Forgotten treasure of knowledge – Nalanda University in Bihar, India

India surprises you, and it holds true when you accidentally discover an unexplored historical site.  And when you learn about its rich history, you just wonder how such a glorious history is so easily ignored. One of such places is the ruins of Nalanda University in Bihar, India Recently, while in rural Bihar, villagers asked us if we have visited the ruins. Wondering what everyone … Continue reading Forgotten treasure of knowledge – Nalanda University in Bihar, India

Coming out of Aunty’s World!

“Kamala Aunty’s son is already married   Why are you not getting married?” “Sarala Aunty’s daughter already has two kids. Why are you not having one?” “Pushpa Aunty’s son works in Wall Street. Why are you not getting such jobs?”   I am sure these lines are not unique in our lives. We all have those “aunties” that our mothers talked about. For some reason, … Continue reading Coming out of Aunty’s World!

Practicing Silence, Inner Peace, DPChallenge, Meditation

Practicing Silence – The Key to Finding Inner Peace

Have you ever uttered words so harsh, you wish you could take them back? Our society encourages us to speak our minds, but we are rarely trained to think before we speak. In our desire to be heard, we often forget about the lasting impact our words can have on us and those around us.  A majority of us have visited the hall of shame … Continue reading Practicing Silence – The Key to Finding Inner Peace

Hidden architecture of an unknown city Mardin

According to the legend, a man fell in love with a beautiful woman and wanted to marry her. But she proposed  a condition that he must build the biggest house in town for her in order to marry her. Thus, the man built a beautiful mansion called Sahtana House in Mardin. There are several such stories about each house in a beautiful city of old Mardin … Continue reading Hidden architecture of an unknown city Mardin

When Valentine’s Day in India Sends you Running for Cover

As I recently read the article about Ancient India and our amazingly sensual and lurid past, I really couldn’t help but marvel at the state of LOVE affairs in India. India indeed has a very licentious relationship with sensuality. We pride ourselves for authoring the Kamasutra, which details descriptions of every form of sexual union imaginable between man-woman, woman-woman, man-man. We built temples in Khajuraho, … Continue reading When Valentine’s Day in India Sends you Running for Cover

Notable News Bits from the World

1. Winter Olympics are here! The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics are being held in Sochi, Russia. The opening ceremony was lovely though one of the Olympic Rings didn’t light up much to the angst of Putin and glee of Obama. David Cameron didn’t attend and Princesses Anne read a book through the opening ceremony! But hey, … Continue reading Notable News Bits from the World

Why Karna’s death has lessons for modern society

Ask any ten followers of Mahabharat, who their favorite character is, invariably, most of them would say “Karna” – the valiant warrior who possessed all qualities of five Pandavas together. He had moral values of Yudhisthir, physical strength of Bhima, archery knowledge of Arjuna, good looks of Nakula, and knowledge of Sahadeva. Being raised in a low-caste household, he was a victim of caste-based discrimination all his life. Abandoned by his princess mother, … Continue reading Why Karna’s death has lessons for modern society

Why CVS Pharmacy won’t sell Tobacco products anymore

CVS Caremark has decided NOT to sell tobacco products through the pharmacy chain October onwards (in the United States). CVS will lose nearly $2 billion in sales, but public health groups have hailed the decision! This certainly will put the pressure on other pharmacy retailers to discontinue sales of tobacco products as well. “We have about 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners helping patients manage chronic … Continue reading Why CVS Pharmacy won’t sell Tobacco products anymore