A Place to Sleep

Both these pictures were taken last night at about 11 o'clock. If you take a ride at night through the capital of the world's largest democracy, a country whose multi-billionaires are rising in number with generous assistance from the government in the form of tax exemptions and so on, you will find hundreds of homeless people sleeping on the roadside.

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Literature and Meaning

Most people, almost all normal ones, live their lives by the stories they tell about themselves and those others tell about them. As psychologist Gerald Corey says, “These stories actually shape reality in that they construct and constitute what we see, feel, and do.” Your personality is not a static entity which took shape at your birth once and for all. As you grew up physically, you encountered a lot of other people, situations, and forces that contributed into the ongoing shaping of your personality even if you didn’t want all that shaping. Your life is a story that continues to be written till your death. You are the ultimate writer of your own story though a whole lot of others make significant contributions which you can’t ignore. Every Othello has to meet his Iago. But the plot need not necessitate the murder of Desdemona. Every Hamlet has to deal with the demons of fraudulence. Mark Antony has a choice to not “let Rome in Tiber melt” and thus rewrite his story. Your...

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below. Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl

As I Turn 66

A n exercise in narcissism – that’s what this post is ultimately. But I wanted to start my 66 th birthday on a naughty note. So I asked AI [ChatGPT] to interview me. With AI’s permission, I’m reproducing extracts from the interview here. The whole interview can be read here . [ChatGPT turned out to be more voluble than I am.] Q : Sixty-six years of life — that’s a grand stretch of stories, wisdom, and wonder. How does it feel to be 66 today? Is it what you imagined it would be like? A : Thank you, first of all, for your wishes as well as your consent to my request [to interview]. I'm happy that I've hit this mark particularly because the average lifespan in my country is 67 which may mean I have another year to go. But I'm healthy and may go on more. It hasn't been exactly like what I wished. A lot of things went wrong. Q : Looking back across all these years, what’s one lesson life has taught you — something you now hold like a precious gem, something that chang...

What’s Wrong?

Selling religion is wrong. Because religion is not a commodity. It’s not a cow. It’s not a blessing. It’s not even a comfort. Have you felt the comfort of a god in your heart? If not, your religion is false. Give it up. And search. Search for the real religion. There’s only one true religion. The one which you feel in your heart. The one which makes you feel comfortable with yourself. There’s no panacea available anywhere. Even religion is not a panacea. You can’t ever feel comfortable in your heart as long as there are people who sell religion. Can you rise above such people? Can you find your god in your heart? In spite of the priests? In spite of politicians? In spite of bad weather? Are you honest to yourself? If you are, you don’t need religion. But there’s too much religion in the world. Too much religion. That’s...

Desolation

Some gates thrust upon us an impression of desolation. They may be left open, but they don't invite; rather, they repulse. It's not the Nature with her trees and plants or even its aridity that repulses; it's the gate in such a place; a gate that looks out of place; a gate that doesn't look like a gate! Take a look around and you realise that you are not alone. There is another creature that looks forlorn too. Its company is no consolation. Nor does it seem interested in your company. Maybe, it's looking for something to eat. A little water to drink. A shelter from the heat of the summer sun in Delhi. Is it wondering, like you, what we have done to the planet? Why did we make such a hell out of it? Why couldn't we get along together like the passengers on a train... knowing that the journey will end anyway? No, it's not interested in your company. "Good bye." PS. All the pictures were taken this afternoon ...

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