Follow the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo

[abdul lateef Posted August 24, 2010 at 2:50 pm | Permalink

I could not help to notice how bankrupt an idea that Hindu Nationalist have of figures like Vivekananda (and Sri Aurobindo) who wholly ignore the Cosmopolitanism that backgrounds their discourse and in so doing manage to cast a shadow upon their inclusive identities. In the case of Vivekananda and Aurobindo they valorize their Indian nationalism by doing violence to the universal message that both figures conveyed, compressing the multi-dimensional/multicultural textures of their teaching into a one dimensional fundamentalist play book. …

This form of zealotry facilitates egoic inflation so these actors begin to perceive themselves as spokespeople for the entire nation, projecting their religiosity onto national identity. In short their exclusivist politics conflate national identity with traditional religious devotional practices that valorize the guru.]

[Nalanda: a soft power project

Nalanda University is destined to emerge as a strong instrument of soft power at two levels; for the rising Asia in relation to the West and for India in relation to Asia. »]

[What is in a name? Anbumani Ramadoss

Caste names are an impediment to social justice and to the holistic development of India. A welcome trend in recent times is the increasing adoption of neutral generic names that do not pertain to any religion or caste.

It would be naive to assume that dispensing with caste names will lead to a casteless society. Caste names are only part of the problem rather than the solution. There is no pat solution for this dilemma. The adoption of generic names would be a small but definite step towards eradicating caste from this society.

To bring about a caste-free society, not only caste (brand names) but also the mindset of the developed sections towards their less fortunate brethren should change. Social justice can be achieved only when all sections of society have a level playing-field socially, educationally and economically. To bring about this change, we need to acknowledge the centuries of discrimination faced by the oppressed sections.]

[Mayawati may be “free” but she's lonely

Rewrite the Purusa-sukta Renuka Narayanan Indian Express Tuesday, April 15, 2003. 

The idea of hierarchy, according to Dumount, lies at the core of Indian society. Hierarchy as based on age, gender and caste, hierarchy which is sanctified by religion itself. “Greater” and “lesser”, the two categories that are crucially antithetical to a modern egalitarian society, are in fact embedded in Hindu social consciousness. …

Dalit historian Kancha Ilaiah has a suggestion. Just as the Vatican meets periodically to modernise catholicism, he says, the shankaracharyas should meet in conclave to modernise Hinduism. They should not only re-write the Purusa-sukta, but they should also decree that everyone, every woman, every tribal, every dalit, has the right to be priest of God and God is not the exclusive preserve of the brahmin. The event will have tremendous symbolic value, provide a turbine charge to India’s quest for modernity and Bhim Rao will at last be vindicated.  9:27 AM]

It is easy to project personal whims and wishes upon the future of a nation or civilization but the collective choice of a whole people hardly follows that narrow route. Instilling the ethical rationale in the minds of successive generations entails ceaseless education and grooming in the absence of which no firm outcome can be expected. Following the teachings of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo alone can ensure a flawless society. [TNM]