What are the prospects and challenges for a united South Asia?

National Seminar on Sri Aurobindo's Contributions toward a Global Culture  March 27-29, 2010 Centenary Celebrations of Sri Aurobindo’s Arrival in Pondicherry (April 4, 2010)

A National Seminar Organised by Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research (SACAR), Puducherry

SRI AUROBINDO’S CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD A GLOBAL SPIRITUAL CULTURE

March 27-29, 2010 PROGRAMME

Art and Culture at the Seminar

                        A photographic exhibition depicting many moods and movements of Indian classical dance forms is on display at SACAR, second floor hall. This exhibit is organised by Sri Geetagovinda Pratishthana. The exhibition timings are 9:30-12:00, 3:30-5:00.

                        A special dance programme by Meera Dance Academy will be held at SACAR on March 29th, 2010, at 7:00pm. The programme will include Odissi and Bharatnatyam performances, choreographed by Ms. Sangeeta Dass.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010

9:00-9:30 Meditation; Invocation; Welcome Deepshikha, Ananda Reddy

9:30-10:15 Plenary Session I: K.R. Srivathsan, Pro-VC, IGNOU: Some Thoughts of Sri Aurobindo on India and Our Education System

10:15-10:45 TEA BREAK

10:45-11:15 Session I: Toward a Harmonious Collective Existence Georges Van Vrekhem, The Integration of the Four Varnas Beloo Mehra, Envisioning the Future Society

11:15-11:45 Discussion Panel I: Contemporary Social Issues in India Chairperson: Beloo Mehra

Georges Van Vrekhem, Beloo Mehra, Jamshed Mavalwala

Discussion Questions: 1. What are some of the most urgent issues or problems facing Indian society?

2. What are some possible solutions to these problems in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s thought?

11:45-12:15 Session II: Sri Aurobindo, the Social-Political Thinker K. Srinivas, Sri Aurobindo’s Social Philosophy Bhagwandas Lahoti, On Politicians and the Inadequacy of the State Idea

12:15-12:45 Discussion Panel II: Searching for India’s Nation-Soul Chairperson: Kittu Reddy

Kittu Reddy, K. Srinivas, Bhagwandas Lahoti

Discussion Questions: 1. What is the potential and possibility for an alternative political system for India?

2. What are the prospects and challenges for a united South Asia?

3. What is India’s nation-soul and how do we work toward discovering it?

12:45-2:00 LUNCH BREAK

2:00-2:45 Session III: Poetry of the Spirit R Y Deshpande, A Biographical Aspect of Savitri

Murali Sivaramakrishna, Poetry, Politics, Spirituality:

The Aurobindian Poetics—Theory and Praxis Sampadananda Mishra, Sri Aurobindo's Original Writings in Sanskrit

2:45-3:30 Discussion Panel III: Literature of the Future

Chairperson: Murali Sivaramakrishna

Murali Sivaramakrishna, R Y Deshpande, Sampadananda Mishra

Discussion Questions: 1. What is the nature and extent of the influence of Sri Aurobindo on contemporary poetry and poets?

2. In what ways have Sri Aurobindo’s poetry and poetics opened the way for the future course of Indian and world literature?

3:30-4:00 TEA BREAK

4:00-4:30 Session IV: Contributions to Literary Criticism

Vinod Balakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, the Literary Critic

Shruti Bidwaikar, Sri Aurobindo on the Importance of Poet, Text and Reader

4:30-5:15 Plenary Session II: Goutam Ghoshal, Sri Aurobindo’s Theory of Poetry: Searching for a Complete Manifesto

5:15-5:30 Summarizing the Day’s Deliberations Ananda Reddy

SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010

9:00-9:15 Meditation; Invocation Deepshikha

9:15-10:00 Plenary Session I: Binu Mukherjee: Science, Mind and Yoga

10:00-10:30 Session I: Science and the New Consciousness Sraddhalu Ranade, Towards the Ultimate Theory of Everything: Some insights from Sri Aurobindo Alok Pandey, Where the Parallel Lines Meet

10:30-11:00 TEA BREAK

11:00-11:30 Discussion Panel I: Future of Science Chairperson: Binu Mukherjee

Sraddhalu Ranade, Binu Mukherjee, Joss Brooks

Discussion Questions: 1. What is Sri Aurobindo’s vision for the future of science in general?

2. What is the extent and nature of the usefulness of science in the discovery of the higher levels of consciousness?

11:30-12:00 Session II: Toward a Spiritual Age Aster Patel, The Presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother S. M. Joshi, Sri Aurobindo, The Supramental Avatar: Spiritual Significance

12:00-12:30 Discussion Panel II: Science and Spirituality Chairperson: S. M. Joshi

Alok Pandey, Aster Patel, S. M. Joshi

Discussion Questions: 1. What is the nature and extent of the inspiration and influence of Sri Aurobindo’s vision of spirit and matter on science and scientists?

2. What are the possibilities and prospects of bridging science and spirituality?

12:30-2:00 LUNCH BREAK

2:00-3:00 Session III: Studying Sri Aurobindo’s Thought: Personal Reflections SACAR Students: Gitanjali JB, Chandra Pitchal, Siddharthan, Angshuman Basu

3:00-3:30 Session IV: Applying the Ideal of Integral Education Chhalamayi Reddy, Integral Education: The Ideal and the Possibilities Prabhjot Kulkarni, Integrality for Teacher Preparation: Case of a New Mode

3:30-4:00 TEA BREAK

4:00-4:30 Discussion Panel III: Integral Education and the Future Society Chairperson: Prabhjot Kulkarni

Chhalamayi Reddy, Prabhjot Kulkarni, Deepshikha Reddy

Discussion Questions: 1. How is Integral Education different from other philosophies and systems of “holistic” education?

2. What are the challenges in practically applying some of the principles of Integral Education in the mainstream educational system of India?

4:30-5:15 Plenary Session II: Shraddhavan, “Seer deep-hearted”: A Metrical Fragment by Sri Aurobindo

5:15-5:30 Summarizing the Day’s Deliberations Ananda Reddy

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

9:00-9:15 Meditation; Invocation Deepshikha

9:15-10:00 Plenary Session I: Ananda Reddy, Evolutionary Crisis and Alternative Solutions

10:00-10:40 Session I: Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy Revisited

Vladimir, The Integral Structure and Evolution of Consciousness in the Rig Veda

Indrani Sanyal, Does the Universe Provide for Morality? The Life Divine Weltanschauung

Gitanjali JB, Recovery of the Indian Scriptures by Sri Aurobindo

10:40-11:00 TEA BREAK

11:00-11:30 Discussion Panel I: Practicing Integral Philosophy Chairperson: Indrani Sanyal

Vladimir, Indrani Sanyal, Ananda Reddy

Discussion Questions: 1. What are the prospects and problems in bringing Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy from the level of mind to life and living – on the individual and collective levels?

2. What are some common misunderstandings of Integral philosophy and how to avoid those?

11:30-12:30 Session II: Living a New Worldview Alok Pandey, Cradle of a New World

Joseba, Rhythms of The Human Cycle applied to Auroville Pashi Kapoor, Auroville: An Experiment in Human Unity Pradeep Narang, Reflections on Living out the Vision

12:30-1:15 Discussion Panel II: Towards Human Unity Chairperson: Pradeep Narang

Alok Pandey, Joseba, Pashi Kapoor, Tine, Pradeep Narang

Discussion Questions: 1. How are Ashram and Auroville contributing to the movement toward a deeper, inner human unity?

2. What are the challenges in practicing collective yoga? What lessons may be learned the experiences of Ashram and Auroville?

1:15-2:30 LUNCH BREAK

2:30-3:15 Session III: New Developments in Psychology Larry Seidlitz, Developments in Transpersonal Psychology Inspired by Sri Aurobindo’s Thought Soumitra Basu, Integral Psychotherapy Manasi Pahwa, Psychologist Search Thyself Jamshed Mavalwala, Applicability of the Principles of ‘Equality’ on the Individual Level

3:15-3:45 Discussion Panel III: Practicing Integral Yoga Psychology Chairperson: Soumitra Basu

Larry Seidlitz, Soumitra Basu, Manasi Pahwa, Jamshed Mavalwala

Discussion Questions: 1. What is the nature of the influence of Integral Yoga on the field of psychology?

2. What are the challenges in applying Integral Yoga Psychology as a therapy?

3:45-4:15 TEA BREAK

4:15-5:00 Plenary Session II: Matthijs Cornelissen, Faith and Love for the Divine: Their Role in Sadhana and in the Development of Psychology

5:00-5:30 Closing Session: Participant Impressions, Gratitude, Invocation

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The University of Tomorrow - SACAR

SACAR is NOT an institution of religious education. It is important to emphasize that the philosophy and thought of Sri Aurobindo in which SACAR specialises is NOT a religion. This integral thought addresses the global and perennial questions of the nature and significance of existence and human life in a scholarly manner.

Where and Who

Sri Aurobindo Darshan: The University of Tomorrow, is a project of the Sri Aurobindo Centre of Advanced Research (S.A.C.A.R.) , located in Pondicherry, India. S.A.C.A.R. is a Charitable Trust sponsored by the Institute of Human Study (I.H.S.), Hyderabad. Its objective is intensive research into human issues: social, cultural, and psychological, from a spiritual perspective, to find new paradigms that can help solve problems in these areas. 

The following are the key participants in the work of the University and of S.A.C.A.R.

TRUSTEES OF S.A.C.A.R. 
Dr. Ananda Reddy (Managing Trustee, Director of the University)
Dr. Dhananjay Reddy (Trustee)
Ms. Manorama Vira (Member)
Dr. Alok Pandey (Member)
GUEST SPEAKERS 
Professor M.V. Nadkarni
Professor Arabinda Basu
Mr. Michel Danino
Professor Sachidananda Mohanty
Dr. A. S. Dalal
Professor N. Jayashanmugam
FACILITATORS 
Dr. Soumitra Basu (Integral Psychotherapy)

Dr. Goutam Ghoshal (Literature and Literary Criticism)

Jan Maslow (Integral Yoga Psychology)

Dr. Daryl Paulson (Theory of Social Development)

Dr. Ananda Reddy (Sri Aurobindo's Social and Political Thought)

Professor Kittu Reddy (Sri Aurobindo's Social and Political Thought)

Dr. Don Salmon (Integral Yoga Psychology)
Dr. Larry Seidlitz (Lights on Indian Scriptures, Integral Yoga Psychology)

Dr. Girija Shettar (Sri Aurobindo's Integral Metaphysics and Integral Yoga Psychology)