ELearn more about the secret of Kolams - a traditional art form in Tamil Nadu where women draw complex patterns on the streets before sunrise. This practice combines dance, meditation and contemplation and conveys symbolic messages across generations.
Simplicity
"Simplicity is complexity resolved"
Dhrupad
Et was a magical four days. The Auroville Film Institute organized a residency with Ustad Bahauddin Dagar from 7 to 10 November 2022. It took place at Bhumika Hall, Bharat Niva's Auroville. Dhrupad - the movie (1983) Ustad Bahauddin Dagar is a Rudraveena player. His family has been playing the instrument for 20 generations! His father and [...]
Context
Schopenhauer, who was a great admirer of the Upanishads, wrote a small book "Ueber die vierfache Wurzel des Satzes vom zureichenden Grunde" (1847). He identifies 4 forms of causality, e.g. small cause - large effect, or large cause - small effect etc... I was fascinated by this because it offers a broader understanding than the purely [...]
Packing
What should I take with me to India? I want to live a different life, in a different society, with different ideas and goals. It's warm there, life will be easy. Apart from the basics like a few items of clothing, I'll need my technical devices such as my laptop, cell phone and camera. And what else? A good flashlight, because the field paths there [...]
Knowledge
Ehere was a time in Europe when it was said that there were universal scholars. In Germany this would be Alexander von Humboldt or Goethe, in France an Enlightenment philosopher, in Italy the Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. In antiquity, Aristotle, there are certainly wise people in many cultures and epochs, of whom history tells us that they [...]
Carried by feelings
II live in a hyper-complex society. I notice this in political and social issues that no one can really grasp in their complexity anymore. We can cling to principles such as justice, equality, freedom, consideration, sustainability, etc.. But when it comes to the specifics, it becomes difficult. Should I stand up for myself in a conflict [...]?
Forest
Dhe forest is a wonderful habitat. I recently heard a little story about a man who whistled a tune whenever he entered the forest. The animals recognized him after a while and accepted his presence. They no longer ran away and sometimes even greeted him. We usually don't see the forest as it is, [...]