My Perspective

In ancient Indian scriptures, specifically yoga philosophy, OM is considered a sacred syllable or mantra whose repeated prolonged utterance as in a form of meditation is associated with positive and beneficial effects on humans. What is the science behind it? Here are three studies that scientifically investigated the effect of OM chanting.

Once upon a time, was a cat of mine; I called her Pilli, as she was silly; She ate a ball of yarn, found on a big old barn; Then she had kittens, all wearing mittens! ~ yours truly

This Veganuary, please watch Seaspiracy documentary on Netflix to understand the human induced devastating impact on the oceans through fishing, whaling, oil extraction etc. References:  -  https://www.seaspiracy.org/facts

In the name of tradition, people waste lot of food resources - both in the west and in the subcontinent. It is a Halloween tradition to carve a big pumpkin to make it look scary. But then they throw it away afterwards. It leads to a lot of food waste. Instead of throwing away a good Pumpkin, try to make a pumpkin pie or soup instead?  If you insist on carving then there is a better alternative. Try carving a smaller turnip instead of the bigger pumpkin. Turnip carving also happens to be a old tradition in some places in northern England for that matter. Similarly, in the Indian context, I would discuss ash gourds. There is a tradition of hanging ash gourds or breaking those at the entrance of a house during religious ceremonies to ward off evil spirits. It is just a waste of ash gourds. Instead make a sweet dessert? In this regard small lemons are a better alternative to ash gourds. People typically quench lemons under the wheels of an automobile to ward off bad luck. Being sm...

People with age-related hearing-loss commonly experience difficulty in understanding speech in noisy situations, like social gatherings e.g. cocktail parties, café, or restaurants.  Earlier scientific studies have established that the ability to segregate and group overlapping generic artificial sounds (not words in any language) is related to the ability to understand speech in social chatter. In my recent study [1], I non-invasively recorded electrical activity from the brain (using EEG technique) while the subjects performed a relevant task (sound segregation and grouping) and irrelevant task (a visual task). I compared the electrical signals evoked from the brain during segregation and grouping of non-linguistics artificial sounds against when trying to understand speech amidst (babble) noise. I established that the electrical brain activity generated during real-world listening is similar to that of artificial sound segregation done passively without paying atte...

Pranayama (literally means 'lengthening of life') is a practice of yoga that focusses on breath control to improve health and wellbeing. How does it work? Since our mood affects our breathing, hence we control our mood by regulating our breath. This is achieved by rhythmically performing inhalation and exhalation. In fact the power of meditation comes from its focus on breath modulation. A number of scientifically conducted studies show that breathing techniques alleviate anxiety, stress, and insomnia while improving mood. In fact, cardiac coherence breathing exercises can stabilize [1] the heartbeat and have a powerful ability to dampen anxiety. One recommended way to practice breathing technique is  365 method . At least three times a day, breathe at a rhythm of six cycles per minute (i.e. five seconds inhaling, five seconds exhaling) for five minutes. And do it every day, 365 days a year. Reference:  [1]  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-bri...

This article by former Under-Secretary General of United Nations, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, is about a letter written on August 27, 1947, by a young American woman, who had the rare privilege of being present at the independence ceremonies of both India and Pakistan. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/independence-in-the-words-of-a-young-american/article65761341.ece She wrote to her friend two weeks after witnessing the event: "The memory of the feelings that surged up within us as we watched their excitement and awe still brings tears to my eyes." It is striking that someone who, by nationality, had no direct emotional stake in the events she witnessed, still found them so exciting that thoughts of what she had seen kept her awake for two weeks. "The memories of the first Independence Day may have faded, but the power of that magical moment must never be forgotten." Wish a very happy and inspiring 75 years of independence!