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‘Ramayana Unravelled’ By Ami Ganatra – A Review
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September 27, 2023September 27, 2023BOOK REVIEW, COMMENTARY, ITIHASA, TRADITION

‘Ramayana Unravelled’ By Ami Ganatra – A Review

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Ami Ganatra's book "Ramayana Unravelled" is a brilliant attempt to dispel the inauthentic accounts and imaginary tales floating about under the garb of retellings of Ramayana. It helps those who haven't yet been able to study the original text in detail, to take a deeper look at their notions about different characters, including Shri Rama and Devi Sita, and their actions, motivations and circumstances. It must be read as a stepping stone for the study of the source text to understand and absorb the main epic in a deeper manner.

“Uttar Kaanda” by S. L. Bhyrappa – A Review
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September 18, 2023September 18, 2023BOOK REVIEW

“Uttar Kaanda” by S. L. Bhyrappa – A Review

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In the novel, Uttara Kaanda, renowned novelist, Shri S L Bhyrappa is on an odyssey. An odyssey through the eyes of his protagonist, Sita; the daughter of Janaka, wife of Rama, and mother of Lava-Kusha but also something more, something that belongs only to herself. Something that makes Sita who she is.
Sita is not ‘Devi’ in Uttara Kaanda, but she is most definitely either our Mata, our Bhagini or our Kanya. That is why our hearts beat with Sita of Uttara Kaanda.

The Overlooked Brilliance of Sumitra
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September 4, 2023September 4, 2023PERSPECTIVE

The Overlooked Brilliance of Sumitra

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The Ramayana is not simply a chronicle of Shri Rama's life and times on Earth, but also an epic saga that holds within itself much for both the devout and the rational.
Each of the characters is fascinating, but there are some that shine like gems in their limited roles without making too much noise. One such character is that of Sumitra, one of the three chief queens of king Dasharatha of Ayodhya, the other two being Kausalya, and Kaikeyi. This article aims to understand Sumitra's character in deeper detail through textual references from both the Valmiki Ramayana as well as Tulsidas's Ramacharitamanasa.

‘The Imperishable Seed’ By Bhaskar Kamble – A Summary Review
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August 28, 2023August 28, 2023BOOK REVIEW

‘The Imperishable Seed’ By Bhaskar Kamble – A Summary Review

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Dr. Pingali Gopal reviews 'The Imperishable Seed' By Bhaskar Kamble, a theoretical physicist from IIT Kanpur and presently a data scientist in Germany.
The linear progression of history from a primitive past to an advanced future, deeply entrenched in western philosophy, embeds itself in Indians even today as a classic case of ‘colonial consciousness’. Bhaskar has done a brilliant job of describing the history of mathematics, a much ignored subject in our educational systems,  and tracing the roots of many subjects to the genius mathematicians of ancient and mediaeval India.

‘Saraswati’s Intelligence’ by Vamsee Juluri – A Review
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August 25, 2023August 25, 2023BOOK REVIEW

‘Saraswati’s Intelligence’ by Vamsee Juluri – A Review

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Vamsee Juluri's book is a page-turner, a great example of creative reimagining done right.
It cannot easily be categorised as per conventional genres. Depending on individual inclination, it can be classified as spiritual, based on passages dealing with the questioning of the nature of Dharma; action-packed thriller, given the battle scene depictions and wars waged; or 'mythological', since despite being based on living Devatas, it is a fictional representation of them; and very different from the stories we were raised on.

“Oppenheimer”, the Gita, and Dharma
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August 16, 2023August 16, 2023FILM REVIEW, PERSPECTIVE

“Oppenheimer”, the Gita, and Dharma

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Imbibing the spirit of true Dharma, one achieves communion with nature, the cosmos, and eventually the Supreme being. The eternal fight therefore, is not between good and evil, or between believers and non-believers, but between Dharma and Adharma.

Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee – A Review
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August 14, 2023August 14, 2023BOOK REVIEW

Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee – A Review

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In this review of "Hindu Love Stories" by Aditi Banerjee, we learn about the author's motivation behind writing the book; and her treatment of her characters. She brings forth the popular tales, as well as some lesser known ones; and shows us that some of the lore known to us as tales of duty and surrender can also be viewed from the Hindu view of love, which is very different from the single-hued romantic love marketed by the West.