Picture a time long ago, in the late 15th century, when Europe was emerging from the darkness of the Middle Ages into a new dawn of intellectualism, art, music, philosophy. Perhaps it is more appropriate to say that what was happening in Europe was an awakening of consciousness, an inquiry into the nature and value of the individual, an inquiry that had not been raised before. And perhaps it can be said that it was the quest for the answer to this inquiry which inspired the p

Twenty bonus points and a free order of pakoras to anyone who can name all four of the people in this photo. I am only slightly joking. How about 40 more bonus points to anyone who can say where and when this photo was taken? The problem with throwing out a challenge question like that is, that I am not very patient and want to just blurt out the answer without having to wait for your guesses. I had also originally wanted to talk tonight about things that would require me to

This evening I attended a lecture by my teacher, Bir Krishna Goswami, on a fascinating topic - that of the archetype of the hero and his or her journey from a mundane situation, through an adventure of unknown lands and experiences, only to return to the world of the familiar, a changed person, equipped with boons that benefit the world at large. This journey was codified by Joseph Campbell, the world-renowned mythologist, who combed the mythologies of the world's great cultu