The ThoughtBlog

Selfishness is not all that bad. Its not about being mean, its about being oblivious to the existence of the world around you, because you have a better one within yourself.

It has been deformed to sound ugly to keep a check on the rise of a single man above the crowd. Because you know men are like crabs - if they can't have it, they don't want you to have it either.

But you don't have to carry the burden of altruism. You can be yourself for once. You can live your life just for yourself. For once think of yourself as the only person that exists in the world, and do things you would do then.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

I presume that by “right” you mean "right for you" because you’ll never find anything that’s universally right for everyone, pretty much like clothes.   So how do you know what clothes are right for you?   You chose clothes based on your preference of the colour, the fabric and how well they fit you. Now obviously these factors will be different for different people so your choice of clothes may or may not match with that of your neighbour’s.   Now when buying clothes you look for those that fit you, you don’t buy unfitting clothes and hope to get used to the discomfort.   It’s the same with religion - a religion that makes you uncomfortable, asks to change your very essence and advocates things you cannot identify yourself with, is certainly wrong for you. Whereas a religion that:

helps you understand yourself and everything around you in a manner that is readily acceptable to you;

one that allows your thinking to grow and grows itself to accommodate your widening mental horizon;

one that is open to adaptation with changing times and needs;

one that gives you hope that you can become a better You without trying to change your very essence;

a religion following which needs no extra effort from your part and is as simple as breathing

is perfect for you. These are the basic reason we need a religion in first place - to explain the unexplainable, answer the unknown, fill in the gaps and give a sense of hope. A religion is supposed to be the guiding light on your path of life, not an altar to judge you on. All is good and fair and totally about your being comfortable as far as the impact of the religion is limited to you but there can be certain aspects of the religion that govern your relationship with others and in turn affects others as well. This is where you have to tread with caution. If any aspect of your religion affects others in a negative way against their wishes, it’s important to reconsider it. You have every right to your life and your beliefs but your religion should NOT ask of you to govern anyone else’s life, and if it does it’s better to drop that part. After all just like you, they too have to the right to chose their own clothes as they only know best what fits them best.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

"I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come  with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount  they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I  couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that  means you have to be here for some reason, too." ~ Hugo Cabret From the movie Hugo (2011)

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

"Savour your life gently, don't gulp it down or you might choke on it." Yeah, I just made it up. Ah! I mean articulated the unsaid rule I live by. I do believe that life is about taking a stroll down the garden, not about running a race. Taking things slow, appreciating the beauty of each fleeting moment as it passes by, and drowning yourself in the experience is what defines life.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

..You are sitting all by yourself in a room, all dark, but for the faint light  coming in through the thick curtains that move ever so slightly with  the faintest disturbance in air, looking into the void, seeing those  dust particles descending in the air, visible only in that streak of  light that escapes with the occasional flutter of the curtain, and  skipping through random thoughts, whilst taking an occasional pause at  the interesting ones, and feeling your entire world inside you - all mirth,  all gloom, all the poesy, and then closing your eyes to see yourself as a  child playing with his toys, oblivious to the world, and to his past and  future, and yet happy in the present, in a world that belongs to him,  and is just big enough to accommodate him, with no other presence, for  none is needed, and appraising the beauty of the moment that oft goes  unnoticed? I do.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

"Let it go!" The three golden words having been uttered by my dear friend Mukesh Negi when I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that the past is past for a reason and that no good ever came from clinging on to it. I've inferred a lot from these three words, perhaps more than what my good friend intended. I've come to understand that life is a long journey and it always serves best to travel light.

Answer by Karthikeyan Malaisamy:

xkcd at it’s best ;)

Answer by Balaji Viswanathan:

Nothing can define India and you have to spend a lifetime to understand this land. I have lived 80% of my life in India and have traveled widely in it. However, even after 100s of trips, I’m still amazed by the things I see everyday. While a European could brag about his hike to a 10000ft peak, your Indian friend might casually mention that he visited his mother-in-law at 15000ft, the previous day. While a Westerner would be shocked to see 1 million people gathered for a religious festival, an Indian might wonder where the remaining went. While an American could talk about a 150 year historic place, your Indian friend might not even bother about the 1500 year old temple in the neighborhood. Does India have the complete package? Diversity It has the world’s richest, world’s poorest and the third biggest middle class in the world. It has a large number of people living in the pre-historic era (in Andamans and various jungles in the mainland) and it has a large number of people living in the cutting edge of various technologies.

You will find people fighting wars at 6000m and the people incredibly peaceful in mind numbing poverty and oppression. Unlike China which went through homogenization in the Mao era, India has managed to retain most of the heterogenity. If you want to observe people, you can’t find a better place.

Tribals of Andaman Nicobar Islands

A temple tower in South India  

A study of contrasts Our BMWs and Buggatis drive past immense filth and slums, we could get our degrees from MIT but still swear by arranged marriages, we could nod both yes and no, our traffic signals can sometimes show both red & green and we have learnt to live in immense ambiguity & contradiction that is not found anywhere else in the world. You can never understand the weight of the contrasts unless you visit an Indian city like Mumbai. You will be constantly challenged about your understanding of the world and yourself.

History It had among the oldest civilizations in the world. Given the importance in the ancient and medieval world, it had seen a series of conquests that had added immense color and history. It is incredibly open (see how India has absorbed ideas from various cultures) and at the same time incredibly closed. Some of the practices we follow are inherited from literature 4000+ years old. In fact, many still chant some of the hymns of Rig Veda (Purusha Suktha) whenever we visit a temple.

Agra fort at dusk Faith and Religion  It has the largest diversity of religions, languages and races. Apart from being the birth place of 2 of the top 4 religions in the world, it has also given birth to Sikhism, Jainism and were among the handful of places that opened arms to persecuted religions such as Judaism, Zorastranism and Christianity (before 300 AD). Even within Hinduism, you will find 1000s of different variants and can easily get lost in its immense temples and literature. Thousands of years old temples, practices and writings can leave the history buff salivating.  

Meenakshi temple at Madurai Transportation India is a massive country and unlike the top 6 largest countries of the world, its population and attractions are relatively spread around the country. That makes India bigger than its area indicates. The transportation options include rickety buses that costs a few cents to insanely luxurious trains like these:

Palace on the Wheels, a luxury train run by Indian railways Food We have an immense diversity of food that varies by state. Tamils have dosas & idlies, Telugus and Rajasthanis have hyper-spicy foods, Gujrathis have incredible thalis, Malayalis have coconut flavored dishes, Punjabis have super cool lassis & Bengalis have mouth water sweets. Even within the states, there are enormous diversities. For instance, the Iyer food of Tamil Nadu is quite distinct from the Chettinad or Madurai foods of Tamil Nadu.

The Indian Thali (with an assortment of foods served in silver utensils) Nature It is the home of spectacular Himalayas, massive rivers and as a subcontinent has every type of landform (from the sands of Jaisalmer to the 8000m snow caps of Kashmir to deep tropical jungles to plains that feed 1 billion people). It is the only country to have natural habitats for Tiger and Lion. Along with Indonesia and Brazil, it is among the 3 most biodiverse nations of the world (3 of the world’s 32 biodiversity hotspots are in India - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio…) . Whether you are a hiker or nature enthusiast you can get your money’s worth.

Sand dunes of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan

Dal lake in Kashmir Culture & Festivals We celebrate about 300 festivals in a year - the most popular ones being Diwali, Holi and Dussehra. Apart from the national festivals, we have regional festivals such as Baisakhi (Punjab) or Thai Poosam (in Tamil Nadu) that are very colorful. We have 100s of dance forms and musical traditions.

Festival of Holi that mark the onset of Spring

Evenings in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India (Uttarakhand) lighting the river Ganga with Indian lamps Business Last, but not the least, India is very important to most major corporations in the world. There is still huge potential to be tapped. India’s middle class is 80% of America’s, but its GDP is just over 1/10. Thus, there is massive upward room for the middle class to grow, without even accounting for the chunk of the poor to join the middle class in the coming years. Summary:

Pristine beaches and water activities. Check. (Suggestions: South Goa, India (north Goa is over touristed), Gokharna and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India)

Skiing and winter activities. Check. (Suggestions: Gulmarg in Kashmir, Auli in Uttaranchal and Manali in Himachal)

Spectacular architecture. Check. (Suggestions: Taj Mahal, Mahabalipuram, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Chola temples of Thanjavur, Khajuraho, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Konark)

Understanding 5000 year ancient history. Check. (Suggestions: Lothal in Gujarat, Varanasi, Hampi, Sanchi, Sarnath).

Hiking/trekking in 5000-8500m. Check (Suggestions: Sikkim, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Ladakh)

Opulent palaces and forts. Check. (Suggestions: Jaipur, Mysore, Gwalior, Agra)

Majestic ancient paintings and art work. Check. (Suggestions: Ajantha and Ellora caves in Maharashtra)

Understanding religions. Check (suggestions: Hinduism - Rishikesh, Kanchipuram, Somnath in Gujarat, Puri. Sikhism - Amritsar, Buddhism - Bodh Gaya, Dharmashala, Rumtek in Sikkim and Lumbini — actually in Nepal, few miles from Indian border, Jainism - Mount Abu and Islam - Ajmer, Bahaii - Lotus Temple, Delhi)

Desert and massive sand dunes. Check. (Suggestion: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India)

Immense variety of Flora and Fauna. Check (Suggestions: Asiatic Lions: Gir forest, Indian Elephants - Mudumalai, Indian Rhinos - Kaziranga & Manas in Assam, Tiger - Corbett and Ranthampore, Birds - Bharatpur in Rajasthan).

Ultimate Relaxation. Check. (Suggestions: backwaters of Kerala, Udaipur in Rajasthan and Coorg in Karnataka). 

What does India not have?

Taj Mahal Footnote: The people who are complaining about the filth and public restrooms are on the money. Those are the things that India is really bad at and is the main reason that visitors are frightened away. So, when it comes to cleanliness expect for the worst. The restrooms in the new malls and good restaurants are of good standards and try using them instead of public restrooms. Drink bottled water when you are outside and prepare to turn away from certain things. Always use A/C facilities  (in train bookings, hotel rooms, restaurants, buses) wherever possible. In India, A/C not just means climate controlled but also stands for cleaner and better amenities.

Answer by Balaji Viswanathan:

Included now 28 states & 2 Union Territories.

Kerala is best for Ayurveda, anything to do with Coconuts, backwaters, great transportation and highest human development indicators and their mixed culture(Hindu, Muslim and Christian religions share their culture equally). The state is very famous for its decorated elephants and boat racing.

Tamilnadu is best for strong focus on schooling, Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, quaint traditions, automobile factories, ease of doing business, dosas, Nilgiris tea and most importantly the temples.There are plenty of temples with UNESCO world heritage badge.

Andra Pradesh is known for its massive rivers, rice production, mangoes, Tirupathi, big human resource and the art of Kuchipudi, language too(Italian of the east, most of the carnatic music written in telugu). The state has plenty of Indian Cobras - among the most venomous and most revered snakes in India. The Charminar in Hyderabad uniquely identfies the state.

Karnataka is best for its splendid architecture, untouched beauty of the forests, nature safaris, technology, Mysore culture (best for food).

Maharashtra is best known for its strong Hindu roots, colleges, cotton & sugarcane, financial center, industries, Bollywood, massive decorated caves in Ajantha/Ellora. It is among India’s richest states.

Goa is great for its beaches, feni and laid back culture. It is known for its rave parties around New Year.

Gujarat is great for its business friendliness, iconic leaders - Gandhi, Patel, Ambedkar & Jinnah, big industrial infrastructure, scrappy entrepreneurs (Ambani, Tata, Premji, Palonji et al) and delicious thali. The state houses the world’s only reserve for Asiatic Lions at Gir.

Rajasthan is great for its palaces, tiger reserves, Jain culture, chillies, weaving and marbles. The state is also famous for its camels and sand dunes.

Punjab is known for its food production, great rivers, dhabas, gurudwaras, Bhangra dance.

Haryana is known for its dairy production, automobile factories & refineries. The Hindu epic of Mahabharata is mainly centered around this place. Both Indraprasta and Kurkshetra are here.

Himachal is known for its snow-clad peaks, fruits, pashmina shawl. Himachal is where British Raj relaxed. The state is famous for its snow leopards - the dying breed of Central Asian leopards.

Jammu & Kashmir is India’s Switzerland - a paradise of mountains, valleys, rivers and caves. J&K is best for its Sapphire, apples, cricket bats, wool, saffron, house boats, pilgrimage (Amarnath & Vaishnodevi)

Delhi is best known for its historic architecture and the magnificence of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is a very open culture, albeit a very flaunt one.

Uttarkhand is known for its white water rapids, trekking & camping, Hindu religious pilgrimages, Skiing (auli) and Corbett national park.

Uttar Pradesh has been the heart of Indian politics for over 5 centuries. Famous for Taj Mahal, Kashi pilgrimage, leather goods, refineries etc.

Madhya Pradesh is best known for Khajuraho and ancient history (including Ujjain, Sanchi and Mandu)

Chattisgarh is known for heavy industries (such as Bhilai steel plant) and Chitrakoot Falls - India’s Niagara.

Bihar is known for its historic sites, metal industries, mines, fruits. Its landscape is dotted with Buddhist Pilgrimages and is famous for Bodhgaya,the place where Lord Buddha gained enlightenment.

Jharkhand - is the steel state of India with Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Ranchi. It was originally a part of Bihar, but had a certain distinct characteristics - low density, more tribals, deep forests - that afforded a separate state. The main attractions of the state are in the Chotanagpur plateau that holds two national parks. The region has plenty of forests and water falls to trek to.

Orissa for its dance forms, temples and Mahanadi river. The state has some of the most surreal temples in India - Puri Jagannath, Konark sun temple and the Lingaraj temple. The English term - Juggernaut came from the Jagannath chariot procession that was sometimes unstappable.

West Bengal is known for its literary culture (that gave people like Vivekananda and Tagore), Jute cloth, trams of Calcutta, teas of Darjeeling, attraction to communists, Sunderban forests (with Royal Bengal tigers), tasty sweets (oh Rosgollah)

Sikkim - Sikkim is our paradise No. 2. Amazing mountains and lakes. Known for Rumtek monastry (the second biggest seat of Tibetan buddhism), Natula pass (one of the highest roads in the world and the only open land border with China), Kanjenjunga (India’s tallest peak) and the cute Red Pandas (state animal of Sikkim). 

  Arunachal Pradesh (the land of rising sun) - The land of the Brahmaputra that China calls her own. Spectacular landscapes, massive water resources and quiant Tibetan culture. Tawang Gompa is the world’s second largest Buddhist monastery- - Tawang Monastery 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taw…

Assam - Assam is the core of India’s northeast and the main economic power of that region. It is famous for Assam tea, oil & gas (India’s first oil fields were stuck there as well as Asia’s first Oil Refinery in Digboi), the One-horned Rhinos of Kaziranga (the only region with the almost extinct India Rhinos), Kamakhya Temple, Highest Tiger Density of the world (In pictures: Highest tiger density in Kaziranga, India), World’s smallest and largest river island - Majuli and Umananda Temple respectively, the oldest ampitheatre of Asia - Rang Ghar.

  Meghalaya (the abode of clouds) - Meghalaya is known for its rain - It receives the largest amounts of rainfall in the world in Cherrapunji and Mawsyndrum. The state’s animal is Clouded Leopard - an endangered species found in East Asia.

Manipur - The state is known for its famous Manipuri dance and culture. The Manipuri dance forms celebrate Krishna’s divine plays. The state is home to the almost extinct Sangai deer.

Mizoram - This is a state with almost complete literacy. The state has dramatic landscapes and friendly tribals. The region also has the rare Wild Water Buffalos.

Nagaland - The state is known for its warrior Naga tribals (an equivalent of Pathans in India’s far west) who had help defeat the Japanese in WW-II in the critical war at Kohima. That decisive defeat changed the game in the Asian theater. The state has great tribal dance forms that are demonstrated in the annual hornbill festival.

Tripura - Tripura is famous for its temple - Tripureshwari. The state has diverse ethnic mix of tribals and Bengalis with very sweet dance forms. The state is also famous for its leaf monkeys.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands - This is India’s Hawaii. This long group of islands offers excellent range of water activities. The state is known for its history (during British raj it was a penal territory) and extremely isolated tribals.

Lakshadweep - These have the India’s only coral attols and the state is great for relaxation.

Wildlife map of India

Food map of India. Every state has their own best cuisine.

Culture map of India

Answer by Goutam Tulsiyan:

Hockey, Hitler, Dhyan Chand, Berlin Olympics (1936) "The Berlin Blitzkreig"

Dhyan Chand - the player who had stood up to Hitler’s Germany in the dictator’s own country. Legend has it that after seeing him play at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Hitler offered Dhyan Chand (a Major in the British Indian Army), German citizenship and a higher army post. The prolific striker politely turned it down. A brief run up of the events Practice match: India - Germany (1-4) As long as I live, I shall never forget this match, or get over the shock of this defeat, which still rankles me. Hitler’s Germany had made great strides in their game. Road to Finals

India (4) - Hungary (0) India (7) - USA (0) India (9) - Japan (0) Germany (6) - Denmark (0) Germany (4) - Afghanistan (1) Germany (3) - Holland (0) Finals (India VS Germany) August 15, 1936 Captain Dhyan Chand wanted to play the game under the Indian Tri-color flag but had to play under the British Indian flag The Indian team got into their rhythm in the second half. Dhyan Chand scored in the opening minutes of the half. India then scored a barrage of goals - four in five minutes to seal the fate of the match. "Dhyan Chand, a supremely unselfish artist who never held on to the ball for even a second more than necessary, was seen in a rare selfish mode. He shouted to us - direct all passes to me, I will take care from there on.” As the ground was still slippery due to the rain, Dhyan Chand discarded his spiked shoes and stockings and played with his bare feet and rubber soles. It was the incredible stickwork of Dhyan Chand that had the crowd gasping. The way he moved with the ball, as if it was stuck to his hockey stick, puzzled all those who were present. The German players started to play aggressively and go for rough tackles on Dhyan Chand. The German goalkeeper even broke one of Dhyan Chand’s teeth in a clash. Frustrating the Germans - Dhyan Chand instructed his team not to score any more goals. “We must teach them a lesson in ball control,” he told his team. The Indian team would take the ball to the German ‘D’, then back pass among themselves, then take it again to the goalmouth but not score. This strategy baffled the Germans. Dara and Dhyan Chand rounded off the tally in the last few minutes of the game to make the final score India 8 - Germany 1.

Despite the victory, Dhyan Chand was a little sad. He wanted to play for an Independent India and see the Indian national flag being hoisted and Indian national anthem being played as they were crowned champions. Seems the Gods granted his wish and exactly 11 years after the Berlin Final, India got Independent on 15th August, 1947. P.S. Such was the fear of Dhyan Chand and Indian team that the British Team withdrew from the tournament fearing a defeat from a “slave and colonized” country. source: Berlin Olympics Captain

Answer by Gopi Nath:

Six year-old Werfel, living in an orphanage in Austria, hugs a new pair of shoes given to him,1946. Published in Life magazine. "New Shoes" by Gerald Waller, Austria 1946

We’ve all experienced it: The frustration of entering a room and forgetting what we were going to do. Or get. Or find.

New research from University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky suggests that passing through doorways is the cause of these memory lapses.

“Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an ‘event boundary’ in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away,” Radvansky explains.

“Recalling the decision or activity that was made in a different room is difficult because it has been compartmentalized.”

The study was published recently in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Conducting three experiments in both real and virtual environments, Radvansky’s subjects – all college students – performed memory tasks while crossing a room and while exiting a doorway.

In the first experiment, subjects used a virtual environment and moved from one room to another, selecting an object on a table and exchanging it for an object at a different table. They did the same thing while simply moving across a room but not crossing through a doorway.

Radvansky found that the subjects forgot more after walking through a doorway compared to moving the same distance across a room, suggesting that the doorway or “event boundary” impedes one’s ability to retrieve thoughts or decisions made in a different room.

The second experiment in a real-world setting required subjects to conceal in boxes the objects chosen from the table and move either across a room or travel the same distance and walk through a doorway. The results in the real-world environment replicated those in the virtual world: walking through a doorway diminished subjects’ memories.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

How does the mirror work? Pardon the seemingly inconsequential question, but being the sort of person I am I'd first like to the know the mechanics of its operation and then maybe give it a shot at creating another such mirror.

Answer by Ami Banerjii:

There existed an ocean out there all along while I mulled over a half-filled glass of water.