The bond between persons of same gender, males as well as females, in stages of childhood, youth, adulthood and advanced age passes off as friendship. Other bonds have acquired fascinating types, thanks to the societal ethos about such togetherness. Husband and wife, as long as they live under one roof, irrespective of compatability  between them,…

The country’s pharmaceutical industry has witnessed a phenomenal expansion year after year matching, perhaps, only its automobile industry in monetary terms. The yearly output of medicines in the land is estimated at two lakh crore and, in wider sense, its healthcare sector has reportedly exceeded five lakh rupees worth annually. Small wonder, then, that retail…

An idiom in Kannada conveys the message that the robustness of the tree is unmistakably hinted at the stage of its sapling itself, even as the seed germinates. The English language idiom Child is father of the man, originating from the poem My Heart Leaps Up by William Wordsworth (1770-1850), the most popular interpretation of…

Renowned English Poet Thomas Gray (1716-1771) wrote in 1742 in the proverbial line Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise as part of the poem “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” with the message that lack of knowledge results in happiness; it is more comfortable not to know certain things….

The feature of exploring possibility of life on the nearest to earth planet, Mars, focussing on water as well as oxygen in its atmosphere seems to have not been bestowed adequate attention to these two life-supporting gift of nature on earth, may be because of its presence in abundance. Facts such as 75 per cent…

The ensuing national event of election of members to the country’s Parliament (Lok Sabha) is marked by many unique features. The set of facts relating to the event as expressed in numbers is not only awesome but also has no parallel in any other country across the world. The members numbering 543 are to represent…

An often-quoted verse taken from Manusmriti, Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah translates as: Where women are honoured, divinity blossoms there, and where women are dishonoured, all action no matter how noble remain unrewarded. The numerical shortfall of females in the country’s total population by an estimated nearly five per…

The already yawning gap between the myriad kinds of resources that people are greedily grabbing to satisfy their short-term happiness and the rapidly rising scarcity of most of the same resources doesn’t seem to have prompted the present generation of humankind all over the world to slow down consumption even as the demon of consumerism…

The top brass in the Government has rightly, though belatedly, taken the initiative on skilling the economically productive sections of the country’s human resources. Identifying the faculty of talent and nurturing it to blossom are equally rewarding pursuit, earlier the better. The rich stock of sculptures and frescoes across the land that have endured over…

The term family has these not-so-fascinating meanings: 1) A social group made up of parents and their children; 2) A group of people who come from the same ancestor; 3) A group of people living together: household; 4) A group of things sharing certain characteristics. The second meaning may rattle many when told the ape…