“The main reason why mythology has lasted for centuries is that though the characters are shown to be larger than life, they actually represent real human beings with real feelings and impulses.”
Category: Fireside Chats
“The human mind likes tangibles. We understand what we can count or measure. So, we defined ‘development’ as an economic measure because we thought more money equals more happiness. And we couldn’t have been more wrong because economic development and happiness are driven by opposite forces – one is led by greed (more the merrier) and the other by low expectations versus reality (less is more).”
“The most fascinating thing I have learnt is that all lifetimes take place simultaneously. We are unaware of this since time is viewed as a linear process, therefore, we view reincarnation as a sequence of events, rather than a continuous and simultaneous stream of consciousness, alongside our current lives.”
“My grandma used to believe that our ancestors look after us. If there are difficulties in life, huge changes in society, people believe that the souls of our ancestors are there to protect us. We should respect and pray for them. People strongly believe that we still share a connection. After that person has passed away, we still have that connection in us.”
“Night Theater begins with a surgeon who is struggling against corruption in his dilapidated village clinic, and who is visited one evening by the dead and thrust into a bizarre night of revelations and surgeries, with the surgeon trying to restore them to life.”
“Audible is doing amazing things with the spoken word: sound effects, a full cast of actors—it is not just one actor reading everything out loud. And the best part is that it’s condensed to fit in your pocket. It’s both completely immersive and totally mobile.”
“I think people in Kyrgyzstan still haven’t faced that modernisation that other countries are going through. 60% of the population are still farmers and still follow the traditions that they came before. They’re following the three pre-existing traditions.”
A Novel Idea on Passyunk is a community-minded bookstore and event space in East Passyunk, Philadelphia. I have a chat with Christina Rosso, author and bookstore owner about her journey.
“It is really exciting taking on new writers – as it’s the start of an epic journey together. I will edit their manuscript, most books at this stage require some form of editorial input, unless they have been professionally edited by an independent editor. I would then pitch the book to relevant publishers, this can be a prolonged wait at times and I do my best to keep morale high…”
“The worship of Durga and Kali are a big part of Bengali Hindu traditions. Durga Puja at the end of Navaratri is one of Bengal’s biggest festivals. Kali Puja is done during Diwali. More than any specific story that stayed in my mind, it was the description of Kali that has stuck with me. She is fierce, aggressive and a destroyer of evil.”