Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

What Is Essential

Antoine Denoix is the CEO of AXA Climate, an entity within the AXA Group established five years ago to address climate and environmental adaptation challenges. Antoine is also an accomplished author, with three books published by Dunod.

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Antoine Denoix

Regenerative business

Anuja Chandramouli is a bestselling author of fourteen books on mythology, historical fiction, and fantasy. Her debut, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was one of Amazon India’s top sellers in 2012. A TEDx speaker and trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she conducts workshops on mythology and empowerment across India.

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Anuja Chandramouli

<h3 style="text-align:center;">ART ESSAY</h3><h4>ANUJA CHANDRAMOULI and the journey of transformation through mythology—profile by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN.</h4>“Life is like driving a car. You have to keep glancing at the rearview mirror every once in a while—meaning the past—which is a way of staying connected to your roots. Trying to figure out where you’re from helps you get attuned to your cultural heritage, which is a big part of your identity. Revisiting the ancient world gives you an insight into the present, which you cannot have if you do not look at the rearview mirror while you’re steering through the present, all the while keeping an eye on the future.”Anuja speaks about mythology. Mythological stories like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas shaped my childhood—constant companions at every moment. Lord Krishna was always my favorite, and learning of his death left me deeply saddened.When speaking with Anuja, author of fourteen books reimagining Arjuna, Mohini, Shakti, and Ganga, I was curious about how ancient narratives could support spiritual seekers like me. As a Heartfulness meditator, I know turning inward requires courage and guidance.Could these old stories offer another form of guidance, I wondered?&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/ancient_narratives_2_ecdd6c1ed5.webp" alt="ancient-narratives-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Looking Inward: The Real Journey</h4>Anuja says that when most people think of journeys, they imagine external movement: flights taken, monuments visited, experiences accumulated. But the journey she’s describing is entirely different.“Through writing, through engaging with our ancient mythology, you are encouraging yourself to look inward. That is a lot more challenging because it calls for a degree of mental discipline; it calls for finding the stillness at the simmering and always churning core within you and reveling in the periods of quiet contemplation and introspection.”Mental discipline, stillness at one’s core, and quiet contemplation are some of the same elements we cultivate in <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/meditation-medicine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meditation practice</a>. When we sit down for meditation, we turn away from the external world and face what’s within. The discipline Anuja describes is almost the same work in a different form.As Anuja explores these stories, she describes accessing “universal consciousness,” a phrase that stops me in my tracks! In Heartfulness, we refer to consciousness expansion and meditation as means to connect with something greater than ourselves. Here was an author describing a similar state, achieved through immersion in mythology!<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Emptying to Receive</h4>Anuja describes her research process in terms that sound almost ascetic. When she begins work on a book, diving into the vast ocean of epic literature, the first thing she encounters is her own ignorance. The material is immense, accumulated over generations. Anuja says that it is humbling and sometimes even overwhelming.“It’s like scooping out your insides. You’re emptying all of it so that you can fill it with this beautiful store of ancient knowledge, which then reshapes who you are as a person. You’re emptying yourself up to make yourself a worthy receptacle.”The trick, she says, is to trust the process and to keep returning to the research and the writing with humility. Slowly, you gain insights, you begin to harness what you’re receiving and pour it onto the pages.“When that happens, a certain healing happens. Because as I mentioned, you’ve been scooped out hollow and once more, you’re shaping yourself reflectively, immersing yourself in the timeless flow of profound truth; you’re surrendering to a greater process, and you emerge stronger from it.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Characters as Teachers</h4>Anuja has written fourteen books. She calls them her babies, the books she’s carried and delivered with care. But she also calls them her parents, the guides who have helped her grow.Each character demanded something different from her. Each book required her to reach a certain level of growth before she could do it justice.From Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, her first book, came the confrontation with anger, that defensive shield we mistake for strength. She had to let go of preconceived notions about this character she’d grown up with. To surrender to this process, she found she had to let go of her own anger.Anyone who meditates regularly knows what it’s like to meet anger on the cushion. The question is always: will we defend it, or let it go?<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Mohini: Facing Discomfort</h4>Then followed Mohini: The Enchantress. This character forced Anuja to confront the inherently ingrained discomfort around sexuality and sensuality.“As women, there are so many hang-ups we have about sexuality because society either encourages us to be sex objects (as opposed to sexual beings) or the very vision of chastity and repressed sexuality. In Mohini, I realized I was so shy and reluctant to do this character justice. That was the very first time that I used the first person as an author, because I wanted to get closer to this character and stop being so reluctant to engage with someone so confident in her sexual skin.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Beyond Binaries</h4>Anuja’s most recent book, The Wife and the Dancing Girl (a revisionist take on the Tamil classic, Silapathikaram), tackles another false choice: the “Madonna-whore” complex: the good wife versus the dancing girl.“I really struggled to write this book because I had a lot of growing up to do. We’re forced to view women as either one thing or the other. But a woman has thousands of faces, and they’re all valid.”This is what svadharma means, following your own dharma—your own truth.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Shakti: Accessing Inner Strength</h4>If any single work embodies the transformative power Anuja describes, it is Shakti: The Divine Feminine.“When you’re exploring the transcendental quality of the Divine Mother, that’s when you realize that the answers you were seeking outside are within you. The greatest lesson the Goddess teaches you is also the simplest: You are enough!”For Anuja, writing Shakti meant exorcising personal demons, confronting nameless terrors, working through phobias and unpleasant experiences, and trauma accumulated over a lifetime. The book itself became the reward—and not only for Anuja. During the Kerala floods, a young woman reached out to her on Instagram. Stranded, waterlogged, frightened, the girl told Anuja that Shakti had been her source of comfort in those terrifying hours.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/ancient_narratives_3_f0b082e4e0.webp" alt="ancient-narratives-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“When you’re exploring the transcendental quality of the Divine Mother, that’s when you realize that the answers you were seeking outside are within you.&nbsp; The greatest lesson the Goddess teaches you is also the simplest: You are enough!” &nbsp;</h4><hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Ganga: Redefining the Sacred</h4>In her book Ganga: The Constant Goddess, Anuja reimagines the river deity as a woman who follows her heart.“She refused to stay put in one place and be the dutiful wife. She wanted to truly become a divine lover and partake of a timeless love that will sustain nature in its raw splendor. She chose to live life Goddess-size.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">A Simple Practice</h4>When I ask Anuja how readers can meaningfully engage with these stories for their own transformation, she speaks of interlocking patterns—mysterious connections that reveal themselves only through sustained attention.What you receive from mythology depends on what you bring to it. The stories can serve many purposes, including pure entertainment. Yet if you keep responding to their call, you may be surprised by how they educate you without your even trying.”Anuja offers a simple practice: read a few pages every day. The Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Upanishads, your favorite Puranic tales, Tenali Raman stories—or even your own writing! Just read and absorb.“You’ve been fed this diet of stories as a child, along with mother’s milk and the parupu-sadam (rice and lentils). It becomes a part of your blood and your bones. Just read a few pages, and you absorb and assimilate what is being conveyed. Slowly, with time, you start discerning the mysterious interlocking patterns which convey the deeper truth.”It is never obvious, she says. It is never simple. And yet it is both obvious and simple! That is the paradox.&nbsp;Anuja’s daily reading practice parallels meditation: both require showing up, absorbing, and yielding. Over time, the change is subtle but deep; when needed, your <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/a-diy-guide-to-wellbeing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inner strength</a> emerges.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Death and the Shamba Revelation</h4>Near the end of our conversation, Anuja shares what she calls her “eureka moment,” an insight that came while working on her book, Abhimanyu.“The characters in the Mahabharata were all embodiments, divine entities who wanted to be a part of this Dharma Yuddha [righteous war]. They wanted to assist Vishnu’s avatar, Krishna, because he was Bhumi Devi’s worthiest champion. Once a divine entity’s purpose is fulfilled, there is no sense in clinging to this world. They must be released so they can return. Ultimately, liberation is about letting go, especially of the things you love with passionate abandon.”Anuja speaks of the Yadava massacre, the destruction of Krishna’s entire clan after the Mahabharata war—almost unbearable for her to contemplate as a young child. Shamba, son of Krishna and Jambavati, was blessed by Shiva in his Ardhanarishvara form [Shiva as half-woman]. Shamba was beautiful, like Krishna, and irresistible to women—but also cursed. The sages doomed him to deliver an iron mace that would destroy the Yadava race. On the surface, their loss can feel terrible, yet it is divinely ordained.Anuja’s insight goes deeper.Death and destruction, the work of Shiva the destroyer, come with negative connotations, but they are part of the great cycle, whether we acknowledge it or not.“Stories help us engage with these mysterious patterns. They encourage you. The monsters of the world may be real, but you carry with you what is necessary to deal with all of it, whether it be death, personal demons, or anything else. You will find what you need, provided you are brave and kind.”&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/ancient_narratives_4_279f487566.webp" alt="ancient-narratives-4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Living Inheritance</h4>As our conversation comes to a close, I return to the image of the rearview mirror. We must glance back to move forward. The past helps us orient toward the future.As Anuja says, stories are living organisms. They breathe, but they also change with each generation. Something gets added, something gets removed, always according to what is needed. It doesn’t mean the stories are contaminated or diluted. Similarly, we are living organisms, capable of being emptied and refilled, changed, and adapted. As we go, we develop the capacity to confront our demons and discover our strength.The journey inward is not easy. It requires contemplation and courage. Just as we return to our meditation cushion each day, we can repeatedly return to the wisdom of ancient stories. The practice is the same: showing up, opening your heart, and allowing transformation. &nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">The journey inward is not easy.&nbsp; It requires contemplation and courage.&nbsp; Just as we return to our meditation cushion each day,&nbsp; we can repeatedly return to the wisdom of ancient stories.&nbsp; The practice is the same: showing up, opening your heart, and allowing transformation.</h4><hr>&nbsp;

Ancient Narratives as Maps to Modern Transformation

Arabic Proverb

The Measure of Our Words

Arati is an artist and a graphic designer by profession. She has worked in the corporate field and is presently working in the design team for the Heartfulness Magazine. She has also worked on media cover designs and illustrations for children's books.

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Arati Shedde

Arohi was born and brought up in Mumbai. She is passionate about penning poetry, and writing about things that resonate with her, parenting, and the soul. She currently pursues all forms of creative writing and can always be found enjoying a warm cup of tea.



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Arohi Bhimajiani

AROHI BHIMAJIANI writes about fear – how fears that develop at a young age can stay with us far into adulthood; and how her fear of dogs helped her to understand what helps us overcome fear.<hr>Fear. It takes a million forms, doesn’t it? Right from that ghost under the bed, to standing at the diving board edge; from being spurned in love to not being well to do. Fear is our mind playing games with us, making assumptions and predictions. Its roots spread deep within us and vertically evolve into dread, anxiety, and panic.It’s fascinating how these little seeds of fear are sown, and how they shoot up into the skies. Sometimes they mushroom and take on other shapes and forms.More often than not, fear can be traced back to childhood incidents. And often they involve the fear of losing love, life, money, status, standing, etc.How to let go of such deep-rooted fears?Letting go of fear is easier as a child, because our patterns haven’t yet become rigid. We are still impressionable. I suffered from fear of heights as a kid. I was a good swimmer, but every time I stood on the diving board and looked down, I saw hissing snakes and jelly legs! In that moment, my natural “good swimmer instinct” would vanish. Yet I would jump. And with each jump, the intensity of the fear reduced.Fear envelops every rational or instinctive feeling and replaces it with panic-stricken darts, most of which are baseless. As an adult, I find it so much harder to recognize fear and deal with it. Over the years, the layers of panic-stricken darts have only thickened. And yet I try.I was petrified of dogs ever since I was little. I am unable to trace the feeling back to anything concrete, but as soon as a dog drew close, my mind and body froze. The very thought of its warm wet nose and mouth coming close to my feet or heels had me screaming.For many years, I would not visit friends or family who had dogs unless they assured me that the dogs were on a leash. Generally, I preferred to meet them outside.Once, I was invited to a friend’s house, and as I entered I was greeted by a gorgeous ebony-black Doberman. She was taller than me, with bright eyes, sharp and alert. I was about to turn around and go, but something about her gaze was positively hypnotic. I attempted to hide behind my husband, while my uncle, sensing my fright, held back the frightening yet majestic one.I kept an eye on her, feeling paralyzed every time she’d enter the room. I was so full of fear that I could barely enjoy the conversations and the company. But, after some time, I was used to her walking around and started liking it. That’s when I got the fright of my life. She walked toward me and sat down on my feet. I froze. I was holding my breath to the point of fainting. I let it out, one puff at a time, praying that my heart would settle. I closed my eyes and began chanting a prayer until my breathing calmed down. As my hand untensed and hung loose, it in advertently rested on her abdomen.That’s when I felt shock number two. I was blown away by how she felt. Alive, breathing, silky soft, yet muscle-hard; it felt like I had touched another being for the first time. My hand moved up and down her length like a puppet pulled by strings. Her face was turned away from me, and yet I knew she was as present and connected with me in that moment as any living being in its purest form could be.Slowly the voices and room came into focus. What must have been a couple of seconds felt like a lifetime. I sat there for the rest of the evening, feeling both alive and at peace, sharing with this living being.I have never feared dogs since – regardless of their shape, size, and how loudly they bark. I no longer run screaming in the opposite direction. Rather I feel drawn to them and, fascinatingly, them to me.It simply took one pure soul to wrench the hardened ball of fear out of my gut. And maybe that is what we all need – a pure, unconditional loving relationship or shoulder, to help us transform our fears into a sense of love and peace. Or maybe to simply extend a caring hand to our scared selves, to hug it tightly and whisper sweet nothings until the fear is gone.Love is and will always be the antidote to fear.<hr><hr><h4>A pure, unconditional loving relationship or shoulder,&nbsp; to help us transform our fears into a sense of love and peace.</h4><hr>

Letting go of fear

<h4>
 AROHI
 BHIMAJIANI shares her experience of the
 power of prayer, and how it has helped her navigate the difficult periods in her life. She is also
 teaching the practice to her daughter.
</h4>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



Have you ever wondered if our prayers work? Have you ever wondered how they work?



I have witnessed my prayers come to life in the most fascinating ways. And it has simply left me in awe of the
 mechanisms of the universe.



I once experienced a severe falling out with my immediate family. The experience shattered every notion of love and
 unbreakable bonds I held deep within. It had me breaking down numerous times during the day, bringing me to my
 knees, praying tearfully.



I remember going about my days on autopilot with a constant sense of loss, pain, and misery. The world took on a
 permanent gray sheen. My anxiety manifested itself in the form of asthma. As I gasped for breath, I came to the
 conclusion that most physical ailments are rooted in psychological trauma.



There was one thing that kept me alive in those days, that helped me wake up and get through the day: my prayers.



I prayed with every fiber of my being. I prayed with an intensity that must have rocked the heavens. Every word
 crystal clear. I simply begged the universe to set things right. To help me recreate bonds of love stronger than
 before. I prayed with complete surrender and faith.



Slowly and steadily, over time, my relations improved. With equal efforts from all ends, frayed ties were lovingly
 mended. Deeper and firmer connections were established. The world took on its beautiful colors again.



I have attempted the same with my little girl. Every time she is faced with a challenge, or when circumstances look
 woeful, I nudge her to pray. She came to me crying the other day, because some kids were bullying her in school.
 They would mess up her table during the break and not clean up afterward. Complaining to the teacher hadn’t
 helped.



I asked her to pray, to ask the universe for strength to deal with the situation. After she had earnestly done so, I
 guided her to change her tone to being confident instead of complaining, and insist the children clean up.



It helped. The incident never repeated itself. I noticed how praying made her feel like she had gained a superpower
 to deal with an unpleasant situation or person. It transformed her from a meek, complaining child to an
 assertive one.



I have witnessed this miracle occurring innumerable times in the last 30 years of my life. And yet there is so much
 more to the miracle than meets the eye.



I realize that my prayers have manifested when:



<ul>
 <li>I wished with the purest intention, from the deepest recesses of my heart.</li>
 <li>I worked toward making the wish come true even though the odds seemed against me.</li>
 <li>There was no sense of time or shape attached.</li>
 <li>There was complete faith that it would come true.</li>
</ul>



Just praying and sitting back never helped. I had to show the universe that I was utterly serious about my intentions
 – that I worked hard for them, even though it looked like an unsurmountable mountain.



An astonishing discovery was that sometimes these wishes manifested in unexpected forms. Like when heartache leaves
 one desolate and one prays to feel whole again, love walks in with violins and roses from unexpected yet even
 more fulfilling people.



Prayer is one of the most powerful tools to attain stability and confidence. I do it with fervor. I put my entire
 heart into it. And I do it with complete faith that someone is carefully listening to every word I say. It is my
 solace and my happy place. It is a cup of tea, a warm blanket, a tight hug, and a blessing hand, all rolled into
 one. I hope every person out there is bestowed with its benevolence.&nbsp;



May we find the rhythm Of the soul song with the winds. May our prayers reverberate And rise magnificently
 to heaven’s gate.



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Prayer is one of the most powerful tools to attain stability and
 confidence. I do it with fervor. I put my entire heart into it. And I do it with complete faith
 that someone is carefully listening to every word I say. </h4>



<hr>



<hr class="vertical-space1">

My soul song

Arulkumar Selvaraj is a designer and digital animator. He makes movies, short films and TV series. He loves to read and write poetry, paint, play badminton and draw cartoons. He also loves to spend time with family and close friends, and in Nature. He practises Heartfulness meditation, which he believes will lead him towards infinity, serving the purpose of this life.


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Arul Kumar Selvaraj

Aryaan is a young Indian- American actor, musician, composer, and social media personality, who is known for the legal drama Bull, the musical Bhangin It and the film Deli Boy. He is also the Founder and CEO of The Arora Company, a US-based Public Relations and Marketing Consultancy Firm.

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Aryaan Arora

Become your own influence

Ashraf Nehal is the Eco-Faith Focal Point for the UN’s Children and Youth Major Group and Regional Coordinator for the Commonwealth Youth Climate Network, integrating interfaith harmony with climate diplomacy. He presently works at the Grenada High Commission in London on multilateral policy and Commonwealth affairs.

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ASHRAF NEHAL

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">ASHRAF NEHAL speaks to the centuries of correlation between faith and climate, and how, now more than ever, it is critical to reconnect with the Earth through Heartfulness and mindfulness practices.</h4>The planet is gasping. Forests are vanishing, rivers shrinking, and Himalayan glaciers retreating like fragile memories. From Uttarakhand’s flash floods to rising seas in the Sundarbans, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/heartfulness-mindfulness-climate-crisis-solution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate change</a> is no longer a distant threat but a lived reality. Governments negotiate, scientists warn, and engineers innovate. Yet, beneath these responses lies a more profound reckoning: a need for inner transformation.If the Earth is burning, it is not only because of fossil fuels but also because of fossilized ways of thinking. Disconnection from nature, consumption without reflection, and a moral numbness toward the suffering of both people and ecosystems have brought us to this precipice. As we look outward for policy solutions, we must also turn inward for moral clarity, emotional resilience, and spiritual renewal. Faith, Heartfulness, and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/mindfulness-heartfulness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mindfulness</a>—long embedded in Indian civilizational wisdom and increasingly embraced worldwide—offer a path forward.Environmental psychologist Peter H. Kahn describes a phenomenon called “generational environmental amnesia,” where each generation comes to accept a more degraded environment as the new normal (Kahn, 2011). Once-sacred rivers like the Yamuna and the Ganga are now among the most polluted; Delhi's toxic air is routine; and the rhythms of the seasons seem unmoored. This forgetting transcends environmental boundaries and becomes a crisis of spirit. As the soil erodes, so too does something within the soul.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">When the Soul Forgets the Soil, and Faith Remembers</h4>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2023) warns of irreversible impacts if global warming exceeds 1.5°C. Despite the scientific clarity and urgency, such forecasts often fail to spark profound, sustained transformation. This is because the climate crisis has deep existential dimensions that technical approaches alone cannot address. It stems from profound alienation: from the Earth, from one another, and from our deeper values. Addressing it, especially in culturally and spiritually rich societies like India, demands more than policy shifts. It requires a shift in consciousness.This transformation of consciousness is not unfamiliar; it is deeply rooted in the world’s faith traditions. Spiritual teachings have long offered ecological wisdom. From Vedic hymns to Islamic ethics, from Sikh reverence for hukam (divine order) to Christian calls for stewardship, nature has always been viewed as sacred, worthy not only of admiration but of protection.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/reuniting_soul_soil2_bf7cc1eaa9.webp" alt="reuniting-soul-soil2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Faith, once dismissed in environmental discourse, is now emerging as a vital force. Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si’ advocates for an integral ecology, “where care for the Earth and care for the vulnerable are inseparable. Faith offers not only ecological insight but moral clarity and urgency (Francis, 2015).”Islamic teachings emphasize khalifah, humankind's role as stewards, and mizan, the balance inherent in creation. The 2015 Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change urged the global Muslim community to act with restraint and responsibility (IFEES, 2015). Hindu cosmology sees divinity in all elements—agni (fire), vayu (wind), jal (water), prithvi (earth). The ethic of ahimsa (non-violence), which once fueled India's freedom struggle, now shapes low-impact lifestyles and vegetarianism for millions (Coward, 2003). Sikhism, too, teaches humility before nature and critiques the greed that underpins ecological destruction.Importantly, these teachings have moved beyond scripture into lived practice. Faith-based organizations across India are translating belief into action. GreenFaith, a global interfaith environmental coalition working in over 40 countries, has partners helping temples and mosques transition to solar power. Interfaith coalitions are protecting sacred groves in Meghalaya and organizing water conservation drives in Maharashtra. A 2023 study in Nature <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/heartfulness-mindfulness-climate-crisis-solution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Climate Change</a> confirms that religious framing significantly increases climate engagement, particularly in spiritually inclined societies.In a world grappling with eco-anxiety, disillusionment, and despair, faith also offers solace. Spirituality helps individuals see themselves as part of a larger moral and cosmic arc, where change, though difficult, is both possible and essential. To remember the soil is, in a sense, to remember the soul. In that reconnection lies our greatest hope.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Heartfulness Way: Climate Action with Compassion</h4>Beyond belief systems, the act of living with intentional compassion and present-moment awareness is emerging as a powerful response to the climate crisis. Heartfulness, a meditation practice rooted in Indian traditions yet global in reach, emphasizes living from the heart, cultivating empathy, emotional balance, and conscious choices that align with planetary wellbeing. Alongside it, mindfulness—defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as present-moment awareness without judgment—serves as a complementary force, teaching us to notice, slow down, and reflect before acting.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Spirituality helps individuals see themselves&nbsp; as part of a larger moral and cosmic arc,&nbsp; where change, though difficult, is both possible and essential.&nbsp; To remember the soil is, in a sense, to remember the soul.&nbsp; In that reconnection lies our greatest hope.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/reuniting_soul_soil4_0671a8eaac.webp" alt="reuniting-soul-soil4.webp">&nbsp;The Heartfulness Institute in Hyderabad offers accessible tools, including guided meditation, relaxation, and gratitude practices, to millions worldwide. Scientific studies support their impact: a 2022 Ecopsychology study found that heart-based meditation increases willingness to participate in ecological restoration. Similarly, gratitude has been shown to enhance a sense of reciprocity with nature, promoting more responsible consumption habits (Emmons &amp; McCullough, 2003).Youth-focused initiatives, such as Changemakers for Climate Action—supported by the Embassy of Italy and TERI—train Indian students in heart-centered leadership. These programs emphasize acting not out of fear or obligation, but out of love for the Earth. This model of leadership is emotionally resilient, ethically grounded, and inclusive, and is especially vital in today's polarized climate discourse. Heartful leaders are uniquely equipped to build coalitions that are not only effective but compassionate, sustaining long-term efforts without burnout.Where Heartfulness teaches us to feel deeply, mindfulness helps us pay attention and disrupt the autopilot of unsustainable habits. In India, mindfulness is finding renewed relevance in schools, therapy rooms, and tech workplaces. It enables reflection on everyday decisions, whether to take a cab or walk, eat meat or choose plant-based foods, or buy fast fashion or repurpose clothing. A 2019 study in Global Environmental Change found that mindfulness is correlated with reduced materialism and increased pro-environmental behavior (Wamsler, 2019).Moreover, mindfulness builds psychological resilience. As climate anxiety becomes more widespread, especially among young activists, meditative practices offer crucial support. The American Psychological Association (2022) recognizes mindfulness as a key strategy for managing eco-anxiety. Globally, institutions like the Garrison Institute engage corporate and policy leaders through the Climate, Mind &amp; Behavior program, integrating inner awareness with external impact. Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model, which weaves mindfulness into environmental and educational policy, stands as a compelling template for other nations in the Global South.Together, Heartfulness and mindfulness form a powerful inner ecology. They remind us that climate action need not come solely from crisis, guilt, or fear but can also emerge from stillness, care, and compassion. In a time of accelerating environmental and emotional turbulence, cultivating the heart and mind may be among our most radical and restorative acts.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Healing the Earth Within and Without</h4>When faith, Heartfulness, and mindfulness converge, what emerges goes far beyond a soft supplement to hard science—it represents a necessary paradigm shift. This synthesis creates a new kind of sustainability: in systems and spirits. It generates sustainability that moves beyond fear-based messaging to hope-filled action, replaces burnout with belonging, and treats the Earth as a relationship to heal rather than a problem to solve.The climate crisis extends beyond carbon emissions—it reflects a deeper crisis of disconnection. In trying to dominate the Earth, we have forgotten that we are of the Earth. This forgetting is now costing lives, livelihoods, and futures. Faith traditions remind us of sacred duty. Heartfulness helps us act with compassion. Mindfulness teaches us to live with awareness. Together, they offer a path forward—rooted, resilient, and radically hopeful.For the world, this integration offers a powerful way forward, in which innovation is matched by introspection and the path to a greener world begins in breath, prayer, and love, flowing outward into policies and action.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/reuniting_soul_soil5_837e96694d.webp" alt="reuniting-soul-soil5.webp"></figure> &nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4><hr>

Reuniting Soul and Soil

Ashwin is a writer in the fiction-thriller genre. He is the author of best-selling novels The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, The Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga and Keepers of the Kalachakra. His books are based on mythological and theological themes. He is one of India's best-selling conspiracy fiction writers and is an author of the new era of retelling Indian history or mythology in a contemporary context. Forbes India has included him in their Celebrity 100 list.


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Ashwin Sanghi

<h4>ASHWIN SANGHI is an Indian author in the intersecting genre of mythology, fiction and thriller. Here he is interviewed by RUDY SINGH at Kanha Shanti Vanam about his formative influences, what brought him to writing, and the gray area intersecting mythology and history. In Part 2, the conversation will also move to his own work and his latest books.</h4>Q: Welcome to Kanha Shanti Vanam. What are your first impressions of this place?AS: I&nbsp;am absolutely fascinated by my surroundings. Before I arrived here I didn’t know the scale of Kanha Shanti Vanam. It has been an incredible experience not just because of the infrastructure, which is obviously still coming up, but even what is there is world-class. More importantly, I think what is fascinating is just the amazing environment that you have created.I am told that you have planted over 100,000 trees and plants in this place, which was barren land. That the water table is changing because of the number of reservoirs and the rainwater harvesting that is being done here. The fact that this place is energy self-sufficient because of the number of solar panels that are used. And of course the fact that there have been so many trees that have been translocated, or transplanted, here from other road-widening projects etc.So when you add all of it up, it makes for a fascinating place. And then of course when you factor in Daaji and his vibrations, and the vibrations of all those people who happen to be here meditating, it’s a magical experience. So to sum up: it’s a magical place.Q: Ashwin, I read that when you first started writing, you faced almost 40 rejections for your work, and then you decided to self-publish. Now most of us have a terrible time handling rejection. How did you handle that phase?AS: Well, I think one of the problems in today’s world is that we don’t teach youngsters to cope with failure. And I think failure is a very important learning tool. And I think what we need to understand is how do we motivate ourselves to keep plodding on. When a child falls down while he is learning to walk, he doesn’t think, “Well, maybe this is not for me.” He just gets up and walks. He makes an attempt to walk and finally he learns how to walk. But we don’t do that in later life; we seem to get affected every time we fall down.In front of my desk I had this bulletin board, which had a series of numbers: 12, 18, 30, 34, 38, so on and so forth. When people would come to my study they would wonder what those numbers were.Well, 12 was the number of times that the first book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling was rejected by publishers. 18 was the number of times that Jonathan Livingston Seagull was rejected. 30 was the number of times that the first novel by Stephen King, Carrie, was rejected. 34 was the number of times that Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected. 38 was the number of times that Gone with the Wind was rejected.So I used to psyche myself into believing that I would be a better author than all of them because I was getting rejected more. It’s almost a way of psyching yourself to plod on, and I think that is a very important skill that we need to be imparting to our youngsters.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">I think failure is a very important learning tool. And I think what we need to understand is how do we motivate ourselves to keep plodding on.</h5><hr>Q: That is wonderful. So your first book, The Rozabal Line, is based on the hypothesis that Jesus came to India and lived here after he survived the crucifixion. How did that topic come up? How did you decide to take that route?AS: Actually I genuinely have come to believe that it’s the other way round. We, as writers or storytellers, think that we are going out searching for a story, but really stories come searching for us, because that story wants to be told.I happened to be in Srinagar sometime around 2002, attending the wedding of a very dear friend. This was of course the time of peak militancy in Srinagar, so there were road blocks and military check-posts every few yards. I was feeling so completely cooped up in my hotel room and I told my driver, “You have to get me out of here and take me to some place.”He said, “Well, I can take you to a very interesting tomb.”<h5><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/history_intersects_myth2_b2586e4d84.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:16:42.021Z" alt="where-history-intersects-with-myth-part-1"></h5>So we landed up in the heart of Srinagar, the old part of Srinagar, known as the Khanyar district. And in the heart of this district there is a very unassuming structure. Records indicate that some structure has stood there ever since 124 AD. So something or other has been there on that spot for the last 2,000 odd years. And the person buried there is a Muslim Pir, whose name was Nasiruddin. His was an Islamic burial site from around the 13th or 14th century, with the head pointing towards Mecca.But there was another grave, which was of an older provenance, underneath that of Nasiruddin. It went back to the origin of the tomb, which was almost 500 years before the advent of Islam. And it was an east-west burial, which is the direction in which the ancient Jews buried their dead. Outside the tomb was a metallic plate, which showed the carving of human feet, with marks indicating the points at which the nails of a crucifixion would have been hammered.I was completely blown away and fascinated by the story, and I spent the next two years researching that story, not because I wanted to write the book, but because I was obsessed with the story. At the end of two years, my wife told me, “Listen, it has become painful to have a conversation with you, because this is the only thing we talk about. You need to get this out of your system.” And that’s how I got the idea of writing a book. It never started out with the idea of writing a book.Q: Wow. And in your books of course you use a lot of tales that are rooted in mythology. How much does that have to do with your upbringing?AS: I grew up in an environment where we were surrounded by stories. I had my Daadi [paternal grandmother], who used to narrate stories to me from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Then there was my Nana [maternal grandfather], who was a terrific storyteller, and he liberally would mix fact and fiction when narrating his stories, which made them even more interesting. His elder brother, whom we called Majle Nanaji, because he was the middle brother, had the habit of sending me a book every week to read. So at a very young age I was exposed to reading. And of course I had to read each book within a certain time frame and reply to him with a letter telling him what I’d read, and why I liked it or disliked it.That entire habit of being surrounded by stories was very much there, as a result of which I think at heart I’m not a writer, I’m not a screenplay writer, I’m not a lyricist, I’m not a playwright, I’m just a storyteller, and that’s what I love doing. So even when I’m sitting having a conversation, I will find something the person will say that will inspire a story. And then I’m very quick to make a note of it, because I don’t want the idea to dissolve into thin air.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">We, as writers or storytellers, think that we are going out searching for a story, but really stories come searching for us, because that story wants to be told.</h5><hr>And of course while all these meaningful books were coming from my maternal granduncle, there was also a set of books coming from my mother, and those were always paperbacks, thrillers – the latest Jeffery Archer, the latest Sidney Sheldon, the latest Irving Wallace, the latest Arthur Hailey. On the one hand I was getting all this philosophy, mythology, science, religion and theology coming to me from my grandparents, and then there was the style of a fast-paced novel coming to me from my mother. So a lot of what you see in my storytelling is a combination of those two streams of books.Q: Do you think this style of writing has brought a new generation of readers to literature? A lot of people were disillusioned with the way history was written, and a lot of youngsters would find history a very boring subject.AS: Yes of course. I grew up in a school where history was taught in an exceedingly boring fashion. The other part of it is that, to a very great extent, our history is just … It was the novelist George Santayana who said, “History is a pack of lies about events that never happened, written by people who were never there.” On the other hand, Churchill said, “History is always written by the victors.” So it’s a version of events.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/history_intersects_myth3_c648c2b9fd.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T07:17:44.260Z" alt="where-history-intersects-with-myth-part-1">The problem is, when you talk about history as a version of events, it means we should also be exposed to alternative versions of those events. For example, in India we learn about the Great Rebellion of 1857, whereas the average English child learns about the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 – the same event, but very, very different perspectives. To a certain extent I have no problem if you want to teach the so-called Aryan Migration theory or the Aryan Invasion theory, but also teach the Saraswati Civilization along with it, or the Out-of-India theory as an alternative hypothesis, because all of these are at their core precisely that – theories.So my effort has basically been to correct the narrative, and hopefully as these alternative narratives emerge within popular culture, within popular fiction, then eventually researchers, scholars and historians will have to update their research and bring them into the academic mainstream.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">I believe that there is that wonderful zone, which is the overlap between history and myth.</h5><hr>Q: It’s wonderful that you mention that, because within the Waldorf education system they actually start teaching children myths. They teach them the world of mythology and it’s only after Grade 5 that they start them on history.AS: And to a very great extent I believe that myths are far more honest. It was C.S. Lewis who said that a myth is imagination that reveals the truth. At least a myth doesn’t have pretensions of being a factual record. A myth does not attempt to be a statement of fact. And I believe that there is that wonderful zone, which is the overlap between history and myth.To be continued.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interview by RUDY SINGH</h4><hr>

Where history intersects with myth - part 1

<h4>ASHWIN SANGHI is an Indian author in the intersecting genre of mythology,
 fiction and thriller. In this second part of his interview with RUDY SINGH, he
 speaks about mythology, history, his approach to writing and his upcoming books. Ashwin continues the conversation
 from where he left off.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
AS:&nbsp;In India we always called our epics
 itihas [history]. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are itihas. It’s only since Max Müller that we were
 taught: Hey listen, this is myth, this is not historical narrative. I’m not willing to accept that. Take the
 Mahabharata. It started off with less than 25,000 verses of a work called Jaya, which morphed into a work of roughly
 50,000 verses called the Bharat, which then morphed into the 100,000 verses of the Mahabharat. We attribute all of
 this to one single writer, the Rishi Vyasa. I believe that’s almost like a nom de plume, a pseudonym, for
 multiple writers who wrote through the generations. But do you think multiple generations would have spent their
 time narrating that story if there wasn’t a kernel of truth to the events that happened?
We have 300 versions of the Ramayana, and each version is remarkably different. You have
 the Valmiki Ramayana, in which Ram is simply a human being, a mortal. You have the Tulsi Ramayana, in which he is
 elevated to the status of a God. You have versions like the Adbhuta Ramayana, in which it isn’t Ram who kills
 Ravana, but Sita who manifests as Durga. You have the Jain Ramayana, in which Lakshman kills Ravana. You have
 versions like the Muslim Ramayana, in which Ram is a Sultan, or the Lao Ramayana, in which Ram is a Bodhisattva. But
 at the core there are elements of the story that remain common throughout. And why would there be 300 versions of a
 story that never happened? So I believe what we need to do is to find that enticing, exciting overlap zone where
 history intersects with myth. And there is a lot we can gain by examining it closely. The problem is that mainstream
 academia has shied away from looking at these things. I have always believed that the reason why people like reading
 these stories, and the reason why this new generation is reading them, is because if you take these two words – myth
 and history – and put them into a particle collider and bring them charging at superfast speed towards one another,
 they fuse into a new word, which is myth + history = mystery. That’s typically what I try to do.
Q: Wow, that’s wonderful. As you mentioned, there are many, many local myths and
 different variations of myths. Every 200 kilometers you have a new myth; every district has their narrative. Do
 you think we are at a stage where there is a danger of the homogenous narrative subsuming all these? For
 example, the overarching Mahabharata is pan India, and the overarching Ramayana is pan India.
AS:&nbsp;The way I see it is that mythology has
 been in a constant state of flux. The packaging and repackaging of mythology has been happening over generations. We
 spoke about 300 versions of the Ramayana, and there are probably more than a 1,000 versions of the Mahabharata. And
 even if we look at today’s narratives, we are finding that actually the narratives do not depend on the popular
 mainstream.
If you take someone like Anand Neelakantan, for example, he is actually giving you a
 perspective of these epics from the angle of the so-called villains of the story, because he feels that injustice
 has been done to the villains. So why can’t we narrate the Mahabharata from the point of view of Duryodhana? Or why
 can’t we narrate the Ramayana from the point of view of Ravana?
You take someone like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Chitra’s books narrate the stories
 from the angle of the female leads within those epics. What would the Ramayana look like from Sita’s perspective? Or
 what would the Mahabharata look like from Draupadi’s perspective?
So I think we are opening up new vistas in our narratives, which is wonderful because a
 myth should not be compartmentalized. The whole idea of myth is that you have multiple versions, and this has been
 the great thing about our country, that we’ve said that, “No, we don’t have one version of the truth; we can have
 three hundred versions. And the fact that I have one version of the truth doesn’t make your version any less. It’s
 still the truth.” And I think that is where we need to be going. And I think that that is already happening. So in
 fact we’ll see more narratives, we’ll see more dimensions. We’ll see this exploration increasing.
<img alt="" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/history_myth_part2_2_9c1f110377.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:32:27.259Z">

Q: You’ve recently started writing a series of self-help books. How did the motivation
 for that come about?
AS:&nbsp;Well, I had just started writing. I was at
 the point where my first book was not getting published.&nbsp;There was a family friend of ours, who used to come
 home on the weekends and enjoy having a drink along with my father. One day, he saw I was very upset. 
 He saw me depressed and said, “What’s the matter?” 
 I said, “Well, 47 publishers have declined my book.” 
 Between publishers and literary agents it had become 47. 
 “What is the problem? Apply to a few more.” 
 And I said, “There’s no one left on the list. The universe has been targeted already.” 
 So he said, “Beta, remember one thing: in life 99% is about good luck.” 
 So I asked him, “But Uncle, what about the one percent? That must be hard work, talent, efficiency, networking,
 resources, management, so many things.” 
 He laughed at me. He said, “99% is about good luck, and one percent is about bloody good luck.” 
 And I came out of that meeting and I was wondering, “What is he talking about?”
Later on in life, once I had already become a bestselling author, someone asked me, “To
 what do you attribute your success?” and I said, “Luck!” And that was not the answer they were expecting. My
 publisher was standing next to me, and he started laughing. He said, “I think you need to write a book about it, to
 explain what is meant by luck. Demystify this topic.” And that resulted in the first book: 13 Steps to Bloody
 Good Luck.
At that time, it was not meant to be a series. It was meant to me a “one-off” book, the
 ramblings of Ashwin Sanghi about what makes lucky people lucky. As it turned out, then I started receiving e-mails
 from people saying, “If we can demystify luck, then why can’t we demystify something else?” So one of my school
 friends, who is also a venture capitalist, said, “People don’t know how to manage their money, so why don’t we write
 a book on wealth?” So we wrote 13 Steps to Bloody Good Wealth.
Then a teacher got in touch with me, who was an expert in coaching kids. And he said,
 “Why can’t we write 13 Steps to Bloody Good Marks, so that people can study better?” And then Dr. Batra got
 in touch saying, “Why can’t we write on health – 13 Steps to Bloody Good Health?” And we then had a book by
 a blogging mom, Kiran Manral, who wrote 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting. We now have someone who has been
 in the sales profession for 20 odd years writing a book on sales. Someone else is writing on communication. So there
 are so many things which look like rocket science, but they actually translate into some rather simple fundamentals.
 And that is what we’re attempting to present in a very easy to read format.
Q: I really liked the way you said “demystifying good luck,” because one of the
 objectives of the book, The Heartfulness Way, is to demystify meditation.
AS:&nbsp;Absolutely.
<img alt="where-history-intersects-with-myth-part-2" class="has-img-center lazyload "
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/history_myth_part2_3_3c0ee1213e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:33:19.698Z">

Q: You have now been a part of two Heartfulness sessions. Do you think there’s a
 certain resonance with that also?
AS:&nbsp;Absolutely. I think one of the main
 attractions of the Heartfulness Way is the utter simplicity. I have been through several meditation sessions prior
 to this where the instructor is focused on how you sit, what mudras you do, your breathing and your
 concentration, the fact that you should not move, and the fact that you should develop an ability to deal with
 pleasure and pain, even though you’ve been sitting in that position for several hours.
In comparison, the Heartfulness Way is almost childlike: focus on your heart and
 feel rather than think. That is where true meditation comes from. I’m still to get there, but I love the
 utter childlike simplicity of what is explained in The Heartfulness Way.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">The Heartfulness Way is almost childlike: 
 focus on your heart and feel rather than think. 
 That is where true meditation comes from. 
 I’m still to get there, but I love the utter childlike simplicity 
 of what is explained in The Heartfulness Way.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: Finally, what next for Ashwin Sanghi?
AS:&nbsp;Well, currently I’m working on a number of
 projects. In the 13 Steps series there are several books in the pipeline, and they will happen at the
 frequency of two or three titles per year. In addition to that, currently I’m working on the sixth book in the
 Bharat series.
The first book in the series was The Rozabal Line, followed by Chanakya’s
 Chant, then The Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga, and Keepers of the Kalachakra. The sixth
 one turns its attention down South and talks about the Pallava kingdom. I hope to complete it soon, so that it is
 released in December or January. That is one of the main projects I am working on. In addition to that, I am also
 working on an original web series, as well as an adaptation of one of my books for the web. So at any given point of
 time I have multiple projects going on, and that’s one of the reasons why I need a technique to keep me a little
 more focused. I am hoping that Heartfulness can help me, because I have to keep switching tracks. On a particular
 day I’ll be working in the space of history and mythology; on another day I’m working on a crime thriller; on the
 third day I’m working on a self-help book. So in order to be able to change gears and still come back and focus on
 what I am required to focus on that particular day, that’s a critical element of what I do.
Q: Thank you so much. It’s been wonderful having you here.
AS:&nbsp;It’s been a pleasure talking to you. Thank
 you very much for having me here. What a delightful experience this has been. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

<a href="https://www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/where-history-intersects-with-myth-part-1/">Read Part 1 of the interview&gt;&gt;</a>
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interview by RUDY SINGH</h4>
<hr>

Where history intersects with myth - part 2

Ashwin is the Assistant Cultural Secretary and the Vice President of the Debate Club in his school. His passion includes chess, quizzing, and writing. He wants to study Computer Science to find elegant solutions to everyday challenges. 



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Ashwin Vinod Kumar

<hr><h4>ASHWIN VINOD KUMAR is wise for a 16-year-old. With a little kindness from a loving grandpa, he managed to overcome a negative pattern that threatened to derail his success at school. How many similar challenges could we all overcome with a little help from our friends and family?</h4><hr>When we think of kindness we imagine grandiose acts of charity, or experiences of random acts of kindness with strangers. However, the simplest and most profound acts of kindness are often those we take for granted in our everyday existence.“The world is full of obvious things if one only takes the time to observe them,” said Sherlock Holmes. The world is full of kindness if we take time to observe, I say.Ever since I was 6 years old and in the 1st grade at school, I have faced difficulty with the Tamil language. I lost the top rank at my school 10 years in a row because of my grades in Tamil. My parents never had any expectation, either academic or otherwise, other than that I pass Tamil so that I could go into the next grade. So coming to the end of grade 10, my freedom was at last in sight – the last year of studying Tamil. Ten long years of struggle, an entire saga of my life, would finally draw to a close. But this was also going to be the most difficult time of my life, because the exam would be graded by the Central Board of Examiners, and who knew what destiny awaited me.I shared this most agonising secret with my grandfather one day, and he graciously offered to help me, saying that he had studied Tamil for 15 years. It was as if an angel had descended to answer my prayers; his help was exactly what I needed. But he and I lived in different cities. Thankfully, one thing the pandemic has taught us is that distance doesn’t matter.And so it began. We studied (to my dismay) every single day. He would call me at 2 p.m., just as I finished lunch, and we would study for an hour on video call. He had downloaded the textbook onto his laptop, and he read out and explained every single word, not once, not twice, perhaps fifteen times or more, until I finally understood, finally remembered, and finally expressed some confidence.I did not want to study Tamil because early on I had performed badly. Then, I continued to do worse because I did not want to study. It was a vicious cycle. Now I studied, not because I enjoyed it – I absolutely did not – but because I got caught up in my own request. I couldn’t disappoint my grandpa who called me sincerely every day at 2 p.m.I started looking forward to his calls, and enjoyed the time immensely. Forget about Tamil, I just enjoyed talking with him. He is my grandpa. We bonded. And that bond made me resent Tamil less. How could I dislike something my loving grandfather was talking about? Looking back, those 7 hours a week, and all the tales with which he regaled me so that I would enjoy Tamil, were astonishing. He shared humorous and interesting anecdotes, and in between stories of his school and university days, he showed me glimpses of how to appreciate my mother tongue, and indeed how beautiful any language can be.Well, like all good stories, this has a happy ending – I got good grades in Tamil. But that is not the end of the story, is it?This story is about the kindness of a grandfather to his grandson – not only teaching him his mother tongue, but helping him fall in love with it. This ending is about grandpa roping in grandma in all the fun, so that the grandson learns higher lessons in togetherness and bonding. This ending is about how all of us have a coping ability, immense resilience, and the human spirit, which decides to shine if we kindle it with love and joy.And the ending of the story is not what matters. The journey does. The world is full of kindnesses if we take the time to observe them. A lot of them are invisible and present in our own backyard. When we learn to see them, and sow those seeds of kindness in the world, letting them shine, the world will be as inspired as I am.<hr><hr><h4>The world is full of kindnesses if we take the time to observe them.&nbsp; A lot of them are invisible and present in our own backyard.&nbsp; When we learn to see them, and sow those seeds of kindness in the world,&nbsp; letting them shine, the world will be as inspired as I am.</h4><hr>

Invisible kindness

Dr. Parvaiz was the Vice Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad, India, from 2015 to 2020, and before that was the Principal of Zakir Husain College, Delhi University. He is a science communicator with six books and many articles and book chapters to his credit. Since 1994, he has also been the founding editor of Urdu Science, a popular science and environment monthly, and heads the Islamic Foundation for Science and Environment (India), a non-profit charitable organization.



Aslam-Parvaiz.jpg

Aslam Parvaiz

<h4
 id="h-dr-aslam-parvaiz-is-a-teacher-with-a-passion-coming-from-the-islamic-tradition-he-integrates-the-wisdom-of-the-quran-with-a-scientific-attitude-toward-nature-the-environment-and-our-responsibility-as-human-beings-in-november-2020-dr-parvaiz-was-interviewed-by-elizabeth-denley-and-kambiz-ravan-from-the-heartfulness-institute"
>
 DR. ASLAM PARVAIZ
 is a teacher with a passion. Coming from the Islamic tradition, he integrates
 the wisdom of the Quran with a scientific attitude toward Nature, the
 environment, and our responsibility as human beings. In November 2020, DR.
 PARVAIZ was interviewed by
 ELIZABETH DENLEY and KAMBIZ RAVAN
 from the Heartfulness Institute.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 ED: Welcome, Dr. Parvaiz. Since we first met a few years back, I have been
 touched by your passion for integrating modern scientific approaches about
 Nature and our current climate crisis with the wisdom traditions of the
 Quran and Islam. Why is this so important for you?



 <a href="AP:"
 >AP:</a
 >
 It’s not science per se, but the need to have a scientific attitude. My
 passion is for Muslims all over the world to understand the logic behind the
 practices in the Quran. Whatever is happening around the globe today in the
 name of Islam is not what is offered in the Quran, which is a book for the
 entire humanity.



 What you find there will depend on your capacity, your willingness, and your
 desire to know and internalize the teachings. While I challenge the way people
 currently practice Islam, my approach is not at all controversial, as it is
 based on the Quran.



 ED: Can you please tell us about the importance of Nature, ecology, and the
 environment in Islam?



 AP: I would start
 with the first verse of the Quran, which says that God created the Earth for
 all living beings. Second, the Quran says that if you wish to count
 the bounties of God, you will not be able to do so. Nature has gifted us all
 with countless bounties in the form of resources. Third, the Quran says that
 whatever resources are there, they are to be distributed amongst us all. All
 creatures in the Universe reflect the creativity of God. Fourth, the Quran
 defines the position of humankind as the custodians, the khalifa,
 with the role of protecting the environment and protecting the Earth’s
 resources.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 All creatures in the Universe reflect the creativity of God.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="371"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyloaded"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_2_2e9fc1798e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T14:50:36.600Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Whatever resources are there in Nature move from one place to another by the
 Law of Diffusion, which tells us that things move from a region of high
 concentration to a region of low concentration. For example, when you add
 water to a bowl of dry soil through a dropper, the water will spread
 throughout the bowl. Only once the soil becomes saturated with the water will
 it start accumulating on top of the soil. The movement of air, which controls
 the temperature and the climate, uses the same process of diffusion. When air
 pressure decreases, air rushes in. The same is true of the action of gases in
 our body, in our lungs. Hemoglobin in our blood has the capacity to bond with
 carbon dioxide and with oxygen, depending upon the concentration. If more
 oxygen is there, hemoglobin picks up oxygen, whereas if more carbon dioxide is
 there, it picks up carbon dioxide. So, our capacity to breathe in oxygen and
 breathe out carbon dioxide is because of diffusion. This Law of Diffusion is
 operating everywhere in Nature.



 Similarly, the Law of Diffusion tells us how to share resources: Where there
 is a need, the resources must go. There is no need for hoarding or reserving
 things for near and dear ones for generations to come, whether it is money,
 property, food, or anything else. The planet is for all. Distribution of
 resources should be as per the need of the moment.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="400"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyloaded"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_3_dea73f0a29.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T14:53:30.361Zlazyloaded"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 The planet is for all. Distribution of resources should be as per the need of the moment.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 The Quran also says to establish balance. Don’t disturb the balance of Nature.
 Don’t spread impurity, like corruption and pollution. Air pollution is an
 imbalance of gases in the atmosphere. In Islamic countries we don’t have a
 strong awareness of environmental consciousness and protection, yet it is part
 of Islam.



 The Quran talks of Ibadat, which means submission to the divine laws
 or principles. Often the word is understood as “worship” or “prayer,” which
 has then been reduced to praying five times a day, fasting for thirty days a
 year, traveling once a year to Mecca for Hajj, and giving 2.5% of
 wealth to charity as Zakat. I call this cherry picking. We have
 picked those few practices from the Quran and made them mandatory, forgetting
 all the other practices that are there, including those about the environment
 and Nature, about service, and so many other things that are designed to make
 a person a wonderful human being.



 The human-centric approach is missing. While it is wonderful to do prayer five
 times a day, is your prayer helping the poor lady who is your neighbor, who
 has nothing to feed her kids? There are so many people who are hungry, and the
 Quran tells us that giving food to a person in need is our duty.



 KR: Why is the color green associated with Islam?



 AP: For us, green
 is the symbol of peace, productivity, and tranquility. When we talk about
 peace, there are two important words: one is “Islam” and the other is
 “Iman.” Iman is usually translated as “faith,” but it also
 has the same root as the word for peace, “Aman.” The root word
 “slm” has eight meanings, one of which is “peace,” and another is
 “productivity and growth.” So, if someone says they are a Muslim, the true
 meaning is that they are a harbinger of peace. They are at peace with
 themselves, and everyone should feel peaceful with them.


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 <img
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 alt=""
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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_4_jpg_336089c5cc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T14:55:45.625Z"
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 </figure>
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<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 For us, green is the symbol of peace, productivity, and tranquility.
</h5>

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 They do not give any offense to anyone or anything, either mental or physical.



 How does Nature work? After the Industrial Revolution, with the fallout of air
 and water pollution, it dawned on us that the green trees in our neighborhoods
 are themselves a huge industry. They produce so many resources and chemicals,
 giving so many products to humanity, such as dyes and medicines, yet the
 industry inside the tree is creating all these things without pollution,
 without heat, and without noise. That is why the shift is now toward
 bioproducts, because we know that Nature’s models are better than our
 human-made models. In Nature, things are always in balance.


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 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="400"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_5_7ffa99e44d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T14:57:43.496Z"
 />
 </figure>
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 Balance is important everywhere. Now, balance and justice are the same thing.
 Where there is justice, there will be balance without chaos, because things
 are at peace. In Nature, peace is prevalent because the divine laws are in
 operation. When we are in sync with Nature, we feel peace. The entire Universe
 is tuned with us, and I call this, “Swimming with the current.” The moment we
 don’t follow the natural laws, for example, when we hoard wealth, disrespect
 our spouse, are cruel to our kids, a neighbor, or workers, we feel uneasy and
 not at peace, because these things are against Nature.



 We become disturbed, then angry, frustrated, depressed, and eventually we may
 even feel suicidal. This is the sequence which arises from the internal
 situation where we are not comfortable. So being in sync with Nature is
 important, and this is what the Quran tells us.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 Balance is important everywhere. Now, balance and justice are the same
 thing. Where there is justice, there will be balance without chaos,
 because things are at peace. In Nature, peace is prevalent because the
 divine laws are in operation. When we are in sync with Nature, we feel
 peace.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 ED: If you were to advise young people today how to find peace, what would
 you tell them?



 AP: I would tell
 them what I have practiced and implemented myself, which is to follow the
 natural laws. For example, in the Quran it says, “We have created the children
 of Adam [meaning all human beings] to be respected.” It is a divine principle
 to respect all people. Whatever their color, religion, race, language, and
 gender, they must be respected. This is binding on all of us.


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 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="400"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_6_2dd97fedad.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T15:04:52.322Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

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 When we respect people, it means we respect their likes and dislikes, we
 respect their faith, their dress, and everything else. We have ours, but we
 have no problem with theirs being different. When we are able to do this, it
 is Ibadat. If we are respectful 24/7, it is acceptance of the divine
 laws.



 Next, the Quran tells us to speak in the best way – no foul language, no
 abuse, no taunts, no sarcasm, etc. This is again a divine principle. So, if
 someone abuses us, no matter who it is, do nothing! Our duty is to be nice.
 This is a hot topic today, just as it has always been. The Quran tells us that
 when we are in the company of people who are speaking badly, simply move away
 and join them again after they have finished. Don’t react. The human
 connection is very important, as all human beings are brothers and sisters
 coming from one source. There is no specific Islamic brotherhood. The human
 brotherhood is supreme – we must respect everyone. If we don’t respect a
 household helper, or even our spouse or partner, it doesn’t help.


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<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 When we respect people, it means we respect their likes and dislikes,
 we respect their faith, their dress, and everything else. We have
 ours, but we have no problem with theirs being different. When we
 are able to do this, it is Ibadat. If we are respectful
 24/7, it is acceptance of the divine laws.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="600"
 height="286"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Ancient_Wisdom_nature_7_bc9bbb6ec5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-19T15:07:08.680Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

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<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 The human connection is very important, as all human beings are brothers and sisters coming from one source.
</h5>

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<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 The Quran also tells us to accept all the revered books from all traditions,
 right from the Vedas, to the Torah and the Bible, etc., and to accept all the
 Prophets that have been sent. A few we know, thousands we don’t know. I
 believe that the Vedas were the first divine books. The wisdom is the same.
 Many of the slokas of the Vedas are exactly the same as the verses of the
 Quran. These wonders are waiting to be discovered and practiced.


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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 Interview by
 ELIZABETH DENLEY and KAMBIZ RAVAN
</h4>

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