India has always been recognized as the spiritual capital of the world from the times immemorial. In the strife-laden 21st century, where rigid belief systems have fractured humanity in ways that are seemingly beyond rectification, the sheer pluralistic nature and flexibility of India’s indigenous spiritual processes is invaluable. Thus, India as a nation has a vital role and responsibility in off
ering leadership and guidance to the world and in catering to an unprecedented spiritual thirst that we see in people today. However, instead of being recognized globally as such, unfortunately, India is today looked upon as a nation that is rampant with poverty and corruption in every way. Ridiculous and sometimes even malicious portrayals of the rich diversity of the spiritual paths offered in the country have resulted in a rise of mistrust and cynicism, which has denied the rest of the world access to these sacred traditions of the past. The peaceful co-existence of these divergent traditions for thousands of years needs to be presented as a role model of co-existence to the present day world that is dangerously polarized and permeated by intolerant belief systems. And the importance of such an endeavor is especially underlined in the context of the nation’s economic and technological explosion, where the lack of a non-sectarian spiritual process could lead to a destructive populace sans spiritual culture and ethos.
