Sanjeev S

God's Own Abode - Goa, a land on the western coast of India has been exposed to Western & Oriental Cultures. It is a place where you find one of the warmest hearted people, The Goenkars; But as we are progressing, we seem to be heading back to the prehistoric period in our manners, civic sense and courtesy towards humanity. Why does this happen?

Does this also happen in other beautiful places?

It is very embarrasing when only one side of the body is totally wet and the shirt sticks to my body; the face drips only on one side & the other side is dry; the pant gets totally wet only on the left side. The brain was scanned, but nothing odd. I am perfectly healthy, slim & tall. How could this be happening? Please help.

We have been given to believe that by being good souls, we can live ffor a long, long time or become immortal - like the Gods. Is this what immortality is all about? Your views please.

Cruelty to animals or a blood sport - this is the pint of question. Please delve deep into your conscience and answer.

It has been a tradition from times immemorial to see an Indian female individual wearing a round shaped red / vermillion mark on her forehead. Initially, the elder generation were traditionally wearing turmeric powder just above the bridge of the nose, and them applying the red vermillion powder oon it, and that too with their second finger of the right hand. Now a days it is a minute gummed velvet dot or a weird shape that makes its presence felt on the forehead. The actual reasoning for fixing this "Tilak" may be lost somewhere down the line, but this is my attempt to fathom why they wear it or whether they are blind followers of a tradition, maybe started with a reason. Your personal view will be great!

Road accidents are on the rise all over the world. Some happen due to bad road engineering, but most happen due to bad human engineering of their driving & mind-sets. However, a life lost may be a statistic for most, but for a handful, they could loose their bread-earner. The reason of asking this here is to be clear in my mind whom to blame, the individual psyche or the nearest Government Agency.

We hate drug users. This question is for academic purpose of debate only.

Whilst prayer is a very important aspect in every religion & region, it is noteworthy to observe the mode in which different cultures carry out this practice. But a need is felt to understand the role of the different poses in the hands in these practices.

It may sound funny or rabid, but a little englightenment on this medical / health aspect could assist an individual to take preventive measures and have a little chat with his / her Doctor. Maybe it is nature's way of giving us a warning signal. . . and like always, we may be treating this sign like "s**t". If you still dont believe it, next time, turn around and look down.

Different religious practices give an insight into their way of life. However everything gets spoilt when we do things without understanding why we do them. It has always been a mystery why the tradions of disposing the dead, varies in various religions. Could it be the geographical features, the climatic conditions - what was it that our ancestors wanted, when they laid down the rules of the disposal of the dead?

It has been a tradition for Indian Ladies to wear a dot viz vermillion (pinjar) on the forehead. However somewhere down the line its actual reasoning has got lost. Though explainations are many, such as, it is a symbol of being married does not hold true as even unmarried girls sport this mark. Relatively one of the justifiable reasoning is that it is worn by unmarried or married ladies but not by widows.

My personal reasoning is related to the tradition of the ladies not being allowed to present themselves in front of the elders of the house and even to interact in what the men did. This may have led to tension in the minds of these ladies and application of pressure at the point between the eyes to relieve the tension. The use of saffron before applying the colourful kumkum, would have been for its antiseptic effect. The Indian traditions have always been based on science, the need is to be aware of them.

This is my search for the truth.