Download or read book Better To Have Gone written by Akash Kapur and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Beautifully written and structured, deeply moving, and realised in wise, thoughtful, chiselled prose... it is that rarity: a genuine non-fiction classic' William Dalrymple 'A troubling and moving account of lives gone wrong in the search for an eastern Utopia' Damon Galgut, author of the Booker Prize-winning The Promise A spellbinding story about love, faith, the search for utopia - and the often devastating cost of idealism. It’s the late 1960s, and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India. John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family. Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium. They have come to build a new world - Auroville, an international utopian community for thousands of people. Their faith is strong, the future bright. So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later, on the same day, on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon? This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in Better to Have Gone, and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash’s wife, Auralice. Akash and Auralice grew up in Auroville; like the rest of their community, they never really understood those deaths. In 2004, Akash and Auralice return to Auroville from New York, where they have been living with John’s family. As they re-establish themselves, along with their two sons, in the community, they must confront the ghosts of those distant deaths. Slowly, they come to understand how the tragic individual fates of John and Diane intersected with the collective history of their town. Better to Have Gone is a book about the human cost of our age-old quest for a more perfect world. It probes the under-explored yet universal idea of utopia, and it portrays in vivid detail the daily life of one utopian community. Richly atmospheric and filled with remarkable characters, spread across time and continents, this is narrative writing of the highest order - a heartbreaking, unforgettable story.
Download or read book Unsettling Utopia written by Jessica Namakkal and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After India achieved independence from the British in 1947, there remained five scattered territories governed by the French imperial state. It was not until 1962 that France fully relinquished control. Once decolonization took hold across the subcontinent, Western-led ashrams and utopian communities remained in and around the former French territory of Pondicherry—most notably the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Auroville experimental township, which continue to thrive and draw tourists today. Unsettling Utopia presents a new account of the history of twentieth-century French India to show how colonial projects persisted beyond formal decolonization. Through the experience of the French territories, Jessica Namakkal recasts the relationships among colonization, settlement, postcolonial sovereignty, utopianism, and liberation, considering questions of borders, exile, violence, and citizenship from the margins. She demonstrates how state-sponsored decolonization—the bureaucratic process of transferring governance from an imperial state to a postcolonial state—rarely aligned with local desires. Namakkal examines the colonial histories of the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville, arguing that their continued success shows how decolonization paradoxically opened new spaces of settlement, perpetuating imperial power. Challenging conventional markers of the boundaries of the colonial era as well as nationalist narratives, Unsettling Utopia sheds new light on the legacies of colonialism and offers bold thinking on what decolonization might yet mean.
Download or read book The Religious the Spiritual and the Secular written by Robert Neil Minor and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Religious, the Spiritual, and the Secular presents an account of Auroville, a city in contemporary southeast India, and the vision of founder and well-known guru Sri Aurobindo. Auroville's eventual takeover and the promotion of its goals by the Indian government leads to a thought-provoking discussion of the meaning of "secularism" in India.
Download or read book Auroville written by Anuradha Majumdar and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2017-08-25 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For those who are satisfied with the world as it is, Auroville obviously has no reason to exist. - The Mother In March 1914, two people met in Puducherry: Sri Aurobindo, the Indian visionary and a leader of India's independence movement who had fled arrest by the British and sought refuge there, and Mirra Alfassa, who was the wife of a French politician, and who later came to be known as the Mother. This serendipitous meeting eventually led to the birth of Auroville, which was heralded as the City for the Future. For thousands of years, people have tried to develop better ways of living but, ironically, these have led to exploitation, divisions and turmoil. Auroville is an attempt to forge a new humanity, where people can focus on inner means and techniques to find an inner knowledge that empowers them to change the world without crushing it.Starting out in 1968 with a few thatched huts strewn across a barren plateau in south India, this future city began with just two things: a charter and a city plan to welcome people from around the world to create a life beyond national rivalries, social conventions, self-contradictory moralities and contending religions. Auroville was born to realize human unity through change of consciousness - a concept that still holds value in today's world.Told by someone who has lived the adventure for thirty-six years, this book explores how far the city has grown to resonate with its founding vision. Anu Majumdar examines the life of Auroville both as a resident and as an observer.
Download or read book India Becoming written by Akash Kapur and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New Republic Editors' and Writers' Pick 2012 A New Yorker Contributors' Pick 2012 A Newsweek "Must Read on Modern India" “For people who savored Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers.”—Evan Osnos, newyorker.com From the author of Better To Have Gone, a portrait of the incredible change and economic development of modern India, and of social and national transformation there told through individual lives Raised in India, and educated in the U.S., Akash Kapur returned to India in 2003 to raise a family. What he found was an ancient country in transition. In search of the life that he and his wife want to lead, he meets an array of Indians who teach him much about the realities of this changed country: an old landowner sees his rural village destroyed by real estate developments, and crime and corruption breaking down the feudal authority; a 21-year-old single woman and a 35-year-old divorcee exploring the new cultural allowances for women; and a young gay man coming to terms with his sexual identity – something never allowed him a generation ago. As Akash and his wife struggle to find the right balance between growth and modernity and the simplicity and purity they had known from the Indian countryside a decade ago, they ultimately find a country that “has begun to dream.” But also one that may be moving away too quickly from the valuable ways in which it is different.
Download or read book India s Self denial written by François Gautier and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Community written by DAVID LEVINSON and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2003-06-30 with total page 2045 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Encyclopedia of Community is a major four volume reference work that seeks to define one of the most widely researched topics in the behavioural and social sciences. Community itself is a concept, an experience, and a central part of being human. This pioneering major reference work seeks to provide the necessary definitions of community far beyond the traditional views.
Download or read book Karmayogin written by Sri Aurobindo and published by editionNEXT.com. This book was released on 2016-07-31 with total page 559 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume consists primarily of articles originally published in the nationalist newspaper Karmayogin between June 1909 and February 1910. It also includes speeches delivered by Sri Auro bindo in 1909. The aim of the newspaper was to encourage a spirit of nationalism, to help India recover her true heritage and remould it for her future. Its view was that the freedom and greatness of India were essential to fulfilling her destiny, to lead the spiritual evolution of humanity.
Download or read book The Twice Born written by Aatish Taseer and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Twice-Born, Aatish Taseer embarks on a journey of self-discovery in an intoxicating, unsettling personal reckoning with modern India, where ancient customs collide with the contemporary politics of revivalism and revenge When Aatish Taseer first came to Benares, the spiritual capital of Hinduism, he was eighteen, the Westernized child of an Indian journalist and a Pakistani politician, raised among the intellectual and cultural elite of New Delhi. Nearly two decades later, Taseer leaves his life in Manhattan to go in search of the Brahmins, wanting to understand his own estrangement from India through their ties to tradition. Known as the twice-born—first into the flesh, and again when initiated into their vocation—the Brahmins are a caste devoted to sacred learning. But what Taseer finds in Benares, the holy city of death also known as Varanasi, is a window on an India as internally fractured as his own continent-bridging identity. At every turn, the seductive, homogenizing force of modernity collides with the insistent presence of the past. In a globalized world, to be modern is to renounce India—and yet the tide of nationalism is rising, heralded by cries of “Victory to Mother India!” and an outbreak of anti-Muslim violence. From the narrow streets of the temple town to a Modi rally in Delhi, among the blossoming cotton trees and the bathers and burning corpses of the Ganges, Taseer struggles to reconcile magic with reason, faith in tradition with hope for the future and the brutalities of the caste system, all the while challenging his own myths about himself, his past, and his countries old and new.
Download or read book The Rough Guide to India Travel Guide eBook written by Rough Guides and published by Apa Publications (UK) Limited. This book was released on 2019-11-01 with total page 1870 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rough Guide to India Make the most of your time on Earth with the ultimate travel guides. World-renowned 'tell it like it is' travel guide, now with free eBook. Discover India with this comprehensive and entertaining travel guide, packed with practical information and honest recommendations by our independent experts. Whether you plan to look for leopards in Kanha National Park, visit the world's greatest building, the Taj Mahal, or explore the immaculately preserved temples of Khajuraho, The Rough Guide to India will help you discover the best places to explore, eat, drink, shop and sleep along the way. Features of this travel guide to India: - Detailed regional coverage: provides practical information for every kind of trip, from off-the-beaten-track adventures to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas - Honest and independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, our writers will help you make the most from your trip to India - Meticulous mapping: practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Delhi, Mumbai and many more locations without needing to get online - Fabulous full-colour photography: features inspirational colour photography, including the phenomenal Lotus Temple and the vibrant Pichola Lake - Time-saving itineraries: carefully planned routes will help inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences - Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of Gokarna, Udaipur and Madurai's best sights and top experiences - Travel tips and info: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more - Background information: comprehensive 'Contexts' chapter provides fascinating insights into India, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary - The ultimate travel tool: download the free eBook to access all this from your phone or tablet - Covers: Delhi; Rajasthan; Uttar Pradesh; Uttarakhand; Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu and Kashmir; Punjab and Haryana; Gujarat; Mumbai; Maharashtra; Goa; Kolkata and West Bengal; Bihar and Jharkhand; Sikkim; The Northeast; Odisha; Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; The Andaman Islands; Tamil Nadu; Kerala; Kamataka You may also be interested in: The Rough Guide to Nepal, The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka, The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma) About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.
Download or read book Antithesis of Yoga written by Jocelyn and published by Prisma. This book was released on 2022-10-13 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Antithesis of Yoga is a nonfictional novel of the first 25 years of wonderful and terrible life in the City of the Future, written by Jocelyn. Auroville, The City Earth Needs, near Pondicherry India, is a global spiritual township started by The Mother in 1968. For those interested in learning about the history of Auroville, and would like to meet the fascinating people and hear the often amazing stories of the beginnings of this Utopian experiment they can find here a first hand account of the tumultuous years of Auroville's early development. Roslyn, an American hippie single mother, had imagined she had had a vision calling her to India. She travelled to Pondicherry overland across Europe and Asia, not knowing her destination was Pondicherry. She arrived with her eight month old daughter Bliss in August 1969. She thought she had found Shangri la. Pondicherry was nothing like anywhere she had been. It sparkled. She soon met many interesting, exotic people, John Kelly, a New York City fireman who had had visions of Mother and Sri Aurobindo in the trenches in WWII; and Ananta. a Boston Brahmin sadhu who had built a temple to Zeus on the island Mother had given him; the Countess de B, a hero of the French Resistance; the tantric guru, Panditji; and many others. But Roslyn was completely captivated by The Mother and Her vision and ideals for Auroville. Roslyn's first glimpse of Auroville was a red eroded plain, pockmarked with impoverished villages. There was not a tree to be seen. There was no electricity in the area. There was 100% illiteracy among the villagers. But that was not what Roslyn saw. She saw a place where a utopia would be built by sun eyed children of a new dawn. There were many adventures, misadventures and challenges along the way. This book tells some of the story of the great adventure of the beginning of the town. Auroville today is a town in South India visited by VIP's, students and people from all over the world, the home of people from more than 30 countries, the winner of a Green Oscar, the site of the Matrimandir, and has applied for World Heritage status. It is a successful experiment in developing a spiritual global community.
Download or read book Awareness Through the Body written by Aloka Martí and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Poppo Pingel written by Mona Doctor-Pingel and published by MAPIN International Incorporated. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first major monograph of Poppo's work spans his career till date, the influences that formed him and continue to do so, as well as his contribution to Auroville.
Download or read book The Shooting Star written by Shivya Nath and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2018-09-14 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shivya Nath quit her corporate job at age twenty-three to travel the world. She gave up her home and the need for a permanent address, sold most of her possessions and embarked on a nomadic journey that has taken her everywhere from remote Himalayan villages to the Amazon rainforests of Ecuador. Along the way, she lived with an indigenous Mayan community in Guatemala, hiked alone in the Ecuadorian Andes, got mugged in Costa Rica, swam across the border from Costa Rica to Panama, slept under a meteor shower in the cracked salt desert of Gujarat and learnt to conquer her deepest fears. With its vivid descriptions, cinematic landscapes, moving encounters and uplifting adventures, The Shooting Star is a travel memoir that maps not just the world but the human spirit.
Download or read book The Fate of Tibet written by Claude Arpi and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Rough Guide to India written by Rough Guides and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-01-20 with total page 1726 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rough Guide to India is the most comprehensive travel guide to this fascinating country, with knowledgable descriptions of its stunning temples, mosques, museums and other sights. There are detailed listings of accommodation, restaurants and nightlife options to suit all budgets, as well as clear guidance through the maze of Indian transportation links. These features are accurately marked on attractively designed maps of all the states, major cities and other areas of interest to travellers, from Delhi's Paharganj to Havelock Island in the Andamans. Add to this superb photography showing a selection of India's highlights and three sections covering the themes of handicrafts, Bollywood and sacred places. Many practical issues such as social and etiquette tips are given in the opening Basics section, while Contexts gives a rich background in the country's history, religions, wildlife and some handy assistance with the predominant language, Hindi.
Download or read book The Rough Guide to South India written by David Abram and published by Rough Guides. This book was released on 2003 with total page 762 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The guide opens with a colour section introducing the region's highlights with some photography and essential information on the region's diverse attractions, from enjoying an Ayurvedic massage to exploring the ruins at Hampi. It offers comprehensive and practical advice on everything from finding the best places to stay and the most comfortable means of transport, to spotting elephants in the Cardamon Hills and negotiating Mumbai. It also provides an informative insight into South India's history, religions, architecture, music and dance. There are also maps and plans for every region and town.
