Hi All,
Here’s your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Tuesday”, list of things I’m enjoying or pondering.
Where I’m looking forward to going –
It’s said that as we grow older, time passes by faster. I think there is some truth in that statement. There are quite a few things that we’ve made as annual family rituals, and visiting the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) is one such ritual. Another one is satiating the palate at the Palate Fest at Nehru Park, Delhi. They’re circling back sooner, I feel. Anyway, I’m not complaining and coming back to the World Book Fair, it’s on at Pragati Maidan from 4th – 12th Jan. What intrigued me this year was the theme, which is “Gandhi, The Writer’s Writer“.
With some thinking + googling (these two happen so often together now a days that I feel there is a need for a word for it… how about thoogling? – the act of simultaneously thinking and googling, verb (-: ), I figured that The Writer’s Writer means how the writings of Gandhi have inspired many other writers to pick and write about his works, all over the world! Gandhi was more than a writer – he was an editor, a publisher, a journalist, a printer and a mass communicator par excellence. Before time runs out, which is anyway going faster with every passing minute, I have scheduled a visit to the book fair on my calendar.
What I’m looking forward to reading –
Do you know that Bill Gates shares his list of favourite books every year end? Here’s the link to Gates recommendations from books he read in 2019. I’m picking the following two books from Gates favourites from last two years, and adding to my list of books to read in 2020.:
“Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life,” by Diane Tavenner
Here are Bill Gates’ notes about this book: Diane shares the story of how she designed a new kind of charter school with a simple but very ambitious goal: ‘We wanted to teach kids not just what they needed to get into college, but what they needed to live a good life.’
“Educated: A Memoir,” by Tara Westover
This is what Bill Gates’ has to say about this one: Tara’s process of self-discovery is beautifully captured in Educated. It’s the kind of book that I think everyone will enjoy, no matter what genre you usually pick up.
Here’s how I read the newspaper –
How do you read the newspaper? Does it even matter? Does this also require a specific process? Well, I’ve hated reading the newspaper all my childhood and college. But then one day a friend suggested a specific way of reading the newspaper. He said, “Read the newspaper to find that ‘one news’ which is the most interesting, most insightful and most invigorating!” I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave it a try. After all, I was already losing out in group discussions and general knowledge tests! This unusual process of finding that ‘one news’ nudged me to skim through other news articles as well even if it was to disqualify them. I started enjoying the process and improved my general awareness in a natural way. If you or your children don’t read the newspaper, it may be worth sharing this technique with them.
One news I loved reading –
So, in recent times, that ‘one news‘ article that I loved reading was this one – Paying with plastic for a clean Delhi. Municipal corporations are doing their bit to save the environment, and we must avail these options. There are places where you can buy regular food and beverages by returning single use plastic. It is like bartering with ‘trash’. These places are called the Garbage Cafes. There are also these Bartan Bhandaars, which let you to borrow (for free), steel crockery to be used during community meals usually done for religious purposes. Here is a picture of one such Bartan Bhandaar.
Quote I’m pondering –
Intelligence is just a tool. Love is the point. – James Bach from Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar
This quote reminds me that intelligence is overrated. Qualities such as love, affection, enthusiasm, loyalty, respect and service are far more important than intelligence and these are all available to all of us equally. And none of these have anything to do with intelligence.
PS: If you like this broadcast, you may enjoy exploring more from me. You can connect with me at www.mohitsawhney.com.
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