Absolute Musing

  River Nethravathi – The Glorious Past, The Confused Present & An Uncertain Future   “Paropakaraya vahanthi nadyaha” – rivers flow for the benefit of others, and such is the nature of this serene and life-giving river ‘Nethravathi’ for the population that calls Dakshina Kannada as home in the south western region of Karnataka State in India. However, for the ease of governance and management this region has been divided into 5 major commercial centres namely Mangalore, Bantwal, Belthangady, Puttur and Sullya. Yet, the river Nethravathi has provided its wealth to all unequivocally and unreservedly. The river has unconditionally provided us with its rich sand which are regularly extracted from many of its banks and the population of the region and elsewhere owe their gratitude to it, for it has put a strong roof over their head and has resulted in the growth of the region. The river is a rich source of food for both humans and animals alike with varieties of fresh wa...

  Flavour Riot – Ice Cream I scream, you scream and we all scream for Ice Cream; a famous song by Howard Johnson in the late 1920’s captures beautifully the man’s admiration for this marvellous frozen dessert and how he can’t get enough of it. A simple preparation brought together by combining milk/cream with cocoa/vanilla or fruits with loads of sugar has captivated both children and adult alike since its inception. Nowadays, the variety of ice creams essentially served are simply extraordinary and our ancestors would really be dazzled by the extent to which this little legacy of theirs has impacted our palate. Whether it is being served in conjunction to a dish or being offered on a stick/cone, it is treasured and uncomplainingly guzzled in all possible manner. Surprisingly, we are not running out of options of new ways of having it. For those of us who are lactose intolerant and health conscious, alternatives in the form of milk substitutes made up using coconut, cashew, a...

  Upanishads – Absolute Truth Indisputably, Sruti are the roots which led Dharma to flourish, producing peace, solace and liberation to its pursuer and commanded utmost individual commitment. Upanishads, brought up the essence of non-dualistic part of it (from Advaita school of philosophy), having its own exclusive learnings and benefits. The natives of the land of its origin, inculcated its spirit as easily as it had absorbed the lessons from Smriti. The wisdoms enshrined in it came to be practiced by many and thus flourished the Guru-Shishya Parampara (Teacher-Student tradition), thanks to which we are able to have a taste of this supreme nectar. Questions like Who am I? What am I? Why am I? have always directed humanity in search of answers bringing it face to face with certainties that were complex and seemingly contradicted the reality it existed in. Each individual at some point of time in his life is confronted by these questions of existence and finds solution either by...