SOULS FOR SALE

What does your favourite fruitcake say about you? Are you a wallflower or a social butterfly? Should the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor or Slytherin? Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S character are you? Thus go some of the quirky personality quizzes I stumbled across online recently. A viral trend on Instagram this year was the Cosmos Persona Quiz. It categorises you into celestial bodies like Nebula, Black Hole or Supernova based on your responses. Then there are the classic what-do-you-see Freudian illusion tests that assess you based on your interpretations of images. So why are these quizzes, with no scientific backing, an instant hit among Gen-Zers? They give these young soul-searchers a sense of fulfilment in their journey of self-discovery.
Just admit it: After coming across a magazine zodiac section that goes something like, "You trust your gut feelings" you have told yourself, "Wow, that's so me!" If a roadside palmist tells you, "You often doubt yourself," you might nod to that, too. Two contrasting remarks but both oddly feel personal to you. That's the Barnum effect-a feeling that a random remark about human traits is specifically about you. These online quizzes are no different they tell you what you want to hear, whether it is fruitcakes, F.R.I.E.N.D.S or Freudian.
"Who am I?" It is a cross-cultural and trans-historical question that has kept sages, scientists and maybe even your neighbour's Saint Bernard up at night. The Upanishads explore the ideas of Aham Brahmasmi (I am the ultimate reality) and Tat Tvam Asi (You are That). In the early 20th century, Ramana Maharshi's practice of Atma Vichara (self reflection) became popular in the west, inspiring contemporaries like Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
Denne historien er fra November 03, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra November 03, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Ethics, out of the window
Like evil spirits, corruption haunts human civilisation.

Scripting history
S. Prasanna Sree, Andhra Pradesh's first tribal woman vice chancellor, has created scripts for 19 tribal languages

IN THE AFTERGLOW
Banu Mushtaq has embarked on an ambitious post-Booker journey—illuminating the world with Kannada stories

Kharge, Clausewitz and strategic culture
How times have changed! Three decades ago, George Tanham sneered at Indians for - lacking a strategic culture. Today we have Mallikarjun Kharge quoting Clausewitz.

When Jinnah wanted a united India
Through vivid sketches and meticulous detail, a new biography offers a startling new perspective on India's partition—showing how Mountbatten, armed with charm and steely determination, pushed a resigned Congress and a reluctant Muslim League into accepting his plan

ABC of D
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DRONES AND WHAT INDIA SHOULD FOCUS ON

SPOTTED! THE GREY GHOST
This World Environment Day, THE WEEK takes you to the cold mountains of Ladakh-home to the highest number of vulnerable snow leopards in India-bringing back tales of an exciting chase, a first-hand account of man-animal conflict and the comforting knowledge of how people in remote Himalayan villages are learning to coexist with the enigmatic but elusive cat

The constant gardener
Banu and Mushtaq's story of love, resistance and literary triumph

Mark Carney's Trump card
Sharks famously circle their prey, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill. Landsharks do the same, circling the piece of real estate they covet, until it is ripe to fall into their itching hands. Meantime, they manoeuvre and manipulate, threaten and tempt.
MAJOR CHALLENGE IS AVAILABILITY OF PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Q/ With high-tech weapons changing modern warfare, which are the focus areas of research at DRDO?