Tag: Books

One Arranged Murder

Keshav has set up an investigation agency with his best friend, Saurabh. Can the two amateur detectives successfully solve another murder case that affects them personally? And where will it leave their friendship? ‘Ever since you found Prerna, I lost my best friend’ is what I told Saurabh. Hi, this is Keshav, and Saurabh, my best friend, flatmate, colleague and business partner, won’t talk to me. Because I made fun of him and his fiancée. Saurabh and Prerna will be getting married soon. It is an arranged marriage. However, there is more cheesy romance between them than any love-marriage couple. On Karva Chauth, she fasted for him. She didn’t eat all day. In the evening, she called him and waited on the terrace for the moon and for Saurabh to break her fast. Excited, Saurabh ran up the steps of her three-storey house. But when he reached … Welcome to One Arranged Murder, an unputdownable thriller from India’s highest-selling author. A story about love, friendship, family and crime, it will keep you entertained and hooked right till the end.

Indian Polity – For Civil Services and Other State Examinations

The book “Indian Polity”, 6th edition is a must-read for the aspirants appearing for the Civil Services Examinations as well as the other state Services Examinations. It is conceived to cater to the requirements of not just students appearing for competitive examinations but also postgraduates, research scholars, academics and General readers who are interested in the country political, Civil and constitutional issues. The extant chapters have been thoroughly revised and updated as per the recent developments.<Salient features: ✔ 80 chapters and 16 appendices covering the entire Indian political and constitutional spectrum ✔ chapters rearranged as per the latest pattern of the examination ✔ coverage on the recent developments in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, constitutional interpretation, judicial review and judicial activism ✔ updated previous years’ questions and revised practice questions for both Preliminary and Mains Examinations ✔ one-stop reference for the Civil Services aspirants, students of law, political Science and public Administration ✔ 6 New chapters: Goods and Services Tax Council National Commission for backward classes National investigation agency National disaster Management role of regional parties coalition government

The Alchemist

Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he’s off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman’s books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists–men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the “Soul of the World.” Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy’s misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. “My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night. About the Author Born in Brazil, Paulo Coelho started his career as a lyricist and theatre director and later left it to become an author. Paulo has written and published over 30 books and is also an avid blogger. He is active on numerous other social media platforms. Paulo Coelho was named the Messenger of Peace of the United Nations in 2007 and has bagged numerous prestigious awards like the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum, The Honorable Award of the President of the Republic by the President of Bulgaria and so on.

Oxford Student Atlas for India

The Oxford student atlas for India uses the state-of-the-art techniques to produce maps that are accurate and easy to read. Thoroughly researched and up-to-date, this third edition of the atlas caters to the needs of the students preparing for competitive examinations conducted by the UPSC, state Public Service Commissions and other examining bodies. Exam-oriented features includes a revised section of practice questions based on the question pattern of competitive exams provides specific references to maps with relevant data to solve the practice questions acts as an easy-to-use practice guide for map and atlas-based questions General features provides the latest available socio-economic maps and data culled from authoritative sources provides special sections on the history of map-making, and concepts of contour and Landforms in the beginning of the atlas covers important topical themes such as biosphere reserves, wetlands and Wildlife, power projects, agricultural regions, levels of industrial development, human development, tourism and mass media, cultural realms, heritage, etc. Includes an informative section on world history, a world time Zone map and world—geographic comparisons includes 24 maps focusing on the history of Indian subcontinent, and 8 maps focusing on Environmental concerns and natural disasters of the country provide symbols for each place name for India and the world according to population range contains a fully updated and revised index br>pull-outs poster size wall map of India—political poster size wall map of the world—political poster size wall map of India—physical full size to PO sheet no. 45 br>D/7 download the free Oxford Areal app and scan the Oxford student atlas for India cover for: an exhaustive store of reference maps a plethora of exercises in the form of multiple choice questions interactive map-based exercises to facilitate learning and quick revision informative animations and videos explaining important geographical and historical concepts printable quizzes and printable outline maps for practice.

Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life

We all have an ikigai.

It’s the Japanese word for ‘a reason to live’ or ‘a reason to jump out of bed in the morning’. It’s the place where your needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfaction meet. A place of balance. Small wonder that finding your ikigai is closely linked to living longer. Finding your ikigai is easier than you might think. This book will help you work out what your own ikigai really is, and equip you to change your life. You have a purpose in this world: your skills, your interests, your desires and your history have made you the perfect candidate for something. All you have to do is find it. Do that, and you can make every single day of your life joyful and meaningful. ‘I read it and it’s bewitched me ever since. I’m spellbound.’ Chris Evans ‘Ikigai gently unlocks simple secrets we can all use to live long, meaningful, happy lives. Science-based studies weave beautifully into honest, straight-talking conversation you won’t be able to put down. Warm, patient, and kind, this book pulls you gently along your own journey rather than pushing you from behind.’ Neil Pasricha, bestselling author of The Happiness Equation

Think Like a Monk

Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the podcast ‘On Purpose’, distils the timeless wisdom he learned as a practising monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life.

Over the past three years, Jay Shetty has become one of the world’s most popular influencers. One of his clips was the most watched video on Facebook last year, with over 360 million views. His social media following totals over 32 million, he has produced over 400 viral videos, which have amassed more than 5 billion views, and his podcast, ‘On Purpose’, is consistently ranked the world’s health-related podcast. In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Vedic tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, “Think Like a Monk” reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. The lessons monks learn are profound but often abstract. Shetty transforms them into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve focus, improve relationships, identify our hidden abilities, increase self-discipline and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can – and should – think like a monk.

The Power of Believing in Yourselves

Haven’t we all came across a situation in our lives that we felt like we should just give up? On an average everybody has dealt with situations like that. We all clearly know that  we don’t live in a bed of roses, we have our ups and downs in life but something that we all should follow is the magic of believing in ourselves.

We hear stories of success all the time but have anyone of you noticed something common in all of it, it was this very small and accurate thing ever. The power of believing in yourself and never giving up. People who have never stopped believing in themselves have reached heights beyond imagination. Have you all heard the story behind the author of the Harry Potter Series. J K Rowling was rejected 12 times before her novel got published and now it has become one of the highest selling books across the world. What we must notice here is the will power of J K Rowling. Getting 12 rejections never stopped her. She mailed it to many people because she believed in herself and she knew that she could change the world with her books.

Today we cannot find a person or a child who don’t know the 9 ¾ platform at Kings Cross, that was the magic she penned down. Her life story give us all the true meaning of self esteem and confidence and the will to stay strong through bad times. Not everyday will be a good one and not everyone you meet will be worthy of your trust or love but what is important is mastering the art of moving on and forgiving people by your principles.

It is human nature to naturally feel low and letting negativity in each time you fall down. We always forget about our capabilities and what we can achieve. Giving ourselves the right emotional space matters the most whenever we receive a setback. If you don’t then you will break like glass each time you fail. Nobody reaches success nor win on their first times, people work hard day and night to reach their respective goals. What is important is the strong sense of self love.

In our lives we all encounter with people who will pull us down, always keep in mind that your mind is the only thing which can bring you down. Nothing else can. So let the barking dogs bark, ignore people who pull you down and never throw stones at a barking dog, because it is always a waste of our time and energy.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” Said Willie Nelson an American Singer. This is something that we all should take in deep consideration. It doesn’t really take much effort to think positively about ourselves, neither does it cost too.

Listening to our inner voice can always connect us back to reality because inside all of us is a person who wants to succeed and never give up. Always learn to forgive ourselves from mistakes we do rather than putting ourselves down. Self love is a choice. Own it.  

Let the words take you on a journey

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies” – George R.R Martin.

I remember, I was on Mangalore station with my family, waiting for our train to arrive ; we were returning to Mumbai. I didn’t have a phone at that time, and the thought of spending 24hrs in train without having anything to do troubled my brain. So my dad decided to buy me a book, luckily of my choice or else I would have ended up reading a book on some random sport or some religious book I have no interest in. That was my first book ever, I was enthusiastic as holding the novel in my hand instantly made me feel like an adult. Sounds stupid but for a 11years old, it made sense.

When you sit down with readers and ask them about their childhood memories of reading a book; they will always tell you there was a book they loved that introduced them to the love of reading, or they had a book they loved and lost it along the way. They will be so emotional while telling you this because those books had an enormous effect in their lives. They will pay top dollar to read it again or they would love their children to read it too. So, why not save the day and buy these special books for your loved ones?Don’t you agree that books are the best thing to gift someone? And also to receive? Or a best thing in general?
I know it sounds vague but you have lived with your loved ones and you know what their interests are and what they want to achieve in their lives, help them accelerate the process by buying them books in that area. For example, your friend loves to cook, and you see them on you tube everyday trying new cooking classes. Even if they do not read, they will appreciate and read a special cook book that will enhance their love for cooking.
Icelanders have a beautiful tradition of giving books to each other on Christmas Eve and then spending the night reading. This custom is so deeply ingrained in the culture that it is the reason for the Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood,” when the majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving.

Exchanging books with a friend, or buying second hand book is a whole different experience as a reader. When you open a second hand book and notice the markings, random sentences underlined by the previous reader, little notes ; you can feel the ghost of all the previous readers while reading that book. Sharing books feels like sharing a piece of yourself with someone and isn’t that a beautiful feeling? Unless that person isn’t a book person, goodness that’s like a knife being twisted in your chest.
While reading a second hand book or an exchanged book, you can almost feel the previous readers’ soul imprinted on the book just like an old flower inside a book. Also to mention, we need to be aware of this weird, dangerous breed of people out there : people who don’t return our books. They’ll soon be decalred ‘vicious’.

From reading tinkle as a kid in school to reading book thief during lectures in college ; reading while in local train is a different reading experience in itself because 98% of the time the person next to you is reading with you even if they understand nothing. I am glad they don’t turn the page themselves or else one day am sure I’ll end up making the compartment a WWE ring. (which it already is) Let’s not forget about books as a companion. They make you travel without even moving you in 3D.

So grab a book and how about a trip during this quarantine? 

Audio Books

Since our childhood, we all used to come across phrases like books speak but have you ever believed this? Have you ever thought of books speaking to you or narrating its story to you and what you all have to do is to listen… Listen to what it’s saying, feeling how it feels to live the life of the character you may relate, having a tour to a completely different world, a parallel universe where you can be whatever you want to be.

Remember when you used to be cute kiddo and your grandmother used to narrate a story to you every night to make you fall asleep and you at times tried to be a smart one and always ask for one more story, actually one last story for the night which never happened to be the last one. Alas! now being an adult you don’t have such privileges most of the times and we just fall asleep due to a hectic not so happy day tho sometimes perhaps but at some points, you miss those stories and you crave a fiction that makes you fall for the character. You are a grown-up and it’s certainly possible that your fictional story might not fascinate you anymore.

But one thing for sure and everyone might suggest you are going through a book is always helpful and I can ensure you this therapy certainly work. Now let me come to the title of this article audiobook…. So what is an audiobook? It is just a recording of a book that will be read out by someone for you.

Now a very obvious question that might be there in your mind is reading not preferred over listening to an audiobook. So, friends, reading is obviously good but sometimes you can’t provide yourself with a book and being very specific here I prefer reading a book through its hard copy rather than any other medium but there is certainly be an option there when you can’t read a book because of any reason. Just give it a thought you can finish your favorite book while traveling through public transport, cleaning the house, or doing any unavoidable stuff especially just for finishing a book.

“We found no significant differences in comprehension between reading, listening, or reading and listening simultaneously,”

Rogowsky says.

The above-inscribed quotation is more than enough to be a good enough justification for all such questions. according to experts, there are multitudinous virtues of audiobooks like

  • Accessibility / Time Saving
  • Consumption of Knowledge
  • Mental Fitness / Building Concentration
  • Increasing reading accuracy by 52%
  • Increasing reading speed, expanding vocabulary, and improving fluency.
  • Teaching pronunciation.
  • Improving comprehension by 76%;

So as you discern what audiobooks are and the virtues of listening to them. I hope you would certainly try one.

Books on Indian History which You Must Read

Indian History has been the theme for many books. Whether its fiction or non-fiction, there are plenty of books which deserve to be on the list of must-read books written on the topic of history. These books give one a detailed understanding of India’s history.

Be it comprehensive historical books or fictional accounts of a historical incident, there are many options for you to choose from. If you are a person who loves both reading and history then the following 5 books are just the right choice for you.

The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen

Amartya Sen is an Indian Economist and writer who had won the Nobel Prize in 1998. This book is a collection of essays and it will help one understand the Indian polity. It focusses on the importance of public debate, argument and intellectual diversity in the Indian civilization of the past. Sen writes about his view on how and what will lead to the success of democracy in India.

India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Ramachandra Guha is an Indian writer and researcher whose areas of interest include society, politics and history. India After Gandhi is a book describing the journey of modern India, from post-independence from the British in 1947 until the 1990s. The book will provide one with a thorough understanding of India’s social and economic spheres. It covers the country’s political history over the later part of the 20th century.

The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple is a Scottish historian, writer, critic, art historian and curator. He has won several awards and prizes for his writings. The book is a comprehensive description of the time period when the Mughal empire started declining in India. It will be a treat for people who love reading history. It is about the last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, and it provides an account of 19th century India with the tale of the emergence of the British Raj. Another famous book by him is White Mughals which is his fifth major book, it tells the story of the love affair between James Achilles Kirkpatrick and Khair-un-Nissa Begum at the backdrop of nineteenth century Hyderabad.

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was India’s first prime minister and he wrote this from 1942 – 1946. This book was written by Nehru when he was imprisoned by the British. It is a tribute to the rich cultural heritage and legacy of the country. It provides an account of all major developments in the subcontinent from the period of Indus Valley Civilization to the last years of the British rule.

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning writer, novelist and poet. The book is about the tale of the epic Mahabharata, written from the perspective of Draupadi (Panchaali). It tells the story of the woman who fights, endures a lot living in a patriarchal world. It is a historical fiction which traces the historical tale and the life of Panchaali.

Reading

“The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more”. A good book is an ocean the more you drown the more you wanted to drown, and those who had never been to a sea will never understand how it feels when the prepossessing waves touch your feet, when that heavenly wind blows through your hairs, how it feels when clouds come floating into the sky, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to the sunset sky.

It’s rain, a rain whose every drop first touches your face then slides down through your body and you came to know how it feels when to be touched by someone you love. Those raindrops drenched you completely and you feel a keen wind cutting down your spine. Those raindrops are like the dancers who are trying to play with the most heavenly figurine sculpted by nature.

The above-inscribed words may sound good to you if yes then good you are a reader and you should certainly start with something romantic or soothing. If not then perhaps this genre is not your cup of tea but something must be there which may fascinate you and want you to read more.

Perhaps the fantasies or maybe some sort of murder mystery or something technical or maybe something like science fiction or it could be anything else. There are a lot of virtues of reading a book.

A growing body of research shows that reading changes your mind. Using MRI scans, researchers verified Trusted Source that decoding requires a complicated network of brain pathways and signals. When the reading skill matures, these networks should often get greater and more advanced. In a report performed in 2013, the researchers used interactive MRI scans to assess the impact of reading a novel on the brain. Participants of the research read the book “Pompeii” for 9 days. When the suspense built up in the plot, more and more regions of the brain became lit up with action.

And speaking about detecting discomfort, research Trusted Source has found that people who read romantic fiction — stories that examine the inner lives about characters — have a heightened capacity to consider the emotions and values of others. Experts term this capacity a “theory of mind,” a collection of skills that are important for creating, managing, and sustaining social relationships. Although this sensation is not likely to be caused by a single session of reading literary literature, research Trusted Source reveals that long-term literature readers seem to have a better-developed mind hypothesis.

In 2009, a group of researchers in demanding health science programs in the United States measured the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on student stress levels. The study found that 30 minutes of reading decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and psychological distress feelings almost as effectively as did meditation and laughter. The study concludes, “Since time constraints are one of the most frequently cited reasons for high-stress levels reported by health science students, it is easy to incorporate 30 minutes of one of these techniques into their schedule without diverting much time from their studies.”

So if you a reader, it’s great and if not please try something out. Happy reading!

Reading Habit

One of the many goals which we want to achieve in life, developing a reading habit should be one. It may seem tough at first but with time and practice, everyone can achieve it. While some have mastered it, others might be struggling to be consistent with it. Many of us have tried reading at some point of time and failed to keep at it consistently. This may happen for a number of reasons but none of them mean that we can’t start with it again and give it a try. One of the most common ways in which people start reading is starting with a list of “Good books to start reading with”. The internet is flooded with such lists and many people have shared their suggestions. A book which has some literary value, is easy and engaging is a great choice to start with.

According to many bloggers and writers the following list of books can help someone who has been trying to start reading for a long time. 

Photo by Leah Kelley on Pexels.com
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
  • The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
  • The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
  • Becoming by Michelle Obama
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

While it may work for some, others may not find it helpful. One of the common things which we fail to notice is the fact that most of us can’t bring ourselves to sit down with a book. This may be due to lack of time. In the middle of a busy day we fail to make time for reading. External factors like a proper surrounding can also be the reason for us getting distracted and impatient. So for people who can relate with these, a few suggestions can work.

Firstly, set a separate time for reading. Look at your schedule and take out a time which may be ideal for starting a new activity. Setting aside a specific time of the day for reading will help you focus more and be attentive.

Second, create a good reading atmosphere. Clean your surroundings and declutter everything around you. Attention depends a lot on external factors and an unkept background can often make you inattentive and disturbed.

Third, make a reading list. Write down all the books which you want to read next and keep ticking them off once you’re done. This will be like a to-do list and will motivate you to read. You can also take up reading challenges like ‘Ten books in a year’ or ‘One book a month’. Remember to start small and go one step at a time.

Fourth, start reading with a friend. Select a book and make plans to discuss with your friend once you complete it. You can also start talking about it among yourselves and discuss about what may happen next. This will definitely make you finish the book and also speed up your pace.

Fifth, be consistent. Make it a point to read every day. Even a small 15 minute would do. Once you skip a day it will become a habit and you’ll start repeating it. The same goes for the opposite. Once reading everyday becomes a habit you have developed the habit of reading quite well. So happy reading!

Memories can never be replaced. Book review: “Million Memories”


The book Million Memories written by Pallavi Kodan is a narrative of 3 best friends which makes the
reader dwell into memories and relate it on every aspect. It is a story of three friends and their journey
of life. Aashima, Karishma and Siddhant, from classes to tuitions, they grew up together. Higher
education made them drift apart and they left with promises to stay in touch. Karishma who was the
misfit among the valued Siddhant and Aashima, had a great deal of ups and downs, fallings and
heartbreaks, she ignored her old friends for the new found fun but returned back to them, every time
with the guilt that proved her wrong. Being madly in love with her, Siddhant always found her in her
heart while the all forgiving Aashima was always more than a friend who cared. Siddharth finds the
way to make a profession out of his passion but somewhere there are distractions that don’t let him
live. Ashima falls in love but is confused about the right time. Time takes it’s leaps and Karishma’s
series of misfortunate adventures don’t seem to end.
The story is full of roller coaster ride and will make the reader fill up with multiple emotions at
various stages. This book is the wonderful combination of various emotions and experiences.

Book Review: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – A fable about fulfilling your dreams and Reaching Your Destiny


Publisher: JAICO publishing house
Author: Robin Sharma
Published year: 1997
Genre: Motivational Fable
About the Author:
“Robin Sharma is CEO of Sharma leadership international. Author of 11 international
bestseller books such as the monk who sold his Ferrari, who will cry when you die, the secret
letters. Highly influential blogger plus motivational speaker.”

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.”

Robin Sharma

Narration:
The story revolves around conversation between Julian Mantel, an unsatisfied
lawyer in spite of having all things one can imagine and John. Its narrative book that
narrates how he disguised himself and made a journey to India took advantage of all ancient
techniques to master thoughts. And how his journey to India brought change and why he left
and came back to his own country with an aim imparting the knowledge learned by him.

Plot and setting of story:
This book talks about seven virtues that have potential to transform your life within the span
of 21 odd days if practiced daily with dedication. This book supports each and every point with
practical examples that make it more beautiful.Every word, sentences, examples make book so
lively that while reading this book one can connect oneself and imagine oneself as a listener –
John in such a way that whatsoever doubts arise in your mind while reading are answered in book
by Julian while conversing with John and that’s magical. Once you start reading the book,throughout
there will be a smile on your face with a ray of knowledge reflecting within your mind.
So, Yes! That serves the purpose of keeping the plot of the story narrative very well.

Evaluation:
This book have the power that can hit you hard to change your age-old procrastinating behavior.
Language of books shakes you from questions such as – ‘How you can spread love
if you don’t know how to learn oneself.’
This is one of those books which talks about ‘The price of greatness is responsibility over
each of your thoughts.’ which simply makes yourself accountable for dusky days and
shinning nights. This book talks about Indian Monks – who master in the art of living. This
book is a story of a lawyer and his journey from being old to young. Yes! you read that right,
This story is more of realistic fable rather than fairy tales dreams and that’s the reason you
should grab one copy of the book if you are one of those reader like who feel the fragrance of
book first and then read book by highlighting the line you loved the most or else if you are
one who like reading on tab with a coffee and popcorn than you can go through this link:
https://www.apnamba.com/Ebookspdf/The%20Monk%20who%20sold%20his%20ferrari%2 0-%20Robin%20Sharma%20(PDF)%20%5BQwerty80%5D.pdf to read once and make your own review.

Rating:
I would like to give 4 stars out of 5 because of minimal efforts on language but that is not
exactly the case as the idea of living life is so complex that the author wanted to use the
simplest form of language to express complexity of life with a message that, “There is no
quick fix in life.”
By Sonu Chaturvedi

The world’s first author

Authors, in todays world authors are considered as minor celebrities. Most of the best seller authors are usually in fame for a short period of time after which they are lost to obscurity. Yet there are some with writings of such epic proportions that they are still celebrated as influential authors by many. One such author was the world’s first author, and despite such a feat not much is known about her by the general populace. 4,300 years ago, in ancient Sumer, the most powerful person in the city of Ur was banished to wander the vast desert. Her name was Enheduanna, a high priestess and the world’s first author. And by the time of her exile, she had written forty-two hymns and three epic poems— and Sumer hadn’t heard the last of her. Who was this woman, and why was she exiled?

Enheduanna lived 1700 years before Sappho, 1500 years before Homer and about 500 years before the biblical patriarch Abraham. Born in Mesopotamia, her birthplace was one of the first cities and cultures to have emerged in the world. Her father was King Sargon the Great, history’s first empire builder who conquered the independent city states and was often seen as somewhat of a foreign invader by the Sumerian cities of the south. Thus, to bridge the gap between the cultures, Sargon appointed his only daughter, Enheduanna, as high priestess. Female royalty was traditionally given religious roles, and she was educated to read and write in both Sumerian and Akkadian and make mathematical calculations. The worlds first writing started in Sumer as a system of accounting, allowing merchants to communicate over long distances with traders abroad. This pictogram system of record keeping developed into a script about 300 years before Enheduanna’s birth. But until Enheduanna, this writing mostly took the form of record keeping and transcription, rather than original works attributable to individual writers. As high priestess, she oversaw hundreds of temple workers, interpreted their dreams and set about unifying the older Sumerian culture with the new Akkadian civilisation. To accomplish this feat, she wrote 42 religious hymns that combined both mythologies. Since each Mesopotamian city was thought to be ruled by a patron deity, her hymns were dedicated to the ruling of each major city. In her writing she humanized the once aloof gods- now they suffered, fought, loved and responded to human pleading. Enheduanna’s most valuable literary contribution is said to her poetry dedicated to Inanna, the goddess of war and desire. Her odes to Inanna, mark the first time an author used the pronoun “I” and the first-time writing was used to explore deep, private emotions. After the death of king Sargon, a power-hungry general took advantage to the power vacuum to stage a coup. As a powerful member of the ruling family, naturally Enheduanna was targeted, thus the general exiled her from Ur. Her nephew, the legendary Sumerian king Naram- Sin, ultimately crushed the rebellion and restored his aunt as the high priestess. She died after serving as high priestess for 40 years. After her death she was regarded as a minor deity and her poetry was copied, studied and performed throughout the empire. Her poems influenced the Hebrew Old Testament, the epics of Homer and Christian Hymns.

Today, Enheduanna’s legacy still exists on clay tablets that have stood the testaments of time. To end lets celebrate a quote of Enheduanna herself “With your strength, my lady teeth can crush flint”.