...

“Same as it's ever been. Same as it will always be. Same as it ever was.” The world is constantly changing. Morgan Housel's "Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes" stands as a beacon of timeless wisdom and practical advice in an era of constant change and uncertainty. It is the required book for understanding the importance that speed of change does not always mean out-of-world changes because human traits, desires, aspirations for power and quest for control shall and will remain the same as ever. This book is a small read with 23 chapters. As one can guess, the book iterates excellent stories along with life-long, non-changing facts. Out of these chapters, a few topics hit me hard due to the simplicity with which these not-so-easy facts are laid out, viz. “It's Supposed to be Hard”, “Expectations and Reality”, Wounds Heal, Scars Lasts”, “The Power of Narrative”, and “The Curse of Knowledge”. The Same as Ever is unique because it focuses on loo...

One fine evening, my son asked me why  people lie?" , which led me to think about this act of lying. I even posted it on my WhatsApp status and received exciting replies. “Because we are insecure.” “Because we want to deceive the feelings.” “Because we want a favour.” “Because we want to feel relevant.” Mark Twain once said, “ If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything .” If we all were truthful, we would not need to worry or be on guard from the piercing eyes of others. And despite understanding the power of truth, “why do people lie?”.  People are icebergs and we only see the tip of that iceberg. I recall an exciting story of “truth and lie” whose moral still carries a profound impact on my persona-      O ne day, a man named Truth and a man named Lie stood by a river just outside town. They were twin brothers. Lie challenged Truth to a race, claiming he could swim across the river faster than Truth. Lie laid out the rules to the ch...

“Net Positive—How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take” is the practical guide to corporate dogma from former Unilever CEO Paul Polman and sustainable business guru Andrew Winston. The book argues that companies must become “net positive” to thrive today and to prosper tomorrow. “Net Positive” sets out the principles and practices that deliver the scale of change and transformation the world desperately needs. The book details the number of sustainable and “common sense” initiatives undertaken by Unilever (no surprise there, given the profile of writers!!) . In summary , the book entails that a net optimistic company works around- 1. Improving the lives of everyone it touches, from customers and suppliers to employees and communities, significantly increases long-term shareholder returns. 2. Taking ownership of all the social and environmental impacts its business model creates. This provides opportunities for innovation, savings, and a more humane, con...

Drawing the inference from the Marine Corps, wherein the culture exists that the junior Marines eat first while the most senior Marine officer takes their place at the back of the line, the author Simon Sinek justifies the title of my recent book “Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together, and Others Don't” . I believe this book is far better written and engaging than the first book titled Start With Why The book offers a unique perspective on 'leadership' and the art of building, sustaining, and performing in long-term teams. It stands out because it not only delves into areas like attitudes or culture in general but also emphasizes the need for adaptive leadership in the face of changing workforce dynamics and the call to transcend profit-centric leadership. The book explores the concept of family culture in organizations. According to Sinek, a leader's role is not merely to ' command and order ' but to ensure that all team members are equipp...

“Perfect Match” is a “perfect” book that engrossed me in the 400 pages read for a night. It was worth it. And no, it is not a love story! The story begins when a career-driven assistant district attorney, Nina Frost, and her husband, Caleb, find that their five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatised by a sexual assault. With deep rage and a sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system, the couple navigates through the justice system. But the tale is not simple. This novel also explores the themes of family conflict, individual inner turmoil and guilt, personal and professional conflict, and vengeance. Judi Picoult has once again been amazed by her emotion-filled story. It is a must-read if one is looking for drama and a page-turner. A few of the quotes from the book- “You build a wall to keep something unwanted out … or to hold something precious in.” “We have been naive enough to believe that we were invincible, that we could run blindly through the hairpi...

“She is just surviving, Cilka has often thought. There is no one way to do it.” This other read from Heather Morris is the testimony of a classic combination of fiction based on actual events in the lives of the liberated prisoners aka Holocaust survivors. This novel is a kind of sequel to the author's first book titled The Tattooist of Auschwitz . The book begins with the end of Cilka Klein’s liberation after her dreadful stay at Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. This momentary freedom turned into an event of horror, because of her “relationship” with the Nazi leader; the Russian government tries Cilka, who was found guilty of collaboration with Nazis and sent to Vortuka in Siberia to a work camp. The book details the challenges faced by her compelling fight to stay alive and endure all tortures, humiliation, disgust, and abuse. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival. The “good times” begin when she is taken under the wing of a fe...