Again

The most frequently occurring word in the mind of the expert is "again."  What a long story the word "again" can carry.  We can sense the shutters of our heart closing as we whisper to ourselves, "This thought, this feeling, this pain, this person again."  The intrusion of the past with all its comparisons, weariness, aversion, or boredom has the power to create a powerful disconnection in that moment.  The word "again" carries with it the voice of knowing, fixing, and dismissing, and with its appearance we say farewell to mystery, to wonder, to openness, and to learning. 

- Christina Feldman

Unto the Last

This bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a child at Aga Khan Palace in Pune is a very rare depiction of Gandhi who is usually shown seated with a charkha or in a pose of meditation or thought. Note that he isn't wearing glasses. The title of the statue is Unto the Last (translated into Antyodaya in Hindi), named after the book by John Ruskin that Gandhi translated in 1908 into Gujarati. It's named Sarvodaya (Well Being for All). Like most museums in India, the visitor here is left amazed at this wonderful life-size creation that bears no name of the sculptor on the statue. #gandhi #mahatmagandhi #pune #agakhanpalace #sculptures #museums

Book 34: The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman

Book 34: The Bookstore Sisters

Author: Alice Hoffman (USA) 🇺🇸

Genre: Short Story/Amazon Original Stories

Set in: USA 🇺🇸

Page 23:

“A lot of people don’t know what to do about grief. I don’t blame you for a thing.”

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇦🇹

#amazonoriginalstories #readingjourney23 #books #alicehoffman #grief #escape #sisters #bookstore

Book 33: Mindy Kaling's Searching for Coach Taylor

Book 33: Searching for Coach Taylor

Author: Mindy Kaling (USA) 🇺🇸

Genre: Memoir

Set in: USA 🇺🇸

Page 14:

I don’t have to share my nightstands with anyone. I can use both of them to store ChapSticks, hair ties, night creams, jewelry, Advil, antacids, antihistamines, old valet tickets, empty glasses cases, empty Advil bottles, dead batteries, reject jewelry, gum wrappers, candy wrappers, andlots of pennies. Living. The. Dream.

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇦🇹

#mindykaling #readingjourney23 #parenting #singlewomen #marriedwomen #memoir #books

Book 32: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Book 32: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Author: Heather Morris (New Zealand) 🇳🇿

Genre: Novel/Holocaust 

Set in: Slovakia 🇸🇰 Poland 🇵🇱 Austria 🇦🇹 Australia 🇦🇺

Page 251:

Lale lived his life by the motto: ‘If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.’

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰  🇵🇱  🇦🇹

#readingjourney23 #auschwitz #thetattooistofauschwitz #heathermorris #books 

Book 31: Frank Sinatra, An American Legend by Nancy Sinatra

Book 31: Frank Sinatra - An American Legend

Author: Nancy Sinatra (USA) 🇺🇸

Genre: Biography/Legends/Music/Coffee Table Books

Set in: USA 🇺🇸 Australia 🇦🇺 Japan 🇯🇵 UK 🇬🇧 Egypt 🇪🇬 Israel 🇮🇱 Italy 🇮🇹 Canada 🇨🇦 Sweden 🇸🇪 Germany 🇩🇪 Brazil 🇧🇷 Philippines 🇵🇭 Monaco 🇲🇨 France 🇫🇷

"The Greatest Good You Can Do for Another Is Not Just to Share with Him Your Riches But to Reveal to Him His Own."

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇮🇱 🇧🇷 🇲🇨 🇵🇭 🇸🇪

#franksinatra #nancysinatra #readingjourney23 #flagscore #books #biographies #music #americanlegend 

Wah Taj!

For the first time in my life, I have heard the story of the Taj Mahal from the guides there as not an ode to love, but as the genius of the architect Emperor Shah Jehan had employed (our guide mentioned the Turkish origin Ustad Ahmad Lahauri).  Two decades ago, the Taj story revolved around the poetic description of the love between the emperor and his wife, Mumtaz - the classic British description of the monument. The British historians had conveniently left out the stories about pilfering of the Taj by the East India Company back in 1857 (they'd even considered using the marble for the Government House). People no longer believe that Shah Jehan cut the hands of the workers who built the Taj. 22 years of its building would make Agra the city of the maimed. The Taj Mahal is whiter than it has ever been in my lifetime thanks to the multani mitti that is used to scrub it clean. (Taj ke gorepan ka raaz 😂). I kept comparing the Taj and the less expensive Bibi Ka Maqbara built by Shah Jahan's grandson, Azim Shah, in Aurangabad, until I discovered that the Archaeological Survey of India has tried to reinforce the marble dome with plaster of Paris, complete with etchings (future designers should have a look at the ASI style of reconstruction). Whether sasta will be tikau, only the Taj can tell. 😊

Book 30: Sin by Wajida Tabassum, translated by Reema Abbasi

Book 30: Sin

Author: Wajida Tabassum (India) 🇮🇳

Genre: Short Stories

Set in: India 🇮🇳

Page 159:

'Whether a child is legitimate or not, a mother's love does not waver.' 

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪

#readingjourney23 #books #history #hyderabad #southasia #muslimwomen #royals #nawabs 

Book 29: British Social Life in India by Dennis Kincaid

Book 29: British Social Life in India

Author: Dennis Kincaid (UK) 🇬🇧

Genre: Indian History

Set in: India 🇮🇳 Pakistan 🇵🇰 Egypt 🇪🇬 Yemen 🇾🇪

Page 36:

It was to this curiously self-centred community that the sudden news of cession of Bombay came with a shock of surprise. They were not so well informed on world politics as Lord Clarendon who at that moment of congratulating himself on the acquisition of a valuable island "with the towns and castles therein which are within a very little distance of Brazil".

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬  🇾🇪

#britishraj #readingjourney23 #books #history #britain #empire #bombay #calcutta #delhi #lahore #karachi #surat #madras #denniskincaid #india #britishindia #british #society

Book 28, 2023: Sons and Lovers by D H Lawrence

Book 28: Sons and Lovers

Author: D H Lawrence (England) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Genre: Classics

Set in: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Page 64: 

Sleep is still most perfect, in spite of hygienists, when it is shared with a beloved. The warmth, the security and peace of soul, the utter comfort from the touch of the other, knits the sleep, so that it takes the body and soul completely in its healing.

Flag score: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿

#readingjourney23 #books #bookoholic #dhlawrence #sonsandlovers #classics