Letters from Readers
Khabar should give more attention to Indian artists
I enjoyed your recent article (“More than Just Ethnic Artists,” June issue) covering Indian-origin artists. Featuring Indian-origin artists in Khabar magazine regularly can be a wonderful way to showcase the diverse and vibrant talent within the Indian artist community. By doing so, the magazine can contribute to promoting cultural inclusivity and providing a platform for artists to gain recognition and exposure.
Regularly highlighting Indian-origin artists can involve various aspects. The magazine can dedicate specific sections or articles to profiling individual artists, exploring their artistic journey, their unique style, and the inspiration behind their work. Interviews with these artists can provide readers with insights into their creative process, their vision, and their experiences as Indian artists. Additionally, the magazine can cover significant exhibitions, art events, and collaborations involving Indian-origin artists. By reporting on these events, readers can stay updated on the latest happenings within the Indian art scene and discover new talents. It would also be beneficial to include critical analysis and reviews of notable Indian art exhibitions, helping readers understand the cultural and artistic significance of different works.
To further support Indian-origin artists, the magazine can include features on emerging talent, providing a platform for young artists to share their work and aspirations. By highlighting these rising stars, the magazine can contribute to their professional growth and help them reach a wider audience. Moreover, incorporating articles on the historical and cultural context of Indian art can enrich readers’ understanding and appreciation of the artistic heritage of the country. This can involve exploring traditional art forms, indigenous techniques, and the influence of Indian mythology and folklore on contemporary art.
By consistently featuring Indian-origin artists and covering various aspects of the Indian art world, Khabar magazine can establish itself as a valuable resource for art enthusiasts, collectors, and anyone interested in exploring the diverse artistic landscape of India.
Dhrumil Patel
by email
Thoughts on Sadhguru’s conversation with Eagleman
I want to make a comment regarding Sadhguru’s discussion with neuroscientist David Eagleman in the April issue of Khabar. Mr. Eagleman asks, “What is the ‘you’ that can be separated from the physical body?” There are many theories trying to figure out who we really are, what ‘life’ or ‘consciousness’ is. It wasn’t elaborated in the article on what this ‘you’ is, so I will take the liberty to answer Mr. Eagleman’s question based on knowledge from ancient Indian literature.
Simply put, each one of us is a soul, a spark situated within the heart; not the external, physical body that all of us see and interact with. The soul and body are different, and it’s the soul that powers and pervades the body with what we define as consciousness. There are three layers of existence. The initial layer is the physical body made of elements like carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The next layer is more subtle, and not visible to the physical eye: the mind, intelligence, and what is known as false ego (the imaginary tie that makes the soul believe that it is the gross body), which together are referred to as the subtle body. And finally, the true soul itself. Mr. Eagleman states that people’s geography (meaning personality) changes because of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or tumors. But the reason for this is not because the person themself is changing. If the brain is damaged or degenerated, the bridge between the physical and subtle bodies is distorted, resulting in what appears to be a change in personality. When the subtle body attempts to perform some action (such as talking), the brain is unable to execute those functions on a physical level.
Mr. Eagleman says, “If I lose a little part of my finger, I am still me, but if I lose a chunk of brain tissue of the same size, I can be someone completely different.” The true person or soul is the same, but just as without fingers a person is unable to grasp a cup, a person missing some brain tissue is unable to execute or express a certain function(s). The brain is like a CPU (central processing unit in a computer)—something that literally uses electrical signals as inputs and outputs. Renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield performed an experiment in this regard—he asked a subject to raise their arm up and observed which area of the brain fired signals. Then, using state-of-theart tech, he artificially sent electrical impulses to the specific area of the brain, and the subject’s arm rose completely on its own—without the subject intending to do so. He did the exact same thing to bring the arm down. In both cases, the arm went up and down—but only in the second case was it externally activated. Who did it in the first case? It was the soul, via consciousness (or mind), that desired the brain to activate the specific region to raise the subject’s arm.
Mr. Eagleman asks, “But is there a separate ‘you’ that could gain control?” There is a separate ‘I’ that can gain control, but since we are under the illusion that we are the same as the biological machine, we let the needs of the body become our needs. The mind is driven by desires born of the body, and it is the mind— not us (the soul)—which acquires what Sadhguru refers to as ‘impressions’ (the Vedic term for these is called vaasanas). It is the mind that is trained as a specific personality, with good and bad qualities, different tastes, various memories. But since the false ego makes us think we are the physical and subtle bodies, whatever impressions and so-called ‘identities’ the mind has made up is what we, the soul, identify with. If the neighbor’s car is run over by a truck, we walk away without a second look—but if my car is wrecked, then I am affected and disappointed, since it is my car. This is the exact same concept in the context of our relationship with our bodies. There is much to learn and research about the science of the soul, technically referred to as the science of self-realization. This is just a gist to give answers to Mr. Eagleman’s fundamental but important questions regarding who we are and our existence.
Amrutvyasa Ramasamy
by email
What’s on YOUR mind?
We welcome original, unpublished letters from our readers. You could either respond to a specific article in Khabar or write about issues relevant to our community. Letters may be edited for length and other considerations. Longer submissions by readers may be considered for the “My Turn” column.
Email: letters@khabar.com • Fax: (770) 234-6115.
Mail: Khabar, Inc. 3635 Savannah Place Dr, Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30096.
Note: Views expressed in the Letters section do not necessarily represent those of the publication.
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