Culture

Igniting Dreams: Dr Kalam lives on in his inspirational thoughts

- by India Writes Network

He was an extraordinary scientist, but more than his myriad positions and multi-faceted achievements, Dr A.P. J. Abdul Kalam was a luminous human being, radiating boundless energy and an inner radiance that illumined the lives of all around him. Humility can be sometimes fake, a show, but for Dr Kalam, sporting his floppy silvery mop nestled around his forehead, it was his second nature. Scientist extraordinaire, the father of India’s space and missile programme, India’s 11th president, his life story is truly inspirational as the boy from a non-descript village in Tamil Nadu rose to occupy not only the highest position in the world’s largest democracy by sheer self-belief and tireless hard work, but also remapped the contours of the presidency by bringing the much-needed people’s touch to a largely ceremonial institution. His achievements were many, but for countless of young people he will remain a teacher, inspiring them for reach for the skies. It was fitting that he breathed his last among students at an institute in Shillong on July 27. The man who epitomizes the power of dreaming and self-fashioning is alive and burning in all ignited minds. Here is a random selection of Dr Kalam’s inspirational thoughts.

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India’s Act East policy to get cultural and intellectual shine

- by India Writes Network

India’s Act East policy is not simply strategy and business. Taking a long-range view, New Delhi is planning to pitch multifarious cultural linkages to the fore as it moves to transform and reinvigorate this crucial relationship.
Ahead of the next India-ASEAN summit in Malaysia, India has underlined the importance of bolstering cultural linkages to impart a greater resonance to its burgeoning relationship with this enterprising and vibrant region.
Speaking at an international conference on “ASEAN-India Cultural Links: Historical and Contemporary Dimensions” in New Delhi on July 23, Mr Anil Wadhwa, India’s seniormost diplomat handling the region, spoke about ancient cultural linkages that bind India and Southeast Asia.

“India and ASEAN are today at the threshold of a qualitatively more substantive and reinvigorated relationship. As we work to give shape to our Plan of Action for the period 2016 to 2021, setting new goals to move the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership forward, we not only aim to strengthen the third pillar of our engagement, i.e. the socio-cultural pillar, but also wish to bring it to the forefront of our relationship.”

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Yulin dog eating carnival outrage: The politics of food

- by India Writes Network

There has been a major outcry for banning the Yulin Festival, a dog-and-cat meat eating carnival held annually on the occasion of the summer solstice on June 21st in the city of Yulin in China. Many gruesome images of dogs and cats jam packed in cages, being cooked in stewing pots and hung in slaughter houses have been circulated on social media to rouse public opinion against the ‘ghastly’ tradition.
Whilst the ban may or may not actually take place (China had earlier banned a dog eating festival in 2011), and the uproar has raised legitimate concerns about animal torture and human health risks (such as rabies), it may be helpful to look at the issue as placed within some larger debates- animal rights vs. humans rights, perceptions of barbarism in oriental cultures through ethnocentric norms and relevance of (‘outdated’) culture in today’s modern times- which constitute the politics of food.
Different cultures have varying conceptions of what can and cannot be eaten. In India the pervasive caste system bans consumption of meat for the upper castes, but Dalit communities have long eaten meat, even beef, as a source of protein.

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Blurring borders, millions in India and world celebrate yoga power

- by India Writes Network

As night melted into the first glimmer of sunlight, all roads in New Delhi led to the majestic Rajpath area of the capital, as more than 37,000 people gathered around the venue to commemorate the first International Day of Yoga. It’s not just the capital Delhi which celebrated the power of yoga to transform one’s life, but across India and the world millions of celebrants of this ancient Indian practice of yoking body, mind and spirit joined in this collective rite, blurring borders and ideologies.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had only a few months ago called for observing a Day of Yoga at the UN General Assembly, led the celebrations, performing several yogic ‘asanas’ (postures). Wearing his trademark kurta-pyjama and matching them with a white tracksuit and a scarf with the colours of the Indian flag, the Indian leader took part in synchronised yogic exercise and pranayams.
Addressing the congregation, Mr Modi underlined the universal character of yoga, elevating it above politics and partisan rhetoric that had threated to spoil what is clearly not just India’s heritage, but that of the entire humankind. “This is a programme for ‘manav kalyan’ (welfare of manking), a tension-free world and a programme to spread the message of ‘sadbhavana’ (goodwill).”

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