GENEROSITY OF UAE RULERS IS A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
THE WEEK India|February 25, 2024
Brahmavihari Swami, who is in-charge of international relations of BAPS, is a motivational speaker and champion of humanitarian causes. He grew up in the UK and became a monk in 1981.
ANIRUDHA KARINDALAM
GENEROSITY OF UAE RULERS IS A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

Brahmavihari Swami has played a pivotal role in the creation and design of various BAPS temples world-wide, and was the driving force behind the temple in Abu Dhabi. Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ What is the significance of the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East?

This temple is a great message of hope and harmony for humanity. A temple of love and harmony, when the world is being polarised. That is the role of a spiritual place.

From a cosmic level when you look at the earth, there are no borders. People create borders and divisions. People fight because of their mindsets. A temple like this will change the mindset of mankind, so that religions, cultures and values can flourish together. All people want is harmony. We can gift our children properties, luxuries and bank accounts, but if we cannot give them a world of peace and harmony, then what’s the point? If a country is huge but not in harmony, it is a rogue nation. If a family is rich but lives in disharmony, it is a broken home. If a company is multinational but internally disunited, it eventually disintegrates. Disharmony does more damage to life and the living. Perhaps, the greatest capital the world needs today is ‘harmony capital’.

Q/ There are more conflicts in the Middle East than anywhere else in the world. How will the temple help in promoting peace in the region?

Hundreds of people told me that a traditional temple, built of natural stone, of this magnitude, was not possible in this region. But, as hearts and minds connected, everyone connected, and it became possible. Genuine places of worship are a source of harmony. How can we talk about heaven up there, if we cannot create a little bit of heaven down here!

Denne historien er fra February 25, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 25, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE WEEK INDIASe alt
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 mins  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 mins  |
November 17, 2024