The School of Life is nothing short of a crash course in emotional intelligence. With all the trademark wit and elegance of Alain de Botton's other writings, and rooted in practical, achievable advice, the book is the kind of self-help one needs while going through various emotional and mental health challenges.

The Argumentative Indian is a book written by Nobel Prize winning Indian economist Amartya Sen. It is a collection of essays that discuss India's history and identity, focusing on the traditions of public debate and intellectual pluralism. In this podcast, I read out the first few pages of the very first essay which is titled as The Argumentative Indian.

An Area of Darkness is a book written by V. S. Naipaul in 1964. It is a travelogue detailing Naipaul's trip through India in the early sixties. In this podcast, I read out a few pages in which he is travelling through Kashmir and witnessing the social and political situation.

Kabir Das was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib. His poetry is still celebrated all over India and symbolises the rich culture.

The Strange Death of Europe is a 2017 book by the British journalist and political commentator Douglas Murray. It covers three major ideas in the context of Europe: Immigration, Identity and Islam. I read a few pages from the book in this podcast.

The classic teaching by a Tibetan master Chögyam Trungpa continues to inspire both beginners and long-time practitioners of Buddhist meditation. I discuss the basic ideas of meditation with the help of these texts.

Ritual is part of what it means to be human. Like sports, music, and drama, ritual defines and enriches culture, putting those who practice it in touch with sources of value and meaning larger than themselves. I share author Barry Stephenson's ideas on rituals in this podcast.

The great Anglo-American poet W. H. Auden is widely remembered for his tone, style and ability to communicate through human emotions. I recite one of his beautiful, short poem called Lullaby. Happy Sleeping!

Buddha was one of the earliest philosophers in human history. His profound wisdom, insights on human suffering, meditation methods are valid even today, to everyone within and outside the Buddhist belief system.

Bhagavad Gita is a sacred text in Hindu philosophy which pays a lot of attention to our actions, inactions and way to lead a meaningful life. I read a few verses from this book.