Random Thoughts - Pattabhi Sitaraman

The fight for freedom was spearheaded by the Indian National Congress and on British leaving the country after a brutal partitioning of the same, the INC took it as their rightful place to be the ruling party and to form the government. M K Gandhi though advised the party leaders to disband the congress, proposed Jawaharlal Nehru to be the first prime minister.  It is not clear that whether he was thinking of a national government with people drawn from different political ideologies who participated in the freedom struggle but parted ways with the Congress.  However, in the next decades, the Indian National Congress became the undisputed party to form the government. Many tall leaders of the party left the congress after Indira Gandhi became the prime minister and started asserting her place in the party and the government.  The party was split between the old guard and those who were loyal to Indira Gandhi.  The party with the old guard slowly had its natural dea...

I had to suddenly leave for Chennai last week to attend to a bereavement and consequent cremation of a relative in the extended family.  While waiting in the crematorium for the ashes, the talk among the people veered to the concept of sin, righteous deeds, heaven, hell etc.  One of the persons present there talked about the Garuda Purana and the punishment detailed therein for the sinful soul for various sins committed by the same while alive on the earth.  The discussion went on for about half an hour and finally we agreed to disagree and part as friends.  My take on the various sins and consequent punishments as reportedly detailed in Garuda Purana (I have not read this). In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, when the concept of death and the travel of the atma (soul) is explained, it is said it will take either the lighted path or the smokey path.  It will reach the world of the ancestors who died earlier or the specific world depending on the karma while t...