Enlightened ... There are no special effects.

I met with some of my classmates last evening.  There were three doctors - two are practicing in India and one in the UK.  The two Indian doctors got at least 5 calls each in that one hour.  It was clearly their off-duty hours, but they also ran hospitals themselves.  So, there is no surprise that they got so many calls.  But this is the case with most doctors in India.  The classmate from the UK said that it is rare there and doctors complain if they disturbed in off-duty hours. So, in India, at least in the medical profession, the work extends beyond the usual working hours with varying levels of engagement.  It is probably true with a few other professions, but it depends on the individuals.  It also reflects in the interaction with the family.  Let's focus only on the positive side of these interactions. A child who looks up to his father would want to be like his father.  If the father exhibits a positive attitude towards his work, ...

There are many things that I find difficult to understand - from linear algebra to quantum computing to  a busy dog.  One of them is the hatred for the 'God-men' by the smart people with Hindutva ideology.  In spite of their superior intelligence, they have not convinced me with their reasons for their hatred. Since I know a bit about their objects of hatred, I would like to present my case.   I do not like the term 'God-Man' for the negative connotation it carries, thanks to the English media.  I would like to use a simpler term like 'Guruji' to refer to them.  They may belong to a traditional mutt or self-made.  I would like to focus on the self-made Gurujis.  The Swamis of traditional mutts are hated for different reasons.  That is for another day to dissect. The haters prefer to compare them from a pick-pocket to a scheming con man.  Ideally they are comparable to a CEO or a founder CEO.  These founder CEOs have a bright id...

Sad events aren't rare. At the national level, we get to see at least one every week.  This is about how we respond to them. 1. A stampede happened at a religious congregation and many died.  The person responsible for the congregation got the blame - rightly so or otherwise. 2. A young army officer was killed in action.  The government tried to compensate his family monetarily; some were unhappy about the compensation and blamed the officer's widow.  People took sides based on their convenience.  Very articulate personalities like Madhu Kishwar took a side and hurled abuses at people on the other side. All such chatter in the social media and elsewhere have a lifetime of a week or until the next sad event occurs, whichever is earlier.  It is our way of coping with sad news.  We need to pin the blame on somebody before we move on to the next event.  That gives us a nice closure that we have identified the source of the mishap. But the world isn't ...

சில ஆண்டுகளாக ஆங்கிலத்திலிருந்து சில நூல்களைத் தமிழில் மொழிபெயர்த்த அனுபவத்தில், தமிழ் தேங்கி விட்டது என்ற என் கண்ணோட்டத்தை இங்கு தருகிறேன். சமஸ்கிருதத்தில் உபசர்க்கம் என்ற இலக்கண அம்சம் ஒன்று உண்டு; அவற்றை சமஸ்கிருதத்திலிருந்து எடுத்து,  தமிழிலும் பிற இந்திய மொழிகளிலும் அதிகம் பயன்படுத்துகிறோம்.  உதாரணத்திற்கு அ நியாயம், அனு தாபம், பிரதி பலன், பரம் பொருள், அதி புத்திசாலி, அவ மானம் போன்றவை.  இந்த உதாரணங்களில் முதலில் பெரிய எழுத்துக்களில் உள்ளவை உபசர்க்கங்கள்.  அவற்றிற்குப் பின்வரும் சொற்களின் பொருளோடு பொருந்தி வேறொரு பொருளை அளிப்பன.  (ஆங்கிலத்தில் இத்தகைய பயன்பாடு இருந்தாலும், அதற்கான திட்டவட்டமான இலக்கணம் உள்ளதா என எனக்குத் தெரியாது.) தமிழில் இயல்பான உபசர்க்கங்கள் மிகக் குறைவு .  தலை, கை, முன், பின் போன்றவை நமக்குப் பழகியவை.  பிற உபசர்க்கங்கள் அனைத்தும் சமஸ்கிருதத்திலிருந்து பெறப்பட்டவை.   உபசர்க்கங்கள் இல்லாவிட்டால் என்ன? உபசர்க்கங்கள் இல்லாவிட்டால் பல சொற்களைப் பயன்படுத்தி தேவைப்பட்ட பொருளைப் பெற வேண்டும்.  இதற்கு ஒரு உதாரணத்தைக்...

Recently some of the Hindutva scholars had a spat on Twitter (X) about the period of Sri Rama.  Someone said it is around 5000 years ago, others disagreed and it was going through the usual motions of a Twitter war.   Unlike a Christian or a Muslim, the historicity of Hindu Gods do not matter to the theology of Hindus.  Hindu Dharma does not run the risk of losing its relevance if these Gods were not historical figures.  Because Hindu Dharma does not depend on the physical existence of the Gods, but depends on the values and wisdom of these Gods.  Their physical representation is a personification of their values.  Sri Rama represents honor, sacrifice, courage, duty and justice; Sri Krishna represents the wisdom for the worldly life stressing on the importance of duty. And the host of local deities represent the establishment of the supreme order - the Rta. *** We need to get a basic clear.  Gods are relevant mostly in a subconscious or mystical l...