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The Souvenirs You Left

I took a wistful reverie To heal from the cataclysm  Our confluence had brought.  Yet in my trance  The muses stabbed me  With shards of moments.  And I bled tears,  When my torment was complete,  The tears dried.  And the shards froze,  Into perfect crystal souvenirs  In my heart. Poem previously published at:  https://allpoetry.com/poem/15641776-The-Souvenirs-You-Left-by-AbhijitChatterjee
Recent posts

Is reality a game of quantum mirrors? A new theory suggests it might be.

Is reality a game of quantum mirrors? A new theory suggests it might be Jurik Peter / Shutterstock Peter Evans , The University of Queensland Imagine you sit down and pick up your favourite book. You look at the image on the front cover, run your fingers across the smooth book sleeve, and smell that familiar book smell as you flick through the pages. To you, the book is made up of a range of sensory appearances. But you also expect the book has its own independent existence behind those appearances. So when you put the book down on the coffee table and walk into the kitchen, or leave your house to go to work, you expect the book still looks, feels, and smells just as it did when you were holding it. In Helgoland, physicist Carlo Rovelli lays out a new way to think about quantum mechanics - and reality itself. Expecting objects to have their own independe

Imminent Threat to Archaeological Sites in Madhya Pradesh

  Madhya Pradesh in India is home to a plethora of archaeological and historical sites. From the prehistoric rock shelters of Bhimbetka to the grand forts of Mandu and Gwalior , Madhya Pradesh showcases its sites from a large spectrum of human history and habitation in the area.  But, it is also one of the most mineral-rich regions in the country. Hence unrestrained and unsanctioned mining in the area often threaten the historical sites and endanger ecological stability.  One of the sites that are imminently threatened from industrial and development activity is Satgarh Kadan . It is littered with archaeological sites, some of which are cave painting which dates back to 25000 BCE. Those treasures might get submerged in the coming years due to a planned irrigation project. The sites are already imperilled by vandalism from local miscreants. Rock paintings in Buxwah in the neighbouring Chattapur district are also threatened by a diamond mining project.  An ASI (Archaeological Survey of

Animals as Non-Beings - Comparison Between Christianity and Buddhism

  Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the  Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo  in  Ravenna , dating to the sixth century AD Many classical Christian religious imageries tend to depict Jesus Christ as the ‘good shepherd’. As per John 10:1-21 , one of the duties of the good shepherd is to lay down his life for his flock ( John 10:11 ). But, more implicitly the passages from John 10:1-21 denotes the absolute ownership the shepherd has over his flock. The shepherd is the only route of salvation for the flock. It neutralizes the need for the free will of the flock (or in this case his followers). It degrades the status of the flock to mere automata, incapable of creating spontaneous thought and action born out of free will.  Nowhere is this status more obvious than the episode of Exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac. This episode is mentioned in three Gospels; Mark 5:1-20 , Matthew 8: 28-34 and Luke 8:26-39 . Since Marks’s account is the most expansive of three available a

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention

  On 20th March 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Turkey's withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention. The charter was signed on 11th May 2011 in Istanbul and it came to force from 1st August 2014. Erdogan's withdrawal has enraged women Turkish women (including Erdogan's daughter) and resulted in several women's protest across Turkey. Conservatives within Erdogan's parliament argue that the concept and principles of gender equality encourage divorce and promote homosexuality. Erdogan himself went on record to proclaim that he does not believe in the concept of gender equality.  The charter of the convention is legally binding and covers domestic violence, seeking to end legal impunity for perpetrators. The treaty was signed by 45 countries and the European Union. However, it was only ratified by 34 countries (including Turkey). Women&

Reading the Painting - The Hireling Shepherd

Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt painted The Hireling Shepherd in 1851 when he was living and collaborating with John Everett Millais , another fellow pre-raphaelite painter. Hunt's painting remains one of the most controversial depictions of pastoral life in art history. Researchers and academians have poured over the painting, trying to analyze its nuanced language and form.  The painting depicts a pastoral scene where a shepherd tries to woo (and flirt with) a village girl. But the posture and facial expressions of the woman indicates that she is evidently being harassed against her wishes by the shepherd. The aggressive posture of the shepherd and angular display of the tough musculature of the hand of the shepherd suggests the belligerent dominance of the male figure within the frame. The setup and the poses suggest that the personal space of the woman is being violated without her consent. The violation of boundaries is also juxtaposed to the wayward flock of she

Five Thousand Year Old Brewery Uncovered in Egypt

  Brewery Excavated at Abydos At North  Abydos , Sohag, Egypt a team of Egyptian-American archaeologists uncovered a funerary site. From this site, they  excavated a 5000-year-old brewery . Archaeologists are of the opinion that it was a high-production unit for beer. A total of 40 earthenware pots has been excavated from the site. “The brewery likely dates back to the era of King  Narmer ” - said the team in a Facebook post. Currently, it is believed to be the oldest high-production brewery in the world. To the ancient Egyptians, beer was a great way of preserving food grains. The Egyptian hieroglyphs depict beer as a part of their meal, along with bread, dried fish and onions. Ancient Egyptian Brewing Culture During the early stages of the culture of brewing, women were the chief brewers and brewing was a kind of cottage industry. It is thought that men took over the business of brewing sometime during the reign of Pharaoh  Mentuhotep II  (2050 - 2000 BCE). Miniature carved figures o

Juche - What Is It?

  The Philosophy of Juche Juche  is a word that is difficult to translate. The North-Korean word was made popular by Kim-il-Sung, the first supreme leader of North Korea. If the word is translated to its nearest English expression it would mean “self-reliance”. Juche is a complex word to translate because it is a complex political philosophy which is unique to North Korea. A blend of Marxism and Confucianism (inherited from the shared Chinese culture), it is also influenced by Japanese Imperialism and Korean nationalism. At its barest form, Juche denotes that North Korea is a civilizational state with its distinct history and culture which is separate from other nations. In order to safeguard its culture, the nation must remain separate from the rest of the world ideologically, politically and culturally. To accomplish this self-segregation the nation has to depend solely on its own strength with guidance from its demagogue leader. Since its inception, Juche espoused three kinds of aut

Restrictions to Freedom of Knowledge : The LibGen, Sci-Hub Case

  My college education cost could have run into thousands of rupees (if not lakhs) but for a particular website called LibGen. The website hosts countless books, articles and peer-reviewed research papers in the form of PDF and EPUB files and lets anyone with an internet connection download said books and articles on their computer. Likewise, there is another website dedicated to scientific journals and research papers called Sci-Hub from where one may download peer-reviewed papers for free. LibGen (Library Genesis)and Sci_Hub have grown popular among users (particularly in academia) since its inception due to its vast catalogue of books and articles.  Many publishers accused the website makers of giving pirate access to books which are under copyright. On the other hand researchers and academics vouch that the website benefits them by giving free access to research materials and books which would have otherwise beyond the financial capabilities of many students.  Libraries within the

Coronavirus mutation – not as scary as it sounds

Shawn Hempel/Shutterstock Matt Webster , Anglia Ruskin University A new strain of the coronavirus may be responsible for the faster spread of the virus in London and south-east England, it has been announced . Unconfirmed reports suggest that coronavirus variant is called N501Y . This particular strain has been increasing in frequency since August. The idea of a mutating virus, breaking out into new strains, is enough to scare most people. But are these fears justified, and where do they come from? Surely Hollywood must bear some responsibility for our misconceptions about mutation. After all, the concept has inspired movie makers for decades, starting with Die, Monster, Die! in 1965 through to big-budget franchises, such as X-Men. Both tell tales of changes to DNA resulting in superhuman abilities. Movie special-effect makers like to show these DNA changes in the most dramatic fashion possible – often accompanied by glowing colours and expl