events galore in bengaluru

Like any other metro city, Bengaluru is host to numerous events - literary, culinary, cultural, artistic, social & unsocial, open and clandestine. Much as am I tempted to attend many of the events, a person of not so affluent means like me is not only restrained from the financial angle, but also by the limited … Continue reading events galore in bengaluru →

Journey Through Karnataka’s Heritage Sites

For the Christmas vacation of 2015, the initial plan was to go somewhere far away, outside Karnataka. But plan A did not work out somehow. So here was the plan B – why not visit some nearby tourist places of Karnataka that we have been postponing visiting for years. A day before the visit, we … Continue reading Journey Through Karnataka’s Heritage Sites →

do self help books help?

Today the book market is flooded with self help books. It is another issue that that the majority of the self help books do not help as was found out in a survey done some time back. Before picking up a self help book one should do this simple probing. Did this author succeed in … Continue reading do self help books help? →

A SOLDIER SPEAKS

It is not that Army is fighting external enemies only. It is not that Army has to fight at physical level only. There are internal enemies, there are psychological enemies. Unfortunately, many of our own people are trying to undermine the morale and ethos of our soldiers by irresponsible statements. Or, who knows these people … Continue reading A SOLDIER SPEAKS →

part 3 : the sentinels of vishnu

continued from part #2 In Treta Yuga, Jaya and Vijaya were born as Kumbhakarna and Ravana. Assuming that most of the readers are familiar with Ravana, I will skip writing about Ravana now. Along with Ravana, Kumbhakarna is also well known, so well known that one who sleeps too much is called a Kumbhakarna and … Continue reading part 3 : the sentinels of vishnu →

part 2: the sentinels of vishnu

Dying dance form Prahlad Natak staged during Kalua Jatra in Berhampur, Odisha. Image source: DNA India Continued from Part #1 Hiranyakha’s brother, Hiranyakashipu learns of his brother’s death at the hands of Vishnu in the form of a boar. It fills him with rage and he vows to take revenge. He thinks that the boon … Continue reading part 2: the sentinels of vishnu →

the sentinels of vishnu

Ancient Indian legends or the stories from our puranas are not mere stories for entertainment. Each story also illustrates an eternal truth or an important lesson. Some of the puranas like the Bhagvat purana attempt to illustrate the principles of upanishads and other philosphies for the easy understanding of the common man. The two prominent … Continue reading the sentinels of vishnu →

even for gods one life is not enough – the ritual of nabakalebara

There are hundreds of festivals and rituals associated with the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, the annual car festival, which falls on 25th June this year, being the most prominent one. There is one ritual that is unique to this temple. The presiding deities of the temple - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra … Continue reading even for gods one life is not enough – the ritual of nabakalebara →

ageing gracefully

Once somebody asked His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – ‘How can we age gracefully?’ Pujya Gurudev answered, (with a mischievous smile and a small subtle gesture toward himself) "Like this! See you are really asking how to look attractive. Your desire to look attractive makes you unattractive! If you want to look attractive, have … Continue reading ageing gracefully →

being woman

On one hand, in our ancient literature, we deified her, put her on high pedestal as the female version of God calling her the epitome of power as Durga or, the bestower of wealth as Laxmi, or the dispenser of wisdom as Saraswati. On the other hand, in two of our most revered epics … Continue reading being woman →