This article was first published in the print edition of Manushi Journal. (Issue-116, Jan-Feb 2000)
Recently, I joined a five-day long course for learning some special breathing exercises and meditation techniques. Predictably, we were subjected to a good deal of pop philosophy on how to develop a positive attitude towards life. A large part of the course left me unmoved. However, the most uplifting experience came unexpectedly through two special lunch sessions scheduled towards the end of the course.
On the final weekend of the programme, we were all asked to bring packed lunches from home since we were to have full day sessions on both days. I expected nothing special and thought this would be a typical lunch break where each one of us would open our respective boxes, break into smaller groups of three or four, and chit-chat informally over our food. However, what came to pass was not only an enriching experience; those lunch sessions also provided me with a valuable glimpse of the kind of society I would like to live in and of the rudimentary principles on which it can be built…