The Voice of the New Age Spirituality: An Assimilative, Inclusive and Equalising platform for the Marginalised and the Mainstream Religious Discourses

Abstract: My paper argues that the 21st century New Age Spirituality has destroyed the conceptual notion of hierarchy among the religions and created a religionless religion where many underrepresented and marginalised religious practices have found their voice among the major dominant religions of the globe. It does not just assert equality among every religion by diminishing the destructive habit of establishing the superiority of one over the other, but also shows that every religion, fundamentally, is saying the same thing. My paper further argues that, with the indifferences and callousness that is exponentially growing on the planet, such fluidity of spiritual identity has become an imperative, and, because of the openness of the New Age Spirituality which evolves around the fundamental principle of the greater good for the planet, it has become a popular choice among those who are ecologically sensitised and sensitive about the future of our planet as well.

Presenter bio: Rituparna Das completed the PhD program in English with specialisation in South Asian Film and Literature and Postcolonial Studies at the University of Calcutta and has 13+ years of experience in teaching English language, literature, and communication skill to students of Management and technical backgrounds. Dr. Das has delivered invited lectures and papers in various universities in India and abroad, such as the University of Graz, Austria; Cambridge University; Montreal University; and Timisoara University. She is presently supervising PhD candidates in various fields of Cultural Studies. Alongside her academic tasks, she is acting as the secretary of an Indian NGO dedicated to the welfare of under-privileged street children and women of West Bengal and also working as an animal activist.

Presenter affiliation: Surendranath College for Women