The Ramayana has given to the Indian mind figures to be loved and imitated. “The portrayals of Rama and Sita are full of the living truth of the ideal life, of the greatness that a man and woman may be and does become when the innermost part of one’s being, the soul, is given a… Continue reading Sri Aurobindo on the Significance of the Ramayana (Video)
“It is a singular and as yet unexplained phenomenon in the psychology of mankind that out of so many magnificent civilisations, so many powerful, cultured and vigorous nations and empires whose names and deeds crowd the pages of history, only a select few have been able to develop a thoroughly original and self-revealing literature. Still… Continue reading Of Ram and Ramlīla
The First Time I clearly remember the first time I walked into what is now the living room of our home. That was a little more than nine years ago. We had come to see the house for the very first time, and weren’t even sure if we would consider buying it because it had… Continue reading When the Gods Came Home
Going through the pictures of some of my personal favourite paintings representing various Indian schools and traditions, including some by famous Indian artists, my mind started to wonder if these paintings have something to say about the past, present and future of India’s civilisational march. The result is this small tapestry that interweaves the pictures… Continue reading Of India’s Destiny and Indian Painting
In my ongoing ‘decluttering’ journey, I have decided to clean my blog as well. I have started a process of sorting through old blogs and will be keeping only those pieces which speak something significant to me. There is a lot of stuff in this space that I am no longer able to connect with… Continue reading Unearthing the Path: A Photo-Essay
Modern tendency is to depreciate the value of the beautiful and over-stress the value of the useful. Generations of Indians have been cut off from the ancient roots of their aesthetic cultural traditions, thanks to a mercenary and soul-less education. According to Sri Aurobindo, this situation can only be corrected if education can figure out… Continue reading Some Indian Views on Beauty and Art
The intricately carved pillars lead you into the chamber of Beauty and Divinity. Beauty in Divinity; Divinity in Beauty. Your eyes want to linger on the details of the pillars, take in every piece of carving and beauty. At the same time the inner quietude pulls you in. Disciple: Is form inseparable from the experience of beauty? Sri… Continue reading Divinity in Details
First published in Next Future, an e-magazine of Sri Aurobindo Society (July 2016) “The first and lowest use of Art is the purely aesthetic, the second is the intellectual or educative, the third and highest the spiritual. By speaking of the aesthetic use as the lowest, we do not wish to imply that it is… Continue reading An Afternoon at Ajanta
Beauty Interprets, Expresses, Manifests the Eternal 