What is it that the people of our colony would be interested in
Integral Yoga? For them there seems to be nothing. This social relevance is of
utmost importance if we harbor the confidence that the teachings of the Mother
& Sri Aurobindo can make a difference. Many do it through the backdoor: the
devotees of Sai Baba have built a temple for him within the Hanuman Mandir complex;
or, Ambush marketing: Art of Living adherents campaign near the gate to cash in
on the Tuesday Bazaar rush. Besides, social networking is the prime glue now
for sustaining the interest of the people. That entails a curious mix of
commerce, tourism, and religion catering to the Leisure Class and The Leisure
Economy. New skills of social entrepreneurship and event management
are also a requirement in this kind of mobilization.
A CSR trip or two is also added to keep the conscience clear and
motivation turgid. Nothing cynical or pejorative about it; The Affluent
Society is also a part of the evolutionary
nature as the wide fields of daffodils or swarms of dolphins. Commerce and the Market play an important role in our
lives and hence it’s futile to quarrel with it or its logic. But to guard
against the quacks and fraudsters, cartels and mafia is also a responsibility. Fighting information asymmetry or participation
inequality, similarly, is also a challenge. Rating and endorsement are crucial
in this context and building reputation is a sustained affair. Any blossoming of
credibility anywhere in the age of paid-media, therefore, is surely a real
gain. [TNM55]
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