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  I have been an intermittent blogger, and engage in social media platforms regularly. One of the topics on which I have been consistently posting has been on Indian textiles, especially sarees. Many a times friends ask me seriously, as well as sarcastically as to how many sarees I own. Hardly does anyone me ask how many books I own. I do post on books regularly, sharing reviews, books bought, read, books encountered at the library. While saree posts sometimes get a decent traction, book posts are generally overlooked. During Deepavali when my friend asked me about the Hindu festivals, economy and the interconnectedness, one book came to my mind. It is about food, the Indian concept of anna, donating food anna dana – Annam Bahu Kurvita by Jitendra Bajaj and M.D.Srinivas. It is not a book that I have read cover to cover, but read through pages, passages, shlokas and their meanings given there from time to time. It is a book that has had a deep impact on me. It is also a book which I...

Sources of Ancient Indian Culture in Kalidasa’s works     “Every work of his is a veritable testament of the best in the genius and culture of ancient India”             ‘ Ancient India – History and Culture’ B.G.Gokhale This is part of a small, juvenile exercise I had done while trying to understand the ancient Indian culture through Kalidasa. Since I can in no way better the two books on the "Idea of India", Bhagwat Saran Upadhyaya's 'India in Kalidasa' and C.Rajendran's 'Narrating the Nation', I will leave you with just an introduction that can serve as an inspiration to read both the books. Both are available online, and provide such fascinating insights into what Kalidasa saw, the idea of Bharata.  This is especially for those who have never formally studied Kalidasa. Scholars kindly excuse. Bharat of Kalidasa “Looking at the chart of India as furnished by Kalidasa, we can see the country divided into three ...