(20th December, 2022)

Here are some more discoveries from my digital treasure hunt. Everything is not a treasure but I’d like to spare you the duds I’ve inevitably encountered.

Books :

1. I’m currently in the middle of Richard Galbraith’s aka JK Rowling’s book, The Ink Black Heart. Robin and Strike’s romantic track reads like Ekta Kapoor’s never-ending series of hits and misses between a lovelorn couple. Having said that, the writing is beautifully nuanced and as a sucker for romance, this constant misinterpretation of signals and the characters’ underlying insecurities are never wearying.

2. The Bhagavad Gita I’ve been switching between different versions of the Gita in book format. The Iskon version was irksome with its blatant agenda and subjective editorialising. Eknath Easwaran’s translation is objective and insightful. I have yet to read the version printed by the Gita Press which has the original Sanskrit verses along with the English translation.

Podcasts :

1. I chanced upon The Human Design series on Apple podcasts. This led me to Richard Rudd’s Gene Keys. The latter is not a podcast but a website and it has me intrigued for now. Exploring the purpose and the ‘why’ of our existence has always been fascinating to me.

2. The Knowledge Project on Apple Podcasts and YouTube again has some riveting conversations. Kunal Shah’s chat with Shane Parrish on core human motivations is over two hours long but worth a listen.

Web series :

1. White Lotus 2 – I loved it. Ostensibly set in a resort in Sicily, it really explores the human dilemma of needing validation and asserting independence that stems from insecurity. The morality dance in the series is at odds with the urgent social obligation of maintaining a facade and is brilliantly done. The fact that there are no straightforward answers to the possible dalliance between the couples, the mystery behind Tanya’s death, the elaborate scheme possibly devised by her husband and the motivation behind it is what makes the series satisfying long after you’ve finished watching it. The imagination steps in and redefines the possibilities. The use of the roiling seas to underline the chaotic emotions and the inanimate statues peppered across the resort that observe the infidelities play out, add a dash of mystery and tension to the story environment.

Articles :

1. LA Jury Finds Harvey Weinstein Guilty of Rape in a Mixed Verdict featured in the NY Times today. The verdict is out and while it may not be what all the accusers wanted, it does give the #MeToo movement some weight.

Instagram :

1. World Cup Soccer has dominated the media as World Cups tend to do. The outpouring of joy for Messi and the Argentinian team is overwhelming in its reaffirmation of faith and national pride.

That’s all for now. Merry Christmas!