The Wow Factor in Life

The fear of the unknown is a very common human tendency. Most people are constantly engaged in making sure that their world plays out just like how their mind would imagine. However, the reality is that there is no possibility for growth without embracing the unknown. When we shut off the mystery or awe factor in life, we not only curtail growth, but also unknowingly make life mechanical. Just like there is no fun in watching a game whose result is already known, life will also be very boring...

Shivaratri – Enlivening the Shiva Tattva

The auspicious night of Shivaratri represents the enlivening of the Shiva tattva – the most beautiful aspect of Consciousness.   Lord Shiva is not a person or a figure. Shiva is the eternal tattva (principle) that is the essence of everything. It is the principle from which everything has come, which sustains everything and in which everything dissolves. How does one capture and express this tattva that is so subtle yet palpable?   One of the expressions that encapsulates...

Jallikattu – Lessons from the Stir

It’s unfortunate that a spontaneous and genuine public movement for Jallikattu like the “Marina Springs” ended with individuals and organizations with ulterior motives infiltrating the movement and hijacking it. What happened in Chennai must awaken us and serve as a lesson in constructive management of public sentiments.

Let’s Make Kashmir a Paradise Again

A holistic and multi-dimensional approach is imperative to establish peace and stability in Kashmir. Real peace can prevail in Kashmir only with the participation of all the stakeholders. They have to start conversing with each other, among themselves, with a vision based on human values.   It’s with the view of facilitating such engagements that the Art of Living hosted the ‘Kashmir: Back to Paradise’ Conference in Jammu last week.   Ninety per cent of Kashmir is longing...

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...