Dec 27, 2009

Kumbh: Is it a transformative experience?

Millions of people are making their way to the banks of Ganga in Haridwar for the Kumbh mela, often described as the largest gathering of humans on the planet for a shared objective. They will take dips in the river on auspicious dates beginning January 14, 2010 convinced that it will grant them salvation, ‘moksha’. My thoughts go back to the Mahakumbh 2001 in Allahabad where I finally ventured a dip in the dirty, freezing cold waters for – if not salvation – a transformative experience.

Dec 25, 2009

Indian Media: A moment of Introspection

Indian journalism has a reason to be grateful to Outlook and its editor Vinod Mehta for the cover story on ‘Paid News’. That the sanctity of news was being violated - for years - was known to everyone in the profession. Most journalists felt violated in the very core of their being. They mourned about it. Endlessly. Yet this did not become a story. For, any number of newspapers, magazines and TV channels were in the game. Even the ones that were above board were eyeing the new “revenue stream”.

Relationships, love and freedom!

Relationships affect us all. They make life meaningful, they help us soar, they also bring us down in pain and anguish. As Sauma Varughese writes in 'Life Positive', " None of us are free because we are all pulled and pushed by the relationships in our lives. They determine our moods, motives and actions. How then are we to be free of these factors and sail into relationships that are loving and beautiful, but not coercive? How can we relate to people in freedom?... " Read on.

Dec 24, 2009

Forgive. For your own sake!

Forgive, not as a charity to the one who harmed you. Forgive, for your own sake!! "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." So said Lord Budha, as quoted in a marvellous discussion initiated by Daniel Woo.

Miserable? Watch this!

It's up to us to feel better about what we have, or feel bitter about what we don't have. Watch this on You Tube. Cheers!

Dec 15, 2009

Media and Spirituality

Why is it that the mainstream media in India looks down upon spirituality? Exploration of such themes is either a categorical, “Oh No”, or, at best, is relegated to an occasional weekly column. Worse still, a lot of TV channels – at least in India – have been focussing on religious/ritualistic themes superficially with an eye on viewership ratings. While doing so, the channels focus on the quaint and the exotic. They rarely look at the deeper import of such practices.

The reality is that vast multitudes are practitioners of religion and spirituality (the two are not necessarily the same, though, for the religious, religion is one of the paths to spirituality). It does hold a lot of meaning for them. There is also no doubt that the mainstream media does not reflect this reality, does not even explore it! How come?
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