Indian Ethos Research Articles

Yoga and Wellness—Key Insights from the Study on General Yoga Programme

Human beings have always strived towards excellence and progress since time immemorial. Industrialisation, automation and technological disruptions have led to increased comfort and quality of living of human beings and enhanced output, productivity and efficiency. Consequently, of late, health and wellness are receiving increased attention globally. Stress and stress-related diseases and workplace-related ailments have significantly increased over the last few decades and gained attention from society and industrial organisations. In the recent past, in the coronavirus pandemic context, wellness has been focused upon in many countries, communities and organisations worldwide. Yoga has been part of the Indian ethos for centuries. In this article, the authors discuss the General Yoga Programme (GYP), its broad coverage, and the impact it has had on the participants in terms of their wellness. With the help of a survey of the participants and linking it to relevant literature and research in the field, the authors highlight how GYP is a useful tool for enhancing various wellness dimensions. They recommend that GYP in its simplified form can be extended to the workplace; and also, HR professionals can play a facilitative role in the process.

Food advertising targeting children in India: Analysis and implications

In spite of advertising being severely critiqued for planting erroneous behavioral patterns in young children, there is limited research on advertising aimed at children in the Indian context. This study explores issues like gender representations, stereotypical portrayals, deployment of various appeals, persuasion tactics, and Indian advertising policies in the food commercials targeting Indian children. Hypotheses were developed based on socio-economic and cultural aspects specific to Indian ethos. Content analysis was carried out on commercials appearing on five major children's television channels in India. Results indicate that ads depict boys significantly more than girls, and demonstrate mother as the primary approver for choice of food. Additionally, results reveal that ads use familial settings more than other contexts. Emotional appeal is found to be more prevalent. However, unlike hypothesized, ads were not found to use scholastic or fantasy cues more than athletic or non-fantasy cues. The findings are examined through an ethical lens, and implications for various stakeholders are presented. The study provides advertising policy makers and executioners insights into ethically congruent communication strategies to be used for advertising to children.

Towards a ‘Vedic Feminine Renaissance’

The sense of justice and equity towards women is considered among the best indicators that reflect the socio-cultural development of a civilisation. The position and status of women, as reflected in literature naturally serves as a test to gauge the sensibilities and cultivation of each associated age. It is matter of general agreement that the feminine ideals of womanhood during the early Vedic age remain exalted and exemplary. The Vedic narratives elevate the ephemeral spirit of womanhood, which progressively lost its sheen in successive stages.
 While the contemporary feminine polemics consistently unravel unhackneyed theories, generic in nature, we are lacking in such an orientation which targets specifics of local, regional and traditional culture. Feminists in India are no exception, and have largely adopted the theories of Feminism emanating from the discourse of the West. The Indian Vedic repository contains instances which testify the epitome of womanhood at its best. However, the Indian ethos of feminism imbedded firmly in the Vedic roots remain largely inaccessible in the contemporary feministic theory. The need for adapting ‘global feminism’ to the ‘classical Indian taste’ remains an unobserved concern.
 This paper explores the possibilities inherent in the study of classical mythic literature and their potential for stimulating ‘local theories’ of feminism in India through a study of selected feminine ideals present in the early Vedic narratives. Can study of ancient Vedic literature inspire a reawakening in Indian feminism, just as the study of classical Greek literature did for the West during Renaissance in Europe - is a question, this paper seeks to address.

Gita Mohanty’s Poetry: An Outcry of a Humanised Soul

Gita Mohanty is reckoned as a very stellar modern Indian poet residing in America. She is very intelligent, intriguing and intense human being, and her aesthetic attributes spurred me stoutly to write a paper on her poetry. She is an adjunct Biology professor in the U.S. A. She is a passionate poet with a primly and pellucid thoughts and progressive outlook. Poetry to her is an inner conversation with her soul. She is a humanist and radiates humanistic gestures of goodwill with her facile pen in the maze of her beautiful pieces of verse. She is a philanthropist and serves selflessly blind children and underprivileged in India. Her poetry reflects robustly her love for humanity, Indian ethos, Indian culture, Indian philosophy and pertinence of life nonchalantly. Despite living in a foreign country, she never sever ties with her motherland and always reminisces the liveliness of Indian culture and vibrancy of life found in the country. She is a prolific writer and relentlessly posts her poems on various literary fora: Global Literary Society, Motivational Strips, Atunis Poetry, and World Writers’ Web. The present paper, however, is a humble attempt to pry into her mind and art, and to present perspicuous appraisal of her poetry from biographic, thematic and spiritual perspective.

Can Meditation Practices Be Elevated, for the Higher Level of Consciousness, Taking Help of Artificial Intelligence?

In late decades, Meditation has been regarded as a meaningful, sensible, successful option as well as a complementary treatment to tackle and lighten stress related psychosomatic disorders. There are numerous scientific experiments, studies and results thereof which have uncovered the novel phenomenon that meditation can be utilized for defeating cardiovascular ailments, stress and psychological illness. Scientists and researchers have reliably shown that meditation practices can improve emotional stability. Our reach Indian ethos, base of spirituality and meditation practices has helped mankind to transcendent at the highest level of consciousness. However, with the advent of science and technology and new generation examining life with a scientific outlook, a new drift and phenomenon throwing light on efforts and opportunities that can be explored by synergizing the two different fields of Meditation and Artificial Intelligence and future challenges that can be posed before by accessing the advent of science and technology. There are advantages as well as challenges also. After reaching to the level of self realization, a new horizon is created and that is “vasudhaiv kutumbakam” (means “the world is one family”) and one thrives for the global peace and harmony. This paper examines the possibility of two paths viz. traditional path of ethos, meditation and second one designing and articulating the path of self realization synergizing the phenomenon of Artificial Intelligence. There lies advantages as well as challenges ahead the path towards reaching the milestone of global peace and harmony through the higher levels of consciousness. This being a conceptual study & paper, there remains a future scope of having empirical research taking base of the concept of synergizing the phenomenon of meditation and Artificial Intelligence.

Towards a Comparative poetics of Buddha, Kabir and Guru Nanak: From A Secular Democratic perspective

Este artículo muestra los valores seculares democráticos desarrollados hace 2500 años por el Buda y más tarde durante la tradición santa en la India, alrededor de los siglos XIV y XV, por Kabir y Guru Nanak incluso antes de que se legalizaran y consagraran en la constitución india. Ninguna otra nación o comunidad en el mundo tiene una filosofía tan completa de liberación holística como la de la India. Y que en una idiosincrasia como la de la India, que es multilingüe, multirreligiosa y multicultural, pudiera haber una potencial carencia de estudios religiosos interdisciplinarios o departamentos de religiones comparadas es en sí mismo la mayor paradoja de nuestro tiempo. Además, este documento explora el potencial emancipador y revolucionario de las creencias filosóficas y cosmovisiones igualitarias que los hicieron populares en todos los sectores de la sociedad. Se sabe que los tres eligieron vivir como personas comunes y usaron el lenguaje popular y el dialecto que se hablaba en ese momento. Los tres cuestionaron la eficacia del Karma Kanda (rituales védicos) y su enfoque hegemónico. Sus orientaciones ideológicas provocan un debate científico y un debate democrático abierto sobre la verdadera naturaleza de las cosas. La racionalidad, la igualdad, la fraternidad y la ideología liberal predicada por ellos se encuentran en oposición binaria a la irracionalidad, la desigualdad y la ortodoxia prevalecientes. El razonamiento y los logros más importantes, extraídos de las tres filosofías, es la libertad psicológica que eleva a los descalificados y despreciados, debido a cuestiones de casta, clase, género y la apertura de nuevas perspectivas de investigación e indagación que podrían proteger a los débiles contra la embestida de los fuertes y poderosos. Las enseñanzas de Buda, Kabir y Nanak van más allá de la comunidad, la religión, el idioma, la cultura y la nación para proporcionar una panacea universal y un paradigma de esperanza.

Construct description of Samatva from the Bhagavad Gita: Implications for HolisticWell-being

Western models and constructs have dominated research on well-being in India. There is a lacuna of indigenous constructs of well-being developed from our rich archival data and texts. Indigenous constructs are significant as being deeply embedded in the Indian ethos, they can be easily accepted and integrated into therapeutic practice. To fill this lacuna, the construct of Samatva (equanimity) as described in the Bhagavad Gita is examined. The analysis of the text resulted in the identification of 41 core verses referring to Samatva. The major themes extrapolated are i) Samatva as a state of even-mindedness and rising above the dualities ii) The inter-personal dimension of Samatva iii) Samatva and the understanding of the temporality of experience iv) Associated cognitive-affective cultivation practices of Samatva v) Suggested health and spiritual implications of Samatva vi) Samatva and transcendence of Triguna. With the increasing rates of Anxiety and Depression, the cultivation of Samatva has been discussed with implications for holistic wellbeing, leadership and management.

Indian ethos of multiculturalism in bharati mukherjee’s jasmine

In this globalized world where immigrants of different countries live and settle together, multiculturalism has become a policy for the co-existence of diverse cultural, racial, religious, linguistic groups. Multiculturalism aims at preservation of different cultures and their identities within a unified society or nation. Bharati Mukherjee's personality is imbibed with the multicultural consciousness of the Indian ethos which she has expressed through her character Jasmine in the novelJasmine.

To the Indian Manner Born: How English Tells its Stories

Writing from outside the Anglo-American world is appreciated largely for the social life of English in worlds elsewhere, the linguistic oddities of its non-native cast of characters that spot poor translations. While English is easily granted inordinate powers of cultural assimilation, the languages of erstwhile colonies, the bhashas of India for example, from which this ‘translation’ presumably takes place, are seen to be rather weak and ill-equipped to meet the challenging demands of western narrative gambits. This essay offers three concrete examples of English fiction where its Indian writers afford us glimpses of a phenomenon critics have barely begun to notice. The passages examined here show how the bhashas sound differently when cast in English, or how English begins to breathe an unmistakable Indian ethos and idiom. When the Indian bhashas and English so happen together, there is no discrete language from which or into which translation occurs. It is evident that the writers here are no ‘Indianizers’ of a language whose fortunes now are global in reach and affect. For readers in India, English is still a bhasha-in-the-making, which is neither set in a ‘colonial’ far away and long ago, nor yet within current precincts of some ‘postcolonial’ felicity. If the efforts of these writers at resisting translation win, it is because they have asserted their right to imagine a language as a form of global life toward which English has taken them.

Panch Siddhanta (Five Principles) of Indian Ethos and Indian Management: Towards Vedanta-in-Practice

This paper presents five founding ideas of Indian ethos leading to five principles of Indian Management. These include (1) Oneness (2) Two types of human beings: (Thought-Action) Positive and (Thought-Action) Negative (3) Three Gunas or Qualities of Nature represented by Violent, (Vibrant and Silent energies (4) Four Purusharthas (Goals) of life and (5) Panch-koshas: Five sheaths model of human personality. Paper explores implications of these five principles for 'Practical Spirituality' in individual, social and organization contexts.

Economic Regulations, Competition, and Consumer Protection in Ancient India

The ancient Indian texts, mainly Manusmriti and Arthashastra, not only paint a vivid picture of flourishing trade and commerce in ancient India, but also provide detailed account of various regulations that were in force to tackle foul play in the markets. It is learned that the Ancient India was a “mixed economy” adhering to the socio-economic philosophy of a “welfare state”. The reliance on market forces to deliver social goods was less. In general, the state was both regulator and competitor, including state enjoying monopoly over certain sectors, such as mines and mineral. This article is divided into four parts. The first part introduces the audience to the ancient Indian ethos, where dharma (duty) was the backbone of the civilisation that made the society righteous and duty-centred. The second part gives an overview of ancient India’s economic activities along with a short account of sectoral regulations. The covered sectors are: mines and minerals, agriculture, industry, forest produce, liquor, trade and commerce, transport and communication, finance, and justice administration. The third part presents a competition analysis of the then regulations. It analysed the state monopolies, state as regulator and competitor, the prevalence of the guild system, differential regulatory treatments, price control, treatment of cartels and consumer protection. The fourth part is the conclusion.

Indian Ethos, Indian Culture and Indian Management: New Frontiers in Management Thinking

During recent years, Indian concepts have acquired a new prominence at the global level. Its roots go back to 1960s, when several Indian Spiritual Movements (ISMs) acquired a worldwide acceptance and presence. Transcendental Meditation (TM), ISKCON, Brahma Kumaries etc. are a few illustrations. Further, after 1980s, many new movements emerged and acquired global presence such as Baba Ramdev’s yoga revolution, Art of Living, Vipassana meditation, SVYASA Yoga University’s Cyclic meditation etc. Yoga in its many variant forms has become very popular. International Yoga Day on June 21, declared by United Nations is an acknowledgement of the same. Thus, Indian cultural ideas and concepts are finding wide acceptance and following in the West. In fact, many ideas with origin in Indian thought have influenced life of nations, individuals and organizations.

Ecological Management and Indian Ethos - A Review

Environment plays a very significant role in human civilization. Human beings have close relations with the biosphere in which they live. The whole environment and ecology consisting of earth, air, water, plants and animals provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for sustaining human life. The last few centuries have been dominated by human beings, and are referred to by some scholars as ‘anthropocene’, or a period of human domination over the planet. This domination has impacted the planet, leading to the rapid depletion of wildlife and their habitat. In the last few decades, growing human populations and their consumption levels, accompanied by greater need for water, electricity, metal, food, housing and other luxury items has led to the quick erosion of other species. This loss of species has been guesstimated by various scholars at anywhere between one per hour to one per day. Although human beings are considered the most intelligent life form on earth, they are responsible for most of the damage done to planet earth. Developing countries as well as developed countries alike are all suffering from environmental pollution. Therefore, today environmental problems have been the object of discussion everywhere from village to parliament.

Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph: In Memoriam

Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph were globally acclaimed scholars of India at the University of Chicago where they spent nearly four decades of their lives teaching and researching on India and South Asia. Their numerous works done in this intellectual partnership of more than six decades produced paradigmatic shift both methodologically and thematically in the study of Indian society and politics, more specifically about the nature of Indian state and its democratic institutionalism. Their critical concern for India about its experiments with democratic institutions and modernity of tradition was in consonance with their convictions about the durability of Indian social ethos and structures of social and political life. They belonged to the first generation of ‘area specialists’ who returned to their subjects of inquiry regularly with a critical gaze and newer perspectives over the years. For them, the field of study became an intellectual habitus that they nurtured with great discipline, care, conscience and craft.

The Contribution of Forest Sector in Building of Green Economy

Protection of environment has been the cornerstone of Indian ethos and culture. Forests play an important role in environmental stability and provide a variety of benefits to the economy. The current environmental crisis presents unique opportunities for moving towards greener future by giving a major thrust to the forest sector that will generate employment, create real and durable assets and help rebuild rural India . The objective of this paper is to assessing the contribution of forest sector in building green economy . The paper is divided into two sections, first section reflects the role of forest sector in building green economy and in second section explains suggestions and policy implications. Use of bio energy will contribute to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will be helpful in conserving bio diversity as well as will reduce India’s dependence on importing oil. Producing biodiesel from tree-borne oilseeds is seen by many as a win-win opportunity to solve India’s most pressing problems. Biomass is a versatile renewable resource and wood fuels contribute 56 percent of total biomass energy in India. The time seems to be right to give forestry a prime place in India’s pursuit of more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. Green economy can be built by joint effort of government and people of country. The transition to a green economy will entail moving away from the system that allowed, and at times generated, these crises to a system that proactively addresses and prevents them.

Positive Psychology, Indian Psychology and Spirituality

Positive psychology is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. Positive psychology is a science of positive aspects of human life, such as happiness, well-being and flourishing. Indian psychology is an approach to psychology based on the Indian ethos. Indian Psychology is essentially positive and rooted in the consciousness-based Indian worldview, yoga and a life-affirming spirituality. Human life is a journey of the soul which resides in the human body. Indian psychology highlights the pathway to make this journey easy and the ultimate goal of liberation of the soul (moksha) achievable through yoga, meditation and prayer. Humans are made of the body, mind, intellect, ego and soul and only soul can help to attain ultimate happiness and bliss through spirituality. The present paper is an attempt to explain that both positive psychology and Indian psychology focus on human happiness and their unique strength; and discusses how goals of positive psychology can be achieved through the rich Indian spiritual heritage. Indian psychology and spirituality share a framework that human has enormous potential hidden in its being. Indian scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga, Bhagavad Gita) and spiritual practices (Yoga, meditation and prayer) help to discipline the mind to achieve balance, (samyavastha) to overcome the hindrance in the pursuit of happiness and to improve the qualities of different roles we play in our lives. In this way the Indian spiritual practices have important implications for the achievement of goals of Positive Psychology i.e. wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice and transcendence and makes life worth living.

Integrating Bharatiya Concepts with Contemporary Management Disciplines: Experiences at Banasthali University

Vidya is one that liberates and Bharatiya education is the platform for the liberation. Today Indian professionals somehow lack Bharatiya values and morals at work under the influence of modernization. So what can be done today to revive Bharatiya traditional knowledge? Therefore an action plan is to be framed so as to enlighten the future managers and entrepreneurs. This article takes into account the insights from curriculum of Faculty of Management Studies - WISODM, Banasthali University, which are taught to be able to present a Bharatiya way of management. The curriculum includes unique subjects like Indian Ethos and Human Quality Development, Indigenous management systems, and Indian management. Based on this the way forward to blend Bharatiya concepts with the contemporary management disciplines is suggested.

A Theological Study of Nissim Ezekiel’s Religious Outlook

As the centuries passed by, the galaxy of Indian English Poetry become increasingly crowded. But the scenario was not like this during the early years. It is because only a few stars shine there, and Nissim Ezekiel is the pole star. His poetry contains so many aspects, themes, motives and symbols that sharpen and shape his poetic world. His poetry often shows irony, emotion, love, man-woman relationship, self- consciousness, a sense of discipline and self – criticism. He shows his concern for both modern and urban art and culture with the touch of Indian ethos and local colour. But as an Indian poet, he shows his thinking about God and religion in a vivid way. He also shows his changing view towards God and Indian theology in his poems. In this paper, I have tried to show Ezekiel’s religious outlook and aspects through some of his verses.

Civilizational Dialogue in Conduct of Internatonal Diplomacy

This article by AMB Prof.(Dr.) Suresh Goel is a blend of his experience and analytical vigor in a wide panorama spanning through both historical and geographical spheres. The author was the ambassador in countries viz. Singapore, Malaysia, Egypt, South Africa and headed Permanent Mission of India to UNO, USA. He, a skillful diplomat and an excellent scholar, defines diplomacy as the soft skill to find positive and agreeable solutions amidst conflicting cultural and economic, social and political interest groups. The article defines soft diplomacy being used at various levels e.g. state diplomacy, public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy . India's strength of diplomacy has been built through cultural exchange from ancient time at least five millennia of Indian history. Through assimilation of divergent socio religious culture such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, India's national conscience is created which is now the strength of her cultural diplomacy to build relations within and across nations with divergent interests. The author quotes from Upanishad and Spiritual speech of Sri Vivekananda to explain Indian ethos of positive cultural relations. In this paper, hecites examples of successful diplomatic efforts initiated by India in the different countries.

A Theological Study of Nissim Ezekiel’s Religious Outlook

As the centuries passed by, the galaxy of Indian English Poetry become increasingly crowded. But the scenario was not like this during the early years. It is because only a few stars shine there, and Nissim Ezekiel is the pole star. His poetry contains so many aspects, themes, motives and symbols that sharpen and shape his poetic world. His poetry often shows irony, emotion, love, man-woman relationship, self- consciousness, a sense of discipline and self – criticism. He shows his concern for both modern and urban art and culture with the touch of Indian ethos and local colour. But as an Indian poet, he shows his thinking about God and religion in a vivid way. He also shows his changing view towards God and Indian theology in his poems. In this paper, I have tried to show Ezekiel’s religious outlook and aspects through some of his verses.