Back from the dead?

Is reincarnation possible? Is it possible to know who celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan were in their previous lives? It's an intriguing question, with quite a few fascinating answers. For instance, Amitabh Bachchan is believed to be the reincarnation of Shakespearean actor, Edwin Booth, while yesteryears actress Sadhona Bose is supposed to have reincarnated as Shah Rukh. These findings are of an American doctor, Walter Semkiw, who has published a book 'Born Again' on the subject. I met Semkiw almost a year back, when he was in India to attend the World Reincarnation Congress. When the movie 'Om Shanti Om', based on the theme of reincarnation released, I recalled Semkiw's findings and went through his book again. The following article resulted.

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We, the hypocrites

For long, Indians have had a reputation for hypocrisy. In a country where, for instance, it is considered auspicious to gamble on Diwali, most states have banned gambling. Although we take pride in worshipping innumerable goddesses, girls are killed at birth and women routinely molested. Staunch meat eaters in our country ostensibly turn vegetarian on select days of the week. Sex is a dirty word with us, although everyone still hankers after it. All this leads to the question: Are we the biggest hypocrites on earth?

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Of antique jewels

Jewels have always fascinated mankind and if jewels have history behind them, their fascination increases manifold. Recently, I spoke with Usha Balakrishnan, a jewellery historian who specialises in antique jewellery and who has recently evaluated the Nizam's jewellery collection.

Click here to read what she had to say.

Joy on the Ichhamati

This Dussehra, I was at the India Bangladesh border, on the banks of the river Ichhamati, which acts as a natural border between the two countries. Dussehra or Bijoyadashmi as the festival is called here, is the last day of Durga Puja in Bengal, when the idols of the goddess are immersed. It's a day of poigancy - a moment of separation for the goddess and her devotees. However on the banks of the Ichhamati, the ocassion becomes one of celebration and cross border revelry, with boats dotting every inch of the river, gifts being thrown by people on either side of the border and an air of frenzied excitement everywhere. Just goes to show, I guess, that festivals can be all the more enjoyable, if borders disappear.

Click here to read how Bijoyadashmi is celebrated on the Indo Bangla border.