RAISE THE INTELLECTUAL BAR

RAISE THE INTELLECTUAL BAR

Again and again I say. Intellectual standards must rise in India for her proper national resurgence. But spirituality must be the basis for such.

A warning, though. Mere making of verbal eulogies to divinities does not make for spirituality but is symptomatic of a terrible deficiency in the stuff and substance of the intellectual culture in India and a dangerous decline in national character with feeble men engaging in such hollow habitual practices that give the lie to India's rich intellectual, cultural and spiritual traditions.

The country must grow rational as of yore, albeit in its own indigenous way. Superficiality masquerading as spirituality must be discouraged till it is replaced by a robust national discourse, vibrant and creative. To this end indolent comments (on Facebook posts) exhibiting pretentious piety must be resisted as must be resisted meaningless rituals that cripple social life and make a mockery of modern living with the kitchen and the cuisine the determinants of practising piety.

All this can be achieved if that one thing can be manifested in men and women in abundant measure -- character.

Written by

Sugata Bose

11Swami Ekarthananda Puri, Nilanjana Chakraborty and 9 others