During our school years, the Cold War was a dominant topic and many aspects of political and literary life were affected by it. Similarly, lambasting Tata-Birla was a common feature. Now, of course, Ambani-Adani have replaced them. Cold War too is continuing in many different forms. Often, openly.
As a member of Bank employees' and officers' Association, Leftist thinking was ingrained in me. But K. Ram Mohan, a colleague once convinced me that Multinationals have no nationality. So, I converted to the Reforms bandwagon. But after three decades, I'm not very sure. Further, several new factors have become prominent during this period.
Rise of Hindutva has transformed the Indian situation. Apart from being the dominant political force, its intellectual pull is also increasing. Unfortunately, the more it grows, the more is the chance of its floundering since it is based on falsehood and presumptions. But a lot of people are reaping rich dividends as well as social validation.
Rise of Media is also unprecedented including its propensity to be in the lap of the Govt. This can be explained in terms of pure economics instead of any ideology or commitment to ethics. But, in the process, democracy has become permanently crippled. Thomaskutty has highlighted how it has been instrumental in installing Hindutva as a hegemon.
Rise of Digital environment is the hallmark of the current century. Arrival of AI is a further destabilising phenomenon. It has affected every facet of human affairs. Thus, traditional modalities of analysis have gone haywire. Human intelligence and wisdom is no longer considered sufficient unless vetted by the machine.
The Mother & Sri Aurobindo, in this context, seem to be relevant in many ways, but it is difficult to be confident. Their teachings don't pass the test of Modernity or rationality on many counts. Nevertheless, that's the only formulation which takes care of diverse demands of social, political, or psychological nature.
Misc. References:
[In this important chapter of The Synthesis of Yoga, titled ‘Concentration,’ Sri Aurobindo clearly distinguishes the meaning that he gives to such terms as dharana and samadhi from the traditional meanings] - Rod Hemsell
rodhemsell.substack.com/p/sri-aurobind…
https://x.com/i/status/2069584932138348613
Mediatisation of a New Imperial Spirituality in Contemporary India - Johnson Thomaskutty
Magnus Fredriksson and Josef Pallas, “Public Sector Communication and Mediatization,” The Handbook of Public Sector Communication, eds. Vilma Luoma-aho and María-José Canel (Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2020), 168.
See Fredriksson and Pallas, “Public Sector Communication and Mediatization,” 168.
Jasper Strömbäck and Frank Esser, “Mediatization of Politics: Transforming Democracies and Reshaping Politics,” Mediatization of Communication, ed. Knut Lundby (Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2014), 375.
Richard Gordon, “The Veil of Power: Emperors, Sacrificers, and Benefactors,” Pagan Priests: Religion and Power in the Ancient World, eds. Mary Beard and John A. North (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990), 199-232.
Mitchell G. Reddish, Revelation, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2001), 11
Gianpietro Mazzoleni, “Mediatization and Political Populism,” Mediatization of Politics: Understanding the Transformation of Western Democracies (New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2014), Mediatization of Politics: Understanding the Transformation of Western Democracies, eds. Frank Esser and Jesper Strömbäck (New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2014), 42.
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