Showing 598 articles

The Science of Space – Vaastushastra

Author: Sashikala Ananth

January 3, 2022

As a student of Sri V Ganapati Sthapati, and then from her association to the School of Architecture of Madras University, for over 30 years Sashikala Ananth has been investigating the classical Indian science of architecture, known as Vaastu, combining both textual knowledge and practical field application. She has distilled her experience in her books [...]

A Gross National Happiness and Education as the Noble Sector of Public Good: A Conversation with Professor Thakur S. Powdyel

Author: The Acropolitan Magazine Editorial Team

January 3, 2022

New Acropolis Culture Circle recently interviewed Professor Thakur S Powdyel, Bhutan’s first democratically elected Minister of Education (2008-2013). An educator by choice, conviction and passion, he is respected for moving Bhutan towards fulfilling the country’s constitutional mandate for education. As a recipient of numerous international awards such as the Gusi Peace Prize and [...]

Living Philosophy: How Words of Plato and Marcus Aurelius are Relevant Today

Author: Trishya Screwvala

January 3, 2022

First published in The Indian Express on 18th Nov 2021 As we begin to step out after almost two years of being largely confined to our homes, the occasion of World Philosophy Day today offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges we faced, and the value and need of philosophy in these unprecedented times. [...]

For Your Soul to Grow

Author: Jorge Angel Livraga

January 3, 2022

I am not referring to your Divine Spirit which, because it is so, can neither grow nor diminish, be born nor die, but to that higher part in us which we commonly call Soul. It is common knowledge that physical exercise, for example, develops muscles, and that any learning must be based on tenacity in [...]

The Ancient Stoics Come to our Aid Today

Author: Delia Steinberg Guzmán

December 13, 2021

As a result of the number of adverse situations we have to face, many health professionals are having to propose solutions to deal with the ever-increasing number of cases of uncontrolled and unmanageable emotions, depressions or, on a smaller scale, states of anxiety. It is interesting that this has led us to turn to the [...]

A Sufi Transformation: Baba Bulleh Shah

Author: Sukesh Motwani

November 7, 2021

Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch (Bahawalpur, Punjab) in present-day Pakistan, where his father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a Paish Imam and teacher. Most historians confirm that Bulleh Shah worked as an adolescent herder in the village. Despite his poverty, however, he was [...]

Akbar, The Great Enigma

Author: Manjula Nanavati

November 7, 2021

During the Renaissance, while Europe was experiencing a gigantic shift of ideas in almost every aspect of knowledge, in India, was born a man who, as Emperor of Hindustan, would use his indomitable courage and a restless search for wisdom to weave a similarly audacious social, political, and spiritual vision in the Indian subcontinent. His [...]

Mastering the Bow

Author: Harianto Mehta

November 7, 2021

Yogastha Kuru Karmani First establish being in yourself, and only then perform action. Introduction Amidst a series of mystical verses compiled in the Bhagavad Gita, this is one of the fundamental instructions that Krishna transmits to a distraught Arjuna, when faced with the prospect of killing his own cousins in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in [...]

Transitions

Author: Nuphar Tavor

September 28, 2021

We are so busy trying to build ourselves a permanent, stable, comfortable life environment. Our steady job, the people we meet, the things we do when we are not at work. Stability is very important to us, perhaps to every living creature. We need reassurance that tomorrow will look more or less like yesterday and [...]

The Darshanas: Six Schools of Indian Philosophy

Author: Manjula Nanavati

August 25, 2021

“Truth is one. Sages call it by different names.” – Rig Veda The six darshanas are philosophical systems, or schools of thought, that take their authority from the Vedas.  As implied by the meaning of the word darshana, to see or to experience, the six disciplines offer unique points of view, six separate windows from [...]

A Parent’s Search for New Education

Author: Riddhi Patel

August 25, 2021

What is it about a musician or a doctor that makes him more than a simple technician, one that has developed an expert ability to discharge a particular skill? Beyond the mechanics of these professions, we may find a sincere pursuit of something higher; values such as Beauty, Harmony and Goodness. This came to light [...]

The Story of Cinderella – An Inner Voyage

Author: Akanksha Sanghi

August 25, 2021

I recently had the opportunity to investigate my all-time favourite fairytale, Cinderella, in a new light. I realised that we can infact extract very practical principles to apply in our daily lives. But for this, we need to look at the story that we are so familiar with, through a new lens, leaving behind our [...]