Bangalore Diaries

    ( Photo Courtesy : Amazon Kindle) Ikigai - meaning Making a life to be worthwhile. One of the highly recommended books, this book is an amazing collection of facts and data points from an involved research from specific regions of the world, where humans tend to live longer than the rest. To be more precise, it captures the essence of life of centenarians and their way of life. Is there something for us to learn and imbibe from these “young” elders? Okinawa region in Japan is known to have the largest concentration of people living beyond 100 years. The authors have travelled to this region and interviewed many residents to identify what is the secret of longevity - Which is where IKIGAI as a concept fits in. Simple daily practices with profound impact is explained in a very beautiful manner. For example “Hara Hachi Bhu” - Fill your belly upto 80% is one of the core tenets of the long life, which is supported by ensuring that food is served on small plates so that one eats...

      (Pic Courtesy: Amazon Kindle)   This book was recommended by a friend on “X”. When I started reading the book, I had jumped to some “observations”, but pretty quickly realised my folly. As the adage goes “Don’t judge the book by its initial pages”, this book was a beautiful pleasant surprise. A small town with its own ethos is the centre stage for an investigation of a girl. The travails of her mother, secrets buried in the past and her support system that also is part of the journey make for a beautiful opening. Detective Ethan Blake - Eccentric.. Maverick.. Wonderfully sketched character. I personally liked the characterisation of the Psychiatrist Dr. Joe and intertwining of paths between the missing girl and him. The flow is quite decently paced culminating in a wonderful crescendo that sets up the next instalment beautifully. My only peeve is that I need to wait for the second part, but that’s a good problem to have. For lovers of fiction, this is a wonderf...

  (Pic Courtesy : Amazon Kindle) Having met the author on a common interest forum, I stumbled on this book quite accidentally. By Two Coffee - The iconic identifier of Bengalurians is such an apt title for the book. The book is set in 80s Bangalore and details the experiences of a young girl called “Mala” and her experiences through various phases of the year and life in general. I felt the book is a more of a collection of memories from the pensieve of the author’s childhood. Red oxide floors, Cuticura Talc, Picnic to Lalbagh, Ganesha festival & customary house hopping, Naale Baa - All evoke rich memories for those born during those wonderful years in Bengaluru. Each one of these mini chapters will unlock a hidden sweet memory that is sure to evoke a drop of tear or two as one glances down the memory lane. The author has captured the essence of life in beautiful and eloquent manner that it provides a great insight into the lives and times of Bengaluru in 80s upto the millenniu...

  Recently, while reading through the book on Swami Vivekananda, for some unknown reason, I got an urge to read about Neem Karoli Baba. Unaware of any specific book, I ordered 2 books on the great saint viz., a famous book by a foreign author and this book. I was expecting to learn more about the life, times and miracles of the divine soul. However, this book gave a very different reading experience. The author claims that this book was written from his own experiences about searching for Baba and ultimately receiving his blessings. The personal life of author is shared quite publicly which makes one appreciate the honesty of the author & sets up a lot of expectations from the book at the onset.  Neem Karoli Baba’s influence on Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg piqued the intrigue much more to delve deeper into the book. Neem Karoli Baba was born in modern UP and is considered as an incarnation of Hanuman in modern times. A person whose motto was very simple “Aao, Kaao, Jaao”...

  This is a graphic novel, perhaps the first in this genre, that I have read based on a recommendation. After reading through the book, I am quite certain that this would certainly be not the last. This book is a collection of stories from the podcast hosted by John. B. Allen, a former US Navy SEAL, which deals with supernatural and paranormal experiences occurring around the world. These stories have been rendered through absolutely brilliant illustrations which enhances the reading experience of this graphic novel. The book comprises of 9 different stories across the world detailing various experiences of unexplainable nature. The stories range from forbidden valleys to a real-life experience of “thorns” to a personal encounter for the host. The stories about the ghost town, some unexplainable beasts across the geographies and some folklore from as far as Russia. However, my favourite story of the lot is “Make it Rain”. This is definitely one of the most creepiest, spookiest and ...

  During my visit to Sahitya Academi office to pick up some books, this book captured my attention owing to the magnificent cover and the topic. I wondered what this book was all about. This has been one exhilarating ride through some wonderful poetry, the genius of the author and of course the richness of our Itihasas. This book is centred around the Choodamani i.e. Crest Jewel that plays an integral part in Ramayana. This book is written in a drama form with 7 (VII) acts encapsulating various incidents from Ramayana. Apart from the dialogues and background voices, the book is replete with wonderful poems all along the way. Though these poems are wonderful in English, I am sure that they would be much more relishing in vernacular languages or Samskrita (which could be the original language of composition). The book starts from Surpanakha visiting Sri Rama and Lakshmana in their Ashrama and requesting the royal princes to accept her. From this event, the different acts capture key ...

December 2024 has been a very hectic month in terms of travel, specifically temple travels. When my nephew came into town, we usually plan for a day trip at least. Thanks to him, we have embarked on 3 trips in 2024, all to wonderful historical and spiritual places. For this weekend, we decided to embark on a trip, originally planned in 2022, but postponed due to unexpected and unavoidable reasons. As they say, we can have the darshana of Bhagwantha only when he desires so . Melukote First, we travelled to Melukote from Bengaluru on an early chilly December morning. Melukote is one the 5 i.e. pancha Narayana kshetras established by Sri Ramanujaacharyaru. The drive was beautiful, specially after we took a deviation from the Bengaluru - Hassan - Mangalore highway. Arriving at the temple at 8:15 am, we had to wait till 9:05 am for the temple to open. Cheluvanarayana swamy is absolutely magnificent to look at. The view and the presence of the divine is absolutely surreal. Thanks to my frie...

  (Courtesy: IMDB) The Lion King is an iconic movie that has been an unforgettable part of childhood for many. A simple story, but told in a beautiful animated way, touched the hearts and minds of generations. Mufasa - The Lion King is a prequel to the original movie. This movie narrates the story of Mufasa, father of Simba - His journey through various challenges and ultimately becoming the widely respected King of the Jungle. At its core, it’s the story of a cub who gets lost and his eventual journey to the promised land, Milele. However, if one abstracts themselves from just the story, but focus more on the broader picture, the movie is laden with multiple philosophical and practical tenets that are quite relevant in our modern day world. Needless to say, there are overlaps with our rich Itihasas , replete with these philosophical perspectives. This review is an attempt to draw some parallels and bring out some of these lessons. I will try to ensure that spoilers (if any) are k...

  Historical knowledge is often referenced from the mandatory text books during the school years. These formative years are also those during which a child imbibes the information and more often than not becomes deep rooted in the mind. The data presented in these books become the basis for future course. Indian education system often has been criticised for continuing with the biased works of a select few in the past, due to which many myths have come accepted as reality. One such myth is the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) which is a topic of huge intellectual debate in academia as well as social media. There have been numerous studies on this topic, which continues to evolve every passing day. Dr. Shiv Sastry has brought out this book that tries to address the myth of Aryan Invasion, by providing anecdotal evidence from various works across the world. Dr. Shiv Sastry is a retired Surgeon and a known expert speaker on defence and military related topics. Dr. Shiv Sastry hails from a ...