Being Judicious Judicially

There was a time when the Judiciary was a place of solace for the troubled, hope for the despaired, a place of fear for wrongdoers and of respite for the law-abiding, home for the wise and sensible; a refuge where rich or poor equally had easy access to justice and a seat of pride, of respect for those who executed it. Today the poor have little access to the Judiciary, the wicked do not care for it, the cunning have made it a joke and the law-abiding are scared of it. The situation is such that...

Could Indian Spirituality Have Helped Mother Teresa?

Mother Teresa has done unparalleled service to India. Could she also have benefited from the unparalleled spiritual wealth of India? Yes, definitely! Although Mother Teresa lived in this ancient land of rich spiritual heritage, she stayed away from Indian spirituality and remained an island unto herself. It is not uncommon for spiritual seekers to lose sight of what is happening inside them when they get involved in serving others. Whether many so-called religious people are really on the spiritual...

Strange Are the Ways of Karma

One of the path-breaking highlights of the recent World Culture Festival in Delhi was the unwavering commitment of the artistes. Usually, artistes would refuse to perform on a wet or unsuitable floor. In this case, they stood committed to their performance despite being fully drenched and having to perform on soaking carpets on the opening day of the festival. They did it as a tapasya. The artistes who came from across the globe spending their own money waited hours to perform for the few minutes...

A Part of the Whole

“Behind every event, there is knowledge. Behind every person, there is love. Behind every object, there is infinity.”   Just a month before the World Culture Festival (WCF) while returning from an event in Pune, the young organizer who was driving me said, “Everything went so smooth.” I joked, “I thought I was being driven by a young man who would love challenges, not by a senior citizen.” I casually remarked that in the absence of challenges, it must...

Think Global, Talk Global

In a globalised era, Indian leaders are increasingly being called upon to speak at International fora. This makes it imperative for our politicians to orient themselves and articulate their views with a global perspective. While addressing international fora, it is a good practice to speak on subjects of global relevance. Tactless display of nationalism could end up alienating the audience and obliging leaders from other countries to do the same. That way, everybody will end up blowing his or...