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  • A Brief History of the Middle East (Part One)

    ‘The Middle East’ is a modern English term for one of the most ancient regions of human civilisation. The history of the Middle East, therefore, is as old as our civilisation. But, before we go there, let’s just briefly talk about the term itself. Before and during the First World War, ‘the Near East’, which…

  • 30-Year-Old Editorial Explains the Problems in Indian Secularism

    India, to put the matter brusquely, has been a battleground between two civilisations (Hindu and Islamic) for well over a thousand years, and three (Hindu, Muslim and Western) for over two hundred years. None of them has ever won a decisive enough or a durable enough victory to oblige the other two to assimilate themselves…

  • Amrapali: The Story of a Courtesan Turned Buddhist Nun

    This text delves into the life of Amrapali, a celebrated royal courtesan of 4th century BCE India, who later became a devoted Buddhist nun. It details her transformation from a sought-after entertainer of wealthy men to a deeply spiritual woman who renounced her material possessions to embark on a journey of enlightenment and inner peace…

  • Horrors from the Diaries of the Auschwitz Commandant

    I personally never hated the Jews. I considered them to be the enemy of our nation. However, that was precisely the reason to treat them the same way as other prisoners. I never made a distinction concerning this. Besides, the feeling of hatred is not in me, but I know what hate is, and how…

  • A Stoic’s Guide: How to Deal with Anxiety

    Stoicism was a philosophy that flourished for some 400 years in ancient Greece and Rome, gaining widespread support among all classes of society. It had one very large and highly practical ambition: to teach people how to be calm and brave in the face of overwhelming anxiety and pain. As it is easy to notice…

  • Love at First Sight in Kalidasa’s Masterpiece Abhijnanashakuntalam

    We may not have enough information about Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet and dramatist from ancient India, but his works speak for themselves. Two of his works, Meghadutam and Abhijnanashakuntalam, especially deserve our attention in this regard. At the same time many poets and writers, who lived after him, have often reminded us of his…

  • 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…