Vinaka Vaka Levu
Update and Summary
Vinaka Vaka Levu
A big Thankyou - Fijian
The last few weeks have been difficult, as is obvious from this blogposts dated April 22, 2025 ( Heart to Heart) and May 10, 2025 (Only the Truth Triumphs).
The structure that you see is called Bure in Fijian. These used to be traditional Fijian houses. However, this picture was taken at a tourist spot. This was one of the first pictures I took in Fiji. Within a month of being there, since we went with a University trip. Some pictures are sacred, this is one of them.
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Issues addressed in the above mentioned posts (Heart-to-Heart and Only the Truth Triumphs)—politics, religion and media are something I have experience with—both academic and personal. The same issues have resurfaced in almost every country I have lived in. These will be addressed in following posts.
Being a media scholar, it is easy to recognize media’s role in creating misinformation—by presenting news without context and by overlooking underlying factors that lead to conflicts. Or simply creating a simplistic understanding of the issues.
New media, twitter/X, YouTube, Facebook/meta are not much help.
To find honest well analyzed views in the sea of information is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
A guard outside a house in the neighborhood I grew up in
Update
Since the post on April 22, 2025 (Heart to Heart) - there have been people who have unsubscribed and those who have joined.
I have also gained one more paid subscriber —you know who you are so thank you.
As of now I have 126 subscribers, 165 followers, and four paid subscribers.
Thankyou all!
As I stated earlier, presently, all blog posts are available to all. Nothing is behind paywall.
I am not used to being paid for my writing, since most of my writing is academic.
Have to admit that this support is both flattering and encouraging.
Ketumetse—THANKYOU in Setswana.
I remain utterly grateful to the readers.
There is so much to share,- photographs, short films and the endless trail of ideas that keep me occupied.
However, I do want to return to the focus of this blog—Mind and Technology, a broad area of research which will cover issues on media, technology, impact of new media on society, social relations, alongside impact of yoga, breath work etc/ pm the mind.
In between there will be stories, memoir, poetry and musings.
Mobile Incense Shop in Our Neighborhood in Delhi
Previous Posts
Just wanted to highlight some previous posts and series.
Festival of Color in Delhi
These are some of the series that you can find on this blog. Most of them will have an expiry date, but for now they are ongoing.
Hinduism: Representation in the Media & General perception
(Universal/specific) concepts in Hinduism
Some Short Films: Link to all trailers and 24 minute film on Mid-Summer
One of my favorite posts is There are Stories Without Conflict. It came a few days after October 7. 2023. Although the event is not mentioned here. The post came from a utopian wish, for happy stories. There are many happy stories, but they hardly make good stories.
And hence the Media.
We as public have such a short memory. In all the news about the region, somehow we do not remind the viewers about the horror that day was. They were civilians too. Once again —it is important to state that this does not mean taking sides. This is how media directs our neck to certain aspects it wants us to focus on.
Currently there is genocide of Hindus going on in Bangladesh, but no outrage.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
George Orwell's book Animal Farm
The following posts will discuss some of these issues.
There are also guest posts lined up.
For now, let’s wrap this up with a happy photograph, and a few tweets about India from a Non-Indian who chose to move to India recently.
In this image, a courteous security guard for this set of houses demonstrates the traditional way of accessing water from a matka, an earthen pot revered across India for its natural cooling properties. Beside the pot, wrapped in insulating jute, sits a small metal ladle—not for drinking directly, but for drawing water out hygienically. One first pours a little to wash their hands, then cups their palms as the ladle is gently tipped, offering a clean, refreshing sip. The matka, with its porous clay walls that cool through evaporation, remains a timeless symbol of hospitality—often placed outside homes so passersby and travelers can pause, refresh, and feel cared for, just as they have for generations.
Here are the tweets—
Thanks for reading!