Ashoka
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Ashoka ‘No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.’ (Thomas Carlyle) Carlyle was an eminent Victorian philosopher whose influence on history, art, culture, and literature has been remarkably pervasive. Every great man exerts a centrifugal force that affects the meteorology of […]
If
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – If This is a somewhat peculiar title for one of the most anthologized poems by the celebrated poet, Rudyard Kipling: ‘If, followed closely by an elongated hyphen or dash. He chose this punctuation to foreshadow several conditional clauses across the four stanzas, which the last line of the poem clinches with […]
Soundscapes
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Soundscapes Silence should ideally be the mother of sound. Without this prerequisite, it would be difficult to differentiate one sound from another. Speech in any context is punctuated with short pauses of silence, which ensure its audibility and, above all, intelligibility. When audibility begins to predominate, it not only mars comprehension […]
Shorts
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Shorts Before the invention of the script, there was nothing to read in the current sense of the word. Speech precedes script. In the beginning, was the Word. It stood not only for God but also represented the sacred infinity of Creation. Since all communication was by voice, listening enjoyed the […]
Review
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Review Most professors are conformists. They play it safe, walking the tightrope of normative rubrics. But this tutor was different. He converted his once-a-week tutorial class into a seminar that required each student to read critically a nontechnical book of his choice, write a short review, and introduce the book to […]
Speed
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Speed As a student, I often came across ads that marketed speed reading. Quite a few institutions offered short courses in this highly touted skill. They would support their claims and underpin the advantages by adducing the names of eminent celebrities who could speedread dozens of books in a couple of […]
Fate
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Fate Philosophers are often misunderstood on account of their individualism, eccentricity, or studied divergence of views. When Alexander the Great traveled to meet the philosopher Diogenes and offered to grant any request he made, Diogenes snapped nonchalantly: “Stand out of my light!” The King was neither amused nor miffed by the […]
Boredom
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Boredom I scanned through the internet to ascertain whether there were any helplines or experts who could guide me as to how one can mitigate boredom. Not that I myself have any personal problem with this malaise. I have been fortunate enough to ward off boredom and its sibling sleeplessness most […]
Brushstrokes
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Brushstrokes It was an extremely busy and tiring day with half a dozen meetings back to back. I took a very light meal and retired to crash out for the night. I requested the inmates of the house not to disturb me if there was a call from anyone. I fell […]
Proverbs and Platitudes
Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus – Proverbs and Platitudes My mother was more particular about my moral code and conduct than my performance in the periodic exams held by the school. If I got good grades, she would pat me on the back, if I under performed, she would just beam a smile and encourage me to […]
