Dostoevsky was a compulsive gambler. He also consumed alcohol rather liberally. But he remains one of my favourite novelists of all time. Very few writers have produced novels that surpass the greatness of The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. This raises a fundamental question: Should we keep a writer’s personal life totally aside while assessing the literary merit of their works? Going a little further with Dostoevsky, his personal vices gave him firstha.....
Read more...
I disabled Facebook on my phone yesterday. There’s too much vulgarity, subhuman crudity, on it. And the first thing I read this morning was a Malayalam weekly – Samakalika Malayalam from the Indian Express group – whose editorial lamented the treatment meted out on social media to Dr M Leelavathi, renowned Malayalam writer. Leelavathi refused to celebrate her 98th birthday because she said she was distressed by the pictures of innocent chi.....
Read more...
In its most basic form, activism is the act of confronting those in authority with the goal of changing society and advancing the common good...
Read more...
The question is, why are we here? What are we doing, and what is expected of us? Is the purpose of our existence merely to continue the propagation of the species? Is there a higher calling to elevate our souls? Can we correct our karmic order to a better footing? Unfortunately, if only we knew where we went wrong last time, we could fix our past mistakes. Sadly, we do not...
Read more...
Annanya GuliaAnnanya Gulia is a grade 12 student of Army Public School, Noida. A former colleague of mine in Delhi, who is now Annanya’s English teacher, drew my attention to the remarkable poetic gift of the young girl. I would like to present one of the poems here. Coming from a teenager who lives in the heartless National Capital Region of India, this poem deserves a deep look. The central theme is the value of lived experience over conventional success. The young poet emph.....
Read more...
The boomers filled the Sebastian’s campus with children. Some 3000 or so, if I remember correctly. Fifty years later, when I visited the same campus, it was nearly deserted. Hardly a few students. Today Kerala has the lowest birth rate among Indian states...
Read more...
When I was returning home after dropping Maggie off at school in the morning, two men joined me in my car. They were parents of two of my former students and were waiting for another vehicle which happened to be late. On the way, one of them asked me whether I had given up teaching altogether. “I take a few spoken English classes online for adults,” I answered, and added that young students had started seeing me as a scarecrow whose time had run out. “Come on,” he.....
Read more...
After working for over 27 years in the hospitality industry, I’ve seen just how exciting and rewarding a career here can be. My journey from a […].....
Read more...
Tribal Certificate hi SVAMITVA SCHEME-a In neituten Document an thehluh ngai zingah a tel avangin a nei lo mi engemawzat an awm a. Chung a mamawhtute tana siam drive chu kar hnih chhung ka bial chhung khua 4-te: Hnahlan, Khuangphah, Vaikhawtlang leh N Diltlangahte ka nei. A khuhhawnna: 18th July, 2025 (Zirtawpni.....
Read more...
भारत में सनातन के सभी पर्व, तीर्थ यात्राएं इत्यादि का धार्मिक महत्व के साथ आर्थिक मह.....
Read more...
We will never know whether the gods were kind to her after her death. The men who succeeded her were certainly not. They did whatever they could to erase her memory from history...
Read more...
आज एक बातमी फेसबूक वर वाचली. दहावीच्या मुलाने आत्महत्या केली. त्याने आत्महत्येचे क.....
Read more...
“As a former undocumented immigrant, I know this fear. I have felt it. I have lived with the uncertainty of wondering whether a knock at the door meant separation from everything I loved.”..
Read more...
I couldn’t believe my ears. A mathematics prof who was Christian by faith was reciting a Vedic shloka to a heterogeneous group of undergrads who were trying to figure out the difference between differentiation and integration in elementary calculus...
Read more...
Genghis Khan (and Timur, who followed suit later) likely established the tradition of not designating a successor. He believed that the issue of ascension should remain open. It was anticipated that the most capable individual, able to vanquish rivals for the throne, would emerge as the strongest ruler and govern the Empire more effectively. It was irrelevant if brothers, stepbrothers, widows, and uncles fought against one another; politics took precedence over emotions. Primogeniture, the right..
Read more...
“Most of us pick up morality in the course of growing up, in an unorganized manner through bits and pieces of our scattered and fragmented experiences.” I’m quoting Avichal again. The book was mentioned in my last post which was inspired by it. This book, whose subtitle is Moral Philosophy, Organisational Theory and Hostage Rescue, keeps provoking me every now and then though I haven’t developed a liking for it in general because of its tendency to scientify matters.....
Read more...
As we grow and age, we question our connections and friendships. Do people really show us who they are? Then we sort of settle in our understanding of people and then we realise people fade away or reappear...I find all this fascinating...
Read more...
Has your child scored poorly in their exams? Are you looking for ways to handle your child's poor report card? We have got the answer for you!..
Read more...
The Youngest child series continues..
Read more...
A short and innocent story about a summer’s day and a mother’s love...
Read more...
