“The modern Indian is influenced deeply by ideas of learning that are based on a western model of liberal education. She / He is also deeply influenced by ideas of autonomy and individual freedom which were the stuff of our freedom struggle. The modern Indian is thus socialised in a peculiar mixture of the traditional Indian way and the modern. She /He is also constantly in touch with global movements in thought and literature. The anchors of his identity are a mixture of uprooted location, modern vocations and a search for belief that satisfies a rational enquiry. The modern Indian is thus a person with fragmented anchors of identity living in a global context and imbued with ideas of nationhood.”
Raghu Ananthanarayanan,
The Uprooted and the Entrenched.
The question of Identity and Indianness holds great importance for many. It is a question that has resonated through history, whether it be in the subjugation of peoples by the British Raj or in the hearts of those on the cusp of freedom. It is a question that is perhaps never meant to be totally answered, for only in the sharing of our ideas and responses can we begin to fathom the significance of the question itself.
Over 6 days in August of 2017, we shall engage with this question at Ritambhara Ashram. Our guide on this journey is the beloved and prolific director Bala Kailasam, who passed away in 2014. This event honours Kailasam by sharing several of his prominent films as the lens through which we shall begin to explore What is India?
Anoop is a student of Yoga, an entrepreneur, a coach and a father of two young boys. He has led successful leadership stints in both the corporate and non-for-profit sectors. On encountering the country’s water/farmer crises at close quarters, he decided to pause and examine the impact various ‘isms’ – capitalism, colonialism, etc., were having on us as individuals, families, the society and the environment at large. This quest led him to formally engage with traditional Indic knowledge systems while also learning from the latest advances in science – about our physical and mental wellbeing, importance of body and mind work in healing trauma and the urgent need for a conscious rebuilding of family / work / social structures if we have to thrive individually and collectively. Insights, frameworks and processes gleaned from these on-going studies, an anchorage in his own personal practice and his wide-ranging experiences is what Anoop brings to facilitation/coaching spaces in Ritambhara and his various professional engagements.
Priya is a Yoga therapist in the Krishnamacharya tradition. She adapts Reiki & energy work, Vedic chanting, life coaching & Ayurvedic practices in her healing spaces. She is committed to nurturing collectives that have the praxis of Yoga at their heart.
Anisha has been on an exploration to understand herself through yoga for the last 15years which led her to teaching yoga, yoga therapy and inner work through yoga.
Apoorva chanced upon Yoga in her early 20s. A spark was lit within and there was no turning back. Her exploration led her to the Krishnamacharya tradition more than a decade ago. Curious about human behaviour and what drives it, she was thrilled when her search ended (and also began) when she first came upon the Yoga Sutra, which illuminated a path towards answering many questions that had been held for a long time.
Anita is a yoga teacher and therapist in the tradition of Sri.T.Krishnamacarya and Sri T.K.V. Desikachar, a Reiki practitioner and a Life Coach. She is also the founder of Vishoka, a center for learning Indic and energy-based frameworks for living and healing. Her deep concern for human suffering and the problems of unsustainable living kept her on the path of seeking an integrated approach to looking at life, living, learning and healing.
Ankit is a seeker in the wisdom traditions of India. The core of his work includes creating dialogic spaces where people can look within and see the connection between their inner and outer lives. Inspired by the likes of Gandhi, Aurobindo, Vivekananda and Guru Gobind his experiments in service took him back to his roots in Punjab where he is creating a community-led model of higher education which is open, inclusive and accessible for all. Ritambhara for him is a space for engaging in a community which is committed to a DHramic life. He anchors his work of learning and leadership in the Antaranga Yoga Sadhana and the humanistic wisdom of Mahabharata.