The Buddha smiles. Not as the codename for India’s nuclear tests this time, but in stone, bang in the middle of the controversial Central Vista in Delhi. The
Buddha sits in meditative silence in an upcoming museum dedicated to him. The newest addition to Delhi’s already crammed historic landscape, the museum is part of the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious soft power project of invoking India’s first God to cross the seas—courtesy emperor Ashoka—to cement deeper ties with countries sharing the same spiritual heritage.
Buddhism has been India’s most powerful export. It has also been a key element of Modi’s ‘Act East’ policy. The Buddha has been at the heart of diplomacy since the time of Ashoka, who tried to spread Buddhist principles to the neighbouring countries. Several centuries later, one of independent India’s first diplomatic battles was over the Buddha relics.
The relics from Sanchi, which were taken out in the 19th century by British archaeologists, were kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It became an emotive issue for the Maha Bodhi Society, which wanted the relics to be returned to a new vihara opened in Sarnath in 1932.
The request was granted seven years later, but the return was delayed because of World War II. After India’s independence, the new government under Jawaharlal Nehru insisted on the return of the relics in their original casket and finally got them back. At a grand ceremony held in Calcutta on January 14, 1949, Nehru handed over the casket to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the president of the society.
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin September 26, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin September 26, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
