Tides of Thoughts

 Did Ravana abduct Sita on his own, or was it suggested to him? If you are reading this question for the first time, it seems so absurd. Right? When asked this question personally, many people gave a simple answer, "He did it on his own". Some even asked me a question in reverse, "Is this even a question?", and said, "Ravana was evil. Does someone need to suggest to him to do such an evil act?" As usual, Valmiki Ramayana has a twist here. Ravana didn't get the idea on his own. It was sown in his thoughts by one of the rakshasas from Janasthana. So, who was that rakshasa? And when did it happen? So, where was that Janasthana and who was that rakshasa? Janasthana was where Surpanakha lived with her brother Khara and several other demons (rakshasas). As we all know, the popular story is of Surpanakha approaching Rama and Lakshmana with lustful intent and being punished by Lakshmana when she tried to intimidate Sita. Generally, in movies and serials, we se...

  We all know the basic story of Ravana abducting Sita, Rama fighting with Ravana and saving Sita. But, as we go deep into the nuances of Ravana abducting Sita, holding her captive, Rama searching for Sita, Rama meeting Sugriva, Hanuman, and the vanara sena, Hanuman going to Lanka, Hanuman's diplomacy with Ravana, Vibeeshana changing sides, Rama crossing the ocean, and the innumerable rakshasas Rama and his army encountered in Lanka, the story becomes so intriguing.  When we start reading the Valmiki Ramayana, we will be so mesmerised by Valmiki's storytelling that we feel all the movies and serials didn't do justice to the description and detail in the Valmiki Ramayana. The fight between Rama and Ravana from movies and serials, it.   On the same note, if we recall the fight between Rama and Ravana from movies and serials, it was short. Rama enters Lanka with the vanara sena, a small volley of arrows and spades ensues, then Lakshmana becomes unconscious when Indrajit...

The Answer Is No is a short story by Fredrik Backman , the author of A Man Called Ove . The book is a witty, satirical take on contemporary social and personal issues. It begins by introducing the life of a character named Lucas, an introvert living in an apartment. The story develops through a series of unexpected twists as he becomes involuntarily entangled in various situations involving the apartment committee and neighbours who use his Wi-Fi password. His problems escalate when the apartment committee appoints him president of a trash removal committee, while the city administration introduces several unwanted rules and regulations. Matters are further complicated by his over-enthusiastic neighbour, who drags him into an unwanted Facebook fiasco. The story concludes with solutions to the apartment’s waste management issues , support for his depressed neighbour, and how Lucas move back into his solitary life. The book features several sharp, satirical lines that strike at the ...

Dharmaraja . Yudhishthira . The man who needed no introduction. In the grand epic of the Mahabharata , he stands as the embodiment of Dharma . His brilliance shines in the episode of the Yaksha Prasna. His restraint, wisdom, and commitment to righteousness define his character across the epic. And yet — there is one moment. One devastating moment in the Mahabharata where Dharmaraja crosses the fragile boundary of conscience — and pays for it instantly… and for the rest of his life. Yes. The gambling episode in the Kuru Sabha . Most of us remember it through television and cinema: Yudhishthira loses the game. Duryodhana orders Dussasana to bring Draupadi . She is dragged into the court. Someone protests weakly. Dussasana attempts to disrobe her. Krishna appears miraculously with endless sarees. The villain collapses in exhaustion. Powerful scene. Dramatic. Memorable. But not entirely faithful to the original narrative. In the Sabha Par...

Assume you have 100 kg of potatoes, which are 99% water and 1% mass. They dried for one day, and the water percentage reduced by 1%. What is the new weight? When I asked this question orally, the common answer was 99 kg. However, when I asked the same question in writing and gave 1 minute to respond, the answer was 50 kg. The gist of the paradox lies in how 1% change in water led to a reduction of 50 kg in weight. Let the new weight be X. When we say the water percentage was reduced by 1%, the new water percentage is 98%. So, what is the other 2% made of? It is 1 kg of mass.  1 kg of mass = 2% of X X = 1 kg/2% = 1 * 100/2 = 50 kg. So, why do many people fail to answer the question when asked orally? Instead of doing the above steps, we simply tend to reduce the 1% mentioned in the question from the overall weight of the potatoes and end up with 99 kg as the answer. When we were given time and resources to calculate the percentages on a piece of paper or a calculator, we tend to foc...

  SARANYU: Surya’s Wife by Saiswaroopa Iyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Saranyu, Surya's wife, is a retelling of the story of Sandhya and Chaya, with a mix of fiction that incorporates contemporary storytelling elements. Sai Swaroopa, the author of this book, was a well-established and renowned figure in the retelling of Indian mythological stories such as Abhaya, Avishi, and Draupadi. The plot of the story is about Saranyu, Chaya (the illusory of Saranyu) and Vivaswan during the twilight period (we call it Sandhya between two manvantaras). This story is quite popular among the Hindu readers who read epics. This story stands apart from all the earlier novels by the author in terms of narration and plotting. One important aspect is not deviating from the underlying philosophical outline of the original characters of Sandhya, Chaya and Surya. Though the book is termed as fiction, as the narration goes around the Hindu devas and daityas, a period of conflict between two manvantaras, it...