Votive offerings Little models of homes/temples were offered to Sumerian gods and goddesses as part of worship rituals, asking the deity to protect the supplicant. What struck me immediately I saw these were the similarities with certain Hindu ritual offerings. On Diwali in Northern India, Hindus create a small temple of sorts at home and … Continue reading
And a lost shot of the pulpit at Strasbourg Cathedral. It was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen (mind you, I’ve only seen the one! :D)
A view of the apse of the cathedral. The tones were just lovely.
A close-up of the carved balustrade and the elaborate door.
Suitably last of the Kaiseraugst pics. Next, I frantically tried to translate Swiss German so I could buy a ticket through the ticket machine as the train chugged in (there were no manual ticket counters at the place). I managed to just jump into a compartment as the train started to move and left that … Continue reading
It is difficult, when writing history, to stay distant from one’s own prejudices, our pet ideas, our personal viewpoints. This, of course, makes history organic and imbues it with a life that the sciences do not have. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why history never can become a science (which is a little ironic, … Continue reading
It gets one star for one chapter that is plausible; at least it seems so after wading through the rest! I started this book with high hope. I had interacted with the author on FB and I thought I was in for an in-depth study of how geologic phenomena influenced and shaped nascent human comprehension … Continue reading
A little alcove in a wall, where the pater familias would burn herbs and incense as an offering to his ancestors and to the family deities. This was so reminiscent of Indian households where a similar alcove (or a small wood/cement shelf) serves the very same function even today.
A fellow blogger posted this about the recent brouhaha about an Indian film star’s comments on tolerance (rather the lack thereof) in India. Here’s the post I like playing Devil’s advocate, so let me ask some questions too. 😀 1. What exactly could the son of a super-rich father be scared of? 2. Are these … Continue reading
हम अंधेरी गुफाओं से निकले मगर रौशनी अपने सीनों से फूटी नहीं हमने जंगल तो शहरों में बदले मगर हमसे जंगल की तहज़ीब छूटी नहीं अपनी बदनाम इंसानियत की कसम अपनी हैवानियत आज तक साथ है तुम भी मजबूर हो हम भी मजबूर हैं क्या करें ये बुज़ुर्गों की सौगात है We left the darkened … Continue reading