Symposium by Socrates Recorded by Plato Translated by B. Jowett

Symposium is famous because Socrates's name is attached to it and there are different translations available for the same from different authors. I read read the one by B. Jowett and it is the first time I read a book which directly gives the words of Socrates otherwise he was just a name in some brainy quotations.

Anyways the book is about Love. There is a drinking party (symposium actually means that only) and seven participants give their views about Love. These seven speakers whose speech was reportedly recorded by Plato are : Phaderus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates and Alcibiades.

I really don't remember what each of them said separately but overall I liked below points :

1. That love lies in the synergy and detachment. Love is like the relation between bow and arrow. Both are destined to be separated but it is still the synergy that keeps them together and same is the case of love. Or we can call it the 'Harmony of Opposites'.

2. Love is divine and it has it divine reasons of existence. It was backed by mythological examples.

3. The reason of love is not exactly the human love. It is more like an instrument for getting the highest point in life. It is defined as more like that love is Love of Wisdom rather than the any definition of love.

And the best part in Socrates' speech is that love is the son of Resource and Poverty, which was defined beautifully. Socrates says that love is actually a desire to create which leads to the immortality. In the nutshell the knowledgeable people end up with same desire of Immortality but through the knowledge and leaving behind the pupil who will keep the thought (knowledge) alive.These pupils are more like an intellectual child which carry on the legacy and make the person immortal.

Love is a very flexible word and we can mold it according to our own liking or what suits us most because each one of us is different. For most of the people who think they can talk about love or they know what is love are only quoting the passionate lines from others and it is not actually what they think because there is no thinking process behind the quoting.

Wish I could have read some more translations but it was a Great read anyways.

The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi

It is the second book in the trilogy by Amish. The book seems to complement its first book and take the story to the new height.

There is definitely a depth in plot but I felt like after reading the first book the sequel was quite predictable.

In search of bad Shiva finds out that Nagas are not really the bad people. They are actually the people who are thrown out of the perfect society to keep it working on its own rules irrespective to the injustice done to the people who were born different than others.

One more thing I'll like to add up here is that Amish has made the character of Shiva very much realistic. He sounds like a dude from the US suburbs.

Anyways the pace of the narrative is undoubtedly very good and keeps the reader on the edge even if it is easily predictable.

Wondering when somebody will pick it up to make it as a film and I personally think that that will be the death of the book.

Anyways, enjoyed it and waiting for the Vayuputra the third and the last of the series.