Revival of the Ancient Vedic Practices in India: The Old ‘Oriental’ Wine in a New ‘Occidental’ Bottle
Publication information:
Abstract
Abstract: The majority of the Hindus of the Generation X and the Millennials of India do not possess any direct knowledge of the daily rites and rituals of Hinduism and are dependent upon the Brahmin Pandits for the interpretations of the scriptures. However, many of them are aware of complicated practices like yoga, pranayama and meditation and practise them not as a part of their religious behaviour, rather consume them as some lifestyle commodity or as a qualification for enhancing their status quotient. This has caused a sudden boom in the revival of the ancient Hindu practices in India. The paper argues that this revival has occurred not through any organic process of retracing one’s past, but rather in the same way in which these practices were lost in the first place—holding the hand of the West. To highlight that, the paper shall analyse the result of a survey and try to identify the reasons behind this secondhand re-appropriation of one’s own tradition and also show how this re-appropriation is a byproduct of Western cultural colonisation.
Presenter bio:
Completed PhD program in English with specialisation in South Asian Film and Literature and Postcolonial Studies under the University of Calcutta and has 13+ years of experience in teaching English language, literature and communication skill to students of Management and technical background, has delivered invited lectures and paper in various universities in India and abroad, such as university of Graz, Austria, Cambridge University, Montreal University, Timisoara University. After a spiritual awakening in 2022, has shifted to mission-oriented writing and teaching programs aiming at imparting hope, love and the message of peace to the world. Presently she is working as a contractual faculty member in the Department of English, Surendranath College for Women, Kolkata, India and dedicating her time to animal welfare.
Affiliation: Surendra Nath College for Women, Kolkata, India