Sanscript Archive

Desire for Progeny: Ethics of Infertility Treatments in Islam, Catholicism, and United States Law Ethical traditions the world round have found reproductive technology and surrogate motherhood a contentious issue worthy of numerous opinions upon their permissibility and execution. The focus of this paper is the...

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A Brief Sketch of Sanskrit Development After several thousand years, the relevancy of a language is often in question. But Sanskrit, the liturgical language of Hinduism and a central language of Jainism and Buddhism, continues to pervade the lives of millions around the world—in prayers,...

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Vegetarianism, Reincarnation, and Qualified Equality: The Animal-Human Boundary in Hinduism The diversity of beliefs, rituals, and practices within Hinduism make it at once exciting and frustrating to follow for both the adherent and the researcher. From its origins at the cultural confluence between the ancient...

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I’m writing this from the rooftop of the Calcutta Swim Club. Around me loom several 19th century buildings, their colonial brick walls propped up by bamboo scaffolding. Farther on, the lights wink off, one by one, from the floor-high window panes of modern office buildings....

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~Neha Limaye Moses parted the Red Sea. Allah came to Muhammad in a cave. Buddha produced flames from the upper part of his body and water from the lower part. Every religion has its share of miracles, magical events that seem surreal and otherworldly, preserved...

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~Sandeep Prasanna Sita Sings the Blues is a modern retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana designed and written by an American woman, Nina Paley. Below, Ms. Paley answers some questions regarding her film and inspiration. You can legally download her entire film on her website,...

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Explosions in the Empire of South Asian Film Karan Chhabra We all know how much South Asians love their movies.  The music, the romance, the gratuitous reinforcement of conservative social norms—what better testament to Indo-Pakistani culture than its most popular art form?  It’s only logical,...

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Thali for my soul It was past midnight and I was doing a final check – backpack, train tickets, lock and chain, army knife, flashlight, extra batteries, Lonely Planet India, three pairs of jeans… My cousin (who was studying for his public exam the next...

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SRI LANKA A Humanitarian Challenge: Proceeding Forward with Silence or Public Denunciation when Restricted by a Dominating Government –Braveen Ragunanthan KEY MESSAGES When confronting horrible conditions and repressive governments, humanitarian organizations around the world struggle with the decision of observing silence in order to have...

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