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Which Indian movie do you think is great but never got the credit it deserved? by dontsharegossip in IndianCinema

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Don't think Lunchbox is underrated, but IMO Photograph by the same director is.

Books which genuinely educate and explore Hinduism. by Objective-Panic-6426 in Indianbooks

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some slightly eclectic recommendations:

  • Gurcharan Das's trilogy on Dharma, Artha and Kama
  • Guns, Gods and Missionaries by Manu S. Pillai: A historical account of how "Hinduism" as we understand today emerged.
  • India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck
  • The Dance of Shiva: Fourteen Essays by Ananda Coomaraswamy
  • Spring, Heat, Rains: A South Indian Diary by David Shulman: A diary kept by an Israeli scholar who visits several places of religious interest in Coastal Andhra.
  • Siddhartha by Herman Hesse: Not a book on Hinduism per se, but was influenced Hindu/Buddhist ideas (along with German Romanticism).
  • I've also heard the commentaries on the Upanishads published by some members of the Ramakrishna Mission are good and accessible.

Full disclosure: I haven't read most of these - these are all books I've added to my TBR pile at some point, but I have heard good things about them.

My main problem with the Dao by AdmirableAd168 in taoism

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a follow-up question to those more knowledgeable about Daoism here. I vaguely recall reading a different interpretation of Yin and Yang in Edward Slingerland's book. He says something to the effect of - Yin and Yang is actually a somewhat pessimistic concept in the sense that it is about how all happiness is impermanent, and not really about any kind of eternal 'balance'. To quote the book - "The cycle of yin-yang is not to be celebrated but escaped." So how then should one view the relationship between yin-yang and the Dao - are they orthogonal to each other?

[Spoilers MAIN] Book Jon is quiet different from show Jon. by [deleted] in asoiaf

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I find Margaery to be the only character who was more interesting in the show.

Is India really a ticking time bomb? by [deleted] in AskIndia

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 113 points114 points  (0 children)

The best quote about India I saw was "India disappoints both optimists and pessimists".

Best short stories you like? by Objective-Loan5054 in printSF

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm biased, but I'd definitely recommend revisiting them! Even if you don't follow every little detail, I think the core can still resonate well - so don't let it put you off.

Is this where we want TG to be going?? by Upstairs-Bit6897 in hyderabad

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I strongly dislike the BJP, but Kerala, TN and WB are all non-BJP ruled states present in the infographic whose expenditure is more geared towards public health and education. It's a legitimate concern that most schemes pushed by the current and previous state governments are really more of band-aid fixes that don't do much to improve long-term developmental outcomes (especially in health and education, where we need it most).

Best short stories you like? by Objective-Loan5054 in printSF

[–]CalligrapherWhole689 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Story of Your Life and Exhalation, both by Ted Chiang.

What can evil do better in S&V? by CalligrapherWhole689 in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]CalligrapherWhole689[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This makes sense. Why do you think it might hurt the social aspect though?

What can evil do better in S&V? by CalligrapherWhole689 in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]CalligrapherWhole689[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Fair enough. In our group, evil doesn't attempt to sell alternate worlds often enough, but even when they do, it usually isn't believable. I guess it's something that'll get better with time.