Month: September 2024

Countless stars…

Countless stars in the sky, all looking down at me what is it that you desire, they seem to say you have everything that you wished for, and beyond… why then, are you looking upwards, and asking for more? Countless stars in the sky, all looking down at me So many opportunities, they seem to …

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MRGA!

Piece by piece, block by block, segment by segment…the wall-to-wall bookshelf is nearly ready. Once the frame is done, wrapping and then it’s complete. at 3 meters tall and 4 meters wide, it is big enough to host around 600 books, or in other words, my current collection, give and take a few. Which means …

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On underestimating oneself…

We underestimate our own capabilities. And by we, I mean everyone. Without exception. I have seen this in various fields – be it martial arts, studies or work. We think that we aim high, but we aim a lot lower than we are capable of. No, I don’t want to sound like one of those hyper …

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Come back next year!

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Chaturthī) or Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Chavithī) is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Ganesha. It falls in the months of August or September of the Gregorian calendar. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha clay idols privately in homes, or publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observations include …

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Tsundoku!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I buy books. Many people do, but I buy a little bit more. A teeny weeny bit more – ok, actually a lot more. Usual book purchase trips involve me walking out with shopping trolleys filled with the stuff. The most obvious question that I get asked is – …

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A story before, and a story after…

Read the prologue here… रोहते सायकैर् विद्धं छिन्नं रोहति चासिना ।वचो दुरुक्तं बीभत्सं न प्ररोहति वाक्-क्षतम् ॥ १११ ॥ rohate sāyakair viddhaṃ chinnaṃ rohati cāsinā |vaco duruktaṃ bībhatsaṃ na prarohati vāk-kṣatam || 111 || Wounds caused by arrows can heal. Cuts made by sharp swords can heal. But wounds caused by harsh words never ever heal. The …

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In honor of Kuttichettan, and his enterprising tribe…

Asura is typically construed as evil, and is used interchangeably with Danavas, Daityas and Rākshasās, mainly because in English, they are all demons! But all asuras were not considered evil. Here are some of the niruktas (etymologies) of the root word asu.  Asu can mean, prana – life breath, life- force; in this sense, asura means ‘one who brings, gives prana’ …

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On being satisfied with life…

भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः, तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः । कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥ bhogā na bhuktā  vayameva bhuktāḥ,  tapo na taptaṃ  vayameva taptāḥ ।kālo na yāto vayameva yātāḥ, tṛṣṇā na jīrṇā vayameva jīrṇāḥ ॥ Vairagya Shatakam by Bhartṛhari Pleasures aren’t satisfied, only we are consumed by our …

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Of juniors and seniors…

We have been trained to learn the wrong way. The system of education that we went through encouraged spoon feeding of information, with little regard to understanding concepts – a focus on rote learning with the sole objective of clearing examinations. This type of learning, frankly, requires un-learning, if we are to compete in the …

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