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The Present Minds
Writing archive195 published pieces

All writing.

Long-form essays, personal perspectives and writing on psychology, mental health, the self and modern life.Page 6 of 17

61 The Margin8 min read

Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore: The Story About Two Fathers and One Lost Daughter

Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore begins with a little girl who cannot stop talking. Mini is five years old. She has been talking since she learned how. Her…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
62 Between Lines5 min read

Evening Walks in London: What Whitechapel Taught Me About Watching

There is a version of London that only appears after 8pm. Not the tourist version. Not the rush-hour version. The quieter, stranger, more honest version that surfaces…

Shaniya NazRead article →
63 The Margin6 min read

What I Learnt from a Teenage Boat Skipper in Montenegro

What I learnt from a Teenager with a boat in Montenegro is something that might come as a huge shock to a lot of people. It is…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
64 Purusharth5 min read

Bhishma Did Not Die When the Arrows Hit Him. He Chose When.

Bhishma fell on the tenth day of the war. He did not die. The arrows had entered him from every direction. He lost consciousness briefly when he…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
65 The Prism6 min read

When Stories Do the Work That Advertising Never Could

When done right, we see marketing as a catalyst for social change, subtly shifting our perceptions and challenging the status quo before we even realize it. You…

Dr. Shalu ChopraRead article →
66 Purusharth5 min read

Arjuna Put Down His Bow at Kurukshetra. Krishna Told Him to Pick It Up.

Arjuna looked across the battlefield to understand his Svadharma meaning as he saw his grandfather on the other side of the field. Then his uncles. His teachers.…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
67 Purusharth7 min read

What the Mahabharata Knew About Being Right and Being Ignored

Vidura was the wisest man in the Mahabharata. He was also the most ignored. Not in a dramatic way. He held a significant position. Prime minister of…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
68 Psychology9 min read

What Is Schadenfreude: Why We Secretly Enjoy Other People’s Pain

You scrolled past something this week that made you feel a small, quiet satisfaction. A person you find arrogant got publicly corrected. A company you dislike announced…

Shaniya NazRead article →
69 The Margin8 min read

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant: The Last Line That Changes Everything

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant was published in 1884. It takes about fifteen minutes to read. The last line takes considerably longer to recover from. You…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
70 Human Frameworks4 min read

How Daylight Saving Time Affects Your Body and Sleep

How daylight saving time affects body and sleep is a question most people answer with a shrug and a second coffee. The biology underneath that shrug is…

Syed HammadRead article →
71 The Margin10 min read

What I Learnt from a Bus Driver in Scotland

What I learnt from a bus driver in Scotland was not something I had packed for, and I had packed for almost everything. Four large bottles of…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
72 Psychology6 min read

Why Fathers Struggle Most at One Year

Most parenting advice focuses on the adrenaline-fueled "fourth trimester," but recent data has finally pinpointed why new fathers struggle most at one year. The sleepless nights, the…

Navneet ShuklaRead article →
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