Top Quotes from Life Unknown By Kartikeya Ladha

What makes India so fascinating isn’t solely its rich cultural heritage or illogical operational arrangements. Its fascination derives from mystical phenomena showcasing their presence as you move around the country, observing yourself through the eyes of other people.

Part of the vicious cycle of living as a human being involves continually having external forces changing and manipulating our identities to suit what is best for the people in power to control the masses.

Adopting a minimalist approach to living with renewed focus on environmental preservation and instantaneously addressing the rise in mental health issues are the needs of the hour.

We either constantly think about how we used to live – or how we are going to live. In the meantime, we forget to live.

Spirituality expands and levitates our being, so it becomes joyful and accepting of the world around us.

Each of us is a slave to our mind’s prison.

Greed is a virus as malicious as any other and has already spread across the world. We do not see how it assiduously kills us and the world around us when we continue to let it be the decisive force operating our world today.

What is life worth living for if we cannot be joyous in our every moment?

No matter how painful or blissful things may seem, deep joy I life-regardless of what might be happening externally-reflects the truest and the rawest form of our fundamentally free selves.

My Review

This book is like a wakeup call. To superficially say that I loved this book would, I think, be a dishonor to the author and his hard work. Of course, I love it. But If I say I will reread this book and try and follow and assimilate at least some of the lessons I learned from this inspirational journey, would I think do some justice to this heartfelt story.

I am not saying I will leave my family to go live in the Himalayas, but I will try and find answers to some of the fundamental questions put forth by the author that we forget to ask ourselves.

 I will try to find all the beauty that the author describes in my motherland, India, across its various topographies and cultures. Like the author, I will try and live in the present without delving into the future.

The author has a knack for showing every experience the author faced, whether good or bad, in a positive light. That makes the book an absolutely positive and refreshing read. Even if he was being made a fool off, rudely turned away, or in a situation of probable physical assault, he remained hopeful.

The experiences he described regarding the landscapes were breathtaking, whether it was his emotional trek to Phuktal or him sleeping under a million stars in Zanskar, or him appreciating Munroe Island's beauty in the Arabian Sea.  I even loved the little poems at the end of the chapters contemplating life and the sketch-like pictures depicting the fascinating journey through the chapters.

The book also touches upon several themes like equality between sexes, India’s education system, spirituality, philosophy, and meditation. I felt that the book reads like the thoughts going through one’s mind. We start thinking about a core topic and then unknowingly move through other topics related to the core topic. And then, when we realize we need to stick to the core topic, we jump back to it again.

The author’s language is eloquent and rich. Reading about the great walking pilgrimage through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka was magical for me. How the author endured through all the pain, hunger, tropical climate, and India's nosy population fascinated me.  

Final Verdict

Reading about philosophy is not everyone’s cup of tea, and some might even say that they’ll read about it when they get old. But frankly, it's useless if you start understanding life after you get old. It’s too late by then because you do not have the energy left to travel or go on a pilgrimage.

So I would recommend this book to readers of all age groups, especially to younger people looking to make a start in philosophy. Walking 1000 kms with limited means is in no way easy and something each one of us would not be able to do, so let’s read about this journey and understand what goes into seizing this mammoth achievement for someone like you and me. I guarantee you’ll close the book with new learnings.