Dear Friends of SACAR,
Hope this letter finds you all in good health and cheerful spirits!
We write this letter with a very specific request and invitation. As you are all aware that April 4th, 2010 marks the 100 year anniversary of Sri Aurobindo’s arrival in Pondicherry. As a gesture of our deep gratitude and love for Sri Aurobindo, we at SACAR have been planning some events to mark this special occasion. One of the ways we would like to pay our salutation to Sri Aurobindo on this momentous day—momentous for India and the future of the world itself—is by bringing out a special issue of our publication, New Race: A Journal of Integral Studies.
In this special issue, titled “Sri Aurobindo and the Next Future of India”, we invite you all to participate in a comprehensive reappraisal of Sri Aurobindo’s contribution to India’s Nation-soul in all its multi-dynamism. We solicit articles and essays by our students, facilitators, friends and well-wishers of SACAR, in which they not only consider their idealistic hopes and dreams for the future of India, but also engage in a thorough and original analysis of the given theme in the light of a realistic appraisal of the dreams and pursuits of present and future generations of India.
In an essay titled, “On Original Thinking” (circa 1910-1913), Sri Aurobindo wrote:
“Our first necessity, if India is to survive and do her appointed work in the world, is that the youth of India should learn to think, —to think on all subjects, to think independently, fruitfully, going to the heart of things, not stopped by their surface, free of prejudgments, shearing sophism and prejudice asunder as with a sharp sword, smiting down obscurantism of all kinds… [I]n order to find out what in our conceptions is true and lasting, we must question all alike rigorously and impartially.” (CWSA, volume 12, pp. 40-42)
We hope that this special issue of New Race becomes a vehicle for such original thinking among all those who love and care for the future destiny of India, and who aspire to consciously participate in a genuine resurgence of the true Indian Spirit. A spiritual revitalization of Indian hearts and minds is necessary not only for the sake of India’s future and her destined mission in the world, but for the future of the humanity and earth itself.
With this objective in front, we encourage our writers to dig deep into their minds and hearts, to go beyond the surface-level readings and interpretations of present developments and limiting portrayals of India, and to earnestly search for the deeper truth that is trying to reveal itself in India’s onward march, to explore the critical role that the present and future generations of Indians must play in her genuine renaissance, and to critically investigate into the present and future forms in which will be manifested the eternal Nation-soul of Mother India.
We give below some broad guidelines and suggestions for your consideration:
1. We highly encourage you to present in your essays an in-depth reappraisal of Sri Aurobindo’s thought and vision which can help India move towards her next spiritual destiny.
2. Depending on your interest, you may either focus your essay around one of the following suggested topics or any other topic of personal choice as long as it fits within the scope of the general theme of the special issue, as described above.
Suggested Topics:
India’s Nation-soul and Generation Next, India’s Evolutionary March of Consciousness in the Light of Sri Aurobindo’s Vision, Sri Aurobindo’s Vision for the Future of Indian Polity, Envisioning a True Democracy in the Light of Indian Spirit and Sri Aurobindo’s Vision, True Meaning of Equality and Justice for All, Relevance of Mass Media and Universal Education as Tools for the Next Step of India’s Awakening, Integral Education and the Indian Spirit, A True National Education for India, Consciousness-based Education for the Next Future of India: Opportunities and Challenges,
Moving beyond an Information-society to becoming a Truly Knowledge Society, Making Humanities Curriculum at Indian Universities More Relevant to a True Indian Resurgence, Possibilities and Prospects of a United South Asia, Envisioning and Working towards a United India in a Land of Diversity, Future of Separatist Movements in India, Avoiding Commodification of Indian Culture, Balancing the Preservation, Destruction, and Re-creation of Traditions for the Next Future of India, India and the Future of the World, India’s Role in the Future of Human Unity,
Progress and the Indian Spirit, Integrating Material and Spiritual Prosperity, Sri Aurobindo’s Vision for a Sustainable Development, Integrated Rural Development Programme in the Light of Sri Aurobindo’s Social-Political Vision, Possibilities and Prospects for a Meaningful Synthesis of Compassionate Capitalism and Enlightened Socialism, Multi-generational View of India’s Present and Future, Contributions of Modern Religious and Spiritual Gurus toward a True Spiritual Awakening in India,
Future of Religion in India, India’s Progressive March toward Her Spiritual Destiny, Addressing Social Issues in the Light of Sri Aurobindo’s Thought and Vision, Re-discovering and Applying the Authentic Indian Creativity to Solve her Problems, Resurgence of Indian Spirit in Literature and Arts, New Directions for Indian Literature and Arts, Indian Perspective on the Scientific Spirit and Temper, The Future of Scientific Study in the Light of Indian Spirituality.
3. The maximum word limit for your submission is 7000.
4. Please include in your essays complete details of all the references you cite.
5. The last date for submissions for the Special Issue is January 15, 2010. Please email your submissions as Word document to
6. As a matter of policy, New Race doesn’t pay any honorarium to the authors.
7. In order to inspire our writers as they begin to explore some of the suggested topics we are enclosing a 9-page document with some inspirational words from Sri Aurobindo. Please find this document attached with this letter.
We look forward to your participation in this endeavour of SACAR. If there are any questions or comments, please let us know.
Warm regards,
Beloo Mehra, PhD
Academic Programmes
SACAR, Pondicherry
www.sacar.in
You can send your submissions to beloome(at the rate)gmail(dot)com
