Showing 14 articles
Gitanjali by Tagore: An Investigation
Author: Prof. Ananda LalJune 27, 2022
On 29th March 2021, The New Acropolis Culture Circle conducted an online session on Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize-winning work Gitanjali, with Prof. Ananda Lal. An authority on Tagore, he retired as Professor of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and directs Writers Workshop, the oldest continuing publisher of Indian poetry in English. The professor’s doctoral thesis had [...]
Philosophy of Education
Author: Julian ScottMay 25, 2022
Napoleon once declared, “Of all political questions, education is perhaps the most important.” Undoubtedly, education is important from a political perspective because it has a major effect on the development of the citizen. But what about its value for the individual? Perhaps both of these facets are equally important and, as Aristotle pointed out, ethics [...]
Are we all Culturally Appropriating?
Author: Gilad SommerFebruary 8, 2022
The concept of cultural appropriation originated in academic circles in the 1980s. In the last decade, it had gained popularity, especially in the US, aiming to give autonomy to minority populations and to prevent the use of cultural elements to denigrate these populations and reinforce prejudice. Nevertheless, like many other things in the political correctness [...]
Reviving a Culture of Human Values
Author: Zarina ScrewvalaMarch 31, 2021
The New Acropolis Culture Circle explores the diverse expressions of culture through a series of intimate and interactive presentations, in an attempt to revive the spiritual essence that forms the basis of all classical art and culture. Far from being definitive, this article is an attempt to share a synthesis of my learning from some of the [...]
The Temples of Ancient Egypt (Part 1)
Author: Agostino DominiciMarch 19, 2019
Introduction The quality of a civilisation’s culture is most visible in its art and more particularly in its architectural accomplishments, for these are usually its most complex and long-lasting forms. It’s hard to conceive of a more awe-inspiring architecture than that found in ancient Egypt. The essence and message of Egyptian architecture remained unaltered throughout [...]
Haiku: Abundance in Brevity
Author: Trishya ScrewvalaJuly 29, 2018
The Japanese poetic form of haiku, is a very succinct poem that exemplifies simplicity. It is one of the most recognizable and popular forms of poetry today and has travelled far beyond Japan’s shores, with writers composing haiku in Spanish, English and even Bengali as seen in the works of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It [...]
The importance of culture and why ‘no’ is the new ‘yes’
Author: Sabine LeitnerJune 3, 2018
The health and quality of a seed is not enough to ensure its flourishing. It also needs the right environment to do so: good soil, enough water and the right amount of light and warmth according to the needs of its nature. Using this image as an analogy, we could say that for human beings [...]
Language and Culture
Author: Pinar AkhanApril 17, 2017
If you have ever tried to learn a new language, you might have noticed that it is not only about learning the alphabet, vocabulary and grammar. It also involves learning a new way of thinking and expressing yourself. Language carries references to the culture to which it belongs and, by interacting with a language, we [...]
Down the Rabbit Hole: Tasneem Zakaria Mehta on Preservation of Heritage
Author: Manjula NanavatiSeptember 24, 2016
In five years Tasneem Zakaria Mehta revitalized a decayed and dying museum, transforming it into a vital and accessible cultural focal point for Mumbai. As vice-chairman of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Honorary Director of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad (BDL) Museum, Tasneem spearheaded the exhaustive research and the [...]
Habits and Automatism
Author: Natalia LemaMay 20, 2016
Amongst the many human conditions that characterise us, there is one that in a subtle way permeates who we are and what we do, not only on a physical level but also in terms of emotional and mental traits: habits or repetitive behaviour The very lack of awareness and the fact that we fall easily [...]
Culture Creatives and the Wisdom Culture
Author: Agostino DominiciFebruary 7, 2016
Many recent thinkers have spoken of the troubled times our world is going through and the picture that is emerging resembles more and more the central piece of Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych The Last Judgment. In it we see in vibrant colors the chaotic scenes of anarchy and depravation while society dances and sings to the [...]
Culture Creatives and the Wisdom Culture
Author: Agostino DominiciJune 6, 2015
Many recent thinkers have spoken of the troubled times our world is going through and the picture that is emerging resembles more and more the central piece of Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych The Last Judgment. In it we see in vibrant colors the chaotic scenes of anarchy and depravation while society dances and sings to the beat of [...]