GreenWitchChronicles

In 2015, when ISIS took control of major parts of Syria, along with millions of people killed, one major casualty was the ancient ruins of Palmyra. As it became clear that the city was going into the hands of ISIS, Qassim Abdullah Yehya and Khaled al-Asaad, the custodians of the archaeological artefacts of the city, evacuated the city museum and shifted many of these valued objects of heritage to another location.

Paraman was one such regular, the street violinist, who had positioned himself between an artist and a beggar. In our culture, the members of the Pulluva community, to which he belonged had the traditional role of creating exquisite music using two delightful musical instruments- a single-string local fiddle and a round mud pot with a tight wire wound across it.

The United Nations and the International Court of Justice that functions under it have certain jurisdiction over settling border disputes between the countries. There are international laws to assist them in such matters. There are many border treaties in place globally, many adhered to, and many breached on a routine scale. There are also borders in place in the seas and the skies. Maritime borders are often contested, breached, and heavily guarded too.

Scents surround us all the time, but we cannot record them for posterity. Hence, we make perfumes, scented candles, and potpourri to capture and re-experience the fragrances that help refresh our memories and dreams.

For generations, Aleppo was a peaceful trading hub. Reaching Aleppo, the Silk Route entered the Mediterranean Sea, rendering it a special status among such trade centres....However, invaders began to arrive centuries ago.

For the mothers on both sides, the soldiers are children, their children. They grieve separately and by design within the parameters of an imagined nationhood, oblivious to the same kind of suffering of the mothers on the other side of the fence. 

Cellular memory is an emerging field of science, and evidence suggests that the heart possesses some of the capabilities traditionally attributed to the brain. Perhaps it is time to consider the heart's role in our emotions and intellect, challenging the traditional dominance of the brain.

St Thomas Basilica, Mylapur, Chennai, which is believed to be the original burial place of St Thomas. Although numerous Christian sects in India hold the belief that St. Thomas traveled to India and converted their ancestors to Christianity, this narrative is considered apocryphal. Research involving facts, fiction, and historical documents has not yielded definitive proof of such a journey by St. Thomas. Nonetheless, the absence of evidence has not deterred the Christians of

A famous cat-and-mouse story from Mahabharata is about Lomasa, the cat, and Palita, the mouse. Lomasa lived on the branches of a tree. The story is full of practical wisdom and mirrors the ways people behave.

Current human understanding about the brass tacks of the universe revolves around the concepts of dark energy, black holes, and an expanding (will it shrink later?) universe. The pursuit for a 'theory of everything' is ongoing.

The Apollo temple in Delphi, on Mount Parnassus, was the home of Pythia, the extraordinary oracle of Apollo, the god of light, knowledge, and harmony. Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus, Euripides, Plutarch, Ovid and many more Greek thinkers and writers have sung her praise.

The cost of developing this new rose breed was about three million British pounds, and it took him fifteen years to complete. But after all that work, he sold it for an almost unbelievable five million dollars, garnering a profit and making it the most expensive flower.

Is ‘good’ really good? Is ‘bad’ really bad? Well, Friedrich Nietzsche emphatically said ‘no.’ Why? Because he went to the source of these concepts, to their origins in history and language, and revealed the disturbing truth about them.

Every epoch of our culture and every era in the history of our society has its own pet words. These are the words that gain popularity through the human effort to understand and describe a new reality. The world now faces extreme climate events daily, compelling us to learn the vocabulary that helps us make sense of these changes. Words and usages such as carbon neutral, net zero emission, greenhouse effect, global warming, and many more are going to be a common part of our m

If you visit India, your experience of this country will never be complete without visiting Chandni Chowk, also known as Dureeba. This is the ancient market built by the Mughal princess, Jahanara Begum, the unmarried scion of the great Emperor Shah Jahan, and an intelligent and industrious woman who wanted to leave her mark as an efficient and strong princess.

Come autumn, the maples change their attire to myriad shades. It is a visual treat for us, but the plant's existence hangs between death and life. Maple leaves are normally green because they have chlorophyll which helps photosynthesis. As the leaves age, chlorophyll production is reduced.

Omari Mosque was the oldest mosque in Gaza and the largest. On December 9, 2023, news came out of Gaza that the mosque was destroyed in the Israeli bombing. As a place of worship, this mosque and the land on which it stands have a deep and layered history.

Though it took 25,000 years for the South American civilisations to come of age, its destruction needed only one or two centuries to complete as the European colonisers reached this land of sun and rain.

The facts and views about America’s economic interests in any war have been exhaustively discussed in the public domain. During the Afghan and Iraq wars, the problematic premise of US interests in global conflicts were put under scrutiny like never before. Less known is how these interests evolved in the succeeding decades.

Is happiness measurable, and more importantly, is it something achievable by individuals through conscious effort? Decades of research have been dedicated to pursuing this elusive goal, this mirage of life.