u/Accomplished_Ad1684

In parts of rural Tamil Nadu, there’s a practice called “Thalaikoothal,” where elderly family members are deliberately killed under the guise of mercy killing/tradition — often due to poverty, medical costs, or seeing them as a burden. Deaths are usually made to look natural, so investigations are rare.

The usual modus operandi involves giving the victim an oil bath, forcing large amounts of tender coconut water or milk, sometimes combined with cold-water exposure or suffocation methods, leading to fever, organ failure, breathing problems, and death within days.

EDIT: I’m not talking about legal euthanasia/assisted dying with consent. Thalaikoothal is usually non-consensual, done by family members, often for financial or social reasons, and disguised as a “natural” death.

I have not watched the movie.

Most people know the premise—a boy stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. But it turns out to be far more philosophical than it sounds. The story leans into the absurd, yet somehow holds together, touching on religion, survival, and the limits of what we can know.

By the end, the book unsettles you. It presents two versions of the same events and refuses to confirm either, forcing you to confront the reliability of the narrator—and your own need for certainty. There are hints scattered throughout, but nothing that fully resolves the ambiguity.

At its core, the novel isn’t just about belief, but about why belief exists in the first place. It opens with the line that it will make you believe in God. That may not happen for everyone, but it does something more interesting—it makes you understand why people choose to believe.

Because sometimes, when faced with multiple possible truths, the difference isn’t in what can be proven, but in what can be lived with. One version may be harsher, more stripped down, closer to what we might call reality. The other offers meaning, structure, even comfort.

And when the outcome remains the same, the question becomes unavoidable:

which version do you choose?

The book doesn’t argue that belief is irrational (just like π)—it suggests that belief is, in part, a response to the human need to endure.

Hi everyone.

I am an Indian PhD scholar and got selected to a summer school in June at Italy. I applied for an academic short stay visa though it seemed that business visa is a popular choice for conferences and such events. An academic visa exempts you from visa fees so basically you get the visa for free. This is my first visa.

I got VFS Mumbai appointment for 16th April. Had went through many experiences on reddit regarding the "premium" scam and I was ready to tackle it. But unfortunately, from the go they asked me thrice at different checkpoints whether I want premium or not– each time I denied. And they gave directions like "follow the red carpet", "get to the 5th floor" etc. At the counter there was no indication if this was a premium lounge or not. It was only after entering when I realised where have I come. I was already anxious so I let it be. I was charged only for the premium lounge so it came around 5300 Rs (~50 EUR).

I had my accomodation arranged by the organizers, I had paid for everything, had asked for all receipts. Flight tickets were refundable. Invitation letter was clear and to the point. ID card of the organizer was also attached. Policy was registered. I had two bank accounts— 1. Through which I received my fellowship money 2. Through which I paid for the event. So I attached sealed and stamped bank statements (on each page) for both accounts. Statements showed transaction till a week prior to the vfs appointment.

I had lump sum credits to my account (more than 5 lakhs, ~5000 EUR) as my fellowship came in arrears. So I explained in the cover letter that the transactions starting with ABPS (Aadhar bridge payment system) are from the govt authorised agency and depositing fellowship in arrears is standard practice. Along with that I added a line that explained the rule through which Fellowship is exempted for income tax under the ITR rules for India.

I attached institutional endorsement from my Dean that explained details of the course and also my arrival and departure dates, clearly mentioning when I will leave for India for continuing my PhD work. I also got the current semester registration+fee slips, and my award letters for fellowship, all sealed and signed by the dean.

I am staying in Italy for 3 days after the event for personal tourism, so I explained that too. And booked a pay-at-property hostel from agoda. I didn't book the internal flight tickets though and clearly mentioned I'll book them after visa approval.

Recieved my visa today, with 1 month validity and 17 days of stay (my intended stay according to itinerary was 10 days). I have attached the cover letter for reference. Thank you.