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 [...]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 [...]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. [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]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 [...]