Positivity Weekly

Hello, hello, fellow Peeker (short for Positivity Seeker). It's been a mere 7 years since the last volume of the newsletter. During this gap, it might seem like the world has become more bi-polar and knee-jerk. But let us dig deeper, shall we? Like hidden treasures, positivity becomes available only to those who are willing to work for it. We must be willing to dig past the topsoil of trauma that envelopes the surface of our societies today. Let's begin right away. Pic Credit: Times Higher Education. A paradigm-shift treatment Yesterday, our very own DRDO announced that 10,000 doses of its 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose drug will be released early next week for treating Covid-19 patients. The drug promises reduced oxygen dependence and faster recovery. It is designed on the innovative idea that the virus can be duped into thinking that the drug is glucose. The virus will therefore imbibe in order to multiply and then find itself neutered. Although Drug Controller General of India has appro...

Good times to you, Peeker (Positivity Seeker). As regular readers of our humble newsletter know, the strangest patterns emerge in each of our volumes. This week, we seem to have stumbled upon stories starring single people, some of whom remind us of more forms of love, others telling us that Life isn’t incomplete in the absence of romance. Yes, the theme of the week is not Smug Single People !!!   This week’s plea is to value Life, so that it values us back. News from the public domain An atheist who will make you cry Maurice Sendak held on to his atheism probably till the very end. He also held on to his ability to love the world and appreciate its beauty till the very end. What you will hear in this memorable interview is this writer’s voice, loaded with emotion, bravely expressing what he felt within. And what he felt is so beautiful that I mustn’t spoilt it for you. Well... in case you are don’t have the five minutes and five seconds req...

Good times to you, Peeker (Positivity Seeker). The theme for this week is “unusual personal journeys”. Each day, all of us awaken to a potentially unusual journey. Sometimes, we accept Life’s offer to embark on them. Let’s read about what happened to other Good Samaritans when they undertook such journeys. News from the public domain Another Schindler from history Sir Nicholas Winton doesn’t like the moniker “Britain’s Schindler” although it describes him in aptly and pithily. Back in 1938, he was a 29-year-old stockbroker based in London. He happened to vacation in Prague exactly as the Germans breached the Czech border. Thousands of Jew children had to be evacuated in no time. He managed this operation from London, playing a key role in the rescue of 669 children. Their descendants number 6000 today. A few days ago, this unsung hero celebrated his 105 th   birthday with news that the Czech Republic will bestow its highest honour – the Order of the White Li...

Hello again, fellow Peekers (Positivity Seekers). This week’s theme is change. Change for the better. Change for variety and happiness. Our lives are filled with things that remain the same and things that constantly change. And we have enough reasons to be thankful for both those categories of things, right? This week, let’s celebrate change. News from the public domain The racist un-divide When a so-called mainstream Indian calls a person from the Indian North-East chinki , he simultaneously insults three geographies. Not only does he insult the Chinese ( chinki is slang for Chinese) and the unique and diverse culture found in our North-East, he also insults the open and assimilating nature intrinsic to most Indians. And yet, instances of chinki insults are on the rise. Or are they? This video tells us that many Indians no longer tolerate bigots. A sliver of change While caste is a major determinant in Indian elections, it is especially so in Rajasthan, w...

Hi there. Hope you have been revelling in the goodness that is the Universe. A small portion of that goodness is distilled in this volume of Positivity Weekly. You know, we don’t start any volume seeking a theme. Sometimes, a theme simply emerges from the cocoon of research and compilation. This week’s theme seems to be “twists in normal tales”. Hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you. News from the public domain Reality versus fantasy There is the fantasy of love. And then there is the reality of love. Experience them juxtaposed here . The time to be happy is NOW Remember Stephen Fry who played the unflappable Jeeves in the Jeeves and Wooster series? The smart guy featured in BBC? Well, even if you don’t who he is, you will know the wisdom of his words in this video . Some people attend arduous workshops to be given this message. All you need to do is spend 3 minutes engrossed in Fry’s assessment of how we derive meani...