During my recent visit to the Charminar, an iconic structure in the heart of the bustling Old City of Hyderabad, a situation arose which once again acted as a reminder of my privilege and position in India as a white American traveling with a group of ten other western students. The group arrived at the Charminar around five o’clock in the evening after a full afternoon ...
Mitchell Harbin
Capitalism: Imperialism in Sheep’s Clothing
During the Raj, the British were obsessed with documenting the natural resources of India, not as a means for preservation, but as a guide for how to exploit the land to increase profits and further grow their empire. By the time the British left in 1947, India had been sucked dry of its resources, and its people left in a state of disarray. While Independence from Britain gave ...
Auroville: Antireligious Religiousness
Auroville was established in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa – known within the Auroville community as “the Mother” – as a “laboratory of evolution” in an attempt to create “the cradle of the superman.” According to theory devised by Sri Aurobindo – the spiritual partner of “the Mother” and founder of the Puducherry Ashram devoted to the practice of integral yoga – man is a transitional ...
