There are certain times in life when you read a book or watch a movie or listen to the lyrics of a song and something clicks in your head. You instinctively know that this is a truth that fits your experience. When you get this illumination through literature, Salman Rushdie describes it thus: “When we read a book we like, or even love, we find ourselves in agreement with its portrait of human life. Yes, we say, this is how we are, this is what we do to one another, this is true.”
It is not very often that this happens, when your mind lights up like a Christmas tree. But when it does, your whole self feels lighter, as though your soul has touched the throbbing heart of the universe. Of course, soon enough, life comes rushing in with its humdrum concerns, disappointments and disillusionments. But you never forget the sensations you experienced in that moment. In some ways, your whole life can be whittled down to a yearning to stumble upon these truths. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy writer Douglas Adams called it the search for ‘Life, the Universe and Everything.’ French mathematician Blaise Pascal called it a desire to satiate an ‘Infinite Abyss’ of the heart. [For him, this abyss could only be satisfied through a knowledge of God.] The ancients condensed these life learnings into pithy idioms, which have become tried and tired cliches.
Esta historia es de la edición May 29, 2022 de THE WEEK.
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Ram temple not an issue in south
Much has been said this election season about the alleged north-south divide.
Haute and sweaty
In Mumbai, where I live and work, there is a severe heatwave going on. The highest temperature this month has been 40 degrees, sweltering and humid for the coastal city.
MOVE AWAY MARY!
In many parts of the world,unique names are becoming popular
CALL OF THE WILD
Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, shares his passion for wildlife conservation and photography
CEPA and beyond
Bilateral trade between the UAE and India has grown almost 16 per cent year-on-year, touching $84.5 billion
Brash and raw
When I chanced upon Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi
Lone voice of dissent
“I am keen to invite Parakala [Prabhakar] to Mumbai… What do you think? Do you know him?” A friend asked. No, I don’t know the man. And no, it is not a good idea to invite him, unless you want to invite trouble, I replied.
Modi and the Muslim syndrome
I have long been intrigued by the prime minister’s desire to hug every passing sheikh and sultan and his contrasting contempt for the ordinary Indian Muslim.
Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders; need separate force for Manipur border
Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SENTINELS
Manipur government wants the Assam Rifles replaced, but the Union home ministry is focused on upgrading infrastructure and connectivity before deciding who guards the state