IKS MetaRetreat Sacred Ecology : Hindu Perspectives On Future Environmentalism

INDICA is pleased to organize an IKS Meta-Retreat on “Sacred Ecology : Hindu Perspectives on Future Environmentalism“ from 15-17 Nov 2024, led by Dr. Nagaraj Paturi garu as the lead faculty.

The IKS Meta-Retreats are immersive, intellectual journeys over 2-3 days with the triple principle of Acharya-Ambience-Attitude. It is led by an Acharya—an expert who guides participants in exploring specific themes in an atmosphere of Shraddha (deep reverence). With a cohort of 9-12 participants, these retreats foster an Upanishadic spirit of learning through immersive dialogue in a setting reminiscent of a Gurukula.

The upcoming Meta-Retreat seeks to examine the evolution of environmentalism in Bharat, confront contemporary challenges, and harness the potential within the Hindu cultural complex to address the ecological crisis. The retreat’s aim is to foster eco-friendly, prosperous human life by reviving our bond with nature and the Earth.

Key themes to be explored include:

1. Technology’s Role in the Crisis: Has technology, in its current form, aggravated environmental degradation? Is there a paradigm from our past that could transform technology into a force aligned with sustainability rather than exploitation?
2. Worldviews and Material Pursuits: How do worldviews shape our civilizational and material ambitions? What wisdom from our Vedic, Shamanic, and Folk traditions can we draw upon today to recalibrate our industrial lives toward a more harmonious relationship with nature?
3. Devata-Tatva and Nature: Hinduism recognizes divinity throughout the universe, seeing the sacred in all material manifestations. How does the polytheistic reverence for nature, expressed in the Upanishads, inform a harmonious relationship with the cosmos?

Vedic texts highlight Dharma as the sustaining force, restored when disrupted. Hindu environmentalism, closely linked to ecofeminism, views Earth as Bhūdēvī—a feminine divinity. Village Goddesses in Hindu folk traditions embody this sacred connection to ecosystems. The Hindu worldview aligns with Deep Ecology, emphasising the interconnectedness of all beings and ecosystems through Yajna, a sacred process of life-generation.

Hinduism today represents a complex web of Puranic, Agamic, Vedic, and tribal traditions, each contributing to a broader environmental consciousness. It is one of the few civilizations that has protected nature while simultaneously achieving material prosperity.

Yet, while Hinduism offers an explanatory framework for environmentalism, does this worldview arise from its ontology? Concepts like cosmic cycles, Yajna, Karma, and Moksha shape an intrinsic environmentalism where the human being feels indissolubly connected to the cosmos, while modernity isolates him in history. What difference does this make in how we approach environmentalism, and how can we bring these ideas into our present moment?

In the face of today’s environmental crises, we seek to explore whether Hinduism’s collective wisdom offers viable solutions to move forward, blending ancient insight with modern challenges.

The Evenings shall be spent in informal conversations around the subject, temple and ashram visit.

INDICA is pleased to invite applications for the participant cohort. It will consist of specially curated 12 members consisting of academicians, scholars, thinkers and activists deeply immersed in environmental concerns from different standpoints and seeking to future environmentalism through the perspective of their domains. Please send us your bio at namaste@indica.org.in. A 300 word summary mentioning the subject, domain, or discipline you seek to explore along with the names of cohort participants they would like to invite should also be furnished through the form here.

Travel, logistics, and accommodation at the Retreat will be hosted and managed by INDICA.

A report on past INDICA IKS Meta-Retreats can be found in the links given below.

https://indica.in/launch-of-iks-meta-retreats/

https://indica.in/iks-meta-retreat-making-sense-of-cultural-differences-a-report/

Speakers

Dr. Nagaraj Paturi

Senior Director and Dean IKS Studies, INDICA

Trained in Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta by his hyper-polyglot, polymath and spiritually accomplished sakala-shaastra-paarangata father, late Sri Paturi Sitaramanjaneyulu garu, Dr Nagaraj Paturi is seriously committed to the transmission of Vedic sciences to the present generation. In his PhD thesis (1998, University of Hyderabad), he developed an Indic Model of Myth Criticism of Literature and in his MPhil (1987, University of Hyderabad), he foregrounded Vakyapadiya as the theoretical foundation of the Ashtadhyayi. In addition to over 50 publications and about 60 conference/seminar/workshop papers, Dr Paturi has designed several courses pertaining to the contemporary applications of Vedic Sciences and has been successfully teaching them and getting them taught. Formerly Senior Professor of Cultural Studies FLAME School of Communication (& FLAME School of Liberal Education) and a Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (USA), Dr Paturi is currently Senior Director and Chief Curator at INDICA, a Distinguished Professor, Curriculum Designer, Executive Committee Member, Board of Studies, MIT School of Vedic Sciences (Pune, Maharashtra), Member, Board of Studies at Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University (Ramtek, Maharashtra) and Rashtram School of Public Leadership (Sonipat, Haryana). He is also the Editor-in-Chief of International Journals of Studies in Public Leadership and is a member of the Advisory Council of Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam (Bengaluru, Karnataka). He has provided consultancy to numerous culture research, theatre, and dance innovation projects. He has authored scores of creative writing works for Classical Dance, Modern Theater, and magazines and has delivered several series of talks and other programs on Radio and Television channels.