Monthly Archives: February 2010

Aayiram Deivangal

I came across this poem (rendered as a song, by Maharajapuram Santhanam, for those who’ve heard it) titled “Aayiram deivangal” (A Thousand Gods). It is written by Subramanya Bharathi, a freedom fighter and an outstanding poet from Tamil Nadu, India. To me, Bharathiyar’s poetry is synonymous with fiery ideas, beautiful writing, and a use of [...]

Garuda Purana

The Garuda Purana, one of the puranas of Hindu tradition, embodies the Hindu (Vaishnava) understanding of death and afterlife. The Purana is generally perceived as divided into two parts: the first describing death itself, and the second detailing what happens after death. The Purana is often recited during funeral rites in North India, and for [...]

Lent

Since last Wednesday, many people around the world, both Christians as well as some non-Christians, decided to give up a bad habit for the period of forty days and forty nights known as Lent. The symbolism behind Lent is that Jesus traveled the desert for forty days and forty nights and did not succumb to [...]