Guilt is both an emotion and a responsibility. Psychologically, guilt is a feeling associated with harm or wrongdoing. The idea of guilt is situated in a sociocultural context. German Kollektivschuld, collective guilt, is a notion that has been pondered since World War II for the atrocities of the Holocaust. In an influential essay, Carl JungContinue reading “The role of collective guilt and love in shaping post-war relationships: an analysis of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink“
Author Archives: Sankalpa Venkatraghavan
Back Of The Envelope Calculations
If you’ve ever had an enthusiastic math or physics teacher, then the importance of doing ‘back of the envelope calculations’ is likely to have been overemphasized and illustrated in great detail. If you’ve not had the pleasure, here’s a classic example. Find the height of the building you are in, and it’s total weight. StateContinue reading “Back Of The Envelope Calculations”
Molecular Robots
The idea of a robot is not something I’ve especially given thought to before. It did not strike me that while the programming of electrical components was to mimick behaviors like walking and hand movements, these are always viewed in the context of our environment. Walking is but the application of force on a flatContinue reading “Molecular Robots”
Communing With A Cockroach
The co-inhabitant of my bathroom stared at me. Six hours ago I naively thought it to be dead. Alas! What a rookie mistake that turned out to be. It calmly lay there, sunbathing like a model with one leg lazily stretched into the air, basking in the afternoon sun. It appeared so still and calm.Continue reading “Communing With A Cockroach”
On Beauty
Some years ago, my uncle lent me a novel around my birthday. It touched me so much that I never returned it and I’ve turned it into a litmus test of sorts. I’ve waxed poetic about The Elegance of The Hedgehog to everyone near and dear, and then some. My friends groan at the mereContinue reading “On Beauty”
The Thing About Research
The story is never a straight path. The destination is often unknown; the route a vague outline at best. But you know where you start. That’s in your hands. You are the beginning of your tale, and you can start at the tail end if you please. In my lab, we’re big on the story.Continue reading “The Thing About Research”
The Queen of Jasmine Country
I’ve been away from home this summer trying to figure out whether the world of academia has a place for me. Over the past weekend, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather. A friend made the trek across the city to bring me some much needed sustenance – a cute book and muffins. TheContinue reading “The Queen of Jasmine Country”
Sankalpa Venkatraghavan 