True wisdom does not lie in money, but in the wisdom to mend hearts//lifestalker.com   In a small town, a priest had a lot of trouble at home. His family argued all the time about what they wanted and what they hoped for, making the atmosphere tense. Feeling desperate for a solution, the priest asked the god of his temple for help. In response, the deity gave him a pot of gold, thinking it would solve his family's problems. The priest was thrilled and sold the gold. He paid off his debts, bought fancy things, and invested for the future. But the happiness didn't last. The family ..read more

Thaaymaanavar Temple (Image Credit: Sriram) Today, when I left for the office, I had no idea that I would soon be swept up in a heartwarming tale, one that would challenge my preconceived notions and leave an indelible mark on my heart. Settling into my seat on the 7:30 EMU, my attention was drawn to a Kinner, a member of the transgender community, gracefully making her way through the train car. She was tying rakhis on passengers' wrists. Initially, skepticism crept into my thoughts, and I couldn't help but wonder if this was another money-grabbing scheme. But when she approached m ..read more

Shiva and Parvati by Nilesh KKC Once upon a time, in the majestic valleys of the Himalayas, the divine couple Shiva and Parvati were wandering hand in hand, their footsteps resonated with the very heartbeat of nature. Amidst this serene amble, Parvati's keen eyes caught sight of a scene that tugged at her heartstrings. A colony of ants, bustling with their tiny lives, had met an unfortunate fate beneath the mighty foot of an elephant. Disturbed by this sight, she turned to her beloved Shiva, beseeching him to intervene and bring retribution upon the colossal creature. However, Shiv ..read more

Image Credit: Chim When you think of creativity, what pops up in your mind? Many of us will immediately think of artistic pursuits like theatre, music, dance or drawing. We tend to associate creativity with the arts and believe that only creative professionals like actors, painters and designers are paid to think creatively. But we never put lawyers, managers, and doctors in the same category.  But what if I told you you were mistaken? Let us return to our childhood. As children, we were all naturally creative. We experimented, played, and tried out strange things without fear o ..read more

When One Door Closes, Another Opens The often mis-quoted saying, “when one door closes, another opens.” is actually attributed to one of the greatest inventors of all times, Alexander Graham Bell. And it does not end here. It further reads, “…but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” The problem with most of us is that we are too engrossed in our past, in our comfort zones that we miss the opportunities that stand right in front of us. Doors may be close, but there are unlimited numbers of door or say opportu ..read more

Philip Larkin: An Apellant for Love What will survive of us is love. Philip Larkin This line from the poem, An Arundale Tomb, summarizes the essence of Philip Larkin’s poetry. Though for the first time readers, Larkin may seem dark, cynical and pessimistic, but if we dig deep, we may find that he was just a child in a man’s body traumatized by the harshness of his extremely misogynistic and mother-abusing father, who also had sympathies for Nazis. (This can be attributed to his racism which was revealed after his death. But to his defence, one may quote from Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts ..read more

Xenobots are made from stem cells of a frog/Image credit: Dezeen On Tuesday, January 7, 2020, a team of scientists and roboticists announced their formula for making a new programmable lifeform from stem cells. These are called xenobots. The word "xeno" means "frog" in latin. Xenobots are less than 1 mm long and made up of 500 to 1000 cells. They are simple creatures, including some with legs. They can move linearly or in a circle using the energy generated by their cells and can live up to ten days. They are speculated to be used in microplastic pollution treatment in rivers and o ..read more

Choices are hard We often find ourselves stuck when it comes to choices. Choosing the right school. Choosing a person to love or not. Choosing the career path. Choosing a life partner. Choosing the neighbourhood. Even choosing the ice cream flavour. Choices are hard. And we often tend to leave our choices on our fate. Even knowing the fact that we cannot run away from the act of choosing. Though, at moments, we tend to not choose. As we feel safe. As we think that it will not have any consequences. However, the act of not choosing is also the act of choosing. It will again heavi ..read more

Image Source: StockSnap There is a beautiful story about Agnes Martin. Once her eleven-year-old grand daughter, Isabelle, was visiting Martin, and the little girl was holding a rose plucked from the bush outside her house. Martin took the rose from the girl and asked, “Is this rose really beautiful.” She said, “Yes.” Martin, then, hid the rose behind her back and said, “is the rose still beautiful.” She again said, “Yes.” Martin said, “You see Isabelle, beauty is in your mind, not in the rose.” While with my struggle to write and all other things, I realized, not beauty, but peace ..read more

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas: Does Age Gap Really Matters? Source: Instagram Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas engagement may be in the news for all the effing reasons in the world but the age gap is not the reason I want to hear. On a meme about Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, a girl commented, "She might not have learned the acting skills, but she made up her Hollywood stint worthwhile with her cougar skills." Another guy commented, "Maa Bete Ki Shaadi Ho Rahi Hain Kya?" (Literal translation: Is this the marriage between a mother and a son). Moreover, if you log into your news apps ..read more