Sunday, 8 February 2026
Saturday, 7 February 2026
Friday, 6 February 2026
Summary of the article by Archisman Ghosh - Science vs religion: Dan Brown's pursuit to bridge the divide continues - The Hindu e-paper 5-02-26
“Science vs Religion: Dan Brown’s pursuit to bridge the divide continues”
The article examines how Dan Brown’s novels consistently explore the conflict between science and religion, a theme present throughout his bibliography.
While Robert Langdon, Brown’s famous protagonist, remains central, his role has gradually diminished. Langdon now functions more as a guide or observer than as an action-driven hero.
Brown’s latest novel, The Secret of Secrets, shifts focus away from globe-trotting adventure to philosophical questions, especially those related to consciousness, science, faith, and belief systems.
The story revolves around Katherine Solomon, a scientist working on non-local consciousness, whose ideas threaten religious authority—continuing Brown’s pattern of placing scientific discoveries against religious institutions.
The article highlights how Brown frequently presents religion and science as two sides of an ongoing historical conflict, intensified since the 19th century with the rise of rationalism, Darwinism, and modern science.
References to earlier novels (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Inferno) show that Brown has repeatedly used mystery and thriller plots to question religious dogma and human interpretations of divinity.
Langdon’s character is described as static and glorified—a symbolic figure who connects history, religion, and science rather than undergoing personal growth.
The author argues that Brown’s novels do not offer clear solutions or victories for either side. Instead, they propose temporary compromises where science and religion coexist uneasily.
Ultimately, Brown’s evolving narrative suggests that science and religion are not mutually exclusive, but interconnected parts of a broader human attempt to understand existence.
The above summary has been prepared by ChatGPT (AI language model developed by OpenAI) based on the referenced article.
Thursday, 5 February 2026
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Remembering Dr Paul Kalanithi on World Cancer Day
Today, we observe World Cancer Day.
The World Cancer Day theme for 2025–2027, “United by Unique,” places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation. On this day, sharing these poignant lines from the book - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. The memoir traces his profound journey from doctor to patient and reflects deeply on what it means to live a meaningful life in the face of mortality.
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The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost - Summary
The poem The Road Not Taken is written by Robert Frost.
He is an American poet.
It is about choices in life.
The road stands for our life journey, and the two roads show different choices.
The speaker must choose only one road, just like we must choose one path in life.
Making decisions is difficult because we do not know the future.
Once a choice is made, we cannot go back.
This may either cause doubt or regret.
The poem says that choosing a less travelled path can make life special.
It teaches us to be brave and confident about our decisions.
In the end, the poem reminds us that our choices shape our life, and we must accept them.
Pride by Dahlia Ravikovitch - Summary
Pride is a poem by Dahlia Ravikovitch
She is an Israeli poet, and the poem is written in Hebrew
The poem discusses mental health, emotional vulnerability
Rocks stand for people who look strong but are weak inside.
Like cracks in rocks, people hide their emotional pain.
The poet says we should accept our feelings instead of hiding them.
The breaking rocks show the difference between outer strength and
inner weakness.
The poem shows people trying to stay strong despite pain.
Ignoring emotions can cause serious emotional breakdowns.
The title “Pride” shows that pretending to be strong is harmful and accepting weakness is important.
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Monday, 2 February 2026
Sunday, 1 February 2026
The Lady or the Tiger
Frank R Stockton is the author of the short story – The Lady or the Tiger
The story is about a semi-barbaric king who has a strange idea of justice.
He believes in public trials held in a special arena to entertain the people.
The king has a beautiful daughter whom he loves very much.
The princess falls in love with a young man who works in the king’s court.
The young man is an ordinary person, and the king does not approve of the relationship.
When the king learns about their love, he becomes very angry.
He decides to punish the young man using his system of justice.
The lover is asked to choose between two doors in the arena.
Behind one door is a lady whom he must marry, and behind the other is a tiger that will kill him.
The princess knows what is behind each door.
She must decide which door to point to.
The story ends without telling us her choice, leaving readers to decide the ending.
Taxi Driver - K.S Duggal
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| https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/call-taxi-driver-honoured-for-honesty/article6697075.ece |
The Taxi Driver is a short story by K. S. Duggal.
It is about Dittu, an honest taxi driver who lives in poverty after the Partition.
Because of his past experience, he is very careful about money that is not his.
One evening, he finds a wallet left behind in his taxi.
Instead of feeling happy, Dittu feels worried and guilty.
His wife, Banti, wants to use the money to support their poor family and their son, Gullu.
This difference in thinking causes conflict between them.
Dittu’s guilt shows in the form of fear and bad dreams.
In anger, he hits his wife and later feels ashamed.
Banti silently accepts both the money and the violence.
The story shows how poverty affects moral values.
It talks about honesty, hard work, displacement, and survival.
The writer leaves it to the readers to decide what is right or wrong.
Saturday, 31 January 2026
Kenzaburō Ōe and Vulnerability Studies
The writings of Kenzaburō Ōe (pronounced OH-ay) provide an important foundation for what is now known as Vulnerability Studies, an interdisciplinary field that views fragility, dependence, and exposure as essential aspects of human life rather than as weaknesses. Long before such ideas entered academic discussion, Ōe placed vulnerability at the centre of his moral and literary vision. A turning point in Ōe’s life and work came with the birth of his son, Hikari, who was born with a severe brain injury. Ōe later reflected that he was “trained as a writer and as a human being by the birth of my son.” This experience challenged the common belief that human beings should be independent and self-sufficient. Instead, it made him recognise a life shaped by care, responsibility, and close human connection. This understanding closely aligns with the central ideas of Vulnerability Studies, which emphasise that human beings are relational and morally shaped by their responsibilities toward others. In many of Ōe’s works, fathers caring for disabled sons appear repeatedly. These stories do not treat disability as something to be corrected or overcome. Rather, vulnerability is presented as a lasting condition that reshapes values and priorities. In Ōe’s fiction, the disabled child is not important because of future success or exceptional ability, but because the child’s presence calls for patience, attention, and ethical commitment. Through these narratives, Ōe questions social ideas that equate human worth with strength, efficiency, or achievement. In doing so, his work strongly echoes the core belief of Vulnerability Studies: that care, dependence, and shared responsibility are central to what it means to be human.
Reference
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/24/kenzaburo-oe-obituary
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/books/kenzaburo-oe-dead.html
Friday, 30 January 2026
Thursday, 29 January 2026
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
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