For over three agonizing decades, the island nation of Sri Lanka was mired in an ethnic conflict that led to a wanton spate of massacres, mayhem and melee. This conflict, that pitted the Sri Lankan military against the separatist forces of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (“LTTE) divided Sri Lanka along ethnic lines - … Continue reading The Sadness of Geography – Logathasan Tharmathurai
Month: May 2019
The Ash Track
(Image Credit: Fandango) “You have to walk if you desire to be fit”, Ash goaded Venky on as he huffed and puffed his way through the much treaded and cracked walking track. Rivulets of sweat streamed down his forehead, depositing themselves on his cheeks before plummeting down his Led Zeppelin T-shirt, which by this time … Continue reading The Ash Track
Conformity: The Power of Social Influences – Cass Sunstein
In 1972, the social psychologist Irving L. Janis coined the term “Groupthink.” This term was employed to define a psychological phenomenon under which people endeavor to strike a consensus within a group. In most instances, people even set aside their own personal beliefs and philosophies before adopting the consensus of the rest of the group. … Continue reading Conformity: The Power of Social Influences – Cass Sunstein
Dryden & Ash
Seeking refuge in alcohol, finding solace in the noise of Iron Maiden Venky knew he was leading a life of illusion, resorting to Huxley and Dryden Carrying reminiscences of his Ash in every vein artery and coursing blood cell He was nothing without her and every minute of her absence was to him a living … Continue reading Dryden & Ash
Hemingway Of The Hills
(Image Courtesy: CRISPINA KEMP) For the untrained and the unsuspecting, it was only an ugly unwashed, untenanted rectangular block of concrete, hopelessly trying to hide behind an even more ungainly sprouting of ill directed foliage. At first glimpse the man-made structure seemed a grotesque lump on the bushy hair of a gigantic head that was … Continue reading Hemingway Of The Hills
Such a Lovely Face
(Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons) “Relax”, seemed to say the bank of milky white clouds, “we are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave!” What was Venky trying to leave? Fate? Portend? Love? Life itself? Or was he arriving at some beckoning destination? The brilliant foliage of … Continue reading Such a Lovely Face
Pilachu’s Day of Reckoning in Mikanda
(Photo Credit: A Mixed Bag) It was a painstakingly crafted artifact. Only the most deserving and exquisite pieces of wood warranted chopping, choosing, carving, and polishing. The two wings of the mythical creature were bent and curled upwards. The neck was peculiarly and agonizingly slender. The open mouth revealing the two sets of broad teeth … Continue reading Pilachu’s Day of Reckoning in Mikanda
Loonshots – Safi Bahcall
One might be forgiven for nursing a genuine assumption that the most famous “Bush” surname belongs to one of two men, both of whom happened to be the Presidents of the United States of America at different intervals. Safi Bahcall, a second-generation physicist (the son of two astrophysicists) and a biotech entrepreneur might also have … Continue reading Loonshots – Safi Bahcall
Ash & The Magnificent Blue Irises
(Photo Credit: Crispina Kemp) Swamps are the nurturing mothers to beautiful lotuses, magnificent irises and breathtaking lilies. These gorgeous flowers do not blossom despite the swamp. They blossom precisely because of the swamp. Neither Ash nor Venky were in the know of this fact. They were neither botanists nor biologists. Well, one need not be … Continue reading Ash & The Magnificent Blue Irises