INTERESTING GYAN

“Why am I not allowed to visit a temple during my period?” “Will the pickle really spoil if I touched it during menstruation?” “Akka, why do they tell us not to touch anyone, to sit in a separate room and eat from a separate plate when we get our period? Two thoughts play hide and seek in my mind as I try to answer these questions from young girls. One, that I should help them understand that these restrictions are not because they become impure or polluted during menstruation. Two, that I should never, ever, hurt their religious or cultural sentiments beacuse I have neither the knowledge nor the right to make that judgement. The latter makes it difficult to do the former, and so round and round I go in my explanations, at best being able to tell them that these practises have been in place for ages to ensure women get some rest during their period. And leave them with the thought that it is their personal choice to follow these or not. It is not once or twice that I have c...

As a lifelong Anglophile and a recent newcomer to London, I can understand America’s burgeoning love affair with British English. But even with the spike in usage of Britishisms, there are still a number of words and phrases that can baffle even the most pretentious BBC America fans. Next time you’re in London, keep these translations to hand—or as the Yanks would say, nearby—and you’ll be just fine. 1.  Knock up:  To wake up. Don’t freak out if your flatmate says he will be sure to knock you up in the morning. 2.  Pants:  Underwear. Be careful not to compliment your friend’s new pants, or she will be very confused. Trousers or slacks are what you wear over your pants. 3.  Take the piss:  To take advantage of; to ridicule. This is one of the more unattractive British phrases that show up frequently in conversation. 4.  Bum bag:  Fanny pack. For your own sake, don’t say “fanny pack.” (Come to think of it, don’t say “fanny” at all.) 5...

How can the science of Ayurveda benefit you?  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar answers in the excerpt below: "Life has four characteristics -- it exists, evolves, expresses and extinguishes. For this, it depends on five elements, namely earth, water, air, ether and fire. To make it easier to understand we can bring in the five senses and its objects, namely sight, smell, taste, sound and touch. Ayurveda is the study of life. Ayur is life and Ved means to know. According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigid compartment, but a harmonious flow. Even the five elements of which the whole universe is made of are not tight compartments of defined objects. They flow into one another. Each one of the elements contains the other four. The subtlest element in us is space, which the mind is made up of, and the grossest is the earth element, which our bones, marrow, the skin and the structure are made of. This is further divided into three Doshas -- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This is a way t...

The world is a bizarre place where harsh realities run abound. As much as we try to ignore them, here are some images by artists found on  Quora  who would like to appeal to our subconscious mind. 1. The evolution of the modern man. facebook twitter gplus mail f10323nchristine.blogspot.in 2. Standing up against dictatorships and authoritative powers. facebook twitter gplus mail After all, aren't they people like us too? funny-pictures.picphotos 3. What really goes into making our world go round? facebook twitter gplus mail Pawel Kuczynski 4. What politicians say are not what they do. facebook twitter gplus mail It's just a waste of their own breath. Pawel Kuczynski 5. Down with one tyrant, up with the next one. facebook twitter gplus mail Pawel Kuczynski 6. We ape what we are taught. Right or wrong. facebook twitter gplus mail Pawel Kuczynski 7. Empty vessels...