Introduction to the Indian Caste System

Let me introduce you to the caste system in India. There are four main castes usually listed in the following order; The Castes Brahmins, the teachers, and priests who occupied themselves with the task of performing common ceremonies such as weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals and house-warming as well as yagnas and other religious activities. [Read More]

How to encourage mutual respect between men and women in India

INTRODUCTION The gang-rape and death of Jyothi Singh Pandey who was previously known in the media as Damini or Nirbhaya, was the tipping point in bringing to focus a long suffered issue of disrespect and violence towards women in India. [Read More]

LOG 1.14: A Trip to Göttingen

10th April, 2011 Hello everyone 🙂 I just returned from a trip to Göttingen where my flatmates and I celebrated an old flatmate’s birthday. We took a train yesterday morning and I was quite taken in by the beauty of the countryside. [Read More]

Frames of Reference

A colleague of mine is taking German lessons and when the topic of poetry came up at lunch, he described Elftans, and their structure. It reminded me a little of Haiku so I said ¨Sounds like the European version of Haiku¨. [Read More]

Written in the moonlight

From May 2008 For too long I have absorbed. Here in this moonlight. I still see colour. I breathe. I create. There is no romantic breeze [Read More]

Arranged Marriage

Arranged marriage is an old concept. It existed long before people accepted love (that occurred before marriage) as a valid reason to marry. The process through which this changed is reflected very well in the movie ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. [Read More]