tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047Sat, 31 Jan 2026 22:01:54 +0000humourLoveBooksdeathgirlspainphilosophyshort sagaGodatheismblogbuddhachatchildhoodcollegeemotionfirst lovehopelifelonelinessmarriagepoemsextechnical writing19847 yearsAIAbraham EralyArun ShourieAtul GawandeBMCBeing MortalBertrand RussellBookstoreChatGPTChitrakutClarion Technologies Pvt. Ltd. PuneCommunismD H LawrenceD'martDon JuanEQElixir KarvenagarErnest HemmingwayFailureFatwaGandhiGangaGautama BuddhaGeorge OrwellGoogleGraceHealth freaksHouse swappingI love youIQITJ K RowlingKrishna BhaktiLife storyMBAMaxim GorkyMukesh AmbaniMurud JanjeeraMythologyOutline of philosophyProphet MohammedProvidencePuneRajgadRajput womenRama BhaktiRamayanRambo-4ReligionRip Van WinkleSEOShivajiSpidermanTV setTV soapThe Old Man and the SeaWeekendYahoo Messengerabsaccidentachievementadrenaline gushadvance bookingadventureagnosticagnosticismagonyairhostessalooamateur cheatersappraisalartificial inseminationaslassumptionatheistattentivenessbachelorbad namebanana ridebattle of the sexesbedroom cuddlesbeggarybelieve in yourselfbenign neglectbiological clockbloggingbodilessbonny legsbook reviewboredombowel movementbox officeboyboyhood syndromebrassierebraverybreadwinnerbride's partybridegroom's partybuttcafeteriacannabiscareercareer conscious womencelibacycharterchattingchild molestationchildhood gameschildrenchitcigarettecivil lawclassicscleavagecoffin nailscoitioncommitmentconscienceconsummate liarcool is the rulecopyingcounsellingcounsellorcouragecover lettercultural careculturecyber cafedecision-makerdestructive ambitiondevoteedietitiandreamdreamseccentricityeleventh houremotional undoingemployee welfareempowermentengineeringenlightenmenterotic oilsethicsextra-marital sexfagfair sexfall back planfamilyfaminefancyfarewellfemininefemininityfiancéfidelityfilial lovefirewallflingfriendshipfrustrationfurious sexgamblegamblinggenerationgeneration gapgenialitygirlgirlfriendgirlfriendsgorgeousgospelgrandfatherguilthappinesshard workhardshipshighhigher sensehistoryholy smokehome-makerhomosexualityhouse exchangehuman gullibilityhuman mindignoranceillogical thinkingimageimprovementincestinfidelityinsultinterviewjob satisfactionkidskilling instinctkindred distinctionkudamlaw of diminishing utilitylecherliteraturelive-in relationshiploolostlove-makinglow ebblustmagicmake-upmale chauvinistic pigmalpracticemanman-eat-man worldmango treesmemorymiddle-pathmodernitymoneymonkeysmoralitymusclesmy angelmy darlingneutral monismnew year resolutionnuances of writingnymphomaniacoffice romanceone-lineronlineorganisationorgyoverconfidenceparadoxparental loveparentspassionpatiencepersonality developmentpervertplagiarismpoetrypornographicpostpotato couchpowerpremaritalprofessionalismprofessionalspromisepromisesprotein supplementspsychological warfarepuffquestionreadingreading challengeregionalismrendezvousreturn voyageright to sexualityromancesciencesearch engineself-abnegationself-esteemself-preservationself-respectsensessentimentseriousnessseven stonessex maniacsex ratiosex-educationsex-objectssex-puppetssexual activistssexual inundationsexualitysilencesimple pleasuresskin hungersleazesmokerssmokingsmoochsocial thinkersorrowsoulsource codespiritualitysplit-personalitystalwartssuccesssuicidesunshinesurrogacytechnical writersteetotalertelepathythose three daystobaccotouchtraditiontragedytrain journeytraumatrekunmarried pregnancyvacation homevalue systemveenavengeancevibesvigourvitalityviva vocevoyeurismwater closetweddingweedwifewisdomwomanwonderkidwork from homeworkplace romancewriterwriting skillyou can winThis blog arises out of naivety and has no interference of research or second thoughts.https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)Blogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-8394209243650122397Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:25:00 +00002023-08-02T11:33:18.294+05:30AIChatGPTonlineThe other day, my YouTube listing featured a video on novel-writing using ChatGPT. I did not bother to watch it. I like to keep certain aspects of my naivety intact. Now, Khan Academy plans to deploy ChatGPT-powered tutors to replace human tutors. That was another trigger to bemoan the oncoming demise of the teaching profession on social media.The profession enjoyed an imagined immunity from https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2023/03/to-chatgpt-or-not-to-chatgpt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-4271546334553532692Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:46:00 +00002023-04-17T07:25:58.219+05:30Atul GawandeBeing MortaldeathThe writing is simple; the subject emotionally overwhelming. The book eases the reader into life's grim realities we all have to contend with—old age, disease, decrepitude, and death. If suffering is likely to precede death and, in those final stages, you are expected to make tough decisions for yourself or on behalf of  your loved ones, you would do well to read the book.The author speaks https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2023/03/being-mortal-by-atul-gawande.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-931735768593910782Sun, 12 Mar 2023 16:58:00 +00002023-07-26T18:15:56.755+05:30BooksBookstoreMukesh AmbaniI am told wealth meaningfully transforms man’s relationship with things and people around him, placing him in a position of power in the relationship. Of what use is wealth and power if it is not wedded to vision. We are grateful to the wealthy corporates for their role in bringing the much-needed infrastructure and a life of dignity to the populace. But, why aren't bookstores part of that visionhttps://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2023/03/mr-ambani-give-me-bookstore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-5717871337742991541Sat, 26 Nov 2022 12:19:00 +00002023-08-19T10:36:30.622+05:30agnosticagnosticismatheismatheistI encourage you to read my prior post on atheism.Here's a thought experiment for you. Imagine 100 crore individuals flip a coin. Only participants flipping heads move to the next round. The probability of flipping heads or tails is 50%. So, in our experiment, half a billion people would flip tails and leave the game. The game continues up to the 29th or the 30th round where we are left with just https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/11/salvaging-atheism-from-crypto-theists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-2665881545999251424Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:59:00 +00002023-04-17T07:27:50.824+05:30Bertrand Russellneutral monismOutline of philosophyAnother book that was lying with me unread for 25 years. Never could make it beyond three chapters. Had it not been for the purple patch of reading that I have struck recently, I would have abandoned the book much early in the game. Nonetheless, reading An Outline of Philosophy was an uphill task. It slowed me down. It felt as if I had never read anything. A fiction novel withhttps://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/11/an-outline-of-philosophy-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-2776792444333489156Fri, 14 Oct 2022 15:01:00 +00002025-12-18T18:52:36.572+05:30Booksreadingreading challengeFor 2022, I set a target of 40 books to mark my fortieth year. I have read books in the past. But this time, I was on a reading spree. I gave myself completely to the satisfying experience of reading. The choice of books turns out to be eclectic. My mini success. How often do thoughts and deeds of ordinary mortals align? A mediocre that I am, it required some hard self-talk to shake off my https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/10/on-completing-my-reading-challenge-2022.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-3831688249605789321Mon, 26 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +00002022-12-17T18:26:57.688+05:30Little Women — Louisa May Alcott — (4/5)A Short History of Nearly Everything — Bill Bryson — (3.5/5)What is History? — E H Carr — (4.5/5)Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett — (4.5/5)The Penguin History of the World — J M Roberts & Odd Arne Westadd — (4/5)Outgrowing God — Richard Dawkins — (3.5/5)The Courage to Be Disliked — Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga — (3/5)Things Fall Apart — Chinuahttps://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/05/2022-reading-list.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-5454341848591170292Sun, 25 Sep 2022 12:39:00 +00002023-10-05T14:42:51.669+05:30Arun ShouriedeathGautama Buddhawork from homeThey published what was yet a working draft. Very repetitive and does little justice to the subject it sets out to treat. Only the last chapter has some significant comments. Of religious sermons, I have had enough. The book is mostly anecdotes from the lives of spiritual men, quotes from scriptures, mostly Buddhist, and couplets. Arun Shourie merely restates scriptural statements and adds some https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/09/preparing-for-death-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-8905255792940020197Thu, 08 Sep 2022 11:54:00 +00002023-04-17T07:29:25.710+05:30J K RowlingmagicMythologyThe only book in this genre I have ever read.I was reared on a heavy dose of Indian mythology, conditioned to read fantasy as mythology. When reading modern fantasy, that conditioning takes hold of me, only to mar the enjoyment this time.Hindu mythology sets out to explain the very origin and sustaining principle of the universe and breaks into legends and lore that capture the peopling of the https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-tales-of-beedle-bard-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-2707888870301561688Wed, 07 Sep 2022 17:40:00 +00002022-11-16T18:02:11.168+05:30This book can be one's baptism in philosophy. I was gifted this book when I was in the 10th standard. In the intervening years, I read it only in bits. It's a personal embarrassment that I had a gem of a book lying on my shelf unfinished.When Will Durant picks up a philosopher, he becomes the indistinguishable voice of the philosopher. So completely does he identify himself with the philosophy https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-story-of-philosophy-by-will-durant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-7351245134016013628Tue, 23 Aug 2022 03:40:00 +00002023-02-23T09:21:35.340+05:30I believe that authors with maritime experience bring an unusual depth and aloofness to their writing. They have an opportunity for distant and wide-range observation. Their prose is quaint and fresh at the same time. With all the above qualities and a prophetic brilliance coupled with an unerring word choice, a gift given only to poet, Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness explores human https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/08/heart-of-darkness-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-1117317405835047955Sat, 28 May 2022 16:42:00 +00002023-07-26T18:11:16.966+05:30atheismGodscienceIn my eagerness to commit to writing my conversion to atheism, I was missing the tiny wick of the lamp on the altar. The eagerness is not without a tinge of melancholy. Compared to the time I spent tending to my faith, my lapse from faith is very recent. I still hear the creak of that door shutting behind me. People ask what happened. I am at a loss to explain. Therefore, this blogpost.The idea https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2022/05/my-atheism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-2656660948946610635Sat, 17 Jul 2021 12:08:00 +00002022-09-29T18:12:52.154+05:30Krishna BhaktiRama BhaktiThe cult of Krishna Vaishnavism is theologically rich and accessible. Gaudiya Vaishnavas have embellished Krishna Bhakti with scriptural sanction, a convincing doctrine of love, and a celebratory allure that must be seen to be believed. A few Vaishnava cults make Krishna subservient to Radha. If Krishna is our Soul, then Radha is the Soul of Krishna. Therefore, unlike Lakshmi and Vishnu, Radha https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2021/07/ram-bhakti-mein-rasik-sampraday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-211513430453065727Wed, 01 Jul 2020 12:43:00 +00002022-06-25T08:28:56.442+05:30D H Lawrence I had targeted four novels of D H Lawrence: Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover in that order. I have finished the first two. I wanted to write a review after completing all the four. But, here I am, not to let year 2020 go without a blog post. Readers must be familiar with fiction that takes you to the heart of the story. But, Lawrence takes you to the https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2020/07/d-h-lawrence.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-8650620577187906503Fri, 05 Apr 2019 07:24:00 +00002021-02-17T14:58:30.138+05:30 Most of the luggage was borne on shoulders and some of it wheeled out of the elevator. The cab was navigating off the track on the Uber app. The time lost in finding a cab had eaten into our buffer time. The nuisance of luggage was weighing heavily on my mind and shoulders. I was doing a mental check of my vitamin B12 and D3; the levels seemed not enough to care for an ailing wife and control a https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2019/04/deadweight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-5425411771118914860Mon, 09 Oct 2017 16:46:00 +00002022-12-26T14:12:55.416+05:301984George Orwell My writing ability multiplied manifold cannot play second fiddle to Orwellian portrayal. So, I am not reviewing the book here. I am here to congratulate Orwell and join him in the belligerent satisfaction of outsizing all literary yardsticks of evocative portrayals. Dystopian novel it is; but, the dystopia is so intense that a person not in excruciating physical pain and with reasoning ability https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2017/10/1984-by-george-orwell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-592534192178288702Thu, 20 Jul 2017 08:37:00 +00002022-06-09T17:32:51.460+05:30BMCfarewellpoem (Read out to sporting seniors and colleagues in BMC on my farewell) Basking in the warmth of training, Sips of coffee, slow-paced learning, With two months to settle and learn, I imagined it’s all gonna be fun. I had finished Atrium Part 1 and begun Part 2; I faintly knew what I was getting into. I consoled myself, it's pointless to hurry into things; A caterpillar deserves time before ithttps://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2017/07/office-farewell-poem.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-6253279730657537567Fri, 29 Apr 2016 05:33:00 +00002017-07-31T19:31:05.712+05:30short saga Challenge: The story must end with the line “It was less than a second, but it changed everything.” Word limit 150 words. Three days since I ate anything mentionable. Chewing on bones thrown at me, after the family of paupers files out the stickiest sinew with their grinding teeth, does not satisfy my hunger. But, the family thinks of me as a lucky puppy. Leftovers is not a way of life https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2016/04/short-saga-4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-5492817286283180387Thu, 24 Dec 2015 08:48:00 +00002022-07-15T11:01:09.750+05:30 Challenge: The story must start with This is the story of how I died. But, don't worry, this is actually a fun story, and the truth is.... Word limit 150 words. Metamorphosis This is the story of how I died. But, don't worry, this is actually a fun story, and the truth is I have a new life. I had seen twenty summers and the words of my long-deceased mother still rang https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2015/12/short-saga-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-2468010152750568905Mon, 28 Sep 2015 10:18:00 +00002022-10-17T16:00:29.184+05:30short saga Challenge:  A picture of an old man and an old woman with their backs to each other and walking away Time: 30 minutes Word limit: 100 words Ghost from the past The girl was inconsolable, the grandfather unassuageable. A new kid from the neighborhood had dumped her for another girl. Her dream of participating in the coveted dance competition was shattered. Grandfather empathized with her https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2015/09/short-saga-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-508027708396016783Mon, 28 Sep 2015 10:16:00 +00002019-06-08T18:05:03.436+05:30short saga Challenge: The story must start with 'That day of summer was the most memorable day of my life. It all started when...'. Word limit 100 words. That day of summer was the most memorable day of my life. It all started when I went on a tea break. I sat beneath a shade next to a water pot. A minute later, a woman laborer approached the pot. She looked mysterious. She filled her glass, https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2015/09/short-saga-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-8373448321227676205Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:39:00 +00002020-06-29T11:27:02.017+05:30Books Every book tarries at some point between its covers. Not every page can sparkle, nor can every description lay claim to reader’s imagination. Some passages beg half-to-no attention. Readers who identify with the author's feelings may consider his writing perfectly intelligible; while, to others he may be an epitome of vagueness. Here, evaluations are subjective. One author speaks to his https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2013/02/author-smother.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-8374799091174429135Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:02:00 +00002022-12-17T21:15:40.971+05:30 Numerous influences determine our actions. Sometimes, common influences go missing. There are individuals totally cut-off from religious influences. They don’t feel religion inside. There are individuals who do not understand love; or, they do not resonate to the idea of love as I never resonate to the idea of window-shopping. The Outsider introduces you to the strange https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-outsider-by-albert-camus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-1803527754479318068Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:14:00 +00002023-04-14T10:53:43.210+05:30Fiction is a great teacher and entertainer. But, over a course of readings, the allusions, the foreshadowing, and the figures of speech  diminish your interest. Also, what fascinates you initially, slowly loses its attraction like any other talent that cannot be admired all the time. Fiction betrays a pattern and language seems inferior to its task. Then, you read Madame Bovary, and languagehttps://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2012/12/madame-bovary-by-gustave-flaubert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705413253136125047.post-6425969141710366911Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:36:00 +00002019-04-04T21:04:10.380+05:30CommunismMaxim Gorky The Mother by Maxim Gorky was my first novel. I think I read it during Class VII vacations. I remember very little of what I read then: A meek mother who committed herself for the cause espoused by her only son. The son and his other factory worker friends were fighting injustice. My sympathies were completely with the mother and son. In the end, the mother is waylaid. Her https://amitdurgapal.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-mother-by-maxim-gorky.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amit Durgapal)0