“…if you will not learn from history, you will have to be taught by a harsher teacher the same lesson—and taught perhaps at a much more tremendous price…” (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, Vol. 7, p. 770) Dr. Rajat Mitra’s ‘The Infidel Next Door’ is a book divided in 100 chapters. But each of these small... Continue Reading →
On Conservative and Progressive Intellectuals (Book Excerpt)
An excerpt from a longer essay titled "On Intellectuals and Thinkers" from the Matriwords ebook: On Intellectuals and Thinkers, and Other Musings on India in the Light of Sri Aurobindo Inner Light for the Intellect “People in ordinary speech do not make any distinction between intellect and intelligence, though of course it is quite... Continue Reading →
A Note on the Future of Inter-religious Harmony in India
Reblogged from the ‘Beauty’ blog – an excerpt from Matriwords e-book ‘The Thinking Indian’
[The following is an excerpt from a longer essay titled ‘Hinduism and the Future of Inter-religious Harmony in India’ published in my e-book – The Thinking Indian: Essays on Indian Socio-cultural Matters in the Light of Sri Aurobindo.]
Let us now go a bit deeper to see if Sri Aurobindo means something more when he says that Hinduism would have or could have taken religions like Islam and Christianity within itself. To do so it is also important to consider this assimilation process that is being spoken of here, and also what is meant when we say that Hinduism is an inclusive religion.
In order to remain inclusive, Hinduism should have the capacity to integrate the spiritual realizations, truths, and experiences revealed within the fold of other religious traditions, otherwise it is not inclusive at all. Going by historical record, we can see that what we now know as…
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Revisiting: Reason, Religion and Reform
This article was first published on IndiaFacts. Every year around Diwali we hear and read about all sorts of 'concerns' about environment and pleas to 'ban' firecrackers. This year we have a ban on sale of firecrackers imposed by the highest court of the country in the National Capital Territory. Similar concerns for water are heard... Continue Reading →
Wit and Humour in Sri Aurobindo’s Tales of Prison Life (by Kalpana Bidwaikar)- Part 3
CONTINUED FROM PART 2 Sri Aurobindo a great observer as he was, not only of the material arrangements in the prison but also of the people around him, the Britishers and especially the jail authorities could not escape his attention. The prisoners had to go to the court for trials at regular intervals.... Continue Reading →
Wit and Humour in Sri Aurobindo’s Tales of Prison Life (by Kalpana Bidwaikar)- Part 2
CONTINUED FROM PART 1 Sri Aurobindo’s prison life began on May 5, 1908. During the solitary confinement he was uneasy in the beginning, “but after three days of prayer and meditation an unshakable peace and faith again overwhelmed the being” (p. 11). He was confined to a solitary cell which was nine feet... Continue Reading →
Wit and Humour in Sri Aurobindo’s Tales of Prison Life (by Kalpana Bidwaikar)- Part 1
We are pleased to present for our readers a very special essay, which reveals a deeply charming side of Sri Aurobindo's magnificent personality and expression. Written by Dr. Kalpana Bidwaikar, this essay brings to light some of the remarkable wit and humour we come across in Sri Aurobindo's account of his life in the... Continue Reading →
Wealth and Society, an Indian Perspective (by R Y Deshpande) – Part 2
CONTINUED FROM PART 1 REGULATED ACTION AND FOURFOLD ORDER OF SOCIETY Man is a fourfold being. In him operates the fourfold force of the soul. He is a worker and a skilled craftsman; he is engaged in commerce; he is a warrior and a conqueror; he is also a seeker of knowledge and a savant.... Continue Reading →
Wealth and Society, an Indian Perspective (by R Y Deshpande) – Part 1
Given that money is in the news these days, especially in India, a lot is being said and written about money and economic development these days. We also published two short columns on our blogs (see here and here). We think that it is also an appropriate time to take a closer and deeper look at the Indian... Continue Reading →
Citizen Responsibility: Invoking the Sacred
My fellow Indians, Unless you are living on another planet you have all probably heard, read, watched most of the news and analyses there is about the recent bold step introduced by the Government of India led by Prime Minister Modi. Yes, I am speaking of the demonetisation of the large currency notes (of the... Continue Reading →
Sri Aurobindo on Gandhian Ahimsa
One big news coming from the Indian sub-continent these days is the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. India since her independence from the British has faced many decades of aggression and war from neighbouring Pakistan -- a nation-state born as a result of the falsehood of partition in 1947, based on the falsehood that people of... Continue Reading →
Sri Aurobindo, the Revolutionary (by Arup Basu)
August 15 is Sri Aurobindo's birthday. In honour of this special day, we bring for our readers an article written by Mr. Arup Basu, editor of Sraddha, a quarterly journal published by Sri Aurobindo Centre for Research in Social Sciences, Kolkata. This article briefly lists a few key aspects of Sri Aurobindo's momentous contribution to India's freedom movement. It was first... Continue Reading →
India, Indology and Deep Colonialism (by Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay -Conclusion)
READ PARTS 1, 2, 3 CONTINUED FROM PART 4 THE WAY FORWARD... Encourage Sanskrit Learning Sanskrit is the language of Indian culture and ethos. The day Sanskrit dies, Indian culture or Sanskriti will also die and Hindus or Indians as a unique people with unique set of values will cease to exist. Anti-Sanskrit forces... Continue Reading →
India, Indology and Deep Colonialism (by Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay -Part 4)
CONTINUED FROM PART 3 THE WAY FORWARD Now that we understand the landscape and the forces at work, how do we deal with this situation? Below I propose a 7-point agenda based on opinions of experts and scholars like Rajiv Malhotra, Sanjeev Sanyal, Chamu Shastri, Roddam Narasimha and others. Decolonize our National History History curriculum in... Continue Reading →
