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The keys of the kingdom - the gates to heaven

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The voice of religion is essentially simple. An expansion of consciousness, an all embracing empathy, a deep sense of justice and equality that transcends boundaries of color and culture; and a vision of God that is closely tied to earth, h owever transcendent its metaphysics may be. The thousand fragments of established religions try to bury this honest truth under rubbles of theology, customs and inane morality: the Catholic versus protestant; the Shia versus Sunni, the Hindu versus Buddhist - these are but variations of a single universal theme of oneness emphasized and practiced in different denominations. A J Cronin’s novel “the Keys of the kingdom” written in 1941 captured the essence of this doctrine in the life of a Christian missionary, sent to far eastern China to establish the word of God among “natives”. It proves to be an uphill struggle for the young handsome priest Francis to enter the realms of faith and trust in the hearts of practical Chinese, whose philosophy of Con

Sir Richard Attenborough - A tribute

Sir Richard Attenborough - A tribute Scarcely would you find in the world of Visual arts and drama, an artist singularly dedicated to a project over three decades, channeling his entire life force to the consummation of a world vision and  philosophy that needed an audacious and honest interpretation in modern times; surmounting obstacles - financially, bureaucratically and physically, in bringing to screen the biography of a man whose life was nothing short of a miracle in an age and time that he “walked” on earth, a life widely acknowledged by the global community as befitting a saint amongst statesmen in an otherwise incarnadined history of independence struggles. Richard Attenborough, who created the celluloid consecration of Mahatma Gandhi quietly left us a couple of days ago, without a whimper, in the fullness of ninety one years. His wife Sim, with whom he had lived his entire married life of seventy odd years lay lost and unperturbed in her delusionary dream world caused by ag

The psychology of addiction.. - a conversation

“Can reason overcome addiction?” this young lady asked me with a quizzical look on her face, as we were sitting in Delta’s lounge in the airport. It is was seven in the morning, and my flight was due in a couple of hours. I was sipping a cup of coffee, reading Will Durant’s “Interpretations of Life”, when she stumbled on to a bar stool nearby, and hastily requested for a shot of Makers mark. I cou ld see her fingers trembling a bit, and she seemed rather restless. The moment the generous bartender (as they always are in airline lounge’s...) slid the glass to her with a warm greeting, she grabbed it with both her hands and gulped it down her throat. As the liquid wound its serpentine way to her stomach, her face and body palpably began relaxing; a flush of satisfaction coursed through her face coloring her cheeks with a faint flush of redness – a sign of an overwhelming ache, satiated. It was then that she noticed me watching her, and gently nodded her head. I put down the book I was r

Cont : An examined life - A brief study of two lives.

Cont. : An examined life - A brief study of two lives Unlike Spinoza, whose life was spurred by an excommunication decree by Temple elders; Jiddu Krishnamurti was embraced by a sect as its next World Messiah. His entire childhood was a preparation for him to ascend a spiritual throne that would have given him unlimited power, authority and sway. But unlike Spinoza again, JK (as he is popularly  known) voluntarily cut asunder the ties that bound him, abdicated his position as a leader and declared himself unconditionally free. His story needs to be told in slightly more detail… The term Theosophy, etymologically derives from its root “God’s wisdom”. It is a kind of syncretistic philosophy, which included esoteric elements from various streams of religious thought: Islamist Sufi doctrines, the mystery of kabbalah, the tantric rumblings of ancient India - all found a place in this system. Its origins can be traced to very beginnings of the Christian era, and has remained in vogue though

Examining life - A brief study of two lives

More than two thousand years ago, in the “Apologies”, so majestically conceived by Plato, Socrates utters these powerful words: “An unexamined life is not worth living...” This has been the credo of the thinking West since then. All science, Metaphysics, logic, philosophy stemmed from this singular need to observe life in its own terms, and not live in the fantasy world of imagination, superstitio n and indoctrinated beliefs that had held Mankind in its sway since the dawn of recorded civilization. However even a casual study of history will vindicate that this has never been an easy task. For nearly fifteen centuries, since the crucifixion of Christ, both Science and religion were brutally submerged in cults, institutions, fabricated realities, deceptive truths and a labored body of dogma – that it was quite impossible to live the Socratic creed of introspection that had originally set the tone. The tides of history did throw up, every now and then, men and women who managed to break

God - An investigation - part 9 - the mythical lore

The genesis of this article lies in a conversation I had with a Young South Indian mother in Cleveland airport. She was travelling to India to perform the rites of Upanayanam for her son, about twelve years old. It was a two hour long wait and conversation blossomed. I could sense that she was not very happy going through this ceremony. She said “You know, neither my Husband nor me believe in this  silly ritual. Both our parents are alive, and they have been insisting on this for some time. We didn't want to disappoint them. They believe that this ritual ought to be performed, and we just want to go along with them. Personally, what difference does a foot long thread hung diagonally over one’s shoulder going to make... ’ She chuckled at her wisdom and continued: “… It’s all a ‘myth’ and an unnecessary ritual. Rahul (name changed), my son, does not know that he is in for a long tiring two days hard work. Well, if it keeps everyone happy, we are Ok with it…” I paused for a moment an

The virulent epidemic - A study in Human fragility by Camus

Each time I read or hear about a potential violent epidemic, I am reminded of Albert Camus “The plague” and his vision of Human absurdism in the face of terrible irrationality of the Universe. It is amazing how century upon century, Mankind has been afflicted by one pestilential disease after the other, leaving in its wake a devastation, a sordid fear of existence and a numbing blow to his pride,  vanity, arrogance and misplaced sense of superiority. More lives have been lost to debilitating epidemics than all wars put together. It is almost as if a curse rips through life, and purges the Earth of its burden in its own inimitable manner. I was watching the reportage on the outbreak of Ebola on national television and was stuck by the poignancy of Camus’s conception of his novel, and how true and realistic were his story, characterization and philosophy of Man’s essential loneliness in this pitiless Universe. Plague has played a very important role in Human history: The ten biblical pl