surbhi islam

Who hasn't heard about Anne Frank and her prominent diary? She is the most discussed and remembered victim of the holocaust tragedy. Between 1942-1944 she had to live in hiding with her family in a office annex. They were arrested in August, 1942 and Anne was taken to a concentration camp where her life was cut short by the horrendous, unhygienic atmosphere of the notorious camp(or typhus). Although, her life was beyond the horrible catastrophe. One day she was chirping around her house, joking around with her friends, looking at boys with the corner of her eyes, being mischievous and witty in front of her loving teachers, in short she was an apple of everyone's eyes. Everything was as normal as it should be for a twelve year old. Suddenly, the next day they lose their nationallty and everything turned upside down. They packed up the essentials and confide in an annex to wait what destiny had decided for them. And it changed the life for a clueless child forever. Anne, a teen who was way more mature than most adults had her own subtle art of portraying the pangs of their life in hiding. The strict rules that were meant to keep away from being caught, the food supplies that were too limited to satisfy all the needs, the fear of being caught all the time and the tension of war that crept into them every now and then, the anxiety and the mood swings of the inmates, the monotony that dwelled in the air inside the sealed annex making it even more challenging to survive. Yet, Anne was above all and knew how to surpass the disadvantage and make the most of it. Still, witty, talkative and impulsive Anne actually confided her real self in her diary. We can see, how she gradually grew up to be more and more mature by time. The best thing about Anne that makes me more intrigued about her is that she was a thinker who had the propensity to know more about her inner self first and then talk about the outer world. In the air of despondency she was the breather who cherished the dream of becoming a learned journalist after the war was over. She had her own set of principles and ideology to look at life, long pondered theories on the characters of people around her, self awareness of both her virtues and vices and a firm belief in God. Optimist Anne preferred to live in the present and be thankful for what she still had. Her tender feelings of love, her curiosity toward the changing of her body, her rebellion of parental domination, her irritation on suppressing her opinions and the tupsy turvy swings of her moods she has all written down on her kitty as it was her only solace in the loneliness of the much crowded annex. The end of her diary creates a deep cavity in your heart and the feeling of incompleteness lingers on. Your heart aches and soul mourns for her death while your mind refuse to forget and forgive the war mongers. I feel, this book within itself is a collection of many books. It's a masterpiece which I believe will be read for 100s of years more from now on. This particular book is one of those books I feel my responsibility to pass on to the next generation. Because, War, in all times, for every country and for every individual irrespective of any beliefs is nothing but a curse on humanity. P.s- I read this book years ago and I always wanted to write something about it. It was like a debt I had to payback. This book was a life changer for me and it has gifted me with two most beautiful quotes of life. "I don't think of all the miseries but of all the beauty that still remains" "Paper has more patience than people"

!!!Varuna ke hain Nain hazaar!!! !!!Indra ke sau!!! !!!Apke-mere, kewal do!!! 'Seven Secrets of Shiva' is written in such an unhackneyed and pristine manner that it makes us look at the old lore with a new spectacle. By the time we've all learnt to perceive the concept of god just the way we wanted to. Devdutt Pattnaik has the expertise in deconstructing these concepts and discuss them thoroughly in a language which is simple yet clutching. Surprisingly, you never feel the need to take your eyes off the pages even for a moment. The reason can be both the multi faceted meaning of Shiva's being or Pattnaik's approach to unravel the hidden, untold or partially told secrets that keeps you on it until the end. Shiva, Devon ke Dev, Mahadev, famously known to be the destroyer among the three Devas, is actually the destroyer of fear! Because deconstruction leads to reconstruction. Understanding Shiva is to acknowledge both the bigger truths of the infinite universe and the trivia of commonplace ground reality. Shiva's journey from being an indifferent, self indulgent, self absorbed Tapasvin to an attentive Shankara, the savior, the father, the lover, the teacher, the guide, the philosopher provides us insights we never seek to learn from the popular tales. The Ardhanareshwar Avatar, the Nataraj and Lingeshwara encourages broad way of thinking in our narrowly paved minds which is very much needed for our society to flourish. This book enlightens you, helps you revitalize your senses, invigorates your belief in God and restores your faith in humanity and love.