Sooraj Nagabalaji

With 70% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2050, the affordability of housing and leading a sustainable lifestyle are becoming myths in any given metropolitan area.

Throughout the book, the author deals with aspects of the housing crisis in the United States and explores the fallacy of a policy that is being projected onto the population, which inevitably causes more difficulty for people of colour and immigrants.

The author presents many case studies that show how multigenerational housing and co-living are picking up the trend among realtors and neutralizing urban poverty in urban areas. This strategy should be consciously followed in any urban area from city planning to placemaking. Must read for policymakers, urban planners, architects, social scientists, etc

Throughout this book, the author's background in mathematics and physics is evident. This reminds me of this joke that a chancellor complains about the physics department “We need to cut costs!” He says. “All this complex technology you guys use! Why can't you be more like the Maths department? All they need is pencils, paper and a cup of coffee!” as applied physics needs costlier equipment.

Having worked in both spheres simultaneously, the author puts the reader at ease who is interested in reading popular science. Anecdotes of the string theory in its earliest adaptations to the Higgs Boson experiment (GOD particle) renders particle physics comprehensible to a casual reader like me.

The references in Vedas and Upanishads which deal with time, consciousness, the relation between cause and effect, that still the modern science of the west pondering upon, shows that Vedic sciences are sophisticated in their understanding.

In the end, “Until the end of Time” will show anyone who has the slightest tinge of curiosity about the mind, matter, consciousness, and of course the existential universe, many angles to explore.

Before becoming complacent to popular narratives, it might be useful to examine the facts to see what is the real motive in hindsight. Cownomics offers you a bottom-up perspective to examine Gaurakshak from a global lens.
Degeneration that is readily evident in front of our eyes, that we skip and indulge in for sensory pleasure, eventually comes back and strikes like a storm that hits us without warning because we have left a karmic footprint on it.
Having grown up in a household where vegetarianism is a norm, it is extremely easy for people similar to me to sustain[ It's not a flaunt ;) ].
However, it is only now that everyone has to pay attention to the global crisis of the meat industry and its effect on climate change.
The mission of this book is to impart a model for creating a Utopian habitat where the netzero culture can happen to be a reality. Thanks to Arti Agarwal for creating this book.

It is hard to critique a sublime force and prove its value. Only through the first-hand experience of actively reading the words of the Swami would make justice to Swami Vivekananda's teachings.
It is timeless; while reading his words, you can not miss the nuances of Advaita philosophy. Among the many verses, these words struck a chord for me to contemplate more on the reality/ true self
“Knowing one lump of clay we know the nature of all that is in the universe”
“The effect is never different from cause”
“Limitation can never come upon the unlimited it is a fiction”
Insights on other religions and their fallacies are explained so precisely by Swami. Nasthik/asthik whatever one identifies themselves to be they are the one existence, absolute consciousness and bliss [Sat-chit-ananda]

These collections of poems are very relative and powerful. The sequence of love, desire, goal and downfall happens in the same physical plane but has different effects on the mental plane.

The author's scrutinization to make the words modest hits you differently when you have witnessed them. All the poems resonated with me with whatever subjective experience I have had in the quarter/n part of life. I guess you will also have a beautiful journey when you visualise your life with these poems.

The illustrations are pretty well conceived, now and then I tried to project my own thoughts with the sketches before dwelling into the words and mostly succeeded in interpreting, it was amusing. In its entirety, this book is a minimal art on life pursuit.

A convulsive and speculative read, if that's what you expect from fiction, then the authors have delivered it. Every chapter in this book is loaded with the author's contemplation on the current Indian state of morality with the story plot which is a crossroad of negative social constructs in our society and the hypocrisy we see in our daily walks of life. In this way, it provokes to understand the oppression being apprehended towards Dalits for centuries.

Also, it enlightens how trivial the human race has become a despot to claim existence for a brief period on mother earth, because of their cumulative layers of egoism which have been acquired from birth to death for no reason only to become Vibuthi or stardust in the ultimate end.

You might think what good fiction can do but it turns out that we have always survived this long only because of change in perspective in the course of time. The authors believed in a large collective change in the human mind towards progression instead of selfishness. That can bring powerful simplification to just exist with every creature on this planet, without bringing mundane absurdities.

A predictive plot in the end which didn't surprise me because this story is not just to bring you pleasure by reading some words rather to critically think beyond the plot and take away home some points to spread goodness in the society.
Tat Tvam Asi

An immense amount of focus is required to comprehend and introspect anything subjective. Kalanithi has contemplated his final moments of Jagrath (waking state) until his samadhi (disconnecting mind from body/death ), with precision and described them casually which makes the readers review life as a collective in few episodes of his experience towards the ultimate tranquility.

This should have ideally been a podcast rather than a book. In ‘98 it was not an option to explore different premises where digests were the main source of time pass read. In today's context, this would not interest common readers like me, but given the pandemic as a constraint, any second-hand book can deliberately provide some ancient knowledge that a millennial may not inculcate. Mostly I was eager to learn what Marcel Proust had to say after page 48 than Botton, sarcasm which the narrator had to impart to the audience did not work on me as I was not very keen to read this book. Highly recommended for people who really know about Proust, because I was not aware who he was until I got a parcel of books from a second-hand eCommerce website.

There is a big hole in Indian history adulterated by Marxist historians. Habib's and Thapar's have dedicated their whole lives to create more soy faces out of Indian Hindus.

Thanks to - Ashish Iyer - for recommending this book

Though we have few authentic thinkers who can write and contemplate about real history and morphology of the Indian subcontinent, it's high time now to understand their POV and make amendments in the Ideology of the majority populous in India.

•”Reducing the many into one is science... The whole of the universe has been demonstrated into one. That science is called the science of Vedanta. The whole universe is one.”

•”It is one existence appearing in all these variations.”

The relative elements of the universe in time, space and causation can be understood by (Dhyana) meditation that it's the same in both microcosm and macrocosm.

The beginning is the end and the end is the new beginning.

Sastri's work on South Indian history is a paragon concise of polity, war, culture, numismatics, anthropology, and whatnot. Initially, it takes time to get the intrinsic grip towards the timeline unless you are a student of history. The proportional volume of data for a particular time can resort in a very short period while reading through the book. An individual acquired taste for history also plays a role to comprehend what Sastri has written, for my innate interest in religion, art, and architecture with philosophy it was more intriguing from the midsection. Accounts of Sankara(ADI) have been elucidated with lucid details and bi/trifurcation of Indian philosophy and it traces in history have been summarised with a precise timeline. The Indian schools of thoughts like Advaita Vedanta, Mimamsa, Vishista Advaita their transformation and values give more light to understand the complexities of Indian religious consciousness, which can be comprehended effortlessly through the lens of K.A.N. of course rise and fall of every South Indian kingdom and their patronage for the language and culture made India richer, which every Indian should know about.

The ultimate compendium for living, especially for young adults. Because life excerpts of Kavingar Kannadasan augments the cognizance to understand spirituality from an outsider(nasthik) to Insider (asthik) perspective.

Seeing life's rendition from Tagore's perception is like contemplating throughout all seasons in a house built in the middle of a lake. The mind moves beyond the outer layers of the object and contemplates on subtle aspects.

The author gives insight into the life of a school inspector with subtleties of inconveniences and pleasure experienced by him. It was jolly good while reading how the kids perceive things; the first page of chapter six reminded me of the young Sheldon Cooper interesting kid with old fashioned gestures.

Objectivists lack certain human tendencies to evolve and coexist. This is ofcourse the one side of the reality. Reread it and I loved it.

ஜெயமோகன் அவர்களது கதைகள், அல்லது அனுபவங்கள் மிகவும் எளிமையான ( but grandiose) வடிவமைப்பபை உடையது என்பது என் கருத்து. வாழ்க்கையில் நிகழும் சிறு அனுபவங்களை இவ்வளவு பிரம்மாண்டமான முறையிலும் அதிர வைக்கும் நிகழ்வுகளை நுட்பமாக கூற முடியுமா என்று எனக்கு வியப்பை ஆழ்த்துகிறது.

Not for everyone but it's for every one

The choice of words for motivating the readers to move their ass down to work is sublime.

நாதஸ்வரம் போன்ற தமிழ் இசை கருவிகளை சிறிதும் முக்கியத்துவம் கொடுக்க மறுக்கும் இக்காலத்தில், அதன் மகத்துவத்தை சிறுபாண்மையாண மக்களே அதன் பெருமையை வளர்க்கும் வகையில் வாழும்போது அவர்களின் வாழ்வியல் பற்றி சிறப்பாக எடுத்துரைத்துள்ளார். சாதி மற்றும் அதன் ஒடுக்குமுறைகளும் எப்படி ஒரு கலையை பாதிக்கிறது என்பதும் குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது இத்தொகுப்பில்.
The environmental setup and detailing of the story is intriguing and one can never stay put after reading this fine piece of literature. Sir Ramakrishnan's ஆற்றாமை for the Nadhaswaram artists and the struggle faced is beautifully sketched which will turn the readers pro conservative to cultural music and landscape.

Secret of life

When I was growing up my father was a soldier in the Indian Army and Kashmir was his last posting before he retired, As you know, families of Indian army officers can move into specific regiment's cantonments, but this part of the country is excluded as it is plagued by hapazards.

Indians still mistake Kashmir for an apple-producing state while ignoring the existential crisis faced by fellow Kashmiri pandits. Ambushes carried out by Pakistani/terrorist outfits on our defence personnel are a casual occurrence on any given day in this part of the land. It is appalling that even today, politicians with anti-India agendas practice divisive politics to support the so-called peaceful religion in their Jihads

Although it is extremely difficult to put the pen to the paper to narrate the injustice that occurred to Kashmiri Pandits, In this story, the author presents a clear picture that covers the factors such as the laws, behavioural dynamics of the radicals and stories from both sides of the equation..

Clouded information that was not readily available in daylight has been explored in great detail, which has answered many questions in this book regarding the exodus, this should not be forgotten or forsaken

ஒரு (sublime) உயர்ந்த படைப்பு.

Throughout the book, the main topics revolve around the identity crisis India is experiencing due to the remnants of colonial soft power, which is still being used on this civilizational state. Significance of the title of this book/the character of the book to emphasize the decolonization happens between 193-207. The conception of Bharat, it's genesis to ascribe the set of beliefs its origin from ancient literature are described in this particular chapter.

The series of discussions on the country's name and its identity led to that which occurs at constituent assemblies to resolve to proclaim India an independent sovereign republic is explained.

There are excerpts and debates for the name change of India which is Bharat were made and it happens to be on the 15th of November 1948 by Shri M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Shri Loknath Misra and the counter was made by Dr. BR Ambedkar and also noted catalysts like Shri HV Kamath is notable.The strong stance of Shri H.V Kamath on Bharat and objects to the phrase India that is Bharat as proposed by Ambedkar for use in the constitution is seminal. This position was seconded by Seth Govind who referred to Vedas, Upanishads, Veda Purana, etc.

J Sai Deepak argues on many levels in different chapters how the direct and indirect consequences of the federalization of civilization should be accounted for without tearing apart the essence of the indigenous ways of knowing instead of ignoring them.

A comprehensive account that exhibits the way colonialism of the East India Company generated diverse formulas for exerting White supremacy over Indigenous groups throughout the world in order to make thrive Christianity as a soft power to control and dominate economic systems in different parts of the world.

The purview of the white savior complex is still prevalent in colonized Indian brains, especially in academia and other fields, and the reasons for this conditioning are outlined in every chapter of India That Is Bharat. (Yatha Shakthi) I purchased two more copies and gave it to two other fellow Bharatvasis to understand the JSD's perspective and the theories of Decoloniality for which he refers to latin theorists like Mignolo et al.

‘Thoughts = Results'