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bookWORM; Eki Puradiredja: Books as a break from life
Renowned music producer, festival director and musician Eki Puradiredja loves reading books about the inner self and spiritualism, which gives him a moment to break away from the daily routine
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enowned music producer, festival director and musician Eki Puradiredja loves reading books about the inner self and spiritualism, which gives him a moment to break away from the daily routine.
'I love books that make me feel relaxed in my own world. I love books that discuss spiritual journeys,' said the artist, who is also popularly known by his stage name, EQ.
Eki said he had enjoyed spiritual-themed books since the 1990s, around the same he made his name in the Indonesian music scene after his jazz fusion music with Redyanto Heru Nurcahyo in a duo called Humania.
'I find these books really soothing. We spend each day thinking what to do tomorrow and what to do in the next hour, but books about spiritual journeys allow us to explore ourselves more,' said the producer behind well-known musicians like Indra Lesmana, Ermy Kullit and Maliq & D'Essentials.
Eki, who is also known as program coordinator for the Java Festival Production annual music festivals of Java Jazz, Rockinland and Soulnation, said he had loved reading since he was a kid.
'I was given all sorts of books to read: comics and everything else. I can get lost easily in a book, but somehow it's hard for me to remember their titles afterward.'
The Celestine Prophecy
by James Redfield
A 1993 novel that discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in many ancient eastern traditions and new age spirituality. What is interesting about the book is it talks about spiritualism using the language of psychology. For me, this makes the topic easily accessible as it covers auras, fate and other spiritual things.
Atlantis: The Lost Continent Finally Found
by Arysio Santos
In the book, this regarded climatologist, geologist and nuclear physicist draws on various disciplines, ancient maps, books and folkloric narratives, to explain the disappearance of mythical civilization. It is about the history of the world. If Indonesia is standing on the ruins of Atlantis, this is a very huge and important fact for us.
Bumi Manusia
(This Earth of Mankind)
by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
This is the first book of the famous epic Buru Quartet, portraying the unjust life of the Indonesian people during the Dutch colonization period when social status was governed by race and heritage. Pramoedya was an amazing writer. I really admire his work and his way of telling stories. I've read a number of his books, but Bumi Manusia is the one I remember the most.
' JP/Andreas D. Arditya
