Reflections

REALISM : THE WAY OUT OF NEGATIVITY   A lot h as been said about positivity in relation to negative situations one finds oneself in; this article attempts to examine that, basis personal experience, and challenge long-held beliefs, basis learnings through deep personal association with pain stretching over a long time. It is said being positive, dreaming, looking sunny etc are the anecdote, that one should try to be upbeat and gung-ho as far as is possible for one to be.   Been there, done that. Dreams and positive thoughts don't help at all. They didn’t for me, at any rate. What helps, then? Realistic assessment, plus n minus awareness, recognition of your flaws, recognition of your strong points, and a plan out of it. In the plan dreams aren't good: small steps, tackle the immediate problems first, and move ahead Also, capacity and capability building, up skilling and constant effort. Accept flaws, yet realise you are not responsible for the mess.   ACCEPTAN...

BOOK REVIEW : JASMINE BUILDS ON SHIFTING SANDS Author : Sanjay Desai ConsciousLeap Publication   This is a genuinely surprising package, far beyond my expectations. And as this book has come as a total   surprise, I will deviate from my usual format to a different presentation. First of all, kudos to Mr Desai for writing such a good yet different book, and kudos to the publication house for bringing it to us readers. I went into it with zero expectations, though the blurb had told me this should be good. I needn’t have worried – it is excellent! The book is a nice, clean, fast paced narrative of a touching set of connected stories, told in a very evocative way that actually builds images in your mind!  Image Source: ConsciousLeap Publications   The story, such as it is, is in two parts. part 1 is a lecture, and part 2 is a very nice enticing story. Let me start with part 2 first. The second part is sandwiched between 2 halves of part 1;   and is th...

  CORONAVIRUS : The Recovery Path A CoMorbidity Patient’s Perspective   This is the 2 nd and concluding part of my experiences with Covid19 on a first-person basis. In this path I outline my experiences as a recovering patient. This is my personal account, and not meant to be   extrapolatable – in other words, learn from this, but do not assume symptoms or approach or diet for yourself without proper medical guidance. This is a serious issue – and my objective is to give those who are unaware of the reality of this disease an opportunity to read about a firstperson patient’s experience.   Further, please note that my experience is firstly of borderline Coronavirus, and is that of a person with CoMorbities – Diabetes {4 years}, Asthma {16 years} and Hypertension {24 years} in a background of Cervical Spondylosis {14 Years} and minor infarcts {10 years} {due to BP} in my brain. I do not know of the technicalities, though am a Biology Grad, and deeply passion...

  BOOK REVIEW : ARTHASHASTRA – THE SCIENCE OF WEALTH Thomas R Trautmann   This is a book that deals with a subject long-overdue for attention, both in my reading as well as in the national consciousness. I cant say National Reading Habits, for reading is not a habit in the modern world – anything but. So, National Consciousness it has to be. We, the modern educated individuals, regard Western Treatises on Commerce & Economics as the gold standard; no problems with that. But we should also be aware of the highly advanced concepts listed in our ancient literature – I refer specifically to the Arthashastra of Kautilya. Sadly, we are not conversant, living in a world as we are that idolizes western thought, and discounts local practices and writings.   Those of you who are looking for inspiration or confirmation that western economic theories originated in the Arthashastra – don’t pick this one up. But if you are curious about the Arthashastra, and what it ment...

  WHAT IS CLEANLINESS?   What is cleanliness? This seems like a simple, even silly question; it is anything but. What does being clean really mean – does it mean being personally clean, bathed, spotless; living in a clean spicknspan home and a clean city / surroundings? That is all there is to it, from one point of view. But take a step back – and think. Are you really clean? Think of your actions, your thoughts, your feelings. How can it be true cleanliness if these are also not clean? Think about it.   This is a rather short article – I will not belabour point too much. You are physically clean; but what about the way you earn your keep? Your daily behaviour? Your feelings? Your thoughts? Unless these are clean – it isn’t cleanliness at all. In fact, cleanliness, from a spiritual aspect actually refers to these aspects, rather than the overt aspect of physical cleanliness. It is worth going into this highly demanding level of personal cleanliness as described in...

  CORONA EXPERIENCE FOR A COMORBIDITY PATIENT   A lot has been said and written on Corona – but very little has been brought to my attention at least as to the experience of a real patient of Corona who has other chronic illnesses. This writeup is intended as a small contribution in that line – I hope that others can read this and avoid the mistakes I made. My medical history is that of Diastolic Hypertension, Asthma and Diabetes. All three are in full control, with not one episode of a major attack or problematic reading in any disease for at least 1-2 years.   THE BEGINNING For me – the beginning was benign, almost worthy of ignoring totally. Mistake numero uno – if you have a chronic illness among the above, you cannot ignore even the tiny   signs. It started with an Acid Reflux {was it related to Corona – I do not know; I am stating exactly what happened between August 9 th and September 7 th . As I said, it was an Acid Reflux, and a damned strong ...

  BOOK REVIEW : AKBAR THE GREAT MUGHAL THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY, by Ira Mukhoty   THE BOOK This is a book with a remarkably expansive scope, depth and breadth of coverage – it states itself as a biography, which it is; but is far more than that. This is a book on one of the greatest emperors India has ever had – Akbar The Great, and is a fully detailed exhaustive account of his entire life, covering a detailed perspective on every possible imaginable aspect of his life. It includes his conquests and the way he built his empire in full detail, including the political strategies employed as well as battle tactics and strategies. In these, as in everything else, it goes into stunning detail, giving a deep look at the entire scenario.   Source : Google Search What is special, or rather extra special about this book is it gives a deep understanding of both the times in which he lived, as well as remarkable details of the Mughal and Rajput etc societal struc...