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Book Review: On Philosophising, Philosophers, Philosophy and New Vistas in Applied Philosophy, by Dr. Sharmila Jayant Virkar

A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is what I eventually came up with. It has been a challenge, getting back into academics as a student at this age, especially in a subject I have no academic background in. However, it has also been very exciting, especially thanks to my wonderful classmates (who, surprisingly, are of all age-groups, including some quite near my own) and my teachers, who have been very supportive and understanding. How well I will do is something that remains to be seen, but so far, I am enjoying this new journey and look forward to where it leads. Now that you know the background , you probably get an idea of how
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Mariamman Teppakulam, Madurai



This temple is built in the centre of a tank next to the Mariamman Temple at Madurai. Called the Mariamman Teppakulam, this is where the annual float festival (Theppotsavam in Tamil) takes place. 

One of the largest temple tanks in southern India, this one measures about 1100 ft by 950 ft. The island at the centre has a garden with a temple enshrining Lord Ganesha. It was built in the 17th century, and is connected to the river Vaigai by underground channels! Unfortunately today, neither the river nor the tank has any water! The Teppotsavam or float festival is celebrated in the month of Jan/Feb, when the main deities of Madurai - Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are brought here in a grand procession and taken in a float around the temple. 

For more information, click here. 

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