As a storm brews 10 kms south of here in Puducherry, electricity fails, internet service drops automatically, ants scurry for protection in the grooves along the keyboard of the unsuspecting laptop. When one lives in the tropics, close to the...
Though my name is Oswald Pereira, I am often called Mr Singh. That’s because my wife, a Sikh, has retained her maiden surname (Singh) and people who know her and don’t know me, assume that the husband of Mrs Singh would...
The writer, a new mother holds her baby and wonders at the joy of creation A warm touch, an innocent smile, rosy checks and joyful laughter, that was the broad sketch I had of my baby in my thoughts and...
I have been an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman since childhood. I recite the Hanuman Chalisa everyday at least once, and sometimes, many times over. However, only recently I learnt about the many attributes of Lord Hanuman. I attend a weekly...
Vegetarians are fairly common, but the vegan person is rarer as this means also giving up dairy products, something that is harder to do than giving up meats. For instance, the dairy industry constantly sponsors studies that promote milk, saying...
Sri Krishna says: jitātmanaḥ praśhāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣhu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ (Bhagavad Gita: 6.7) Yogis who have conquered their mind rise above the dualities of hot and cold, joy and sorrow, honour and dishonour. Such yogis remain peaceful and steadfast in...
Family is a unique gift that needs to be appreciated and treasured, even when they are driving you crazy. As much as they make you mad, interrupt you, annoy you, curse at you, try to control you, these are the...
The remarkable story of the tiny community of Mawphlang in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya illustrates how indigenous people are protecting their watersheds and biodiversity by revitalising their traditional institutions and culture. Mawphlang’s tribal community is now the country’s first...
Is self-respect as important as it is made out to be? Let’s find out why self-respect or dignity is so essential to life and to our well-being. Self-respect is holding yourself in high esteem and considering yourself worthy of being...
We’re here, born on Planet Earth to be happy. Organic living is about being a better, happier human by making an incredible choice for your life and choosing the power of living positively. The benefits of an organic lifepath combine...
In order to maintain inner peace, calm and stability regardless of external circumstances, we need a daily multivitamin of meditation and introspection. Meditation is the best medication for all agitations. People have so many troubles today, mainly related to the...
For many years, my tiny curry patta tree grew in a pot, hidden from public view in a lonely corner of my garden in my home in Noida. It was about 3 feet in height and would grow just about...
Sanatan Dharma is dharma not only for India, but for all living entities, who are in innumerable universes, says SRILA BHAKTI BALLABH TIRTHA GOSWAMI MAHARAJ There is lack of knowledge among some people about the real meaning of Sanatan Dharma. Some consider Sanatan Dharma as the religion...
With mental health issues now on the rise, several therapists are using spiritual techniques such as pranayama, breathing and meditation as tools to cure mental health disorders. At a mental health conference that I attended in the capital, there was...
If trees had souls, perhaps the quality most attributable to them would be gentleness. Gentleness is not a lack of strength, but a quality which doesn’t disturb, doesn’t push, yet knows its power and can provide shelter. Trees. Enormous structures...
This is a poem about true love. True love is independent of time and distance and brings with it, some tremendous changes in one’s life. It is absolutely unconditional and is eternal. It is always enforced by the Laws of...
It was our ninth grade creative writing teacher, who made us realise that each one of us was unique, with our singular way of looking at life and the world, if only we cared to observe ourselves in a moment...
Differences are not evil, but are a blessing as they create challenges that lead to development and progress in the world. The simplest and most natural formula is to follow one religion, and respect all, says MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN I...
