Insight

GLOBAL INDIA Beyond The Stereotype

  By VIJAY PHANSHIKAR : Global India of today, thus, is proving to be a spiritual entity that facilitates a two-way flow of people -- in and out without any psychological or pseudo-moral inhibitions of doing something right or not so right ..

Dynamism Of IndianTradition

A number of civilisations came into existence in ancient times. All died out or were wiped out by external aggression except the two Indian and Chinese. With the prolonged communist regime of China, the ancient Chinese civilisation has been decimated to a great extent. Each and every aspect of life is dictated by the communist rule. Diversity and differences of opinions have suffered irreparable loss on Chinese land. On the contrary, India has adopted a constitution which is in consonance with ..

RocketWorldRecord: An alumnus’ moment

 By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA   Recently I had an opportunity to attend a discourse by Swami Gyanavatsalananda of the Swaminarayan sect at Nagpur. The theme of the discourse was ‘How to Become a Genius?’ The Swami outlined very..

Neurotheology

   By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA  R ecently I had an opportunity to attend a discourse by Swami Gyanavatsalananda of the Swaminarayan sect at Nagpur. The theme of the discourse was ‘How to Become a Genius?’ The Swami o..

Gaps in human-wildlife conflict mitigation

  By ARATHI MENON & NIKHIL SAHU   The November 24, 2024 Hitavada Insight MELANGE I LIFESTYLE I ENTERTAINMENT ■ Mail us your feedback at [email protected] SUNDAY T he forest officials of Uttar Pradesh’s Bahra..

Who qualifies to be a global citizen?

The modern time has seen very intricate inter connectivity and interaction at the global level. Something happening in a remote part of the world has ripples in other places. Mutual interdependence in all fields of life has become the order of the day. At the first glance the interconnectedness seems to be at the material and phenomenal levels. But profound research into the field of astrophysics has revealed that the universe has very deep interconnection. In his famous book, The Tao of Physics, ..

Gifted kids need more attention & careí

Q. My daughter is nine-and-half years old and is very intelligent in studies and other activities. Recently what is bothering me is her nature. She answers back, fights for small issues, makes a fuss for food and ignores me. I stay away from home in another city for my work and my wife and child live with her parents. I am often getting complaints about her behavior and am feeling worried. My wife is not much worried and says it is normal. But I am not taking it so easily. I want her to grow up ..

Cognitive Theory In Indian tradition

C ognition is one of the basic theories of the Western psychology. It deals with how thoughts arise in our brain and how they get converted into emotions both good or bad, ultimately impacting our behavior. Ulric Neisser is called the pioneer of cognitive psychology. According to the cognitive psychology of Neisser, thoughts influence our behaviour and mould it in different ways. Psychology propounds that thoughts are the self arising attributes of the brain. When different stimuli reach our brain ..

Concept of personality in Indian tradition

Personality is however the most important topic of western psychology. It is defined as a unique model of thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Every personality has its own special characteristics. The traits of one personality differ from the traits of other personality types. Based upon the scale of traits, Myers and Briggs formulated a personality indicator which is very popular in the field of psychology. According to the indicator, a personality is either introvert or extrovert. There are sixteen ..

Montpellier:The Hidden Gem Of French Riviera

A staircase of 15 ritual steps through a passageway lit by bulbs led us to an eerie underground water table. The steps were like going to a medieval dungeon for prisoners. Well this is a 13th century Mikveh, the ceremonial Jewish bath, in the old central street of the Jewish quarter in Montpellier. The Jewish bath is like a hidden mystery of this medieval southern France city. As I emerged from the underground mikveh - that represents a thousand-year-old place of spirituality - into the Mediterranean ..

THE AMERICAN DREAM

Meera Chandrasekhar left India in 1975 to study in the United States, driven by her passion for experimental physics. Dr. Kattesh Katti arrived in 1990 and eventually became a pioneer in nanotechnology and nano-medicine. Vineet Singh arrived 27 years ago to expand his research in microbiology. All came to America on student visas, embarked on journeys that took them through Missouri, and made their mark on America’s scientific landscape. And today, more and more young people hope to do the same. A ..

Self-Restraint: Core Of EQ

The decade of the 1990s witnessed two very crucial developments in the field of psychology and selfmanagement. The first was the discovery of neuroplasticity of the brain and the second was the popularisation of emotional intelligence. Bruce S MacEwen, an American endocrinologist, is credited with the discovery of the neuroplasticity of the brain. Peter Salevoy and John Mayer, researchers in the field of psychology, discovered the theory of EQ which was later popularised by Daniel Goleman in his book ..

Losing theturf battles

  By SUJOY DHAR :  It was only last year that Kolkata’s trams celebrated 150 years of their rollercoaster journey in the eastern metropolis. For decades the city’s signature streetcars were fighting a grim survival battle despit..

Vijnana Bhairava Tantra

Since the time immemorial Indian seers and sages have made an intuitive journey to know the real nature of truth. First, they focused on the senses and realised that the body is not the final reality. On the other hand there is consciousness which permeates the human body. The further inquiry into the nature of consciousness revealed that individual consciousness is the integral part of the cosmic consciousness. Tantra is one of the most ancient methods used by Indian seers to know the ultimate truth.The ..

' Redefine your goals & aspirations '

Q. Lately I’ve been struggling with overwhelming feelings, difficulty sleeping and trouble concentrating due to work pressure. I enjoy my work, but I am unable to set necessary boundaries for myself. I keep feeling like if I don't go out of the way to do something, I'm not giving my 100%. And later, I end up falling sick even though I know I should have a work life balance. How do I deal with this? Please guide. Ans. This happens when you are trying hard to prove something to others and trying to ..

Patanjal Yoga Sutras - IV

The three previous articles have dealt with the three chapters of Patanjal Yoga Sutras defining Yoga, its purpose, means to calm down the mind and elevate consciousness.The fourth chapter of Patanjal Yoga Sutras is called Kaivalya Pada or the portion dealing with enlightenment. It has thirty four aphorisms. This segment is more philosophical in nature. Indian philosophers have conceptualised a state of consciousness without any dualism or traces of thoughts. This state is the pure consciousness and ..

KILL OR PRESERVE?

Catapults To Cameras, a 40 minute film produced by Roundglass Sustain (a philanthropic education platform) is making waves documenting the transformation of five boys – aged 7 to 10 years, who were persuaded to exchange their slings or catapults (used for hunting birds and small animals) for cameras to photograph animals in their wild habitats. The real life success story is from Jhargram, a district in the southern West Bengal, says Meghna Banerjee, co-founder and executive director of Human and ..

PatanjalYoga Sutras -III

The third chapter of PatanjalYoga Sutras is called Vibhuti Pada. The word Vibhuti means special powers or endowments. The chapter contains fifty five Sutras or aphorisms. Patanjali deals with the extraordinary faculties and abilities which are achieved through very long, sustained and devoted practice of Yoga. This chapter is scientific as well as para scientific. Patanjali has enumerated about fifty five such Vibhutis or special powers of Yogic practice. Most of the special powers are the miraculous ..

‘Change your patterns of behaviour’

My neighbor, a 40-year-old combat veteran, who has been experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety following her military service. She avoids situationsthatremindherof thetraumaandfeelsconstantly on edge. She also struggles with feelings of guilt and hyper vigilance. The problem is that she is staying alone and has nobody to be there for her the whole time. How can I help her..

‘Change your patterns of behaviour’

My neighbor, a 40-year-old combat veteran, who has been experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety following her military service. She avoids situationsthatremindherof thetraumaandfeelsconstantly on edge. She also struggles with feelings of guilt and hyper vigilance. The problem is that she is staying alone and has nobody to be there for her the whole time. How can I help her..

The cost of climbing

Kancha Sherpa was barely 20 years old when he became a part of the climbing team that accompanied Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first people to summit Mount Everest, on May 29, 1953. Today, at 92, Kancha is the last living member of that team. From his home in Namche village in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Kancha watches hordes of mountaineers and trekkers making their way to the world’s tallest peak. The May 1953 expedition he was part of had opened the doors of Mount Everest ..

PatanjalYoga Sutras -II

In the previous article the contents of the first chapter of PatanjalYoga Sutras named Samadhi Pada were summarised and different psychosomatic practices were discussed for calming down the racing mind. The second chapter is called the Sadhana Pada or the chapter dealing with different methods and means to elevate human consciousness. The chapter has fifty five Sutras or aphorisms. The chapter begins with the description of KriyaYoga. Kriya Yoga is the central spiritual practice found in varied forms ..

Patanjal Yoga Sutras - I

I received requests from many friends and acquaintances to write on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the first part, I will introduce the first chapter of Patanjal Yoga Sutra. Divided into four chapters, the first chapter named Samadhi Pada or the part dealing with the highest state of consciousness, contains fifty one Sutras or aphorisms. Patanjali has introduced Yoga as Anushasanam meaning a disciplined code of conduct -Sutra (1:1) He is defining Yoga as Chittavrittinirodha or the control of the ..

‘Get rid of anxiety as soon as possible’

Q.My friendhas been feeling extremely anxious and overwhelmed lately. He is experiencing a financial crisis and hence he seems to be constantly worrying about various aspects of his life and it's starting to affect his ability to focus and relax. I'm reaching out to seek advice on how I can support them and help them manage their anxiety better. Ans. Anxiety is generally a useless emotion and keeps you in a state of tension and fear. A better option would be a problem-solving approach to find out ..

Journey of teaching transformation The Roles Of The Ancient Teachers To The Unique Roles Of Modern Day Teachers

Imagine having your class, calm and attentive, under the cool shade of a large sycamore tree where you enjoy the natural light of the afternoon sun and a cooling breeze that makes the leaves dance. This was a regular day at school in ancient India. The primary teaching method of this simple yet sophisticated system was the oral tradition where the children would orally memorise Vedic hymns and mantras to protect their original tone and the magical pronunciation of the Vedic texts. Yet chanting, repetition ..

Beyond Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the structure and functions of our nervous system. The nervous system is basically divided into two parts central and autonomous. The central nervous system consists of the brain, spine and nerve cells. The autonomous nervous system controls the automatic and involuntary activities of the body like breathing, heartbeat, digestion, blood circulation, etc. The autonomous nervous system has two divisions- sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous ..

GITA Acharan

A fruit absorbs nutrients from its parent tree to grow and ripen. It then gets detached from the tree to start its own journey. The journey to freedom from the parent tree involves different actions to finally becoming a tree itself. An immature fruit, on the other hand, needs to be attached to the parent tree till it ripens. A ripe fruit shouldn't lure the immature fruit to leave the tree, as it is not yet ready to start an independent journey. It would perish if it doesn't spend time to get the ..

Timelesscharm

Wonder why the percentage of Indian tourists to Azerbaijan increased 6 times from the last year? Reason being, Azerbaijan as a country is a delightful blend of Eastern and Western influences. Positioned strategically at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan serves as an excellent gateway for Indian tourists looking to explore both continents. Not so expensive, with easy availability of cheap eVisa and direct flights of around 4.5 hours, it has become a hot destination for Indian tourist trying ..

How Do We Prepare For LA 2028 ?

Neeraj Chopra has accumulated a global fan club for his one-and-done style, most dramatically showcased at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he turned his back on the javelin while it was still in full flight and raised both arms in certitude and celebration. Through his career, Chopra’s best throws have come in the early rounds but in Paris, his first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth throws were all fouls. His only clean throw, the second, was an 89.45m effort -- good enough for silver, but not good enough ..

The Snake Stories

T he famous American actor and producer, Nicolas Cage has once observed that every great story seems to begin with a snake. Snakes and serpents are an integral part of all the cultures of the world from time immemorial. They are associated with fertility, rejuvenation, vitality, survival, divinity, aesthetic sense and designs, etc. On the other hand they have been depicted as devils and evils also with fear and hatred. No species on the earth has stirred the imagination of humans as the snakes. In ..

Psychology Of Digital Arrest

T HERE have been a number of cases of cyber crimes where victims were confined to their rooms or some hotels for days and weeks together by cyber criminals. In one high profile case of cyber fraud both the husband and wife were asked to stay in separate rooms of a hotel and not to talk to each other without the permission of these cyber crooks. Such confinement has been given the name of digital arrest by the experts. It has become a common modus operandi these days by cyber criminals. When we ..

Bhangarh Fort:India’s most haunted !

V isiting an ancient fort in India can sometimes be an uncommon experience for a tourist. At the gate you might have seen a guide negotiating hard with a group of tourists or a picture post card vendor trying to push his products to the visitors or may be a service man bothering your driver for parking your car in right way. But here at the entry gate of Bhangarh fort, you will find an exceptional group of people offering you an unique service which has no match with any other fort in India. “Do ..

Mental Health In Indian Traditions

It is generally believed that psychiatry is a modern subject and a gift of the western science. But history tells that India has had a very comprehensive description and remedial prescription about mental health since very ancient times. The Indian traditions have used two words in this context - Adhi and Vyadhi. Adhi refers to all types of mental illness, while Vyadhi indicates physical diseases. The Ayurveda, Yoga and Indian philosophical systems have devised numerous ways to identify and treat ..

Decline of philosophy & its impact

Studies have found that interest in Philosophy has declined substantially all over the globe including India. In so many universities and academia the departments of Philosophy have been either closed or merged with other faculties like Religious Studies or Political Science. This decline is attributed to the dominance of science and related subjects which are more experiment oriented and seem to be instantly useful to day to day life. Both the east and west have got very ancient and robust philosophical ..

Decline of philosophy & its impact

Studies have found that interest in Philosophy has declined substantially all over the globe including India. In so many universities and academia the departments of Philosophy have been either closed or merged with other faculties like Religious Studies or Political Science. This decline is attributed to the dominance of science and related subjects which are more experiment oriented and seem to be instantly useful to day to day life. Both the east and west have got very ancient and robust philosophical ..

Kargil : The history & geography

Frozen drops of blood on the icy heights are no less than garlands woven by the bravehearts for the beloved motherland — Bharat. The winds blowing at the highaltitude battlefield of Kargil, Drass, Batalik, Turtok etc still sing paens in honour of the brave Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice guarding the land from the Pakistani military aggression in 1999. The soil and boulders are still preserving the tale of heroic resolve of Indian soldiers. The memorial at Drass has become a junction ..

25 years The fruitful strategicjourney since Kargil

●“Nawaz Sharif visited China to obtain support for a cease fire. Later, prompted by Musharraf, he met US President Clinton in Washington DC on 4 July. That morning, Tiger Hill had been captured before their meeting was held. Nawaz Sharif requested Clinton to intervene or persuade India to pull back troops from the remaining areas on our side. Our operations, however continued. By 10 July, Pakistanis had been evicted from most of Batalik and Ras, and some areas of Kaksar. In Mushkoh, 50 Para ..

Efficacy Of Non-Verbal Communication

Language is the most commonly used means of communication. Most of our interactions take place through verbal communication either spoken or written. But nonverbal communication plays a very vital role in our life. With the publication of the book named The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin in 1872 , the interest in the studies of nonverbal communication gained ground. Charles Darwin propounded the evolutionary theory of nonverbal communication. He observed that animals communicat..

Amazing Linguistic Philosophy of Sanskrit

S anskrit has got a very rich and long tradition of linguistic philosophy. In his book Studies in Sanskrit Grammar, the famous linguist and Indologist of Pennsylvanian university, George Cardona has outlined the great historical and stupendous work done in the Indian subcontinent by the Indian scholars of ancient time. Starting from Panini, Katyayana, Patanjali and Bhartrihari, George Cardona has analysed the linguistic philosophy of Sanskrit in a very detailed manner. Since the Rigvedic time Indian ..

Miraculous Sound Therapy

In their famous book named The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness Jonathan Goldman and Andi Goldman have scientifically explained the healing and calming effect of humming sound. There have been numerous independent scientific studies on the impact of sound on the human body and mind. Experts are of the view that sound affects us physiologically, psychologically and emotionally. Sounds are created by vibrations which have frequency, amplitude and wavelength. So our body is directly ..

Deep Wisdom Of The Body

   By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA   Recent studies in neuroscience are telling that the body has its own deep wisdom and it works independently. This bodily wisdom has evolved through millennia. It is the intelligence of the b..

Algorithms Of Sage, Panini

     By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA   Panini was a great grammarian of India dating back to the sixth century BC. His world famous treatise on grammar and linguistics named Ashtadhyayi contains about four thousands S..

Purificatory Practices In Yoga

Y oga envisages that Prana or vital energy flows in the entire body. There are numerous Nadis or channels through which vital energy flows in the human body. Free flow of vital energy ensures good physical and mental health. Any blockage in the flow of energy causes ailments. These blockages take place in forms of impurities and toxins in the body. So it is mandatory to remove these impurities to restore and nurture health. The concept of Ayurvedic medicine is also based upon it. Hence both Yoga ..

Concept Of Five Elements

      By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA      Since beginning Indian seers have visualised the concept of PANCHA MAHABHUTAS or five elements. They are the earth, water, fire, air and space. The earth eleme..

Thoughts, Feelings & Behaviour

Human life is an intricate interplay of the flowing energies in the forms of thoughts, feelings and behaviours.As our thoughts are, so we feel. Similarly, our behavioural patterns give rise to the corresponding feelings. So feelings are totally dependent upon either thoughts or behaviour or both. Thoughts may be positive, negative or neutral. Positive thoughts are the genesis of good feelings. On the contrary, negative thought waves make us feel sad. Neutral thoughts have no emotional charge. So they ..

When Rational Brain Shuts Down

       By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA   Neuroscientists are of the opinion that the human brain is not wired to be happy. Since the beginning humans have been struggling hard for survival. They have been fa..

Citadel of a long & happy life

 By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA : One of the boons of the modern time is the increased longevity of human beings. Factors facilitating longevity are mainly better nutrition. advanced healthcare, sanitation, economic growth, poverty reduction, etc..

Breathing & Nervous System

    By DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA   Human anatomy mainly consists of nine systems, muscular, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, reproductive, excretory, glandular and nervous. Amongst all the anatomical syste..

The Fourth Brain

Life is just not the length and breadth of years. It is a journey done with meaning and purpose. Human efforts are just not required for only bread and butter, but for higher faculty enhancement like love, truth, empathy, inclusiveness, non violence, humanism, freedom etc. Stuffing the mind with varied information and ideologies whether secular or religious is not the real education. Training the hands for food and protection, nurturing the heart for love and empathy and grooving the brain for intellect ..

Genesis Of Stress & Solution

       BY DR BHUSHAN KUMAR UPADHYAYA     In today’s life stress is the biggest killer. As per studies more than eighty percent of diseases are psychosomatic in nature; diseases caused by st..