Three wishes for 2006

The New Year comes carrying new ideas, new creations, new aspirations. To that body of newness, here go my three bits, three wishes that I h...

The New Year comes carrying new ideas, new creations, new aspirations. To that body of newness, here go my three bits, three wishes that I hope will begin in 2006.

Education, for many millenniums, has been held a prisoner of utility — of what use is your education if you can’t make money, get fame, do something that makes you a respectable citizen? As a result, the primary thrust of education has been in the capturing of degrees and diplomas that become a means to leading a successful, utilitarian life. Sacrificed at this altar is the childhood and the Becoming of many children. The doctor who wanted to sing, the manager who wanted to dance, the soldier who wanted to paint. And so, Wish No 1: Let our children be — and if at all a skill be taught, let it be a quest for learning that’s directed from within, from the soul. Let’s guide them towards finding their Swadharma. We owe them this freedom.

Wish No 2: Let us understand that there is a big, big difference between religion and spirituality, between a religious leader and a guru. Being religious is simply behaving in a certain manner, carrying certain beliefs passed on to us by an organisation. Being spiritual is understanding a far deeper, more complex, infinitely more individual thing called the soul. Religion, at best, helps us follow ‘noble’ social norms. Spirituality, helps our soul follow its own dharma and through it, meet the Spirit. Spirituality can’t be organised, religion can’t be individualised. The road to godhood can’t be through a social vehicle or a religious leader, only through a self-seeking that’s unique to each seeker, often through a guru.

Finally, since science and spirituality are two roads leading to the same truth, need they be on a collision course? It’s only a question of methodology and assumptions. There are weaknesses in both models — the spiritual seeker often leans on faith to make his theories accessible, the scientist defines his theories on assumptions that are frequently incomplete or inaccurate. In a future where inter-disciplinary studies are gaining importance (behavioural economics, for instance), can — and this is Wish No 3 — 2006 see the emergence of spiritual scientists?

Have a harmonious new year.

SP leader Azam Khan walks out of jail after 23 months, hundreds of supporters welcome him

Cities23 min ago

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is facing multiple cases, walked out of the Sitapur jail today after 23 months. He was scheduled to be released early Tuesday morning, but it was delayed due to impending court proceedings. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the Sitapur jail, waiting for the SP leader to walk out of prison.

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