The Greatness of India We often look at the progress made by India as a country from the vantage point of a western nation like the US and fail to appreciate the progress made by India since its independence. As India completes its 75th year as an independent country, here is me listing some key … On The Greatness of India Read More »Read More »

There are so many theories that try to figure out the origins of the dowry system in India. One theory states that it originated as concepts of Kanyadaan and Stree-Dhan, where the Hindu families donated something of value to their daughters. According to the traditions in the past, a daughter had no share in her … On Dowry Read More »Read More »

Hindu Literature can be classified into two broad categories: Shruti & Smriti. This blog covers in detail the Smriti Literature. You can read about Shruti (Vedas) in the Hindu Literature: Shruti (Vedas) post. SMRITI Smriti means ‘that which is remembered’. Smiritis are human thoughts in response to the Shrutis and they are traditionally regarded to … Hindu Literature: Smriti Read More »Read More »

Hindu Literature can be classified into two broad categories: Shruti & Smruti. This blog covers in detail about the structure and types of Vedas. You can read about Smriti in the Hindu Literature: Smriti post. SHRUTI (VEDAS) Shruti, meaning ‘that which is heard’, refers to those ancient religious texts which did not have any particular author and which … Hindu Literature: Shruti (Vedas) Read More »Read More »

CĀRVĀKA (LOKAYATA) The Cārvāka school is one of the nāstika or “heterodox” philosophies . It rejects ritualism and supernaturalism, emphasizes materialism (matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions) and philosophical skepticism, holding empiricism, perception and conditional inference as the proper source … Indian Philosophy: Other Nāstika Schools Read More »Read More »

From the Jain point of view, Jain philosophy is eternal and has been taught numerous times in the remote past by the great enlightened tirthankaras(“ford-makers”). One of the main features of Jain philosophy is its dualistic metaphysics, which holds that there are two distinct categories of existence, the living, conscious or sentient being (jiva) and … Indian Philosophy: Jainism Read More »Read More »

BUDDHISM The Buddhist path combines both philosophical reasoning and meditation. The Buddhist traditions present a multitude of Buddhist paths to liberation, and Buddhist thinkers in India and subsequently in East Asia have covered topics as varied as phenomenology, ethics, ontology, epistemology, logic and philosophy of time in their analysis of these paths. For the Indian … Indian Philosophy: Buddhism Read More »Read More »

Āstika SĀMKHYA The word samkhya means ‘empirical‘ or ‘relating to numbers’. It is the oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems in Hinduism, with origins in the 1st millennium BCE. It is a rationalist school (regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge. The criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and … Indian Philosophy: Astika Schools Read More »Read More »

Indian Philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views, and teachings of Hinduism and other religious sects that emerged in Ancient India. These include six systems – Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. These are also called the Astika (theistic) philosophical traditions and are those that accept the Vedas as an authoritative, important source of knowledge.Ancient … Indian Philosophy Read More »Read More »

This is Part 4 (The Scientific Revolution) in the four-part series of book summary of Sapiens by Yuval. If you haven’t read Part 1 (The Cognitive Revolution), Part 2 (The Agricultural Revolution), Part 3 (The Unification of Humankind), please read them before reading this. The Scientific Revolution 14) The Discovery of Ignorance The last 500 years have witnessed … Book Summary: Sapiens (Part 4) Read More »Read More »

This is Part 3 (The Unification of Humankind) in the four-part series of book summary of Sapiens by Yuval. If you haven’t read Part 1 (The Cognitive Revolution), Part 2 (The Agricultural Revolution) please read them before reading this. The Unification of Humankind 9) The Arrow of History Every culture has its typical beliefs, norms, and … Book Summary: Sapiens (Part 3) Read More »Read More »

This is Part 2 (The Agricultural Revolution) in the four-part series of book summary of Sapiens by Yuval. If you haven’t read Part 1 (The Cognitive Revolution), please read it before reading this. The Agricultural Revolution 5) History’s Biggest Fraud Sapiens ceased being foragers 10,000 years ago when they began to devote almost all their … Book Summary: Sapiens (Part 2) Read More »Read More »

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Well, this has to be the most thought-provoking and perspective-changing book I’ve read so far. I came across this book in my college days after a recommendation from my friend. Since then I’ve read this multiple times and was fascinated by the depth and the perspective of Yuval about human … Book Summary: Sapiens (Part 1) Read More »Read More »

The following is a summary of the book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” by Yuval Noah Harari. Most of the following content is taken from the book or from the various sources I found on the internet. As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first Century, humanity faces so many issues and questions, … Book Summary: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Read More »Read More »

Part I – Homo Sapiens Conquers the World Chapter 1: The New Human Agenda The End of Homo Sapiens Across time, wars have become responsible for less deaths. Sugar has become more dangerous than gunpowder. Whereas in ancient agricultural societies human violence caused about 15 per cent of all deaths, during the twentieth century violence … Book Summary: Homo Deus Read More »Read More »

Introduction The primacy of anger and outrage online is, in some sense, an unavoidable feature of the medium: In an open marketplace for attention, darker emotions attract more eyeballs than positive and constructive thoughts. [Tips and tricks alone won’t help…] I’ve become convinced that what you need is a full-fledged philosophy of technology use, rooted … Book Summary: Digital Minimalism Read More »Read More »

The book tells a story set in Babylon during ancient times. It’s a parable (a story with lessons in it, like the Bible). As Clason explains at the beginning of the book, they had one of the richest societies in the world. The impregnable walls surrounding the city were 320 feet tall in some places, … Book Summary: The Richest Man in Babylon Read More »Read More »

Karl Marx is often described as one of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century. His writings have inspired revolutions, and generated centuries of fierce debate. Born in Prussia, now Germany, in May 1818, Marx believed that capitalism, which was in its infancy at the time, had serious flaws. Marx claimed that in pursuit of … About Marx Read More »Read More »

The following are my notes/highlights from the Book “Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel. Please note that most of it are produced as-is from the book. Introduction: The Greatest Show on Earth “Doing well with money has a little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave.” … Book Summary: Psychology of Money Read More »Read More »

What is this thing that has happened to us? It’s a virus, yes. In and of itself it holds no moral brief. But it is definitely more than a virus. Some believe it’s God’s way of bringing us to our senses. Others, that it’s a Chinese conspiracy to take over the world. Whatever it is, … Pandemics are Portals by Arundhati Roy Read More »Read More »

The following are my notes/highlights from the Book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. Please note that most of it are produced as-is from the book. The key to living a good life is not giving a fuck about more things, but rather, giving a fuck only about the things … Book Summary: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Read More »Read More »

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.Read More »

Every 90s born can still vividly remember the 2006, Karachi test where Irfan took a hat-trick in the very first over of a test match. Today, he bids farewell to the game that has given us so many instances where Irfan took the lead in handing over a win for India. Congratulations champ @IrfanPathan on … Irfan Pathan Retires at 35 Read More »Read More »

The annual National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) report shows an alarming increase in crimes against women. On an average, 93 women are victims of rape every day. One-third of them are minors. Every day, on an average, 28 women are being burnt to death in cases registered as dowry deaths. However shocking these statistics might be, these … Social transformation is the key in tackling Violence Against Women Read More »Read More »