Ipsita Contemplates

An engineering and architectural marvel, Konark Sun temple, has much more in store than just what the eye meets. It associates tales that span multitude domains and harbor significance in every walk of life and can mesmerize any soul who wishes to seep in the enigmatic charisma of this masterpiece. Many a times, I have thought of jotting down my thoughts on this. However, I have always found myself mesmerized by its enchanting mystery so much so that I end up forgetting the line of thoughts. Its happening now as well, but I will try my best to capture as much as I can. The stories wrapped around the temple have situations of varied fields in them, which includes but are not limited to Philosophy, Science, astronomy, cosmology, architecture, and engineering. Primarily, one tale surfaces around this. For the uninitiated, I would try to give a quick preview of it without going into much details of the play of emotions, sacrifice, motherly love, and the likes.  The construction of the...

Who knows what the exact reason is. All I know is, among the many numbers that represent and define Life and Nature, pi has always been one of my favorites. There obviously are many reasons why it is a great number. However, those were not the sole contributors.  The beauty of pi being an "irrational number" can never be stressed enough. One can never "know" it's exact value. It goes on and on. What can be more beautiful than that! It's almost like a forever journey, full of surprises, with no known patterns or resemblances. Like life!  Look around or better look inside. Wherever you look, you will find pi. It's presence can be felt in every form and shape, be it the shape of our pupils, the sun, or even the flowers. It forms the basis of creation for all life forms, be it in the stripes of a zebra, spots of a leopard, or even our own DNA, All this cannot just be coincidence. To a patternless number that is the reason behind almost every pattern. Truly w...

"Life has come a full circle". You and I might have heard this statement at some point in time. Why a circle? Why not a square? Or a triangle? It could have been any other shape, but we choose circle. A circle represents so much more than one would care to venture. Look around, and observe...it's everywhere. A circle gives a sense of totality, completeness,  and universalism . It has no beginning, nor an ending, like eternity. Everything is equal and uniform. It represents true perfection, timelessness, life force, and much more. How does a clock move? What about yin and yang? How about the Yuga wheels and zodiacs? These are the more commonly observable parameters. There's much more about this magical shape (and extensions of it, like a sphere). We can go on discussing about how it means almost everything in the universe, in divinity, spirituality, and in cosmic references. However, let's hold on to it for now. The next thing to brood over is how do we define a ci...

For here the sun might be setting But the promise of a new day Must also be fulfilled The other side waited eagerly As the sun was making the transition From a mesmerizing sunset here To a glorious morning somewhere else. Copyright © 2020 Ipsita Contemplates. All Rights Reserved.

The desire.... To fly, soaring across the limitless sky, To explore, and be lost in the beautiful bay, To dream, and think across the brae, Oh! The desire..... To be and still not be; anyway! Copyright © 2020 Ipsita Contemplates. All Rights Reserved.

Breathe the fragrance in the zephyr And feel the kiss of sunshine The silkiness and the warmth For eternity, cherish and enshrine. Copyright © 2020 Ipsita Contemplates. All Rights Reserved.

I was in Class III when I got introduced to the concept of abstract nouns. I was completely floored by that concept. Not that the other concepts were not good enough, but the concept of a noun that can denote an idea, or a state of being; something that does not have a physical existence, but just an existence in thoughts was as exciting as it could be. It is perhaps very difficult to explain the plethora of feelings I used to feel (and still do) whenever I came across an abstract noun. Happiness is one of my favorite abstract nouns. “An Abstract Noun is usually the name of a quality, action, or state considered apart from the object to which it belongs.” -Wren and Martin I wonder, can happiness (or any abstract noun, for that matter) be ever defined. How to define something that can never take any physical shape? How to define something which is dependent on an idea, a thought? Are not ideas and thoughts individual specific?! My thoughts are different than yours…and your id...

I did not have a plan for that day. That is why I did not set up my morning alarm. However, I woke up a few minutes before 6 in the morning. That was strange, considering I was dead tired from the previous day and still I woke up refreshed. I was in Pondicherry and it was day 1! I sprang out of my bed and looked outside the window. Probably most would not call it a “perfect sunrise time”! Then again, perfection is just a state of mind. It was not late enough, and the view was still breathtaking. I moved out of my room to the beach (I just had to cross the road to reach the beach). The smell of the sea in the warmth of the infant sun can elevate anybody’s spirits. The serenity of the water dazzling in the golden sun was amazing! As the sun started its ascent on to the sky, I returned to my room, prepared myself for the day and moved out. It was around 7 in the morning. I decided to go to Baker’s street for breakfast and set on foot for that. The streets were calm and beau...

I have been often asked, after a trip, “How was the place?” or “Which all places you visited?”. Most often than not, I find myself capable of answering these questions, at least to my satisfaction. It was different this time. This time I visited Kashmir. I remember the day when my parents suggested the trip. It was unexpected. I never thought we will ever be going to Kashmir anytime soon. The primary reason for this being two factors: the weather and the political conditions. It's not that I never wished going there, for who would not! Especially if you are a dreamer. But it was more like one of those wishes that you just have, but you never worked on it to make it happen. It was raining when we landed in Srinagar. When we moved out of the arrival gate, the cab driver of our cottage hotel, and some other people (who just happened to take shelter there for the rain) started loading our luggage in the cab. I was apprehensive of the fact that some complete strangers are ju...