[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f3Q5XqmAweIOeEZn0Xsa79jrEehVRJlY0EYe7Y9RYHgA":3,"$ft8ljRokbW9DMI4yyfHiHxzKZN5wKZbLCUmvcqvCl0cE":20},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},11473,"Vikram Seth","V",147,null,"vikram-seth",[12,16],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},56,"thinking",8,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":19},25,"love",6,{"quotes":21,"pagination":85},[22,29,36,42,48,55,61,67,73,79],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3496498,"I simply seem to drift. But I sort of allow the drift, because it has a kind of check – it forces me to work harder at what I’m interested in.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":35},3496485,"It was a warm evening, and there was less silk and more fine cotton than at Savita’s wedding. But the jewellery glittered just as gloriously. Meenakshi’s little pear-earrings, Veena’s navratan and Malati’s emeralds glinted across the garden, whispering to each other the stories of their owners.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely from Vikram Seth's novel \"A Suitable Boy,\" published in 1993. The passage describes a wedding scene in the 1950s, a time of great social change in India. The novel is a sweeping family saga that explores themes of love, class, and identity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, the quote appears to be a description of the jewelry worn by the guests at the wedding. However, the real insight lies in the way Seth juxtaposes the \"silk\" of Savita's wedding with the \"fine cotton\" of this newer wedding. This subtle distinction reveals a tension between tradition and modernity, as well as between the old money of the upper class and the rising middle class. By highlighting the \"glitter\" of the jewelry, Seth underscores the idea that even as social norms are changing, the desire for beauty, status, and connection remains a constant.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen navigating the complexities of personal and professional relationships, recognize that tradition and modernity are not mutually exclusive. Instead, learn to balance the old and the new, embracing the traditions that bring people together while also embracing the changes that drive progress. By doing so, you can create a sense of continuity and connection that is just as \"glorious\" as the jewelry in Seth's novel.",{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":9},3496474,"Whenever she opened a scientific book and saw whole paragraphs of incomprehensible words and symbols, she felt a sense of wonder at the great territories of learning that lay beyond her – the sum of so many noble and purposive attempts to make objective sense of the world.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":9},3496448,"Dear though the reader might be, I’d be silly to cater to what the reader wanted.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":54},3496444,"All over India, all over the world, as the sun or the shadow of darkness moves from east to west, the call to prayer moves with it, and people kneel down in a wave to pray to God. Five waves each day – one for each namaaz – ripple across the globe from longitude to longitude. The component elements change direction, like iron filings near a magnet – towards the house of God in Mecca.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely from Vikram Seth's book \"An Equal Music\" (1999), a novel that explores the intersection of art, love, and spirituality. Seth, a British-Indian author, was known for his lyrical prose and his exploration of the complexities of human experience. At the time of writing, Seth was in his mid-40s, having spent his formative years in India and England, and was drawing on his experiences as a musician and a traveler to craft his unique narrative voice.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat the quote reveals is the tension between the universal and the particular, the global and the local. On one hand, Seth describes a seamless, synchronized ritual that transcends geographical boundaries, evoking a sense of unity and shared experience. On the other hand, he notes that this ritual is tied to specific locations (the direction of the sun, the house of God in Mecca), highlighting the irreducible particularity of human experience. This paradox highlights the ways in which our individual and collective identities are shaped by both universal forces and local contexts.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this insight to your own life, consider how you can cultivate a sense of connection to the global community while also honoring your unique local context. This might involve seeking out shared rituals or practices that transcend borders (e.g., meditation, music-making), while also acknowledging and celebrating the specific cultural traditions and histories that shape your identity. By embracing this paradox, you can find a sense of belonging to both the global wave and the local ripple.",{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3496434,"May we not be as foolish as we are almost bound to be. If we cannot eschew hatred, at least let us eschew group hatred. May we see that we could have been born as each other. May we, in short, believe in humane logic and perhaps, in due course, love.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3496422,"Sometimes i write the best about the things that I care about least.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3496406,"I am certainly not allergic to causes – particularly on subjects such as religious intolerance.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3496388,"Strange to be a man and never grow big with child. To feel a part of you opening, and a part of you leaving, and howling as if it were not a part of you.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},3496372,"I certainly think its very important that writers as citizens – not necessarily as writers, but just as ordinary citizens – should talk about things that matter to them.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":86,"totalPages":87,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":88},1,15,10]