Liz Centoni
Liz Centoni is an Influencer
Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer
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Last Christmas, my husband got me a book that was inches thick and heavy enough for me to do weights: The Covenant of Water. I love spy novels and can read them in one weekend, but this was NOT it. I was heavy on skepticism. I started it reluctantly but found it hard to set it down! It’s set in Kerala, India, among Malayalee Christian/Catholics — this is my heritage. (Elizabeth George was my maiden name, after my father, George Kurian.) As I read, it took me back to my childhood when we’d spend a month visiting relatives and enjoying the backwaters. “God’s country,” as my dad used to call it. I could smell the aromas wafting from the kitchen. I remember hours-long Sunday mass, no shoes allowed inside our church, and a veil required for communion. Lots of relatives and cousins, playing by the riverside, eating and talking about what to cook next, lots of conversations around or about food. I remember people stopping by for lunch/dinner — no need to call ahead. It was great to be transported back. The book was a mix of happy, sad, and intrigue. It evoked many happy memories and gave me insight into some sad things that I never even thought about growing up because I was so shielded from it. So, maybe, I’ll look for books that are not spy novels from time to time. 😉 Recommendations?
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Harish Krishnan
6mo
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Hi Liz...Naatila evidaya? :-)
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Janet Chess
Global Vice President & Managing Director | Board Member | Microsoft Alum
5mo
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I love the family portrait in the background, Liz. Which child are you?
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Tyler Anderson
Dynamic Tech Sales & Customer Success Leader | Expert in Revenue Generation & Strategic Client Relationships
6mo
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I also read a lot of spy novels - I’d love to hear your top 3!
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Julio Fernandez
Senior Manager of Digital Strategy @ Cisco | Marketing Innovator
6mo
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Hi Liz, my recommendation is “100 Years of Solitude “ by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
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Sibi John
Program Manager, CX Professional Services at Cisco Systems
6mo
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Liz Centoni The God of Small things - by another Malayalee Arundhati Roy; Booker winner - 1997! Similar backdrop; Loved sharing the Kerala heritage
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Bernd Schuler
∎ Projekt Koordinator - Dipl-Ing. als Allrounder mit langer Berufs- & Lebenserfahrung - Kümmerer: "Get things done" ∎ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .∎ Sales - Strategie - Business Development - Account Management ∎
6mo
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Dear Liz, thx for sharing. Great to hear you were able to connect back to some almost forgotten memories. It triggered also with me some great memories when I was visitting friends and children in Trivandrum and Chennai area some years back. I could almost smell the food again and got a smile on my face remembering the friendly people down in south India. So many thx for this 🙏. I find biographies from interesting people very inspiring to me (there is also one about a great women working in India 🇮🇹). Take Care Bernd
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Lauren Cooney
Vice President, Java Cloud Services, Oracle
5mo
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This book is beautifully written & and such a captivating read, one I picked up after I spent 2 weeks traveling India with my dad last year (he spent extended time at an Ashram in southern India in the 80s). The backwaters are gorgeous, and the kindness & beauty India offers is inexplicable. Thank you, Liz, for reminding me of this - and sharing part of your story!
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Denzil Samuels
5mo
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Wow. Thank you for sharing Liz Centoni ! My mother is from Goa and father from Bangalore and the first few years of my life I grew up in Bombay. I chuckled when I read your note because we also went to hours long Catholic Masses (Goan heritage) 😀 (actually I still do). Last year I visited my 2 living aunts in Bangalore (I posted it on LinkedIn), Anne is now 98 and Besty is 96. To be with them after 30 years and with my cousins and their children brought back so many fond memories and laughter and tears. The kitchen aromas, the amazing food, the simplicity of life and KingFisher beer is hard to beat! Thanks again for sharing…
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Dejana Stankovic
Marketing Executive | Director Growth and Performance Marketing | Digital Experience |Omni-channel | Global Digital Transformation
6mo
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There were two books published last year that made a huge difference in fiction literature last year and this was one of them. The other was Damon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver(A Pulitzer Prize winner): https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Copperhead-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0063251922They were not easy to read and should probably be spaced out with a few light, spy novels in the between :-).
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Swarnesh Sinha
A teaching genius with students at MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and more!
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Review of my novel, The Sun Shines, by Devharsh Desai, U Penn, on amazon A must read for all. (This book deserves a Nobel!)Reviewed in India on 12 June 2018The Sun Shines is an outstanding original book that is based on the inspirational journey from darkness to light. The book provides essential life lessons such as being instinctive at all times and always being calm no matter what as one can only excel at whatever one does if one keeps a calm composure. Not only does the book provide these invaluable pearls of knowledge but also warns readers to steer clear from irrational fears and not succumb to societal pressures.The writing style is very frank and genuine.The author uses exemplary vocabulary bettered with beautiful metaphors and extraordinary analogies. The subtle humour is not to be ignored. However, what makes this book really stand out is the fact that itdisplays Lord Krishna’s mercy and transcendental Grace of the Lord which has the marvellous ability to transform the darkest of days where all hope seems to be lost into a bright reality that empowers individuals to reach their goals and ambitions. The author, Swarnesh Sinha, has written such a masterpiece that it puts all contemporary best-selling authors such as Dan Brown and Paulo Coelho to shame. Excellent!!The Sun Shines https://amzn.eu/d/ax3duOv
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RAJ RANJAN SINGH
Aspiring analyst|| Finance enthusiast|| Intermediate skills of MS. Excel, MS. Office ||
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I just completed reading the book titled "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy, and it deeply touched my heart. The story is about fraternal twins, Estha and Rahel, and it takes place in Kerala, India. The novel moves back and forth between their childhood in the late 1960s and their adult lives in 1993. It shows how their lives were shaped by society's rules and a love that was forbidden.One of the main things the book talks about is the caste system, which is really rigid and unfair. It also shows how colonialism affected people's lives and the strict roles families expect you to play. The Ipe family, where Estha and Rahel come from, has a lot of secrets and sadness. The story focuses on Ammu, their mother, and her love for Velutha, a man from a lower caste. Their love was against the rules of society and ended in a tragedy that hurt everyone involved. Roy's writing is so beautiful and detailed, making you feel every small moment and emotion.As a young reader, this book taught me a lot about questioning unfair social norms and understanding the importance of personal freedom. It shows how harmful strict social structures can be and why empathy and understanding are so important in our lives. Roy's storytelling is rich and full of life, which helps improve critical reading and analytical skills, especially useful for exams like the CAT. Reading this book not only made me appreciate literature more but also gave me a deeper understanding of social issues and human emotions. It’s a story that stays with you, making you think and feel long after you’ve turned the last page.#LinkedIn #Bookreading #careers #skilldevelopment#TheGodOfSmallThings
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Dheeraj Sharma
Interviewed at 5 PBCs | ➡De Shaw | Ex Linkedin | Co-Founder, Calypso | On the Way from - ♾️ to + ♾️
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🚄 On the Bombay's Way, What message to convey. . . . "Journeying to Maharashtra, the work of selection and participation unfolds. Amidst this, an 18-hour solitary adventure awaits. My companion? Books! 🎶 Beyond the mobile reels, literature becomes my travel symphony.Benefits of Reading Books While Traveling:🌟 Mental Escape: - Immerse in worlds beyond the window, transcending the train's confines.🧠 Mindful Journey: - Transform travel time into a mindful exploration of captivating narrative. 🌈 Imagination Unleashed: - Let your imagination roam through landscapes painted by descriptive words.🤓 Knowledge Voyage: - Turn the journey into a vessel for knowledge expansion, exploring diverse topics.⏳ Quality Time Investment: - Convert ticking hours into a valuable investment in personal growth and reflection.Now, I'm curious! 🤔📚 What's your go-to book during travels?🛤️ How do you make your journey time worthwhile?Let's share tales of literary journeys and inspire each other to turn every trip into a useful adventure of the mind. 🌍🚀 #BookishVoyage #TravelThoughts #ReadingJourney #MaharashtraMoments
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Denise S.
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Continued, from my 2nd post on the same subject 🤔. (There were too many words, for one post 😊.)*The story of the PUNKAH WALLAH, or manual fan operator, includes the following: OriginThe word pankha comes from the Hindi word for "bird's wings", which produce a draft when they flap.The punkah was used in the Indian subcontinent before the electric fan. UseThe punkah was a large swinging fan that was fixed to the ceiling and pulled by a punkah wallah during hot weather.Punkahs could be connected by strings to cover larger areas, such as offices and courthouses. HistoryThe punkah was familiar to the Arabs as early as the 8th century, but it wasn't commonly used in India until the end of the 18th century. Punkah wallahsThe punkah wallah was a servant who operated the punkah, often using a pulley system.Colonial officials sometimes complained that punkah wallahs didn't use their daytime to sleep. MechanisationThe colonial administration tried to find mechanized alternatives to the punkah by the end of the 19th century.A strike by punkah wallahs in 1898 for better working conditions and higher wages accelerated the demand for mechanized alternatives. Electric fanThe electric fan largely replaced the punkah in barracks and other large buildings at the beginning of the 20th century. (AI Overview 🤫)*No, I am not being serious! NEVER put any of your pets in a washing appliance, whether a washing machine, only, or, washer/dryer, or, indeed, a separate tumble dryer 😇.PS. Please do not chastise me, for practices reminiscent of the UK's imperial past. WE ARE ALL EQUAL, regardless if, how some others have tried, historically, and do try, still, to make any if us feel that, we are not! 👫 Also, it is worth saying: nobody is perfect! 😵💫Da! Da! That's it! Bye for now. 😁
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Prof. Krishnamurthy V Subramanian
Exec Dir at IMF, Chief Economic Advisor to Gov’t of India (2018-21), Author of India@100, Professor at ISB, Media Commentator, Keynote Speaker
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Learn how to “Live Life King Size” without a palatial bungalow, a Bentley, or any other material paraphernalia by reading this new book "Get Mindfulness Right" authored by my student Subhashini Prasad and friend Swati Desai. Among other personal stories, the book includes my personal journey learning how to be 'mindful' of our happiness, esp. thru artofliving bangalore & Vipassana in my case. https://lnkd.in/dPFs_aKyIf there is one civilization that has pondered over life’s deepest questions and provided the most profound answers to these questions, it is the Indian civilization. Combining the spiritual concepts that originated from this civilization – The Rigveda, The Bhagwat Gita and Buddha's Vipassana – this book offers an excellent insight into how one can learn to be “mindful” and thereby happy in life.
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Sutradhar
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Bhishma's lesson to Yudhishthira continues. Read the latest post in Mahabharata for Beginners by Author Deepak MR on #SutradharBlogs https://lnkd.in/gW-YhDqY
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Pushpa Thantry
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Interesting topic. Kindly register for this webinar
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Mili Das
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Masala Chai For The Soul by Jairam Menon is a timely presentation of preserving thoughts that can be only called as Satirical Whim. Satirical takes on everything that is going around us, philosophical notes on every thing that can be discussed, he presented with a mannerism that called the adda theme that we do while drinking evening tea.Jairam Menon discussed everything under the sun in his signature tone and summed up like rediscovering your soul but hold on, he brewed it with masala. You can say these are witty articles on everything that is happening in our daily life. His Witty narrative like a whiplash evokes fun equally profundity. He talks about -spot and stop a bore at fifteen paces (sometimes less, if the bore is yourself)- manage your boss while giving the impression that he/she/it is managing you.- discover that a lazy Sunday spent in bed is the best way to save the planet.- learn that to procrastinate makes better sense than to pre-empt.- succinctly sum up your innermost feelings as 'F***' or 'S***'A distinguished nonfiction book from a satiric wordsmith, do check it if you want to read something extremely different Masala Chai For The Soul, published by Rupa Publications India #nonfictionbooks #bookblogger #bookblog
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Jaiprakash Mishra
UPSC Coach(Essay, Ethics faculty)/3 Times UPSC Interview Qualified /CEO Kolkata Pegasus International/303 k Impressions
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A) Quotes/ observances-1.*26 December is observed as Veer Bal Divas to remember and honour the supreme sacrifice of the sons of Guru Govind Singhji.*2.*To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?- Cicero*B)20 words/ phrases a day.Match the meanings-1.queer fish2.null and void3.hue and cry4.kith and kin5.in vogue6.man of letters7.man of straw8.maiden speech9.throw cold water upon10.bolt from the blueMeanings-a.first speechb.in current fashionc.weak persond.discouragee.sudden disasterf.ineffectiveg.blood relationh.loud public outcryi.strange personj.learned personAnswers- 1 i 2 f 3 h 4 g 5 b 6 j 7 c 8 a 9 d 10 eSecond set..match the meanings-1.ostracize2.vitiate3.lackadaisical4.tenterhooks5.sequestered6.veracity7.legerdemain8.smattering9.subterranean10.impromptuMeanings-a.truthfulness b.below the surfacec.jugglingd.secludede.shun out from societyf.unenthusiasticg. without previous preparationh.contaminatei.state of anxious suspensej.slight knowledge Answers-1 e 2 h 3 f 4 i 5 d 6 a 7 c 8 j 9 b 10 gC) Reading material-https://lnkd.in/dVZ7feZ2https://lnkd.in/dCRxW6jk
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