Exactly a month ago, we decided to showcase how religion and spirituality make a positive difference in the society. The debate has been on since then - How can an organization started by members of the same faith be truly inclusive? In a country like India, where religion has always been a political trump card, can the issue be dealt with neutrally? How can we be sure that a spiritual organization is not about splurging wealth and advocating a misguided belief system?
Now that we have compiled all our articles, we have a different story to tell.
Today, we believe in what religion is or can be, among its many other manifestations in the society. Religion is divisive, manipulative and blinding. But it is also loving and compassionate. When we care to see, there are so many instances where there is all but an indistinguishable line between love of god and love towards mankind. In our Forefront section, we showcase organizations and practices started by members of the same faith that today serve a community regardless of religion and caste.
We realize that spirituality is about opening your mind and being at peace with yourself. Our Sattvic celebrity, Sri Ramachandra Mission, aims to achieve world peace by helping every individual find peace through spirituality. In the Postscript section, Shanthi shares how spirituality helped her find her place in the world. In the Guest column, Siddhartha, who founded Fireflies Ashram, shares his vision of creating a community that engages in spiritual dialogue to address the risk of the world becoming “a wasteland of souls”. We are thankful to Professor Ramnath Narayanswamy for sharing his views on religion and spirituality in our Expert Speak section.
And if you didn’t know that the Uniform Civil Code is already implemented in one part of India, we recommend our Refractive index section where we have compiled an FAQ on the Uniform civil code.
As I write these words, churches have been torched in Orissa, Shiv sena members have vandalized an exhibition by MF Hussain and there’s a perennial fear of another religious strife in the country. In the backdrop of such events, it is easy to dismiss the optimism of this issue. But I believe that is what makes these initiatives special. Because it shows us that there is hope.
Bono, U2’s lead singer, once wrote about streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, where a person's religion is evident by the street they live on. In an evocative song, he wished for a world where we transcend these limits, a world “where the streets have no name”.
This issue is dedicated to that vision. Click here to read the issue
