Why is Multiculturalism important ?

Many Indians do not recognize the trap they are in. They proudly talk about their own culture and boast how the westerners are adopting their practices of yoga and meditation as proof of why their culture is superior. Else they reject their cultures and adopt practices of the so called westerners.

True western power comes from being able to provide an architecture for multi-culturalism. Be it christianity, capitalism or science, West allows for multiple cultures to be be part of them by allowing conversion, equal opportunity for wealth creation or equal opportunity to make fun of all cultures, respectively.

India is caught in this web of western multiculturalism, while it has an alternate basis in its own tradition to create an equally powerful and humane multicultural architecture. Its spiritual tradition contains germs of openness and tolerance which could form the basis for constructing an alternate multi-cultural architecture.

What Indians forget is unless they find a way to celebrate Brazilian, Chinese, Turkish, African, Russian, European, Arabic cultures within their own framework, they cannot really be world leaders. Leaders should be acceptable to every one and while a large part of it comes from sheer power, economic and military, a significant part of it comes from being able to own the cultural software platform that allow for cultures to engage with each other. China and Russia do not have it, Brazil and India could have a shot at it. Whether they take it up and make something of it, it is difficult to day

Musings on Moksha -I

The river of life flows in the pursuit of pleasure and power, Kama and Artha, libido and Id of Freud. To ensure it does not destroy itself, it is restrained by the two banks of Dharma and Moksha, Dharma is the bank that restrains the objective world of action, regulating Artha or pursuit of power. It is one's duty to society and others, obligations that automatically will be a check and balance on Artha. In the context of a modern society it is laws and ethics, duties to family and community, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility. The other bank is Moksha, that regulates the objective world of experience and feeling that acts as a check and balance on Kama. In the modern context it is the search for personal meaning. How do we know when to stop when pursuing power ? When we violate the law or break the trust of an individual. When do we know when to stop while pursuing pleasure ? When it destroys the fabric of our own personal meaning

The concept of meaning is very important and is not yet understood by the society at large. In the past religion gave meaning and provided a check on seeking pleasure. We did away with religion and so the pleasure part of the river of life really has no regulatory restraint. To question whether to regulate pleasure is to risk considered anachronistic. Yet, one finds that unbridled pursuit of pleasure does not provide well being just as unbridled pursuit of power does not create sustained wealth creation. Well being is in finding the delicate balance between pleasure and meaning. A personal meaning is as important for sustained enjoyment of pleasure as laws and restraints are important for sustained wealth creation.

How do we find meaning ? True meaning is found in recognizing the ultimate impermanence or meaninglessnss of all things as the great Buddha said. Even the greek myths considered human lives meaningful because of death. More on that later

Latin America and India

Many people ask me what attracted me to Latin America. I have often wondered about it myself. Other than the fact that as a younger man, I was excited by the beatiful women of Latin America ? I will have to say it was the warmth of the people.

In my Indian mind, modernity was always associated with loss of personal touch in human relationships. The Latin approach to modernity was more relaxed, still there was a sense of family and friends, fun was a big motivation and sociey was inclusive.

I saw the to come to terms with modernity one does not need to change one's basic choices and approach to life. One could still value family, friends and still be professional, enthusiastic yet objective, expressive and yet be empirical, respect individual choices and have more fun and still balance social obligations with personal ones

In a sense Latin America gave me the hope for an Indian modernity and resolved the enormous practical dilemma for me, since college days, how can I enjoy wine and learn salsa without forgetting my tamil poetry and love for Indian mythology