I am beginning to dread Mumbai..
My favourite city when I was growing up has today become a place that I try hard to avoid. The reasons are not hard to find. Lack of an efficient system of public transport tops the list. Add to this, the traffic snarls. To this, add a humid climate and uncontrolled, chaotic crowds that jostle for space with shops, scooters, buses & cars.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still many things that keep me hooked on Mumbai. The spirit of enterprise, the numerous eating joints, …

Thanks to Sarvesh, I stumbled on this facebook page that has a compilation of amazing architectural marvels that are relatively unknown from all across India. From this page, comes this picture of “amazing piece of engineering at Veer Narayana Temple, Belavadi (Karnatak). These monolithic columns were lathe turned and intricately designed with amazing surface finish which made stone columns shine like metal” even after hundreds of years. “This ornate trikuta (three tower) temple was built in 1200 C.E. by Hoysala Empire KIng Veera Ballala II”

The second image is that of …

That the “Aryan Invasion” theory stands thoroughly discredited today is probably no news for most readers of this blog. But when I recently stumbled on this article by Jayasree, I realised there may be a lot more that is yet to be discovered and explored here – particularly with regards to the unifying strands between the Saraswati-Sindhu settlements, the Vedic age and the later day culture of Bharat/India (In this context, please also read excerpts from a speech by Dr Subramaniam Swamy on “Defalsify India’s History“). As Shri Krishen Kak …

This is what I’m reading as I find myself stuck in a travel black hole…
1. R Jagannathan on why “Manmohan Singh is the dynasty’s fall guy” (emphasis mine)…
Both the prime minister and the home minister have minced no words in calling a spade a spade. While Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists the biggest security threat to the country, P Chidambaram has promised tough action to deal with it. But here’s the point: months after launching Operation Green Hunt, it is not clear who’s hunting whom. The Maoists have been …

‘New insights on the modular planning of the Taj Mahal‘ by Prof R Balasubramaniam – Exploring the link between Taj Mahal and Harappa [ pdf download ]
Is Islam the Problem? by Jonah Godlberg
K N Govindacharya on Akhand Bharat (in Hindi)
Climate change: the worst scientific scandal of our generation by Christopher Booker
The latest issue of Towards a Great India
Selected past weekend readings:
Recommended weekend reading
Weekend potpourri: Kashmir, BJP, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Discovered this while looking for something else over the weekend:
Tulsi to ‘insulate’ the Taj Mahal
Lucknow: Tulsi, known for its medicinal qualities, will now help protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution. In an exercise being undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the Lucknow-based Organic India, a million tulsi saplings will be planted near the marble mausoleum.
A spokesman for the company said it is one of the best plants to purify the environment. It cleanses as it releases high amounts of oxygen, which minimises the adverse impact of industrial …

This weekend, enjoy some history…
Start by reading about recent ISRO research that appears to confirm the presence of River Sarasvati in present-day Haryana. A brief excerpt from Sarasvati Nadi in Haryana:
Detailed studies on the status of Saraswati Nadi of northern Haryana have been carried out using multidate and multi resolution satellite images, GIS techniques and ground data. Palaeochannels have been delineated using remote sensing techniques and validated using discovered archaeological sites, sedimentological data from drilled wells and water quality data. Detailed analysis of hydrological data (rainfall and stream discharge), catchment area and petrographic …

Once upon a time, I used to dismiss talk of increasing pollution in Indian cities as scare-mongering by NGOs eager for funds and publicity…
I am a little wiser now…but this recent news-item really sobered me up.
Excerpts from “Mumbai. Delhi among world’s dirtiest cities”:
“…Mumbai and Delhi are among the 25 dirtiest cities in the world while the four Indian metros and Bangalore are among the 20 densest cities, according to the Forbes magazine.
The US business magazine also lists Sukinda in Orissa and Vapi in Gujarat among the 10 most polluted places …

A report on how archeological research is changing some of our fundamental ideas and mis-conceptions about the history and prosperity of medieval Bharat:
From Finding Sirpur, by Chitra Ramaswamy, some excerpts:
“…Standing on the banks of the Mahanadi in Mahasamund district, Sirpur or Shreepur was once the capital of Dakshin Kosala (as Chhattisgarh was then known).
….An intriguing aspect of the findings relates to the presence of statues belonging to Vaishnavite, Shaivite, Buddhist and Jain religions at one place. This is believed to be one of the biggest temple towns of the sixth …

I came across this 30-minute video over the weekend (thanks, Vijay): Scientific Verification of Vedic Knowledge
From the summary:
“A vast number of statements and materials presented in the ancient Vedic literatures can be shown to agree with modern scientific findings�and they also reveal a highly developed scientific content in these literatures.� The great cultural wealth of this knowledge is highly relevant in the modern world.
Techniques used to show this agreement include: – Marine Archaeology of underwater sites (such as Dvaraka) – Satellite imagery of the Indus-Sarasvata River system – …