Gently Falls the Bakula – Sudha Murthy

March 6, 2019January 12, 2020 ~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#BookReview

If you are looking for a simple and a sweet short story to read, then Gently Falls the Bakula is a great pick for a slow Sunday afternoon. Like a breeze, this story will take you into the beautiful small town of South Karnataka called Hubli, where the childhood love of the two protagonists, Shrimati and Shrikant, blossoms under the evergreen Bakula tree.

Shrimati and Shrikant are competitive, intellectual classmates and neighbors who soon turn into friends, they eventually fall in love with each other and then get married. However, this book is not just a sweet love story. It’s also about how Shrikant being an over-ambitious husband gets caught up in climbing the ladder of success in the corporate world and ends up ignoring the aspirations and dreams of his wife. Shrimati being an equally smart and intelligent woman, gives up her career and her love for history only to support her husband, Shrikant. She silently and submissively lives her life fulfilling the demands of her husband, while pushing aside her own desires and needs. After years of dominance and neglect, Shrimati finally decides to give importance to her own life and pursues her dreams.

This book deals with the old stereotypes of male dominance, submissiveness of women, women empowerment, gender equality, and small town mentality. Gently Falls the Bakula is beautifully written by the famous Indian author, Sudha Murthy. The book highlights how one needs to give equal importance to work and family. While pursuing ambitions and fulfilling individualist dreams, one must not go so far ahead that they end up leaving behind their family and loved ones. This book is an interesting read and I recommend that you give yourself the time to indulge in this easy to read and extremely well-written, sweet short story.

Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl

March 6, 2019January 12, 2020 ~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#BookReview

There are many self-help books and then there is this little gem of a book. Isn’t the title absolutely captivating? We all go through the phase of existential crisis at least once in our lifetime. We all wonder what is the purpose of our lives? While some of us, have it all figured out, there are some of us who still wonder what’s the true meaning of life? And, if we do not have a hand to guide us in the right direction, then the search never seems to end. I am thankful that I found this life-changing book at just the right time when I had no clue as to where I was heading in my life. I randomly picked this book during a bus journey while I was stuck in traffic and I am certain I couldn’t have picked a better book.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”

In this book, Viktor E. Frankl also talks about the concept of Logotherapy which is based on existential analysis. He explains how one can always find a purpose in life even when the circumstances are miserable.

“For in every case man retains the freedom and the possibility of deciding for or against the influence of his surroundings.”

Man’s Search for Meaning, is one incredible book and is a must-read. This book can help us feel good about ourselves and appreciate life better. It teaches us how we need to be thankful of what we have and make the most of our freedom. In the end, what truly matters is for us to never give up on love and hope.

Depression

January 25, 2019March 18, 2019 ~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

His warm and loving side disappeared as he let out a monstrous roar. “Go away”, howled the beast and pushed a boulder off the cliff in his frenzy of rage. Now, he was all alone. In his loneliness, he pondered on how his bad side had taken total control of him. He stared blankly into the darkness of his cave and let out a deep sigh. A few minutes later, he noticed a faint light. He turned around to see that his loving caretakers were back but this time with torches of flame in their hands and fear and uncertainty in their eyes. The beast knew that it was his end, so he went back into the cave and sat with his head lowered down. The people approached slowly but hesitantly. They entered the cave and noiselessly placed the torches around the walls of the cave to brighten up the place. They came closer to the beast and sat down beside him. Slowly, they removed honey buns, loaves of bread, and chocolate cakes from their bags. The beast couldn’t understand and looked up at them only to find nothing but worry and love in their eyes. To his questioning look, they replied “We know it’s been a bad day, we left because we wanted to make things better for you. Come now, let us feast on some good food, it will ease your mind”.