Author Archives: Purnendu Ghosh

Our brain is like a tool box with random tools.  You take out one particular tool to solve a specific problem. The problem with decision making is how to use so many tools to solve an interrelated problem. Our brains don’t have requisite neurons to represent every situation that we might possibly encounter. Often ourContinue reading “DECISION TOOL BOX”

We like to spend time with ourselves. After a time loneliness wears on us. We become irritable. We feel depressed and self-centred. We become lonelier. Quarantine upsets normal social rhythms. There is feeling of less connectedness. Frequently washing hands, wiping down surfaces makes one suspect to oneself. “All humanity’s problem stem from man’s inability toContinue reading “APARTNESS”

The central personality in a Adda session, as described by Nripendrakrishna Chattopadhyay, is someone who “has no office to go. His only job is to sit there like the immobile image of a deity lighting up the adda.” These good-for-nothing bekars of the para (neighbourhood), however, are often the most useful. Think of a marriage,Continue reading “SOCIAL REJECTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY BEKARS”

We make rules to flout them. If your son wants attendance at school without attending classes, he will get it; some schools run only for this purpose. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to follow traffic rules. The protectors of traffic rules will protect you. If you want to visit a crowded templeContinue reading “PRICE-TAG SOCIETY”

Fear is natural part of human psyche. Everyone has his/her own fears. The behaviour of people around us influences our responses to threatening situations. Often it is hard to forget threats. The emotional impact of fearful event often continues for long. Accidents haunt us for a long time; driving at night seems more dangerous, ifContinue reading “FEAR IS NORMAL”

 We have two views: one view assumes the convergence of the global, political, and economic systems, and consequently of values; the other view predicts continued differences. One view suggests ‘societal convergence’, while the other view sees ‘clash of civilizations’. One suggests psychological uniformity, while the other suggests continued divergence in habits of thoughts. According toContinue reading “CONFORMITY IN DIVERSITY”

Happy Birthday, SiR! Today is your 100th birthday. Let me recall a small event. I saw you at one of my cousin’s marriage reception in Kolkata. The year was 1979. You were sitting among the invitees. It seemed to me as if you were looking with deep penetration into the minds of people surrounding you.Continue reading “MAY 2, 2021: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU SiR”

We get angry when frustrated, when we experience failure. We can be angry due to ‘fairness instinct’ and ‘Robin Hood mentality’. More than ‘relative deprivation’, ‘inequity aversion’ makes us angry. Vented anger gives rise to forgiveness. Concealed anger, on the other hand,  hardens into revenge. Some can remain calm amid intense and frustrating activity. TheyContinue reading “ANGER IN THE CUT-THROAT WORLD”

No one likes anyone to move too close to give an uneasy feeling. This ‘buffer zone’ is like the ‘second skin’ hardwired into our DNA, and brain computes this buffer zone, writes Michael Graziano.  Brain computes the personal space largely unconsciously, depending upon the context. The size depends upon our social interactions; how we understandContinue reading “THE BUFFER ZONE”

The most interesting interdisciplinary conversations are held with the self. These conversations keep our mind vibrant. Inside the mind both idle gossip and cerebral discussions are practiced. How we conduct our talks with ourselves is therefore important. We ask ourselves many interesting as well as foolish questions. We build castles in the air. We putContinue reading “PACKING MIND SENSIBLY”