A Rainbow in the Night

A very vivid account of South Africa - its peoples and politics. Apartheid - a concept invented by a minority insecure of its relative status in the general scheme of things. Dominique Lapierre empathises with all stakeholders and humanizes/underplays even the seemingly harsh attrocities. But the high points of the book are the passages on Helene Lieberman and her work, which highlights the dignity and pride of living in the Mamas of Africa. I found the following video footage of a TED seminar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6hra0c4BFs 

Book Review :)

Name of the book: Hindu Book of the Dead
Author: Trinath Mishra

Amazing book.. dont at all go by the title.. its more a discourse on the way of life/meaning of existence and its interpretation in various parts of the world. The author gives a detailed and thorough step-by-step understanding into the hindu way of life by relating it to the writings in various religious texts around the world. The author comes out as being extremely well-read and there is a lot of effort and amazing amount of research that has gone into writing this book.

I would specifically recommend the reading of first two chapters to all students of philosophy. The only thing that was not to my liking about this book was its title, which I felt did not do full justice to the contents.

Sharing and caring is very endearing :))

Extraordinary

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see this documentary 'What the blip do we know' which was a philosophical discourse on quantum mechanics and how it reaffirms the concept of supersoul.

Made me ponder whether wave theory or particle physics was no different from Panini's grammar.. these are probably no more than techniques to console ourselves with structures for our existence thereby assuring us with a sense of security that there must be some definitive reason for our existence.

While the above may sound depressing, it is not so.. it also makes one realize that each of us lives an extraordinary life.. makes me think of this famous quote 'If a man for whatever reason has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself'-- Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Hence, the blog. :))

Truth about Knowledge

'The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing'
-Socrates

'As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it'
'Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods'
-Albert Einstein

'A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle' - Khalil Gibran

The unconquerable

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The above poem is titled "Invictus" and was written by William Earnest Henley. While incarcerated in Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela is said to have taken inspiration from this poem.

Cancer and effects

The psychological effect of cancer-- diagnosis, treatment and after-care -- on the individual and the family members is a subject of study that ought to be researched and documented. There are some wonderful websites dedicated to the subject of cancer but not many catering to the woesome and more than often confusing and depressing psychological side-effects of this murderous condition. Whilst the pain is only a miniscule part in the entire gamut of physical and psychological effects, the subject and family members' roller coaster ride starts from the day-1 of cancer diagnosis. Inevitability of the outcome is no deterrent for man's immense need for self-preservation, in every sense of word..