evolution

Revisiting Gandhi As we prepare for one more Gandhi birth anniversary tomorrow, one question crops up — has he become irrelevant? Many, of course, would want us to believe that Gandhi was never relevant, while there are many others who think his ideas are now impractical. Even otherwise, Gandhi is not in popular discourse these days as we are talking about developments to take place in the latter half of the present century, or even the beginning of the next century. But if we take a rather careful look around ourselves, we are forced to rethink about Gandhi. His ideas, his ideals, and even his idiosyncrasies. A utopian in thought and practice, Gandhi had a worldview that would not be common to find. More importantly, he had strong convictions about his worldview; he believed what he believed and he did what he believed. He practised what he preached. In the present times, when chaos thrives, his ideas about Swaraj seem to be pertinent.  The question that ar...

Experience these seven natural wonders of New Zealand If you need some ideas of where to experience nature at its finest in New Zealand, here are seven great places to start.   Waiheke Island, Auckland New Zealand is a land so rich in natural wonders that it would take a lifetime to experience them all, but some are so spectacular and unique that they shouldn’t be missed, which might be why so many travellers are putting the country on the top of their bucket lists. “There are so many places in New Zealand to experience — I couldn’t just pick a few,” said Bjoern Spreitzer, Tourism New Zealand’s general manager for the Americas and Europe. “For me, it is the proximity of all the experiences that make New Zealand so special. Within a few days, you can experience subtropical rainforests, golden beaches, snow-capped mountains and beautiful fiords.” Experiencing those natural wonders is becoming even easier for Canadian travellers as air travel to the cou...

THE FESTIVAL OF DURGA ASHTAMI AS CELEBRATED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA The story of good winning over evil, the charm of eight or in some places as a nine-day and night celebration holds a special significance in its own way                                    Durga Puja in Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal In the Eastern parts of India, the last four days of Navratri hold a special significance. Especially in West Bengal –  Durga Puja  is one of the most popular festivals celebrated. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Even in Assam and Bihar, the festival is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal.                                                             ...

The Inner Revolution of Awaking to Reality The Foundation Of Enlightenment The  enlightenment  I speak of is not simply a realization, not simply the discovery of one’s true nature. This discovery is just the beginning—the point of entry into an inner revolution. Realization does not guarantee this revolution; it simply makes it possible. What is this inner revolution? To begin with, revolution is not static; it is alive, ongoing, and continuous. It cannot be grasped or made to fit into any conceptual model. Nor is there any path to this inner revolution, for it is neither predictable nor controllable and has a life all of its own. This  revolution  is a breaking away from the old, repetitive, dead structures of thought and perception that humanity finds itself trapped in. Realization of the ultimate reality is a direct and sudden existential awakening to one’s true nature that opens the door to the possibility of an inner revolution. Such a r...

Why should politicians not have spiritual guides? Kings used to have raj gurus for advice, says Jaggi Vasudev The founder of the non-profit Isha Foundation, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has launched a ‘Rally for Rivers’ campaign to address the issue of the country’s fast-depleting rivers Monojit Majumdar: You started the Rally for Rivers campaign. Can you tell us something about it and why it is so important? My engagement with mountains, rivers and forests has been right from my childhood. I have lived in the jungles by myself; I have floated down rivers. So, I didn’t experience these rivers, mountains, forests as some mythological figures but as thriving, living entities. In the past 25 years, I have been watching with some concern the level of depletion that has been happening. In the last seven-eight years, the rate of depletion is so sharp that it is alarming. For example, the Cauvery, which is a battle ground between two states, stopped 170 km short of the ocean this y...

Spirituality in a bottle The temple’s roof covered with green and brown bottles. LIKE an artwork of emeralds and agates, Wat Charok Padang is a testimony of the beauty of glass bottles in architecture. Over 200,000 brown and green bottles were pressed into the cement lining of the walls and roofs of most of the structures when the temple was built 1999. The temple is in the rural town of Sik, Kedah, and according to Google Maps, it is 72km from Alor Setar and 74km from Penang island.The bottles were all donated by the townsfolk and also nearby villagers, said temple resident monk Chaleen Rajagobal. A closeup of the bottle arrangement on the perimeter wall. The main attraction of the temple is the 9m-tall tower, studded with over 30,000 glass bottles and itself shaped like a bottle too. The bottle tower has a feature for Buddhists who like to have their newly bought cars ‘blessed’, said Chaleen. “They can drive the car into the opening at the base of the tower. A re...

 The “two oceans”  Vedic culture and Islamic spirituality Indian culture prides itself in its age-old historical conflation with mysticism. Rishis and Sufis in India introduced a broader notion of syncretism, known as “Rishi-Sufi” tradition. This emerged as a harbinger of harmony in social, cultural and religious regeneration of the Indian polity. As integral part of the Vedic mysticism and Islamic spirituality, India’s spiritual synergy flourished under the aegis of the mystical philosophers of the two faith traditions. Inspired by mysticism of both Sufism and Bhaktimat, Dara Shikoh — the eldest son of Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan — also known as Sufi philosopher and author, wrote a beautiful treatise on this spiritual synergy, Majma’ al-Bahrain (Mingling of the Two Oceans). The “two oceans” referred to in this book implies Vedic culture and Islamic spirituality. Heavily based on the Sufi Islamic discourses and the Upanishadic texts, this treatise...