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The Art of Travel
If our lives are dominated by a search happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest — in all its ardour and paradoxes — than our travels. Alain de Botton, in his book The Art of Travel, provides us a new way to look at travelling. After all, the… Read more
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A Brief History of Punctuation
The difference between “let us eat Grandma” and “let us eat, Grandma” is huge. That’s what punctuation does: it saves lives. When you write, you set words in motion. Then they are on their own. Punctuation allows these words to tell their own story. Otherwise, if the reader had to guess each time she read… Read more
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Confessions of a Book Reviewer
As a book reviewer – to state the obvious – you read quite a lot. And that has its own shades of pleasure, boredom and pain. Which is why, as a book reviewer, you are constantly shuffling your reading material, making sure that you get enough variety on the plate. Even then, it can be… Read more
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Ibn Battuta in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan
Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan Islamic scholar and traveller. His travels lasted for a period of almost thirty years, covering nearly the whole of the known Islamic world and beyond, from Africa to Arabia to India to China and back home. His travel accounts, known as The Travels, have been translated into various languages. These… Read more
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Education: Liberal Vs Conservative View
Politics impacts education due to the ideological leanings of those in control. In his book, Gary Thomas elaborates on how liberal and conservative perspectives influence teaching methods, goals, and content in education. The best approach may include a balanced blend of both perspectives, but societal norms and individual requirements often dictate the style. Read more
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How to Practice Vipashyana (Insight Meditation)
In the previous post, we learnt about Shamatha or the calm meditation. As discussed, first we need to calm our mind, make it single-pointed and focused, and then use insight meditation to weed out all that has been causing discomfort in our bodies and mind. This will take some time, of course. By focusing on… Read more
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