Not sure whether it’s serendipity or destiny, I’m inclined towards the latter. Over the past few months, I have been thinking actively about learning Sanskrit. The reason is just one: having read almost every volume written in English, finally I want to be able to read and enjoy the Mahabharata and the Vedas in their own language, perhaps even attempt a translation of my own. It is difficult for me to call it the language of the Gods, but there is something magical in the power of its words. Read more

As Osama bin Laden begins his journey to the other side — spiritualists across religions say that for a week after death, his or her loved ones should think about him, help him pass through the darkness — I was taken a little aback by the ecstatic celebrations across the world, particularly in the US. Read more

If you are in Delhi sometime before March 10, spare an hour for Jaya Utsav to catch some culture on the go. Read more

A Sunday morning image of hundreds of men swarming on a train like bees revived memories of a time when I had gone on an assignment to the religious quartet comprising Vrindavan, Gokul, Mathura and Govardhan, in Braj. Read more

We are getting used to violence and, as a result, it is becoming a blind spot of the world around us. We wake up with a shock when we experience it. And I’m not merely talking about news and media.

Violence today hides behind non-violence. That is, rarely do we go around and get involved with physical acts of violence — and that’s a relief. Read more

Amartya Sen never ceases to illuminate — if you spot a Sen in any bookshop, buy the book without a second thought. The Idea of Justice, his latest book released last week, maintains the momentum. It is wide in its expanse, deep in its perspective, insightful all over — and provocative in parts. Read more