 By Samir Shukla
I was recently thinking of the three monkeys of wisdom, you know - speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil. Not sure why those came into my mind, maybe it's because this unhinged and disorienting year is slowly but mercifully coming to an end and I'm hopeful for a sunnier other side. The pandemic, protests, political pandering, posturing and pillaging all converged this year and now we crawl into the final month of the final year of this social media-warped decade.  By Samir Shukla
Life and Culture in Northeast India Authors: Dipti Bhalla Verma and Shiv Kunal Verma (Abbeville Press - Hardcover 260 pages) India's northeast region comprises of the famous “seven sisters" states - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. The authors also include the state of Sikkim in the book Life and Culture in Northeast India, giving historical information about each state along with the region's myriad religions, tribal, and geographical significance. The region is a small sliver of land, compared to the otherwise vastness of India, and is snuggled between the Himalayas, Bangladesh and Myanmar.  By Samir Shukla
It's a Monday night. I'm fumbling through a desk drawer looking for a pen and a sheet of paper. I just want to put some thoughts down on paper. Sure, I can open the notepad on my phone and start speaking and presto, it's there, typed, misunderstood word typos and all. But I want to use my fingers and feel the pen do its magic on paper. There's a sense of clarity when you see your own thoughts on paper in your own handwriting. You own that thought, no one else.  By Samir Shukla
Baluji Shrivastav Indian Classical Interactions (Arc Music) The sitar evokes tradition and timelessness. The instrument also lends itself to conversations with other musical expressions of the world. Baluji Shrivastav is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and sitar player guiding the instrument's familiar drone into innovative and evolved musical territories. He loosens boundaries to expand the possibilities of Indian classical music with original compositions.  By Samir Shukla
I live in North Carolina, a crucial toss-up state in this election. This year I'm urging each voter to be a VIP. Vote in Person. I say this in complete non-partisan manner to all voters. Mail-in ballots are fine and safe, and they should not be controversial in any manner. But this is such a toxic year, the best way to make the election process smoother is try to vote in person, if you are able, while of course keeping your personal safety in mind. North Carolina has a lengthy early voting period (October 15 - 31, 2020). Voting in person will, if nothing else, help ease the mess on Election Day by making it easier to tally up the votes as quickly as possible. Voting in person, for most people, is not any riskier than going to the grocery store while wearing a mask or shopping at a mall while taking precautions. You decide how you will vote, and the lines will likely be long, but remember that Democracy isn't risk free. Have a good day. |
Proudly powered by Weebly