ADHAA

__________________________________________________ With reference to Asoka: The incidents relating to Asoka's life as a king, are by far and large true to the book, The Legend of King Asoka (A study and Translation of the Asokavadana) by John Strong. The legend was first translated into Chinese by Fa Hien in 300 CE. Gandhi’s ideas found their inspiration in the text, Selected Political Writings, Mahatma Gandhi, by Dennis Dalton. __________________________________________________ Footnotes have been added to the text. Scene: Gandhi and Asoka meet in heaven, and both are looking down upon a military soldier on the battlefield. The soldier appears to be contemplating on whether he should shoot a target victim or not. Gandhi turns towards Asoka, but now that he has turned away from the scene, his face carries with it an expression of intense suffering, as though his soul has been ripped. Gandhi ( his voice trembling and full of emotion ): What do you think he is going to ...

A Case Study [All statements in italics have been revised.] I have always wondered about people’s lack of interest in world politics. Politics I am drawn to believe, offer the most realistic medium to resolve the greater moral issues that concern mankind. As an example, consider the issue of Kashmir. Whom does Kashmir really belong to – India or Pakistan?* The question does not offer an easy answer. Geographically speaking, Kashmir’s location makes it an equally favorable candidate for both countries. Furthermore, both Hindus and Muslims have had an equal share in promoting Kashmiriyat . Early references to Kashmir can be found in the Hindu epic of the Mahabharata, with a gradual shift towards Islam after the advent of Sufism, and more emphatically, when it was under Mughal rule. Thus, as a confluence center for both countries (in terms of location, religion, and historical significance), the Kashmir issue is subject to intense debate. In Pakistan’s favor, for reasons of the ...

********************************************************** The following story has been constructed from real-life instances . ********************************************************** I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are depressed, just look around. You might not notice a poor man, and find your purpose in Swaraj. But you will still find peace. Listen! Please listen to me because we may never cross paths again. Make use of me now! I am living my last moments, as far as you are concerned. Yesterday, I was walking down this very cobbled street when it happened. I noticed two boys. Yes, two boys, who were racing each other up a wall. The elder refused to let the younger one win, but they hugged each other in the end, and then started laughing! So?..Well,do you not see? Hmmm. In my dream, this one guy had confessed his love to me through poetry. That has never happened in real life. Yesterday, I was still swimming in these dejected thoughts (before I saw the two bo...

I want to blow myself up into a million pieces. Every shred of skin torn and strewn across. Every loose tissue splattered like grease on the floor. Then I want to collect those pieces and make me again. I want to blow myself up into a million pieces. Every shred of skin torn and strewn across. Every loose tissue splattered like grease on the floor. Then I want to collect those pieces and make me again. But differently this time.

I had been walking to my second week of class, when I strode across his door. That was the first time I saw him. Legs upfront on the desk, and huge earphones that looped around his ears. No, this is not a story about love. It is about those first few seconds that lead me to being completely fatigued by this intriguing personality. Let’s call him K. Well, I would look up at K every time since then, as I made my way to class. Each time, I would hunt for answers to questions that I hadn’t even consciously framed in my mind. Occasionally I felt he looked up too, and maybe that made a difference. I do not know. That was last semester. This spring, I actually have classes with him. Perhaps there was too much dopamine being fired in my brain the first time I saw him enter through the door, that somehow fudge my ability to recall that moment. Although I try to pay attention in class now, I almost involuntarily look in his direction ever so often. He is strategically placed relative to me – to...