Former Beatles singer, songwriter and composer Sir Paul McCartney has sent a letter to the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh asking him to declare January 12th as a meat-free day in India. In his letter McCartney said that “It would be a celebration of life, all life”. Coincidentally January 12th is also the anniversary [...]
Congress Party member Mani Shankar Aiyar said recently in a meeting that “India is prospering, Indians are not”. He added “GDP growth rate is no index of what is happening in our country”. He criticized the Indian government (which is lead by his own party) and questioned the governments economic policy. There is no debate [...]
My parents are from Kerala. But I consider myself more of a Tamilian since I lived most of my formative years in Tamil Nadu. Some of the most memorable times were when we lived in Madurai. Madurai is the heartland of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the most ancient cities in the world and [...]
In a rather strange ruling the Delhi High Court said that people who are in a live-in relationship cannot complain about infidelity or immorality. The judges said “People who chose to have live-in relationship cannot complain of infidelity or immorality as live-in relationships are also known to have been between a married man and unmarried [...]
Shangri-La is a mythical Himalayan utopia. If you are a fan of rock like I am then I am sure you have listened to the song “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin is one of the all time bands and Kashmir in my opinion is their best work. The song is a tribute to their [...]
I am a traveler. I have had the privilege to travel within India and also many other parts of the world. Traveling is very important to us human beings. We inhabit this beautiful planet called Earth that is traveling on its orbit around the Sun at the rate of 108,000 Kilometers/Hour!! Irrespective of whether we [...]
The Vellore District (Tamil Nadu) pachayat counselor, G.R. Krishnamurthy has decided to build a temple to honor the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Both the counselor and the Chief Minister belong to the DMK party that is currently ruling the state. Karunanidhi is a legendary figure in Tamil Nadu. He is just not [...]
I am from Kerala but I lived in Tamil Nadu (mostly in Madurai and Coimbatore) for a couple of decades. Due to state government policies then I was forced to learn Tamil during my school days. I did not like being pressured to learn a new language but I am now glad that I did [...]
One of the criticisms leveled against a Muslim in India is that they are supporters of Pakistan. Of course this is not true in the vast majority of cases. Some of us accuse Indian Muslims of supporting the Pakistani cricket team when they play in India. This is the very same accusation made by locals [...]
It is my nature to be very skeptical of human beings who make extraordinary claims without backing it up with data. History is full of stories of people who spent most of their lives, time and wealth following the so-called leaders only to be disappointed in the end. As Buddha said pain and suffering is [...]
The Chennai Corporation has started enforcing the rule that shops in the city should display name boards in Tamil. According to the corporation the names and details in Tamil should occupy at least 50% of the total space. Such laws have been in the books in Chennai and most other parts of Tamil Nadu for [...]
Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul is currently working at the Catholic diocese in Ooty (Tamil Nadu). Reports are now indicating that he is a wanted criminal who is accused of sexually assaulting a 14 year old female parishioner at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Greenbush, Minnesota (USA) in 2004. The reverend has indicated that he has [...]
This is Part 2 of an article about Thomas the Apostle of India. Please click on the link for Part 1. As I mentioned in Part 1, one of the most controversial aspects of the Saint Thomas story (other than the question of whether it is true or not) is how he died in Mylapore. [...]
We I was young my family used to travel a lot. One of the trips that I remember clearly was the one we took to Shravanabelgola. Shravanabelgola is a relatively small town in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is known all over India as one of the most important pilgrimage centers for members [...]
In about a year the Indian cricket team will participate in the next world cup. This event will obviously be followed by millions of Indians all over the world. But let us assume that the selection of the Indian team will be based on the following formula: The starters should include at least three women. [...]
Homeopathy has set deep roots in India. It is believed that homeopathy was brought to India by German missionaries and physicians who arrived in India almost 200 years ago. In fact a homeopathic hospital was established in Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) by Samuel Brooking in 1847. In certain states like Kerala homeopathy continues to be extremely [...]
