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  • Fana — A Sufi Therapy from Al-Ghazali’s Books

    I insist on destroying myself, On destroying myself in you. A Bollywood Love Song Destroying myself? Why would anyone want that? What kind of love song is this? If you are familiar with Sufism, and the concept of fana in it, you would know that it is the highest expression of love. Fana (فناء), literally…

  • Five Beautiful Literary Passages from the Last Hundred Years

    Literature — it plucks your heartstrings, tickles you in the strangest of the places, and in the end, leaves you craving for more. A reader will understand what it means, to lie-down on soft, curly grass, underneath winter’s sun and… read a book. We all have had the moments of ecstasy when a book (or…

  • The Philosophy of Friendship

    Friendship is older than Philosophy. We can say that with a high degree of certainty — as there are many reasons. One of them, not the most convincing, but perhaps the most endearing, is dogs. You look at a dog and you are led to believe at once that friendship was there long before any…

  • Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s Policy Towards Hindus

    Jahangir, Mughal Emperor from 1605 to 1627, modestly increased the size of his empire through conquests. He also snuffed out a half dozen rebellions. On the whole, one might say, he continued the policies of his father, Emperor Akbar. India that Jahangir ruled provided him the wealth to indulge his tastes for formal gardens, entertainment,…

  • What Happens When an African Travels to Greenland?

    An African in Greenland? That makes one curious. We all know what follows when Americans (or Europeans) travel to Africa — that part has filled the history books. But, what happens if the roles are reversed? Well, as it turns out, the entire episode is nothing less than a fairy.  The Beginnings A young lad, living…

  • A Creation Myth in an Extinct Indian Language

    In ancient times, there lived a man named Phertajido, the first man of the Andaman Islands. He originated from the hollow of a bamboo, and lived alone, roaming here and there in search of food. The Great Narrative of Phertajido The Great Narrative of Phertajido was told in the Bo language, now among the extinct…

  • Who is the Majority in India?

    Nobody. That’s right, nobody gets a chance to call himself or herself the majority in India. As Shashi Tharoor observes in his book India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond, the concept of being in majority in India makes no sense; after all, everyone is in minority. How is that possible, one might ask?…

  • On Keeping a Writing Journal

    In her essay On Keeping a Notebook, Joan Didion put her finger on the reason why writers keep a record of their experiences in the form of a writing journal. We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget… Keeping in touch is what notebooks are all about. Joan Didion If…