Pari's Blog

Map: 9° 55′ 21.00″ N, 78° 2′ 50.40″ E, 200m Location: Keellakuyilakudi (கீழக்குயிலக்குடி), 8km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India   +9° 55′ 21.00″, +78° 2′ 50.40″, 200m +9° 55′ 24.00″, +78° 2′ 41.40″, 265m –  

Map: 9° 55′ 49.80″ N, 78° 1′ 22.20″ E, 180m Location: Vadapallanji (வடப்பழஞ்ஜி), 10km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India  

BPA (Bisphenol A) is in the news again today (see links below, or just google it!). Here’s a summary: BPA is found in linings of canned food and soft drinks, plastic bottles (including plastic baby bottles), hard clear plastics like sports bottles and plastic containers, and food wrapping. BPA is linked to cancer (by disrupting [...]

In just the last two years I’ve seen five people suffering from depression (three depressed, two semi-depressed). Just listening to them, got me wondering, is depression just a very deep calling towards spirituality, i.e. to shake you out of falling repeatedly into the trap of maya. And your running, and your running, and your running [...]

One of the best sci-fi series since a loooong time. It has a deep metaphysical/philosophical current running throughout the entire series – not so clear initially, but grows on you, and continues to amaze you as it unfolds. The destiny of man, the origin of humankind, the recurring plight of humanity, the cyclical nature of [...]

I always find it strange that when non-Hindus (Christians in particular) holding a 100 candle vigil for peace gets regular coverage on just about every major news channel in India, but something like Hindus lighting over 10,000 lamps for world peace seem to be less worthy of mention and hardly gets a mention even in [...]

This recession has rendered 4 million Americans jobless and half-a-million with their homes foreclosed. When I was in India, I’ve heard that question really thrown around, why/how did this happen? It got me asking myself that question. People blame it on things ranging from the credit bubble to jobs going abroad. The truth is simpler, [...]

A home owners association in South Riding, Virginia sent a notice to an Indian resident to remove their kolam decorations off their driveway. For those who don’t know, a kolam is a form of sand drawing practiced by Hindus in South India, usually drawn with rice flour, outdoors, at the entrance of a home (and [...]

Bird watching, just a one day venture with the local kids. Something that started unplanned in an attempt to get a shot of some absolutely loud birds that wake me up at 4am (with a “snooze feature” – they start again around 5am), without fail, every day, year in year out. Here they are, some [...]

Just thought I’d blog these editorials which seem to have gotten buried in the media frenzy: India’s Antiterror Blunders – Wall Street Journal Why India is a Target – Yahoo News Calling All Pakistanis – New York Times, Thomas Friedman