chaotic order

Though I am personally skeptical about the institution of marriage, I have great admiration, respect and adoration for those who can live up to its vows with steadfastness, commitment and zest in the midst of all vicissitudes that life may bring to their table. It is one of those beautiful sights to behold - when one sees an elderly couple, ripe with age, twinkle in their eyes, arms knit together, and a sense of togetherness so tangible that it is almost possible to touch it  with bare fingers. It reinstates my belief in the Future of Man. As we drove out today morning in the Hotel shuttle, I was accompanied by such a couple. They were heading to Florida to get on a cruise across the Panama canal. He was 87 and she was 81 - so they told me with a beaming smile on their faces. And the occasion for this travel happens to be their fiftieth anniversary of togetherness. Meticulously packed (over five suitcases), flawlessly dressed - they were as excited as twenty year olds. The lady sa

Lady Hypatia - The Philosopher If one were to ask an educated youngster to name a famous Egyptian lady from history - Chances are, nine out of ten, you will hear the name of Cleopatra issue from his lips. And we should not blame him for it. The legend of Caesar and his nemesis in the arms of this sensuous Greeko-egyptian queen has been immortalized, exaggerated and twisted countless ways in scholarly books, popular fiction and visual arts that it is easier to conjure her image in our minds (aided by Liz Taylor, of course) than anybody else from that era. While it is true to a great extent that her beguilingly voluptuous beauty, charm, cunning wit and sparkling political acumen helped define the geographical boundaries of ancient Roman Empire - and its subsequent repercussions on the political topography of Europe; However, the intellectual continuity and vigor of Platonic thought and Greek sciences found its anchor, articulation and consummation not in the guiles and seductive lore

Chapter 2 verse 50 says "Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam..." This phrase is commonly translated as "skill/dexterity in action is Yoga"; and Krishna gives this advice to a forlorn Arjuna when he is all set to put down his bow and run off the battlefield. Interesting!!. The warrior is trembling with emotions, his hands are sweaty and shaky; and here is the master confidently telling him that he must perform his actions with dexterity.. If one were to take this phrase out of this context ( which is what we do) and practice its intent- it would roughly mean that we must work assiduously to achieve perfection in whatever is allotted to be our bidding in life. For example, if one is working as a software developer, then the idea is to worker harder on writing more and more code, until one reaches a point of utmost skill. And so is the case with all professions or livelihood. But I don't think Krishna meant that when he gave this advice to Arjuna. You see, there is an inte

After all the brouhaha over the vogue video ,It seems ironical or coincidental , whichever way one wishes to see it - that the State of Indiana today sentenced Purvi Patel thirty years of jail time for Feticide. The first ever sentencing on these grounds in the United states. And what is interesting is that fact that she is convicted and sentenced not because she had a miscarriage or decided to abort, but of a definite "Choice" she made to dump the new born/unborn/stillborn human child wrapped in a plastic bag into a Trash can without an iota of remorse whatsoever; and then compounding her decision by attempting to subvert law lying about the period of pregnancy. What a "choice" to make? She pleaded that she came from a "conservative" family, and a child out of wedlock would be a social stigma - hence she had to take the extreme decision of terminating the baby. But to wait for twenty four weeks to do that?? - what a "choice" to make? The key

As a matter of choice, I politely decline most social invitations, unless I am extremely comfortable (very few families!! fall in that bracket ) of being accorded my space in a company of people., Well, that is not to say, that I get invited often, but even the few that I get invited to; I find a way to wriggle my way out of it. I have nothing against social gatherings or its equivalents, but it is just that - deep down I get out of sync with conversations that happen there; and I don't wish to be thought of as an intrusion upon such vivacious and egregious moments with my studied or morose silences - whichever way it may be perceived. Yesterday, after my swim, I was sitting along with a group of friends/acquaintances in a smoothie shop. It was mixture of Americans and Indians, and after all common chatter , one of my them said" "Hey Bala, Why don't you join us tomorrow evening at my place. I have invited all the others, you are the only one left. Nothing specia

Friends who know me well, also know that I love the genre of Horror in films and books. You may call me perverse, deviant or troubled - but to me, a well crafted piece of dark thematic work - touches a primordial raw nerve within, as much as the notion of "God" does. And what better place to be discussing the genesis of this morbid crooked fascination than in a hot Sauna - simmering at 140 degree Fahrenheit, with sweat dripping from every pore of ones body, and salty drops of it cauterizing the eyes as it slides unimpeded down ones face. We were three of us : Jason, Peter and me - all enthusiasts of darkness, and subject of conversation was the Devil ;and Movie directors Roman Polanski, William freidkin , Wes craven , whose work presented evil in a most chilling manner on screen. "You see" I said " Lucifer was after all a fallen angel. One of God's favorites. And what after all was his crime?. He decided not to obey Man - God's new fancy toy. And fo

In 2011 I remember hearing the news in Christchurch ,NZ that Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee had won the Pulitzer prize for his book "The emperor of all Maladies". It so happened that there was a Borders books store near the hotel I was staying in; and I promptly bought a copy of it. Over the weekend, I nearly finished three forth of the book, riveted and absorbed in the brilliant story that Dr Mukherjee unfolded on the history, advent and search for a cure for Cancer. In many ways, the book was an eye opener; and the seminal message which came across to a reader was the frightening and chastising fact that cancer is really not a disease caused by any extraneous factors, but rather a state in which one's own body degenerates and mutates destroying itself in the process. And one does not know why it happens or when it can happen. It is utterly unpredictable and to a large extent unexplained as well. As I was taking my customary walk today, I was tuned into NPR. They were repl