Below are the excerpts of a free-flowing conversation with Mihir Bhattacharjee – an ex- BSF armed forces officer and a Viksit Bharat Ambassador, who opens his heart out on Bharat’s Sanatani Samskaras/Heritage, and how these “Samskaras” have the inherent power to propel the youths of Bharat to redefine the world’s socio-economic conditions.
As a retired armed forces officer, how significant is the role of “Samskaras” or indelible cultural impressions and psychological imprints that have been passed on from generation to generation since ancient times?
The security that mankind knew once is now long gone and the faith that knit our lives together slowly unravelled with the intrusion of science, thereby causing a paradigm shift in the worldwide view over the past century that has rendered God, if not dead, at least coolly marginalised. We need to be aware that it is the “spiritual outlook” which gives meaning to life and recognizes that our lives have meaning and that there is a purpose and a goal.
However, Bharat is an exception. This is the land of spiritual enlightenment and Moksha or Nirvana. The greatest gift of Bharat to the world is Yoga.
The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth. You have this freedom in Bharat and there is no shortage of organisations – ISKCON, Ramakrishna Math, Chinmoy Mission, Swaminarayan Satsang, Satya Sai, Aurobindo Ashram……….
These days there is a lot of talks surrounding the Vedas. In fact, the Vedic philosophy has taken centrestage in Western countries like US, UK and much of Europe. What are your views on the soaring popularity of Vedic wisdom?
Definitely, it augurs well for Bharat, the birthplace of Vedas. And, I am not surprised at the phenomenonal rise in the number of Vedantists worldwide, given the state of affairs worldwide!
For century’s together Bharat’s Rishis and saints have been laying emphasis on living a life which is perfectly in accordance with the Vedas. The Vedic way of life is as eco-friendly as one can possibly imagine.
Vedanta endeavours to lead mankind to a place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran.
Today Bharat has the world’s largest youth population, with more than 808 million people under the age of 35, or 66 per cent of the country’s total population. How do you view this segment as the country’s driving force behind innovation and creativity?
Youths of Bharat have made incredible progress and continue to be one of the world’s most formidable force to reckon with.
However, inspite of all the commendable achievements the youths of Bharat have brought for the country, the spirit of volunteerism too needs to flourish – embodying the values and principles of the ancient Vedas. The mindset to help others, contributing positively to the society and supporting causes that are just.
Common activities like imparting education to the poor village folks, providing medical relief to the needy, offering the lights of education among the tribals or even providing maternity facilities to the rural womenfolk could be areas to focus upon.
This is one great opportunity for the youths of Bharat to put their heart and soul towards the preservation and protection of their motherland.
I particularly love the concept of Volunteer Tourism. Imagine youths of the nation embarking on a Volunteer Holiday and being involved in challenging projects involving in preservation of natural and cultural treasures in a destination of his or her choice!
The world is veering towards “Planet and People First” phenomenon, with the North Indian state of Uttarakhand taking centrestage. How do you view this trend?
Off late, the stupendous cultural diversity, aka Indigenous culture of Uttarakhand has touched the chord of today’s discerning traveller. Needless to say, a journey through the rugged Uttarakhand mountain landscape is a stellar experience, an assault on your senses through culture, cuisine, history, heritage and dance.
In a world reeling under global warming and climate crisis, the Indian state of Uttarakhand comes as a breath of fresh air. With the snow capped high Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi(7816m), Chaukhamba(7138m), Panchchuli(6904), Trishul(7120m)…..standing like sentinels, the peace loving people of Uttarakhand along with the state government’s nodal Tourism department have taken a vow to protect the state’s fragile Himalayan ecosystem through a series of eco-friendly measures like encouraging home stay options in lieu of the commercially profitable multi-storied apartment hotels, promoting immersive holidays with the stress on taking tourism to the villages and hamlets; the idea is to make tourism ecologically sensitive and thereby offer high value experiences.
This is what you call the spirit of “Resurgent Bharat”.
The concept of Indigenous Tourism is gaining momentum worldwide- Aborigines of Australia, Maoris of New Zealand, Inuits of Canada. Bharat’s Indigenous population is at a staggering 104 million. How do you perceive Bharat’s indigenous future?
I am from the North East and this region is considered to be the Anthropological Capital of the world, with 250+ tribes.
Consider for instance the remote North Eastern state of Tripura. Mention may be made of the Riang tribals who still build their houses with bamboo. In a typical Riang village of Tripura, the site of pretty houses built in the midst of trees where even the roofs are made out of specially shaped bamboos is a scene straight out of a fairytale land. These Riang tree houses are built upon bamboo slits that offers space for a horizontal platform, which in this case serves as the floor of the house. The manner in which Tripura’s Riang tribals arrange bamboos on a square grid and incline the whole bamboo structure, is a marvel in terms of tribal architecture.
Tripura and the North East is an ideal region to launch the Tree House Tourism initiative which is gradually taking centerstage in states like Kerala, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Blessed with Bamboo forests and exotic tribal culture, Tree House recreation could revolutionize Tripura’s tourism industry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again stressed upon Bharat’s North East as Resurgent Bharat’s “Growth Engine” and through the Ministry for the Development of North Eastern Region ( Mdoner), the country will witness unprecedented growth.
In terms of geography, landscape and the bewildering array of tribes that inhibit this magnificent regon, the North East is poised for accelerated development through infrastructure upgradation and multi model transportation system.
As a Viksit Bharat Ambassador, which region of Bharat would you recommend for a visit and why?
Having been born and raised in Bharat’s North Eastern state of Tripura, I grew up in the company of tribals – Nagas, Mizos, Bodos, Kacharis, Monpas and what have you!
Embarking on a Tribal Tour of North East could be life changing and transformative. Out here, travel is slow. The essence is on immersion and engagement with the local folks. The roads are intimidating, yet, the natural vistas, flora and fauna are just fabulous. Sometimes, you keep hiking for hours together with not a soul to be seen!
Each tribe is unique with their own set of belief systems in place. For Instance, the Khasis are matrilineal and women are the torchbearers of society. The colourful Ben Menashe tribes of Mizoram on the other hand are one of the “Lost Tribes of Israel”. The Bhotiyas are distinctive with their Tibeto-Mongoloid features and are expert weavers…..
The sheer diversity of Bharat’s North East is baffling and so be it!
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