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I found this note on the street, something a certain Tom wrote to a certain Jim about what to see in NYC and how to go about it. Love it!
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The Indian American Life
My India Travel Diaries: It’s Not a Destination. It’s an Experience.
Travel Around Bharat “Once you have been to India, the rest of the world feels a little less colorful.” ~ Anonymous
Sri Rama Navami: Rama Bhajans, the Sacred Journey of Dharma, and the Birth of Lord Rama
Sri Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama. It is observed on the ninth day of the spring festival that begins with the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated across different regions of India under various names, such as Ugadi among Telugu communities. It falls...
It Took a Publishing Scandal to Expose a Broken Industry and the Rise of AI Slop Books
Mia Ballard, a woman living in the UK, had self published a book called Shy girl in February 2025. The book is about a desperate young woman who meets a guy online and is now being held hostage as his pet. It became successful until readers started to question if it...
Sri Rama Rama Bhajan: The Chant For Each Divine Name Of Lord Rama
Hi all,I enjoyed singing this, as its a beautiful string of epithets for Lord Rama, each highlighting a different divine quality or a stage of his life. For the first time I added the tanpura in the background. Hope you like it. Bhajan Lyrics: Sri Rama Rama...
Ugadi 2026: Parabhava Year Meaning – Turning Failure into Spiritual Growth & Self Transformation
పర + అభవ = పరాభవ I received these two messages this morning on the occassion of the onset of the పరాభవ నామ సంవత్సరం. I am grateful that the name of the year symbolises self transformation and our victory over our biggest vices. Read on. పర + అభవ = పరాభవ అని...
Ramachandraya Janaka: The Mangalam Song That Ends Carnatic Concerts & Prayer Sessions with Blessings
Hi all,Ramachandraya Janaka is a classic "Mangalam" that's often sung at the end of concerts or puja ceremonies to invoke blessings and peace. Thank you for listening. Hope you like it. Here are the lyrics: rāmachandrāya janakarājajā manōharāyamāmakābhīṣṭadāya...
The Two Logs in the River: A Ramayana Lesson on Love, Detachment, and Living Fully
Shlokas As Compass Ever since I understood the meaning of a shloka of Adi Shankara's from Bhaja Govindam, I've tried to use it as a way to operationalize my spiritual journey. Shankara says, Satsangatve nissangatvam,Nissangatve nirmohatvam,Nirmohatve...
The Artist Who Defined Hindu Mythology for Millions of Kids: The Magical Illustrations of Vaddadi Papaiah
We all know this scene as the iconic scene from the movie Bahubali - a drowning mother's hand holding a baby above the water. But not many of us know that this was inspired by a drawing by the legendary illustrator Vaddadi Papayya. After the devastating 1977 Diviseema...
The Chariot of Life: Ancient Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita for Modern Living
I grew up seeing the image of Krishna and Arjuna in a chariot in cafes, restaurants, homes and function halls. I had no idea what it had meant until way into my 30's. The Chariot of life from the story of Mahabharata in Bhagavad Gita is a metaphor that explains the...
Why the World Is Finally Slowing Down: The Rise of the Slow Thought Revolution
I've been noticing an interesting phenomenon lately. The desire for slowing down and adopting an intentional way of consuming information. For nearly two decades the internet trained us to read faster, scroll faster, react faster. But lately something unexpected is...
Perimenopause: Not Global Warming, Just My Personal Climate Crisis
Hey, so I’m not “leaning into” some stream-of-consciousness writing style to sound cute or anything. This is literally what I’m going through. No, not as a raging maniac, although I do feel like I’m becoming one. And not even because my body seems to have forgotten...
Sunset at the Library of the World: Where a World of Words Meets the Mediterranean
I still get goosebumps when I think about the wonderous gigantic library I recently visited in Alexandria, Egypt. This modern library built in 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, can accommodate 2000 readers in its main reading hall on any given day. It's located on...