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VEDIC STUDIES, MODERN STYLE |
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Think of Vedic gurukuls and the mind conjures up an image of a Hindu purohit (priest) chanting shlokas, his batuks (disciples) repeating in unison. Not anymore. Keeping pace with the introduction of computers at every level of education, Vedic studies have just gone hi-tech. Varanasi, the seat of Hindu learning, is now producing GenNext pundits well versed in computers. Visit conservative bastions like the Shri Vidya Mutt and other ashrams in Varanasi and you will see purohits and Vedic scholars, mouse in hand, learning the scriptures on their computers. “While Vedic knowledge is relevant in all ages, we felt the traditional method of imparting it was out of sync with the modern world,” says Swami Avimukteshwaranand of Shri Vidya Mutt. |
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INDIAN ART JACKPOT
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At the Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions in London and Dubai on May 26, India’s contemporary artists stole the limelight. In Dubai, a Rameshwar Broota painting scored big time when it was auctioned for $912,000, but only a day earlier, in London,
F.N. Souza had rocked with his second-highest-ever price of $1.175 million. On both days, the party that is Indian modern and contemporary art continued with record sales and skyrocketing prices, though the artists’ performance differed in the two regions. In all, the sale realised $7.96 million.
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