Not many on Twitter are adequately conversant with Sri Aurobindo's writings and in that sense I consider myself fortunate and a bit special.
Yoga and spiritual aspects of Sri Aurobindo's teaching are well-known and receive Institutional patronage. I popularise his political views.
Both Western and Indian Philosophy have been lukewarm towards Sri Aurobindo and his reception in the non-academic circle too is rudimentary.
Studies have been attempted on political philosophy of Sri Aurobindo but present rise of Modi and RSS lend an excellent context and urgency.
While different political parties are scratching their heads and scrambling to grapple with the Hindutva menace, the clue is firmly with me.
The philosophy of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo have been explained by competent disciples with due fidelity but political facet lacking focus.
Many followers of Sri Aurobindo are averse to politics and some are wedded to Hindutva. That leaves my task unique and the track, untrodden.
It amuses me how intellectuals in India don't realise what I see so naturally. Then the question of funding emerges which dictates ideology.
Democracy has deified numbers but "Talent is rare" (Satyajit Ray) and "Equality, Quality and Quantity: The Elusive Triangle..." (J.P. Naik).
Thus despite lacking popular reception so far, the intervention of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo a century back is sure to illumine the future.
Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar did fight the Hindutva menace in their own way in the firefighting mode with some help from Marxist academicians
Opposing majoritarian Hindutva on rationalist and humanist planks succeeded but within thirty years of Independence they could taste power.
Hindutva however clung to all kinds of backdoor methods and piggyback riding to capture power until Modi happened with complex ramifications
Despite its avowed antipathy towards Communism, Hindutva's engagement with Socialism, Lohia, Ambedkar, SVD, and JP is an interesting story.
Besides, at one point or the other, both CPI and RSS have scuttled Freedom struggle but endorsed Indira Gandhi, JP movement, and Anna Hazare
Some prefer to restrict Hindutva to Savarkar's pamphlet or Golwalkar's "Bunch of Thoughts" but nuances accrued from Deendayal to Sudheendra.
RSS seems to understand the diversity obtaining in India and has avoided pushing Hindu agenda mindlessly fearing damage to the social fabric
Many people like K.R. Malkani, Sikander Bakht, & Dattopant Thengadi have been instrumental in weaning Hindutva away from fundamentalist diet
Die hard supporters crave for a hardliner leader but BJP and RSS have so far been level headed due to compulsion of seeking votes from all.
Apart from harking back to Mythology, Rituals, and obscurantism, Hindutva was a manageable proposition but Reliance-Modi factor adds danger.
From "Ramdev launches political party named 'Bharat Swabhiman' (March 17, 2010) to Swaraj Abhiyan, India has seen manifold confusion.
If Modi were merely a Reliance project with RSS as midwife it would have been tolerable but involvement of an International syndicate exists
Thus, as far as being hand in glove with International operators is concerned, AAP, BJP, Congress, and Communists are birds of same feather.
With Modi at the helm, no one is sure how much he helps the cause of Hindutva or expands its core constituency. RSS didn't bargain for such.
Overall, the attempt is to avoid looking at Hindutva through a monochromatic lens and indicate RSS-Modi contradictions & fatal consequences.
That brings us to the Hindu ecosystem with its elaborate Mythology and intricate Philosophy which even baffled Hegel https://t.co/X53HtEeywK
Not only a large mass of Indians follows the religious tradition but also a new section of elite takes pride in Hindu culture and philosophy
Flip-flop by BJP, RSS, or Modi notwithstanding, a loyal section of Hindu population will always be the silent vote bank and funds provider.
Faith being the cementing factor, no critical stance can disturb such an ecosystem but a theoretical antidote stands the chance of invading.
The role of The Mother & Sri Aurobindo springs up at this precise moment which had been waiting in the wings for almost a whole century now.
Point is, the Gandhian, Nehruvian, and Marxist ammunitions that have been deployed to keep Hindutva at bay have turned blunt and ineffective
Further the popularity Congress once enjoyed has been squandered away by successive leaders due to faulty policies and ambivalence on issues
A firm indication that in the absence of robust theoretical bulwark, mere enthusiasm is not enough to resist a behemoth like Hindutva ethos.
Surely, Development, employment, and other economic issues are far more important than matters of religion as the Leftists keep on harping.
Sri Aurobindo on the other hand hints at the primacy of religion which has proved to be the Achilles' heel of the whole Communist ecosystem.
Sri Aurobindo can be surmised to be sharing the Marxist anathema for organised religion but he doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater
Ambedkar's painstaking studies on religion similarly examined sociological aspects and their political consequences bypassing spiritual core
Marxists have tried to apply corrective by appropriating Gandhi, Tagore, and Vivekananda to an extent but siding with Islam has warped track
Though difficult to grasp Sri Aurobindo's thought from a couple of books, it's profitable to glean from "Our Ideal" https://t.co/KmKX5X8GZL
While provincialism is a norm with most political parties in India, Sri Aurobindo posits a form of Nationalism that embraces whole humanity.
In advocating a federal World Govt, Sri Aurobindo is echoing what thinkers from Kant to BC Pal envisioned as inevitable Evolutionary outcome
Although Sri Aurobindo has dwelt upon some external characteristics differentiating the East from West, he is firm about future human unity.
@desaisantosh Sri Aurobindo reiterates eternal values date back to Shruti and have been available to the seers in their vivid inevitability.
@Mint_Opinion @livemint Sri Aurobindo teaches to respect Evolution and value its direction despite its opposing elements achieving success.
Savitri Era Learning Forum: Dr. Karan Singh says goodbye to Auroville https://t.co/pYDmcTmxKd #SriAurobindo
Savitri Era: Human volition is a toy in the hands of Evolution https://t.co/e3415XE2II #SriAurobindo
Non-human teachers also play significant roles as enumerated in https://t.co/q4LhiosOVX
After enjoying the bare beauty of Astaranga beach, noticed school children returning home in bare feet https://t.co/oxHndIaj1W @OdiaCulture
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