Wednesday, April 24, 2024

This meeting and handshaking are not without a flaw

  Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Pilgrims and Their Cosmopolitan Itineraries: The Many Worlds of Subhas Chandra Bose, Dilip Kumar Roy, and Yogi Krishnaprem

S Mukherjee - … Mysticism, and Transcultural Entanglements in Modern …, 2024 - Springer
… do not duly acknowledge one final critical aspect of Aurobindian thought. This has to do with his critical … , as already alluded to, and that is what ran as a leitmotif in Aurobindian thought. …

Islam, Yoga, and Sāmyavāda: Allama Iqbal and Kazi Nazrul Islam on Nationalism, Metaphysics, and Existence

S Mukherjee - … Mysticism, and Transcultural Entanglements in Modern …, 2024 - Springer
This chapter draws upon two representative case studies that illustrate how religion, mysticism, metaphysics, and other kindred, and not least contesting, concepts within the rubric of …

THE INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE TRANSFORMATION: AUROBINDIAN PARADIGM OF CULTURE OF CHANGE

MD El Mithra - MELINTAS, 2006 - journal.unpar.ac.id
Artikel ini bertolak dari suatu keyakinan bahwa kendati kebudayaan sebagai suatu keseluruhan yang kompleks berkecenderungan mengontrol, ia juga memberikan peluang dan jalan …

[PDF] Uniqueness of Village Reconstruction Theory of Gandhi & Aurobindo Revisited

D Banerjee - academia.edu
… the pictures of Gandhian and Aurobindian theories of village reconstruction. We can have many writings upon the Gandhian and Aurobindian thesis of village reconstructions. My main …

[PDF] Relevance of Gandhian Thought in Raja Rao's Kanthapura

MK Singh - International Journal of English: Literature, Language & … - ijells.com
… Gandhian thoughts and notions. It deals with the social and political scenario of India during the period 1919 to 1930 when Gandhian … follower of Gandhi and Gandhian thoughts. The …

Gandhian model of development in contribution to the adoption of sustainable practices at Indian universities

S Vikram, M Tiwari - Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2024 - Springer
… of the Gandhian development … the Gandhian model of development involves respondents of 51.9%. The study will also help provide an understanding of the importance of the Gandhian …

PHILOSOPHY OF GANDHIAN MANAGEMENT

G Japee - EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary …, 2024 - eprajournal.com
… important management concepts from a Gandhian perspective. … If we look objectively at the gestalts of Gandhian management, … Below figure shows the key dimensions of the Gandhian …

Ethics, Science and Sustainability: A Gandhian Alternative

B Mallik - The Routledge Companion to Indian Ethics, 2024 - taylorfrancis.com
… and universal method of inquiry, the Gandhian method regards science and its advancement … The Gandhian method proposed such an alternative to the dominant and exclusivist ver…

The Research on Supportive Leadership: Gandhian View of Ethics in Politics

AY Sonawane - Contemporary Management and Global Leadership …, 2024 - igi-global.com
… and Gandhian ethics within the realm of politics. We aim to explore how Gandhian principles … By examining the applicability of Gandhian ethics to modern political leadership, we seek to …

[PDF] The Proliferation of Gandhian Impact on the Deep Interiors of South India in Raja Rao's Kanthapura

M Mahavidyalaya - redalyc.org
… Gandhian ideology also corresponds a number of contemporary issues like rural poverty, … Gandhian thought engineered a mass-based social and political revolution in India. Gandhian …

[PDF] The Practical Importance of Gandhian Concept of Non-violence and Peace

A Roy - sreechaitanyamahavidyalaya.in
Gandhi considered Non-violence besides truth, as synonyms with God. He believed that non-violence has its own relevance in resolving conflict and is also related to the reconstruction …

[PDF] National Language and Ideas of Mahatma Gandhi: A Critique of Gandhian Shift from Hindi to Hindustani

M Mondal, DN Verma - journalirr.com
The importance of National Language is evident as it signifies cultural unity of a nation. It keeps intact together the people of different religions and cultures. It is also impossible to …

[C] Two concepts of state: Classical indian and Sri aurobindian

DP Chattopadhyaya - 2003 - philpapers.org
DP Chattopadhyaya, Two concepts of state : Classical indian and Sri aurobindian - PhilPapers … Two concepts of state : Classical indian and Sri aurobindian …

Inner Consciousness: A voice of the Modern Indian English Poetry

P Kumar, G Bhatnagar - Journal of Positive School …, 2022 - mail.journalppw.com
Indian poetry written in English after the Independence of the country is usually called modern or contemporary. After the World War II. Aurobindian tradition was followed by some of the …

[PDF] National Integration through Spiritual Nationalism: An analytical study of Sri Aurobindo

MC Sarkar - academia.edu
… The theory of Aurobindian nationalism has been nicknamed religious nationalism by Peter Heehs. (21) However, the question remains whether such characterization would be …

Evolving Higher Education Integrally

DM Theorizing - Integral Education: New Directions for Higher …, 2010 - books.google.com
… From a historical perspective, in addition to Aurobindian and Wilberian notions of integral education I identify a third major integral education approach: Steiner education. A critique of …

Austerity and" Avesa": Sri Aurobindo's Reconstruction of the Poetic

S Murali - ES: Revista de filología inglesa, 2007 - dialnet.unirioja.es
This essay is an endeavour to examine the deeper interlocking structures of Sri Aurobindo's thought that frame his reconstruction of the poetic-as an alternative to the decay and crisis …

[PDF] Sri Aurobindo's Thesis on Resistance Passive or Active

D BANERJEE - academia.edu
… In sri aurobindian psychology I want to focus the entire discussion on whether consciousness is mental or spiritual in nature. …

[PDF] Evolving Higher Education Integrally: Delicate Mandalic Theorising

S Esbjörn-Hargens, O Gunnlaugson, J Reams - academia.edu
… From a historical perspective, in addition to Aurobindian and Wilberian notions of integral education I identify a third major integral education approach: Steiner education. A critique of …

[B] Absolute, sachchidananda and supermind: the concept of God in the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo within the context of Hindu-Christian dialogue

GM Vadakkekara - 1987 - search.proquest.com
… The significance and contribution of this work, therefore, is its thorough presentation of Aurobindian God-concept so as to show what is useful in it for HinduChristian dialogue. …

[PDF] A critical analysis of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy and his spiritual evolution theory

GS Kharmalki - 2010 - repository.au.edu
… Maitra, but we must not forget that he is also an Aurobindian; it is to be expected to make this observation. So we can argue that this meeting and handshaking are not without a flaw, …

Toward a Spiritual Aesthetics of the Environment: Quality, Space, and Being in Sri Aurobindo's Savitri

M Sivaramakrishnan - Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and …, 2011 - academic.oup.com
Humans learn what to value and how to care for it through their cultural traditions and upbringing. The absence of a cultural basis for valuing the land we inhabit is the root of human …

A tale of two cities: Recycling history through discourses of identity, nostalgia, and heritage

R Rubdy - Space-Time (Dis) continuities in the Linguistic …, 2024
… This strategy is much in line with the BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda of reshaping India's collective memory as a means to consolidate its political authority, while appeasing its upper-class majoritarian Hindutva base. …

[B] The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith

MO Emerson, GE Bracey II - 2024 - books.google.com
Are most white American Christians actually committed to a Religion of Whiteness? Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the role that White Christian Nationalism plays in …

[B] The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith

MO Emerson, GE Bracey II - 2024 - books.google.com
Are most white American Christians actually committed to a Religion of Whiteness? Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the role that White Christian Nationalism plays in …

[PDF] Handled with Velvet Gloves? Experiences of a Muslim Minority in the Courts of Bihar, India

S Bhupatiraju, DL Chen, S Joshi, P Neis - 2024
… Over the past two decades, the dynamics within the Muslim community and its interactions with the Hindu majority have been significantly influenced by the ascent of Hindutva (which translates to Hinduness and is a term used for Hindu nationalism) …

Subaltern Agencies, Marketing Communications, and Counter Discourses in the Postcolony

A Das - … Marketing Communication: Images from the Margin, 2024
Global orders of marketization, across the world and the borders, had been adequately promoted through neoliberal channels, both being closely linked together and effective in imagining markets and commodifying products and …

Press charges: renegotiating free speech and citizenship in post-partition Delhi

R Geva - Contemporary South Asia, 2024
This article examines the conflict between press censorship and free speech in post-partition Delhi, focusing on the Urdu press. It demonstrates how conflicts over free speech became a focal point for the intersection of two fundamental tensions underlying …

Residential Apartheid in India: A Matter of People or State? Case of Ahmedabad

B Saba, S Gupta - Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2024
The study investigates imposition of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), or Ashant dhara, and its impact at an unexplored micro-level. There has been a rise in the ‘declared disturbed areas’; until 2023, there were 1971 areas. The intent of DAA was to protect …

[HTML] Nienke Boer. The Briny South: Displacement and Sentiment in the Indian Ocean World

JK Varghese - 2024
1 All colonial enterprises were regimes of official documentation. Even as colonial enterprises disintegrated, such regimes and the knowledge generated by them came to be fortified through archival practices. To the historian-anthropologist Ann …

The Opposition has Neutered Itself. Modi's Third Term is Guaranteed.

HMS HOSSAIN - International Policy Digest, 2024
The article discusses the upcoming Indian general election and the likelihood of Prime Minister Narendra Modi securing a third term. Despite controversies surrounding him and his government, Modi maintains a strong public confidence …

When Victors Claim Victimhood: Majoritarian Resentment and the Inversion of Reparations Claims

N Sundar - Development and Change
… Both the Hindutva and Zionist projects draw their strength from a straightforward assertion of majoritarianism and power. However, even though a general sense prevails that Palestinians and Indian Muslims must quietly accept their defeat, the …

[PDF] Truth enfleshed: An apologia for embodied presence in the midst of persecution in India

J Philip, G Harold - The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF), 2024
… of Hindutva ideology can be traced back to neo-Hinduism, which, as CV Mathew argues, is a missionary religion in its ethos. Neo-… the rise of Hindutva and the marginalization of religious minorities in India. With the triumphalist approach of …

[PDF] False accusations, arrests, and persecution of Christians: Formative factors and impact of state laws of religious freedom in India

D Apostle - The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF), 2024
… the exponents of Hindutva ideology. … ’s Hindutva ideology is carried in a deeper sense with much intensity by the Sangh Parivar. Indian social activist Ram Puniyani states that Sangh Parivar is “an idealistic mix of fascist and fundamental traits.”Through …

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Nostalgia for simplicity and authenticity

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

23 hours ago — Love is much more than a mere emotion or moral ideal. It imbues the world itself and we should learn to move with its power.

Love is the formidable helpmate of our attention. This was something on which the philosopher Simone Weil, who famously took upon herself the sufferings of others, insisted – refusing, for example, to consume more that the miserable rations allowed her compatriots in France, when she was confined to a hospital bed in London in 1943. ‘By loving the order of the world we imitate the divine love which created this universe of which we are a part,’ she wrote... 

Human beings could intentionally attend to this dynamic and collaborate with it. But, if not, if love is demoted from this role it becomes, at best, a moral ideal or emotion, exapted from evolution and sustained by the brain. Metaphysical agnosticism has replaced ‘ontological rootedness’, to borrow from the philosopher Simon May. Little wonder people feel disorientated or worse. To misquote R D Laing: someone who describes love as an epiphenomenon might be a great scientist, but someone who lives as if love is so will need a good psychiatrist.

https://aeon.co/essays/in-the-beginning-there-was-love-we-can-move-with-its-power

As India strides on the path of rapid economic growth and liberalisation, it grapples with the dual forces of erasure and romanticisation of its past. Traditional lifestyles and environments find themselves at the crossroads of modernity, often sacrificed at the altar of progress. The bustling markets, the artisanal crafts, and the rural agrarian ways — integral to India’s identity — are fading, leaving behind a nostalgia for a simplicity and authenticity that progress threatens to engulf. Yet, in this race towards the future, there is a simultaneous romanticisation of the past, an idealisation of cultural heritage that is often commodified rather than preserved in its essence. This dichotomy underscores the haunting presence of what is lost in the pursuit of what might be gained, a poignant reminder of Derrida’s assertion that the ghosts of the past always overshadow the future.

Sanjay Kaushal teaches at Indian Institute of Management, Bodh Gaya

https://www-telegraphindia-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.telegraphindia.com/amp/opinion/the-spectres-of-history-in-indian-politics-the-spectre-of-past-ideologies-and-promises-looms-large/cid/2014474?amp_js_v=0.1&amp_gsa=1#webview=1

Issues are rooted in history, but flowing into politics, unfortunately: Vikram Sampath https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2024/Apr/13/issues-are-rooted-in-history-but-flowing-into-politics-unfortunately-vikram-sampath

A famous historian once said, "Every work of history is an interim report." It is always a work in progress; new evidence comes up. So, I might have written the most well-researched, well-written book on a particular subject. Suppose you find something new and discover something new, which I have either intentionally ignored or didn't have the capacity to research thoroughly. My thesis could be completely overturned, and my book might end up in the dustbin. Your book might become the new narrative on that subject. So, it's not 'correcting'. What I'd like to say is, it's presenting an alternative version of history... 

2 days ago — 'I Will Draw my Own Laxman Rekha'—Gogi Saroj Pal reimagines Indian myths free of male gaze. Pal's work redefined the female form. She was ...

From self-portraits using traditional symbols to paintings portraying resistance and documenting history, Pal’s work consistently remained both rooted and ahead of her time. The use of motifs from tradition and myths of India was not unusual, but Pal went beyond the obvious symbols and their conventional usage. She used the process of transfiguration to turn mythical creatures such as the kinnara, the mythical part-human part-bird and kamadhenu, the ‘mother of all cows’, into expressions of the self. She also closely observed the strategies used to represent women in popular culture, and added her own artistic voice to it, through her series on nayikas.

https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/i-will-draw-my-own-laxman-rekha-gogi-saroj-pal-reimagines-indian-myths-free-of-male-gaze/2045412/

Democracy is under attack globally, not just in India. Authoritarian forces are using a largely pliant media effectively for propaganda, assuming that people are gullible. This has less to do with gullibility and more to do with technology, affluence...

In today's democracy, the winner takes all. It is not fair and needs a deep rethink. Just because you are elected by, say 40 per cent of the vote, you ought not to have the licence to rule everyone. Secondly, there should be no corporate funding for ...

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/the-tuesday-interview-this-election-is-about-choosing-the-future-of-india-2952093

Friday, April 05, 2024

Spiritual pluralist worldview grounded in mutual respect

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support. My first book, "Nastik: Why I Am Not an Atheist," is finally available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon! Reserve your copy and join me in this journey from neo-atheism to Nirīśvaravāda #Nastik

https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra/status/1776167362007290350?t=vW2a4IRJO0ntWghpM6QK_Q&s=19

"Nastik: Why I am not an Atheist" by Kushal is an excellent intellectual intervention to take back the narrative from neo-atheists and/or "cultural Christians", Islamists, myriad Hinduphobes, Smriti-statist "rightists" and so-called progressive-rationalist "leftists".

"Believing" in God or Gods is *not* a requirement to be a Hindu. Nor are their "tiers" of Hindus. One is not better than the other. The word "belief" itself needs to be interrogated. Some have wondered "Did the (ancient) Greeks Believe in Their Myths?"

What exactly does it mean to believe when one is reduced to tears or ecstasy in (or when looking for) a divine presence? Or even when one is not. Is it partially analogous to the "fourth wall", for the aesthetic cannot be discounted in the inherent emotion. Circumstances play a role. There are no atheists in foxholes, as some have said. Though there may or may not be Nastiks.

A genuinely spiritual pluralist worldview grounded in mutual respect *is* what is needed to be a Hindu. What works for you may or may not work for me, and vice versa. What works for you may not even work for you (or may not have worked for you) some other time.

Be true to your inner spiritual journey, not to some mob or kitsch notion. The ritual and discipline is absolutely key in a personal and social setting, but only as a subset of Dharma. The ritual may or may not be related to a God and/or Goddess. So be true to whatever subset you have so chosen. And if you have not, keep searching and seeking.

My full support for everybody who openly doubts - for without doubt there can be no faith. For questioning everything is deeply rooted in our Vedic traditions. That is what makes this "faith", this "civilisation" what it is. Ancient and modern. Sanatana and timeless. Universalist and pluralist.

May you write more books @kushal_mehra

https://twitter.com/harshmadhusudan/status/1776196655345221632?t=XIVcblEHLiaUMlgxwz16rg&s=19

Congratulations on behalf of Savitri Era Religion and I hope that the new knowledge, devotion, and volitional yoga that The Mother & Sri Aurobindo inaugurated on March 29, 1914 are duly evaluated by the present generation. The Life Divine and Savitri are incomparable creations.

https://twitter.com/SavitriEra/status/1776203575456350712?t=Km6NjNleu8bfB9ZaydA0ag&s=19

Sri Aurobindo: Cosmology, Psychology and Integral Experience

B Shankar - Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 2024
… Sri Aurobindo is one of the most prominent figures in the Indian Philosophy of twentieth century and yet we barely find any mention of his … It is so unique that it almost is a hallmark of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy. Unlike Vedanta, Sri Aurobindo …

Hellenic Tantra: The Theurgic Platonism of Iamblichus

G Shaw - 2024
… Murphy admired Iamblichus for blending the mysticism of Plotinus with the transformative power of Aurobindo's Tantra. He saw this connection and helped me to see it. I remain indebted to the French scholar of Neoplatonism, Jean Trouillard …

Rethinking Media Studies: Media, Meditation and Communication

AK Giri, SK Biswal - 2024
This book reconsiders media studies from different philosophical and theoretical perspectives from around the world. It brings together diverse views and visions from thinkers such as Sr Aubrobindo, Jurgen Habermas, Paul Ricoeur, Pope Francis, and …

Indigenous Sexuality Texts, Psychology and Mental Wellbeing Check for updates

N Pant - Psychology of Sexuality & Mental Health Vol. 1 …
This chapter explores available public domain topics of indigenous sexuality texts and thoughts in Buddhism, Tao, Chinese, Ancient Indian, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, further chapter looks at Psychological and Mental health aspects of these …

[PDF] TRANSFORMING EDUCATION: EMBRACING HOLISTIC AND OUTCOME BASED APPROACH THROUGH INDIA'S NEP 2020

GN Devi, PS Sreedevi - HOLISTIC AND OUTCOME–BASED PARADIGM IN …
… Drawing inspiration from renowned Indian philosophers like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, and Jiddu … Sri Aurobindo's educational philosophy aimed to awaken the latent divinity within each individual, fostering a …

[PDF] Ambedkar Meets Tilak: Debating the Meaning of the Bhagavad Gita

AK Roy - SOUTH INDIA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, 2024
Much has been written about the debate between Ambedkar and Gandhi concerning the real meaning of the Bhagavad Gita since the publication of Riddles of Hinduism. Comparatively, however, the discursive encounter between Tilak and …

Cosmopolitanism, Politics and Regionalism: Calcutta and India's Struggle for Independence

K Bhattacharjee - Studies in People's History, 2024
This article has been written to offer an account of the history of Calcutta’s urban politics and society. By revolving around the evolution of Calcutta Corporation and BPCC, the article intends to show that Calcutta, once the pioneer of anti-colonialist …

[PDF] FIRM FEET AND INNER WIND: INTRODUCING POSTURE IN THE SOUTH INDIAN MARTIAL ART, KAḶARIPPAYAṞṞ

LM Constantini
In a volume which seeks to examine the relationship of haṭhayoga to other Indian physical disciplines, the role of posture in these presents an obvious starting point, and so this chapter offers an introductory study of posture in the South Indian martial …