Romancing the mind, body & soul

Spirituality|Rakysh OMehraFor centuries India has seen various kinds of visitors. Inrecent times the Beatles, Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Madonna, and Steven Seagalhave come seeking themselves. Much like Mother Teresa, the Mother ofPondicherry, or Annie Besant. History had Alexander the Great, the Mughals, theBritish — invaders who came to plunder this land but settled down andbecame a part of this great nation. Japanese and Korean business houses came tocapture our markets but adapted their stringent policiesinstead.What magic attracts all these visitors? Is it the spices?The beaches of Goa and Kerala? The mighty Himalayas? The sand dunes ofRajasthan? The Taj? What makes visitors ignore the complete lack ofinfrastructure, the extremes of weather, chaotic laws, even politicalinstability?The answer could be a mystery. Or it could be apotpourri of all this. What flavour do you get if you blend the Ganga and theHimalayas, the sculptured deities of Hinduism and the Ahimsa of Buddhism, thetime-tested processes of yoga and in-fashion vegetarianism? In one word, it''sspirituality. People here, regardless of their faith, have a spiritual founding.This spirituality manifests itself in tangible forms of mountains, rivers,forests and deserts. This spirituality sustains the inner life of the multitudesbelonging to multifarious faiths. This spirituality becomes alifestyle as it becomes synonymous with Yoga, the art of coordinating thebreathing process with physical movement that leads to serenity of mind, orAyurveda, that regulates eating habits to restore the sick to perfect health. Inrecent times, be it in the West or the East, when the material demands have beenfulfilled, individuals find themselves still looking for something more.Sometimes the pressures of meeting the demands of the material world itselfforces them to look for something else. That''s how India Inc is rediscoveringthe joys of yoga. That''s also how Corporate West''s quest for anger managementhas found its salvation in India.If you''re seeking something, theanswer lies in India.Come, Discover Yourself inIndia.