The price we attach to greatness

I once encountered the claim that “madness is the price of greatness”, and it has stayed with me. It suggests a bargain—inner fracture is redeemed by external brilliance. Pain is treated as a prerequisite for insight, and achievement as justification for instability. The true artist, in this imagination, must first know true anguish in order…

Read More

Deal, Baby, Deal

Most people alive today were born after 1990. By then, Iran and Israel were already enemies. But their fight didn’t affect the whole world—until now. A few weeks ago, the US and Israel attacked Iran’s top leadership. Iran hit back by blocking a very important sea route called the Strait of Hormuz. A lot of…

Read More

When empathy is swept under the carpet

Empathy and sympathy, those elegant words we casually toss around between a motivational quote and a cup of tea, are supposed to be natural. Like breathing. Or judging relatives at weddings. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: empathy is not always inborn, environmental conditioning matters a lot in moulding a person into an empath. Sometimes, it…

Read More

Ishani: Devi of inner awakening

By Ullhas Pagey In the ethereal tapestry of ancient wisdom, where veils of illusion part to reveal the luminous core of existence, Ishani emerges as goddess of inner awakening, a radiant embodiment of divine feminine essence that whispers secrets of the cosmos to the seeking soul. Rooted in the sacred soil of Sanskrit, her name…

Read More

The Thar’s trickster

Raghav Gupta Mr Raghav Gupta is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of 2012 batch who has served in various capacities in the Income-tax Department such as investigation, assessment and administration. He is currently on deputation to ministry of home affairs and is the only Indian officer on the expert panel of instructors in the…

Read More

Mayhem out there, so manage

War, US & China acting like predatory hegemons, dependence on key inputs…India has options to navigate this global disorder. But, work on developing them must begin now This is a dangerous time in the world economy. Hopefully, mounting costs of the Iran conflict will bring it to an end soon. However, the short-sighted, self-interested behaviour…

Read More

An evening beside the pool

‘They’ have gone, but I still feel the stains of their venom on my soul. A cloudy evening and a book, what else do I need !  Unwinding myself, I breezily walk along the hedged pathway that leads me to the poolside of my society. It is a soothing place with a babbling fountain that…

Read More

Que Sora, Sora

What OpenAI dumping its video generator means &, more important, what it doesn’t mean In the end, it’s ended with a whimper, not a bang. “We’re saying goodbye to Sora,” OpenAI posted on X yesterday. Not as surprising as the Feb 28 attack on Iran, this was still a pretty surprising development. Because of how…

Read More