raw thoughts
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Gandhi In My Life
I was having a conversation with a young Polish at Davos earlier this year. Our conversations shifted to Gandhi and I enthusiastically shared Gandhi’s philosophy that had resonated deeply with me. He instantly said, “Of course being an Indian, he is a local hero with a massive global recognition. I am not surprised you love…
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OnceUpon-When the Child was the Father of Man
The civilization has evolved into a continuum of complex systems that are difficult for a single human being to decode. Think of it: can one person have equal expertise in quantum physics, nanotechnology, metaphysics, astronomy, herbology, psychology, art, human anatomy, music, or machine learning in the same proportion? We are in the age of information,…
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Genzaburo Yoshino’s How Do You Live?
Book Review By Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur That’s an interesting title, I thought to myself. I have believed no one can teach us ‘how to live life’ better than the ‘life’ itself. Think about it—school focusses on building scholastic attributes, and family, knowingly or unknowingly, instills values and beliefs. But are those values really worth…
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My Long Walk To Freedom
Poem by Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur written on the eve of India’s Independence Day August 14, 2024 Who can be considered free? Am I free? I had been contemplating for long, With the limited knowledge I possess This is my truth today, Apparently, my motherland might have been free, But I am far from being…
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Stepping Into The Unknown
The post by #phdtroubles caught my attention. As I looked hard at the image below, I couldn’t help but agree that it is the correct depiction of a research scholar’s life. And when you are in it, it is super scary and unnerving. I have been there! Looking back, being thrust into the unknown, constantly…
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What Are We Becoming?
Have we ever wondered? What are we becoming? This should be the question, That everyone must be querying, To ourselves, not to others, It is imperative to be aware of, The direction we are heading. Did we ever ask? As an individual What are we becoming? As a family What are we becoming? As a…
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Sustainability Lessons From My Grandmother
Photo: With my ‘ammaji’ and younger siblings in 1996 Sustainability is a buzz word these days. Strangely, the more I am delving into the realm of sustainability, the more I find myself missing my grandmother. Had she been alive, she would have celebrated her 106th birthday! To me, sustainability as a philosophy, encapsulates the natural…
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December & Orwell
It’s the last month of the year. A time to reflect, take it slow and prepare ourselves for the newness that life has to offer. But before that can happen, we need to empty ourselves. And that’s easier said than done. Well, I have developed a few coping mechanisms. I have recognized the magic of…
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Gandhi & Inclusion – Part I
Our Shame What is our shame as an individual? What is our shame as an Indian? What is our shame as a global citizen? The shame is that the social evils for which reformers, educationists, and visionaries across generations and continents, laid their lives be it Socrates, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Martin Luther King Jr.…
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Are We Gatekeeping Learning?
Is reading the only way to learn? Are there any other way? What are those?