10 Reasons why India shines despite multitude challenges

1) The Constitution : The constitution of India, the basic law of the land, has drilled in us, whether we like it or not, the quality needed to get along with everyone and anyone despite differences. Equality and rule of law are the cornerstone of India, and that’s why despite problems such as entrenched casteism and learned communalism, we’re still a vibrant democracy with a respect for the functioning of a civil society.

2) The People : Indians traditionally have not been known to be a martial race — though we had castes and communities based on it — and that is one of the reasons why the spirit of dialogue instead of guns has been the cementing factor of such a vast and culturally diverse land; which brings us to the next point.

3) Spirituality : Whether we like it or not, Indians have a very spiritual outlook towards life and things, regardless of whether we believe in any philosophy or not. By spirituality, it means that people think about the consequences first before taking action, i.e. having a karmic perspective of things. Thus, it could be observed that no matter how much we may have differences, scarcely do we bay for each others’ blood.

4) Tolerance : Living harmoniously with different cultures and religions has been the hallmark of Indians, which in turn is bolstered and strengthened by our constitution. Whereas India’s immediate neighbours have been grappling with the idea of a trade-off between democratic governance and majority community interest, which has invariably led to catastrophic damages; India on the other hand seemed to have strengthened its relation with democracy and secularism on which rests India’s growth, which flows from and is intricately linked with tolerance of the people as a whole.

5) Education : Indians as a race have always valued education and learning, no wonder ancient and medieval Indians have been known to be originators of modern maths and science. Even Indians living abroad are known for excelling in academics and also considered as an over represented minority in universities in many countries around the world. The focus on education has made India the global hub for many an industries, such as BPO, KPO, Auto ancillary, IT and related services etc.

6) Upholding of Diversity as a crucial element : Diversity is a crucial element of  the very idea of India. If secularism and democracy had its genesis in the constitution, then it was up to the people of India to give place to diversity a unifying character. What is amazing is that diversity from being basis of divisiveness — as has been seen just before and in the immediate aftermath of  independence — have been turned around after independence. The people have downplayed its negative shade and instead immediately adopted its positive avatar – unity in diversity and emphasis of secularism.

7) Mainstream film industry : Though this might seem to be very vague a reason, but nonetheless it is a potent weapon, as has been proved in this country. The influence of cinema on Indians have been tremendous, and also many times the industry has been the forerunner of style and fashion, but also influencing masses with ideas such as Hindu-Muslim unity, aspiration for a casteless society, corrupt free government etc. Though these points do not originate solely because the film industry espouses it, but  its overwhelming influence has had an imprint on the views and beliefs of the masses. By contrast, the hatred for Pakistan and fear of China, has largely been generated and fed by media and the film industry which made Indians hate its neighbours disproportionately and dispassionately.

8) Free and Impartial Press: The role of the press has been very crucial in disseminating information, which is the very lifeblood of democracy. Also, the role of print media before liberalisation and electronic and print media after it, has been critical in playing the watchdog of political power; thereby ensuring and creating a culture of truthfulness and uprightness.

9) Strong and Independent Judiciary : As it goes, though we may at times criticize the snail’s pace working of the judiciary, but the thing to bear in mind is that the judiciary has been the biggest institution in the country responsible for arresting corruption and preventing impropriety to alarming proportions. Had it not been for the judiciary and its much talked about judicial activism, we, as a nation, would be reeling under a despotic parliamentary democracy. It is true that judiciary at times overreaches to encroach the domain of legislature, but only if we’d had an enlightened and a mature legislative that the judiciary wouldn’t be forced into the other realm.

10) Apolitical Defence: Thanks god our defence forces have largely been non-political in its outlook and uninterested in politics. You just have to see the state of the NIS (Newly Independent States) and the damage wreaked by the military. African nations, Gulf states, Myanmar, Pakistan etc. have come to the brink of utter ruination all due to the overambitious military assuming the role of rulers of the nation, when in fact it has been proved amply that it is not a set up which delivers justice and prosperity for majority of the country.

The Mystics of India

India has rightly been called the land of mystics. No other civilization produced as many philosophers and hermits as India did. No wonder the amazement of Osho that the Indian air and soil has been sanctified by the numerous saints and holy men, and that brings him back to India wherever he is. Swami Vivekanand too had similar views.

So let’s see some of the mystics in India who’ve had a far reaching influence on the thought pattern of humanity and were in no small measure responsible for altering the landscape of nations and people.

The Buddha — The first mystic who comes to mind is Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, known widely as Gautama Buddha, The Enlightened One. Buddha has been single handedly responsible for changing the thought pattern of people and instilled in them the spirit of discriminative thinking and questioning extant beliefs and commonly held wisdom.

His influence was such that his philosophy shook the very foundations of the entrenched ethos and forced religious authorities to make alterations and changes in the set up of their religion. In fact Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, messiah of the Dalits and the downtrodden in Indian who initiated mass conversion of his fellow brethren to Buddhism states in the book “Who were the Shudhras: How they came to be the fourth Varna in the Indo-Aryan Society”  that the history of India is largely a conflict between the Brahminists and Buddhists, class vs. mass,  equality vs. inequality.

Such is the force of his thought current that even today it doesn’t fail to create tremors in the religo-social sphere.

Mahavira — The second mystic which comes to mind immediately after Buddha is his contemporary Mahavira. The stress on ascetism, altruism and respect for the dignity of life at all levels is unparrelled. In fact it is said that no other philosophy supersedes Jainism (the religion he founded, some say he was the main tirthankar in succession) when it comes to ahimsa (or non-violence).

The Jain community no doubt has prospered and achieved success on an unprecedented scale in vast measure of the renunciation of pleasures and non-violence. Though small in numbers, the Jain community is a force to reckon with and influential enough to make its presence felt in almost all quarters of life.

Swami Vivekananda — In contemporary India, there seem to be no more compassionate a person as Swami Vivekananda. He popularized Hinduism and Vendanta particularly in the western world.

His compassion in the form of cosmic speech still rings in the ears of humanity uttered way back in 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions, where he was invited as the representative of Hinduism. “Brothers & Sisters of America….”, the sheer passion for universal brotherhood embodied in his speech received repeated standing ovation and spells of uninterrupted applause. His speech was not mere words but a manisfestation of his actions to relieve suffering of the masses, particulaly downtrodden and discriminated.

What endears one most to Swami Vivekananda is his sheer simplicity, sincerity and purity of heart and soul, which differentiates him from all other mystics.

No wonder, after Buddha, it is Narendra Nath Datta, popularly known as Swami Vivekananda, who is the most beloved child of Mother India.

Osho Rajneesh — Popularly know as Osho, had a flair of originality and the spirit of questioning the very basis of prevalent beliefs and views of the world. Many dubbed his theory as being immoral and harmful to society and  clubbed him as a cynic who could find no good in the world, others accused him of unsettling the very edifice of  tradition and culture by advocating a radical way of life incomprehensible to the mind.

That was his very intention — to rattle and unsettle the mind, because according to him, only when a mind is disturbed and bewildered, can it be closer to reality and a fertile ground for realization of ultimate truth; or in the words of zen masters in ‘no mind’ state.

His deep insights in the subject of sex is such that it has been never addressed before, therefore one only need to go through his works  to understand sexuality to a greater and fuller extent. The sharpness of his mind manifested in the bluntness of his speech is the hallmark of this mystic.

Furthermore, the depth of his knowledge and versatility in the meditative art can be gauged by the sheer number of books written by any individual and his oration of highest degree — from the 100 meanings of the four letter word to the views on past masters of religion and philosophy  (You just have to watch his videos on Youtube to believe)

People still wonder in bewilderment whether he was an originalist or a destructionist.

It would be unjust to just boil down to four mystics in a land pervaded my mysticism. But it’s a good beginning, nevertheless, and long way to go before we cover, or rather uncover, many more in our quest to imbue ourselves with spiritual richness.

Sensuality in Indian Cinema

Cinema, and particularly Indian cinema, seems nothing but an extension and exaggeration of everything a people desires and aspires at the deepest level. That's why palatial bungalows, flashy lifestyle, a peppy and upbeat attitude of the protagonist, perfect dialogue delivery and super human strength and many more features so deeply resonate with the audiences that commercial cinema has ruled the roost for almost 7 decades since the last century.

One such characteristic or feature that stands out and has a covert and overt mass appeal is that of sensuality. No doubt the comment of Neha Dhupia : "Either Shahrukh Khan or sex sells in Bollywood."

It comes as no surprise that for the land of Kama Sutra, having a conservative society with suppressed avenues to vent ones sexuality, the only way is to seek it and find an outlet at the same time through out mainstream cinemas. (Though parallel and B grade cinemas do exist, their reach and appeal is inevitably dwarfed by the mainstream cinema).

No wonder the dream merchants regularly have an undertone of sex and sexuality in our films.

Let's see the hallmarks of the Indian film industry, or precisely Hindi cinema, and the origin and milestones with regards to sensuality[in each era].

Early Beginning -- The Indian film industry had it's genesis with the release of the film 'Raja Harishchandra' in 1916. And before we knew, within just a few decades the 'film industry' began taking shape, with dozens of movies releasing within the next 2 decades.

The earliest memorable symbol of sensuality in the film industry was the 4 minute long on-screen kiss between husband-wife actor-actress duo Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. This scene went on to become an iconic one and still lingers on in the memory of our senior generation.

The next image that comes to mind is the two-piece worn by Shobhana Samarth in the movie [   ] which was also a radical move of sorts, inspired by the west and influencing the later Bollywood divas to experiment on screen with bare-essentials.

The next damsel to set tongues wagging was the demure Sharmila Tagore, who set the screen ablaze by donning bikini; and the hype which ensued thereafter was such that it made her the cover girl on [] magazine.

But it wasn't until the advent of the master craftsman and showman of the millennium that sexuality found its greatest experimentation. From partial nudity of both actors and actresses to topless scenes; no one flirted with the Indian censor board more then Raj Kapoor. It's amazing how he got around the board when even until 90's and well into 2000's we have had film makers at loggerheads with them.


The 70's were the most promiscuous of the eras of the Indian film industry with item girls cum heroines dotting the silver screen. Zeeat Aman seemed to be the leading lady of the pack along with Parveen Babi, and Dimple Kapadia just paving a way in the film industry. Donning bikinis and low cuts were as common as if it were the culture of the land. It wasn't until the 2000's that the trend would catch up in the Indian metros.

The 80's until mid 90's saw a lull in Bollywood with very few quality movies being produced. But still we could see some leading ladies making the temperatures soar and accelerate libidos. One such newcomer was Mandakini who shed her inhibitions to give her countrymen a taste of natural living and simplicity; though it was widely perceived as blatant vulgarity and considered as outraging the sensibilities of a conservative nation.


Pooja Bhatt to tried to desexualize the feminine body and sought  to give it a more aesthetic appeal, but that didn't seem to go down well with some morality upholders.

Thus, it took a lot of time and experimentation on the part of our film makers to come out with a movie with alarming depth and reality as "Bandit Queen" by Shekhar Kapur and "Kama Sutra" by Mira Nair..By this time the audience were a bit matured and acceptable to newer forms of cinema. But it seemed that this too was short-lived, as was being increasingly clear that the pall bearer of angst against experimental and sensuous cinema and film makers had shifted from self-proclaimed morality groups to politicians.

2000's was not that sizzling a decade as very few actresses could recreate the sensuousness that was created by a Saira Banu or a Zeenat Aman. We also, to some extent, had out share of heroines chiseling to the perfect hour-glass shape to don the much often missed two-piece -- some to resurrect their careers and some because the 'script so demanded'. Thus, Kareena, Priyanka, Bipasha, Mallika and others enrobed and saw the film collections soaring and fans rejoicing.

Let's hope than in the next decade, we get to the point where sensuousness can be elevated from the level of eroticism and vulgarity to the respectable position of art and aesthetics, which it rightly deserves

Traits of Indianness

There seem to be some very typical and eccentric traits of a group of people that makes them unique amongst all other races or nationalities. Let's discuss as to what is it that distinguishes the Indian from the rest of the world.

India, not as in a politico-geographical entity sense, but in a sense of a collective mass of people always interacting and influencing one another and forming as a result an unsaid and unspoken norm and trait which forms an inalienable part of their ethos.

Let's see what they are:-

1) Chronologically bereft  -- Indians, as far as history is traceable, seemed to be averse to plotting down in exact and incontrovertible manner the dates of the happenstance of any event of substantial magnitude; thus, leading to conflicting accounts of history with regards to chronology.

 Infact, many historical events were pieced together with references to the mention in foreign accounts of India. Thus, the first time historians could accurately plot a time, space and date is at the invasion of Alexander The Great to India, thereby, making 326 BC landmark year chronologically as being the reference point of many of the events occurring prior and post this event.

Also foreign traveler historians such as Fa Hsien, Al Beruni and others offer important insights into not only Indian way of life extant during their expeditions but also provides the much needed milestone in pinning down the exact dates of events.

Though Indians did write extensive records in matters of administration, poetry, conquests, mythology etc.what becomes difficult is to plot them in space and time.Thus, when on the one hand we have Greek, Chinese and Babylonian civilization offering almost a precise account of their histories, in India it seems difficult to piece together a cohesive and a meaningful record of historical occurrences.

To give an example, the Aryan Invasion Theory is a bone of contention between the rightists and the leftists, leaving the rest of India bewildered as to what to believe in. And it's now, in the last few years or so, that we were able to find the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha (and it's not in India).

It also seems that we Indians are either chronologically lackadaisical or disregard it altogether, believing it to be of little importance. This seems to be a common thread running through out the ages and across the breadth and length of the country.


2) Forgetfulness -- Indians do not seem to be a group who'd remember for a long time the major incidents of substantial magnitude. In recent times, we can see the apathy of the people as a whole to the terrorists incidents.Contrast that with response elsewhere; the American retaliation to 9/11 incident and London's response to the tube station bombings were such that we haven't seen a repetition of the same kind or magnitude in either of the countries. But in India, right from the highest echelons of government, the authorities to the common people, are all in a state of oblivion and passivity as if somehow things will take care of itself.

Forgetfulness seems to run in genetic make-up, as historically too Indians have been beset by this trait. Remember Mahmud of Ghaznavi's 17 'invasions' to India which ultimately let to the plunder of the Somnath Temple. Even if the kings en route from Afghanistan to Gujarat, a very long stretch,  were to offer some resistance on account of repeated pattern of past assaults, Indians could have fared many times better in stalling foreign powers from invading, impoverishing and/or enslaving India; if not altogether, at least to a substantial degree.

3) Infighting -- This trait is the hallmark of India as one cannot imagine an India without differences of opinion.But the prevalence of differences in spite of having a common uniting ground in everyone's interest is something unheard of. No wonder rulers of ancient and medieval India couldn't see eye to eye despite common threat of foreign powers and standing armies at the border. Not that rulers didn't offer resistance, but once Indian fortresses were penetrated, it didn't take much time for the foreign armies to expand in the mainland; whether the Moghuls or the Britishers.

4) Inequality -- Every society in earlier had some sort of distinction and gradation , but it wasn't so graded so as to make its adherents immobile. The hallmark of Indian societal division was that over a period of time, it degenerated from an occupational basis, which was fluid and mobile  to birth based with occupation forming the foundation, which was rigid and inflexible from the gradation point of view and pernicious and baneful from humanistic perspective.

This feature has stayed with India even today, even though India has leapt way ahead of other NIS (newly independent states) with regards to equality and secularism.

5)Untapped Human Resource : Indians despite being blessed with intelligence which led it to be creators of many sciences and at the  forefront of leading thought, logic and arts have never really replicated it on a broader scale involving the critical mass of the country.  Even today, the economy and state is driven by 35% of the population, the rest having no means to share in the spoils of economic liberalization and free markets. If any, the poor are further relegated to the fringes. And thus we find the same cycle repeating where India is not able to make full use of its human resources.

I could ponder and find these 5 traits. Do you know any group or nationality of people possessing such traits which make them stand out from rest of the world?

Common Destinies

Why would hunger and misery in Africa cause youth in western world to rally support for them? Why would war involving the US would cause hostile demonstrations against their government at home?  Because these protesters and demonstrators have become, knowingly or unknowingly, become enlightened to fact that all out destines are linked.

Trade demonstrations against the World Economic Forum by people cutting across nationalities is understandable, as the financial destiny of the world as a whole is linked through interconnectedness.

But isn't financial destiny or interconnectedness just an extension of how our lives and for that matter the entire universe are connected -- think of how the butterfly flapping its wings in Japan will have its effect in the rain forests of Amazon.

No wonder man and for that matter every being of its kind has lived and survived with the awareness of common destinies at the back of their mind --  thus, origin of family, groups, tribes, clans, nations, continents, etc.

In religo-theological context, Judaism seem to be the first to emphasise and demonstrate the profundity of this principle, when the community had to suffer on numerous instances at the wrong doing of one in the community.

The interesting thing is that those nations and kingdoms throughout history who displayed a sense of consciousness of this principle were happy, contented and strong. In modern times, the example of Israel and Japan strikes us as having lived this principle. The reason they have suffered and prospered despite trying times, is because of the deep awareness of this principle even though subconsciously.

To take the case of India, reservation of seats in colleges and government jobs for the Dalits, Tribals and Other Backward Castes has always been a matter of contention among communities.The endeavour of the state to elevate the mass of the population by positive discrimination hasn't gone down well or found ready acceptance with those outside its purview. This underscores that the state, too, on a subliminal level has testified to the adherence of the principle of common destiny -- that the nation cannot progress in clusters and that every being in it shares a common destiny, even if compromises, sacrifices or injustices have to be borne in the course of achieving desired goal of sufficiency and a respectable position in society for all its citizens.

Isn't the world also paying price for the corruption, wars and global warming due the collective destiny born  of apathy, fear and disregard for life and environment displayed by people as a whole at any given time on this planet?

Thus, any solution -- financial, societal, regional, climatic etc. -- would not have any enduring effect unless we uphold the dignity of life and environment at the universal level and exhibit it at the individual level. Of course this might seem a bit far-fetched and well into the future; but it needn't have to be that way. Just look at Japan's turnaround time after Second World War or ascendancy of Israel within decades (thus their examples quoted at the outset).

But does this mean that everything hinges on collectivism; and that individual actions are futile? Where do you think the genesis and the continuation of such collectivism take place? In each individual's life.

To borrow the concept of quantum physics, the part is contained in the whole and the whole is contained in the part, and can only be understood in the context of the whole. To borrow from theology : The universe is within us. President of SGI, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, leader of the world's largest lay Buddhist organisation, explains the Buddhist concept of the part containing the whole in the book Wisdom of the  Lotus Sutra Volume1, the gist of which is as follows : In the movie Jurassic Park, from the single cell the entire dinosaur was created and the dinosaur contains many such cells. So that tiny cell contained all the information of the of the dinosaur, regardless from which body part it was. So also the individual no matter what his station and intelligence,  has the capacity, potential and power to alter things the way he desires.

And this can come about only by overcoming ones negative tendencies inherent in life, such as laziness, fear, self-doubt, anxiety, procrastination, ego, prejudice, hatred, apathy, fear, greed, anger foolishness etc.

This seem to be more difficult to overcome than changing the world, that's why we'll find almost every person wanting to change the world with scant realization that the biggest change is waiting to undergo in the depths of his life.No wonder all revolutions sooner than later meet with the same fate whose panacea they purport to espouse at the outset. Because revolutions will endure to the extent people embracing them will, in the depths of their life, keep the flame of sanctity of life and environment forever burning. Any other way will be short-lived. Just see for yourself how many revolutions of the last century has endured to this day and age?

Gandhi's quote : "Be the change you wish to see in the world," seems more apt.

Thus, it's only in the awareness of the collective destiny consciousness coupled with respect for life and environment, which inevitably has its genesis with every individual, would propel this human civilization of the 21st century in a positive direction; 'cause the collective destiny of this planet is inevitably liked with the galaxy and the universe. So negative tendencies arising in our hearts will inevitably find its result with the environment responding in the likewise manner; thus, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought, famine or at the universal level, in the form of tremors, comets, shooting stars.

Thus, there comes a time when all individuality fuses with the humanity to underscore one eternal truth : oneness of life and environment cannot be delinked.

Whether we like it or not we all share a common destiny.  Love it or hate it, we're all in it together.

The Wealth Of People

The desire to be prosperous, rich and have abundance in life is universal, whether it is the richness of one's individual's life, or in relationship or abundance of money.

This universal truth has found expression in many religious texts and classics; so much so that wealth itself at times has come to be equated with happiness.

To quote King Solomon, considered to be the wealthiest and wisest king in the entire world :

""A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things." (Ecclesiastes 10:19)

Even Jewish sacred texts regard money as having a deep influence over ones sense of morality and integrity:

""Poverty in a man's house is worse than fifty plagues." The Talmud (a collection of Jewish books of rabbinical commentary on the Old Testament)" & "Poverty causes transgressions." (Hasidic folk saying)

To elaborate on the above point, shouldn't we attribute the lack of money as having disproportionate share in turning people to the poverty, misery, corruption , terrorism etc. Of course people with wealth also do so. In fact,if any, they're more pernicious than their pawns or stooges.

To come back to the point, money does bring in life satisfaction and contentment and ease of worries. Just try being short of it for a few days and it'll be evident as to what one longs most.

So isn't there any way for a person with absolutely nothing to leads a truly happy and a fulfilling life to the fullest measure?

To answer this the Buddhist view could be quite compelling in the way it views the world :

According to the Buddhist view there are three kinds of treasures:

i) Worldly treasures -- i.e money, prosperity, prestige, good circumstances etc.
ii) Corporal treasures -- i.e. a healthy mind and body, so that you may enjoy everything; 'cause because without it is quite impossible to enjoy things easily
iii) Life treasures -- i.e. honesty, moral uprightness, integrity, persistence, politeness, embracing and respecting each and every life etc.

The most important among the above three it propounds is the third one, i.e. life's treasures; through which all the other treasures could be acquired.

Thus, unlike the western philosophies, which delink morality from money --  or at times posits them at the diametric extremes of the spectrum and antithetical to each other on numerous occasions -- the Buddhist view seems more holistic and all encompassing.

Let's dissect and analyze the views propounded about money in the above philosophical and theological texts in the light of real life, readily recognizable examples.

In Napoleon Hill's book 'Think & Grow Rich', Henry Ford's encounter with the '"persistent, never give up" Thomas Edison was the turnaround point in the former's life. Not just Henry Ford, in fact principles which made men wealthy over the ages have been attested by the great scientist himself; as being instrumental in achieving "not only in achieving financial goals, but almost anything in life."

This deeply resonates with the Buddhist view of thinking of "treasures of life" being crucial in attaining all that one desires.Ans what more these life treasures are....well within our own lives.

But alas, wealth and prosperity are always fluid, never stable and always dynamic. Any person who has or is earning money will attest to this.

Wealth once earned is not an insurance against it's future scarcity nor a certainty that it it will remain with you.We just have to look around, the high -flyers of yesterday may no longer be so today.

Just as with life, shouldn't wealth also be enduring. (I'll explain in later article the eternity of life).

Also, wealth as viewed by the rich is not a mound of gold, but a stream of copper, silver, gold and everything that brings with it to fulfill the earthly desires. And if properly manages, it has the potential to turn into a a big current, that'll never run dry.

Has the kitty of Fords, Rockefellers, Tatas, Birlas, Waltons run dry. On the contrary it always has always grown with time, regardless of times.

So do these big guys have any specialized knowledge that let's them prosper more than the rest of the populace.

It seems so. Because their wealth creation, when observed, has followed certain principles that has remained unchanged for millennia and cutting across civilizations.

The author George Clason in his book "The Richest Man in Babylon" illustrates the story of a man who found himself at the sad end of penury  when he disobeyed, knowingly or unknowingly, the laws of world that bringeth wealth. And when he meticulously follows these laws, he found himself to be one of the richest man in Babylon -- the civilization famed for its riches and streets paved with gold.

The streams of wealth enunciated in the above book is nothing but cash-flows in the modern parlance; and what better way to understand this than by engraving it in our life and soul. The best way of which is reading the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki which has in simple terms and every day examples has explains as to why ones paycheck never seems to be enough, and how through your monthly, you can too embark on a journey of financial prosperity and abundance.

But above all, not matter how tight the situation, please don't forget the Buddhist wisdom -- life itself is the treasure through which all other treasure can be achieved.

The Power Of Osho

The enigma called Osho continues to amaze and interest numerous people even to this day. The power this man contained in his speech, thoughts, aura was such that governments in more than 40 countries denied him permission in spite of not being guilty of any crime (some say he was arrested for immigration and visa irregularities). So much so that the US government imprisoned and deported him when they came to know that the heroes of the American society -- CEOs, MDs, Government officials and also people from almost every walk of life were following this godman from India.

Rajneeshpuram in Oregon, US was a model town of  civic participation and sustainable development and an eloquent testimony of what a people committed to a common cause based on faith can achieve in a matter of months. The neighbouring communities though harboured prejudice and animosity, which is typical of any group of people feeling intimidated by foreign ideas; specially if those ideas are as foreign and even more radical than the one floating around during those times .

But what stands out from the outset is that from the his birth to the last moment of his life, Osho never acceded to or acquiesced his way to conform the prevalent norms and notions of the society, in whichever place on the planet. Right from the politicians to bureaucrats and from police to self-professed guardians of morality -- he has been polished by the persecution from all quarters of society.

What one can admire about him, regardless of if one agrees with his teaching or not, is that he had a sense of originality and brilliance which was so radical and out-of-this world that that couldn't invite anything but wrath, critique, censure and opposition.

So let's see what exactly was the essence of his philosophy, which he loved to call 'philosia' instead of philosophy.

Firstly,  he put the entire foundation of the modern thinking on it's head and began to question the practices and the ways of the world. He did so by arguing cogently and persuasively. Thus, when it came to argument there was no doubt who would have his way.

Secondly, his views on certain issues most sacred and vulnerable to sensibilities made him an easy object of hatred and a soft target of many a religious and private organisations. In fact on one occasion, during the convention of the Second World Hindu Conference, his very presence incensed the leaders of the Hindu community with outcry of expelling him from the conference.

Thirdly, his explicit display of wealth, opulence and symbols of luxury led him to being a ready target of the impoverished and thrifty countrymen in the 60's until 80's. He was unabashed in advocating money and wealth as being an essential part in leading a fulfilling life. He also stated at one point in time that life is full of abundance, and that he hated poverty and misery.

Fourthly, his views to have a society more freer and open to sexuality in all forms formed the basis of many of his opposition and which over a period of time got him labeled as a 'sex-guru'. His discourses and discussions at the Osho Commune, Pune because a hotbed of controversy with stories of nude westerners inhabiting the Commune doing the rounds.For a conservative society like India, this was too much to take, so the opposition is quite understandable.

  The book 'Osho: A Luminous Rebel' authored by his disciple Dr.Vasamt Joshi, is a wonderful and an interesting account of Osho's life and a good way to get a glimpse into his anything but ordinary life.

People have the tendency to classify  Osho's teaching depending on what they're most interested in and what they desire most -- sexuality, power, money, opulence, indulgence etc.

In the final analysis one can say that if considered a rebel there wasn't anyone quite like him in the theological space of the past 200 years if not more; and if considered an original thinker, none could compare to him in his stature as a prolific and a stimulative orator and a mastermind.

The Power Of Sexual Energy

Since time immemorial the question of sex has baffled, amazed and hounded many a great philosophers and racked innumerable lay souls around the globe. If there is one eternal truth with regards to the sexual energy, it is this -- it is universal, it is potent and it is definitive.

At the level of spirituality, sexual energy is quite a potent force for its transmutation for higher ideals and realization of subtler truths is quite well known. Why do think almost all the sages and those steeped in meditation swear by it? Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Guru Nanak etc. are all proofs that sexual energy transmuted to exalted learning yields immeasurable results.

But that is not limited to the realm of spirituality alone; for lay mortals like us directing our sexual energy to our goals and desires does yield rich dividends, literally. Look at any person in exalted positions in society or for that matter famous people, one would be astounded that these guys could make such a dent in their destinies and in many cases alter the course of humanity, all because they harnessed the inherent sexual energy for their mission or work. No wonder they achieved things -- kind and cash -- way beyond the lives of many people around them.

Let's take the example of youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook; whose life testifies the  utilization of this energy to achieve the desired purpose. Or for that matter millions of unknown heroes in our midst, who are successful in their own ways.

But as in all cases, there is a twist in this case too, just as all things have a positive and a negative side.  The degeneration of this energy gives rise to all the destructive and negative tendencies that humanity is assailed by today. Laziness, jealousy, procrastination, prejudice, depression and it's avataar at the aggregate societal, national and international level -- rape, eve teasing, crime, conflict, war etc.

Thus we also have people on the other side of the spectrum who've misused this energy and have caused destruction -- at a personal as well as at the community/ global level.

Examples of such figures abound in history -- such as Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Stalin, etc. all the way to down to criminals in society, rapists, swindlers etc.

The first time I heard about this concept of 'sex transmutation' was in Napoleon Hill's classic book 'Think & Grow Rich'. The wisdom crystallized by interviewing and observing scores of famous and common people hold as much true today than when it was written.

Coming back to the relationship between sexual energy and money, it has been observed that those who've used this energy constructively have amassed fortune and an indestructible life state (I'll write more on this 'indestructible life state' in later articles).

Just contrast all the recent American Presidents with each other and you'll come to know that the most effective, charismatic and popular ones have been the one with more sexual energy. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton etc.all oozed with this sublime yet subtle power which they diverted for the betterment of their nation. So on the other side of the globe we had Mahatma Gandhi, Mao Zedong, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk etc. who single-handedly transformed the landscape of their country.

Such is the sacred and sublime power of sexual energy, which resides in all of us; which leads us either to angel-ship or outright devastation, pinnacle of glory or brink of penury, and from Godliness to utter Devilishness.