Positive Overtones

“All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction” – Swami Vivekananda Taking inspiration from the above mentioned quote by Swami Vivekananda I would like to present the power of an altruistic love, the possibility of a universal brotherhood brought forth out of love and respect for one another and the consequences that selfishness has on the person. India – A land that promoted love and universality For a long time now, India had been considered as the land beaming with cultural diversity, love and harmony. The peaceful blending in of the various religions ranging from Buddhism to Hinduism, from Sikhism to Jainism, from Christianity to Islam and the various other religions prevalent in specific parts of the country has really been an example for the world that a universal brotherhood is possible. However, that has been the past; but the present is very different. The present times see conflicts between various religion groups, language groups and cultural groups. The s...

Theology is a process and one never comes to a finished state of theological insight. These are the opening statements of Derek Johnston’s book A Brief History of Theology . At the outset, Johnston says that this book provides a glimpse into what theology is all about. It introduces key ideas of the theologians of various areas and what were the questions that gripped them at their particular times. The book is meant to provide the foundations for the reader to think theologically. As one goes through the book, one comes across the thoughts of great theologians and thinkers like St. Augustine, John Wesley, Karl Rahner, St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin to name a few. I have taken the liberty of mentioning, in brief, the thought patterns of a few of these great theologians in accordance with the book. Theologians and their thoughts St. Paul: Paul who began as an active persecutor of the Church becomes the first Christian theologian after his conversion. Being a well-educat...

The Winner Stands Alone Book Overview Synopsis Paulo Coelho’s 2008 novel ‘ The Winner Stands Alone’ is a story set in the world of glamour and fashion. It reveals the darker side of the celebrity world, the wealth and fame by interweaving the characters' connected stories. The central story revolves around Igor Malev, a Russian businessman, arriving at Cannes to win his ex-wife, Ewa, back. Ewa had run away from Igor after realizing the psychopathic nature of her husband. She escapes and gets married to a famous fashion designer from the Arab world, Hamid Hussien. Igor has been planning a way to win Ewa back and he finds his opportunity when she arrives at Cannes with Hamid. He decides to send her cryptic messages by assassinating a number of people. He begins with a young girl at the beach and moves on higher to aspiring actresses and famous actors and directors. The Interpol are equally perplexed by the various assassinations, which seem so random at first. Howe...

A Brief History of Philosophy (Book Overwiew) A Brief History of Philosophy is a general philosophical book written by Derek Johnston. The book guides the reader into the various ages and schools of philosophy beginning with Socrates and culminating with Derrida. At the very outset, the author notes that one would not be a master in philosophy after reading the book but will get an overall idea as to what philosophy entails. He says that a reader would be disappointed in the book if his quest at the beginning itself is to get a clear and distinct definition of philosophy. Philosophy is a term that has not been clearly defined right from the very start. This is because it is an act rather that a single thought. It is a way of life. This is brought out in the book as the reader goes through the various chapters. The author has made an effort to reduce the philosophical jargon to the minimum. Nevertheless, the basic philosophical terms have been explained time and again so that...

That Kiss in the Rain (Book Review)  ‘That Kiss in the Rain’ is a novel published in 2009 by Novoneel Charaborty. The story revolves around three central characters, namely, Pallavi, Swadha and Haasil. As these three search for what love is for them in their life their worlds collide bringing about a series of unexpected events that may or may not lead to the culmination of their search. Pallavi Vimani was Sarita Nehra at birth. She was born into a poor family who struggled to feed their children. The Vimani family was quite rich but they lacked one thing – the gift of a child in their house. Sarita was handed over to the Vimani family in exchange of two lakh rupees. Thus, Sarita Nehra became Pallavi Vimani. Pallavi was spoilt and her semi-parents would gift her with the best of clothes and toys. It was as if she had the world at her feet. Pallavi had grown to be a very talented young girl with a congenital intelligence. But, Pallavi experienced a change only when sh...

The Woman He Loved  It wasn’t the beautiful long brown locks that she gently tied into a bun every morning, nor was it the well ironed khaki uniform that she wore to work. Though she put some fairness cream on her face and sprayed some sweet rose scented perfume, Sachin admired the woman he loved because of the intimate relationship he shared with her. The woman was his mother, Radha. Radha was a single parent right from the time she conceived Sachin. During her college days she had a romantic fling with the captain of the basketball team. After many intimate encounters, she finally conceived a child. This is where the problems began as she had to soon drop out of college because of her health condition. She expected her boyfriend to do the same. However, afraid to take up the responsibility of parenthood, Sachin’s father left Radha to fend for herself and the child. Radha was soon left alone as her parents also disowned her after hearing about what had happened in...

The Library Couple  It was the beginning of my mid-semester break and I had decided to travel to Goa for a short trip. It wasn’t a trip that I decided to take at an instant which meant that I did have a reserved ticket. As I entered my compartment I felt a bit out of place. Unlike my other fellow travellers, I wasn’t dressed in some swanky bright coloured clothes. In fact, since my journey was just a two week visit to home, I did not bother packing much. However, most of the passengers in my compartment looked like they were travelling to Goa to settle there for good. Their bags looked like they had emptied their wardrobe for their trip. I decided to stay silent during the whole journey as I went to my berth without causing much commotion. As I gazed out of the window pondering as to how bad my journey could get, a young couple sat across me. The young lady was dressed in a yellow kurti with floral designs on it and white leggings while the young man was dressed in a blu...