The Critique

We Have Seen the Lord , Carlos G. Valles S.J., Gujrat Sahitya Prakash, 1999, pp. x+159, Rs. 60. The author is a Spanish missionary in India . He taught mathematics at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad for many years. He writes in English and Spanish, bringing to the spiritual and psychological fields his western roots and eastern branches. He gives courses on Oriental spirituality in India and abroad. This book opens our dulled eyes to the fact that God is not a distant, abstract theory but a proximate, live presence, surrounding us and waiting for us to open ourselves to Him. We have reduced God to an insipid theory that has little or no effect on us. People, especially the young, are looking for God but are disillusioned by the God presented to them by those who call themselves religious. God is not abstract, it is we who have made him appear so. The traditional doctrine, we believe in, is fully true in itself, but of not much use unless we make it truly our own in fee...

I’ve rarely ever hitched a ride before. I remember once when I was younger, I was carrying my cricket kit to practice, early one morning. As I stood alone on the bus stop, a young man came up to me and offered me a ride. I was hesitant, as I had been severely warned at home, never to go anywhere with strangers. Thinking myself old enough to defend myself, if the need arose and calculating my chances, I accepted his offer. I was armed with my bat and was not shy to use it. While on the bike I prayed silently hoping that everything would turn out well. What worried me was not that I had accepted a ride from a total stranger, but what I would say when I got back home and what reaction I would receive. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, even my disclosure at home was met with a not too severe reprimand. And so, I learned to trust in people’s inherent goodness and generosity. I was and still am a bit, uncertain about whether or not people can be trusted. But I like to believe the...

Life Lessons from Bergson , Michael Foley, Pan Macmillan, 2013, ISBN 978-1-4472-4561-2, Rs. 350,  Pp. 120 Henri Bergson (1859-1941) is the founder of modern process philosophy. He was the second child of Michael Bergson and Kate Levinson. Although his parents were devout Jews, he abandoned religion at an early age. He was influenced greatly by Buddhist philosophy and it is visible in his though and writings. Another significant influence in his life is that of William James, his contemporary and friend. The author identifies the close resemblance of the thought of James and Bergson and often quotes from James’ works to illustrate certain points. The first chapter introduces the idea of process. Monotony is not something people appreciate today, in our fast paced, media dominated world. Novelty is the catchphrase. On the flipside, there are many among us who live in denial of the continuous change we experience. Process implies nothing final, no repetition in the same way ...

Life Lessons from Kierkegaard   Robert Ferguson  Pan Macmillan, 2013  ISBN 978-1-4472-4564-3 Rs. 350  pp. 120. This book is part of the ‘Life Lessons’ series, which takes a great thinker and highlights those ideas most relevant to us today. These books show how wise voices from the past have urgently important and inspiring things to tell us. Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher. He belonged to family of seven children. All but he and an older brother died. He convinced himself that he too would not live very long. The brevity of life struck him and led him to be convinced that every moment matters. He lived his life with this nagging sense of urgency. His literary output within the short span of his life as an author can only be termed prodigious. He viewed himself as a religious writer rather than a philosophical one and wanted that people become convinced of what they profess to believe. His writings tend to this end. This book divided into eig...

Zealot , Reza Aslan, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013, ISBN 978-93-5136-076-6, Rs. 499, Pp. xxxiv+296 Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions. He was born in Iran but now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. His first book, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam , has been translated into thirteen languages and named by Blackwell’s as one of the hundred most important books of the last decade. This book is a fruit of over twenty years of research and is an attempt to reconstruct a biography of Jesus that is in keeping with the historical data available. A perusal through the history of the world will reveal many significant milestones, events and people who changed or shaped the course of history. Men and women down the ages through their lives and legacy have affected history either positively or negatively. Some are remembered while others are lost is copious texts under heaps of detail. This biography is a...

‘We, the Salesians of Don Bosco,’ article 2 of our constitutions begins, ‘form a community of the baptized.’ The nature of our congregation therefore, is communitarian. We are not called to independent living and isolated working but to inter-dependent living and collaborative working. Community life is a core aspect of the Salesian identity. “How good it is for brothers to dwell as one” (Ps 133:1). Don Bosco wanted Salesian houses to become families where all feel welcome and responsible for the common good. He saw in community living an opportunity for witness. We are familiar with the hymn which goes, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Along similar lines, Don Bosco wanted the Salesians to be known for their family spirit, pickled with optimism, joy, temperance, work and creativity in mission. The Salesian call is at its source, a call to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd. The Salesian spirit finds its model in the very heart of Christ, apostle of the Father (article...

Director: Rajkumar Hirani Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma Duration: 153 mins One might marvel at the fuss surrounding PK . Frankly, there is nothing heretical or sacrilegious in its content. Why then did so many ‘religious’ people find their sentiments hurt? Perhaps because PK took a side swipe at them. It sought to expose the true nature of religion obscured by blind sentimental devotion being paraded as religion and preached by many religious leaders today. PK (Aamir Khan) is an alien, who comes to earth to scout the region. He lands in Bhojpur and on his very first encounter with a human being, he is robbed of his only possession: a remote control with which he can contact his space ship. Thus begins the adventure of PK, in search of his remote control. Simultaneously, we are recounted the story of Jaggu (Anushka Sharma), who is studying in Belgium . There, she meets and falls in love with a Pakistani boy, Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput). Her family is taken aback...