Dear Sudha-ji,

Is it not typically Indian? Not focussed; just superficial. Even though our tradition and values are something to be proud of, we do not project ourselves in an effective manner. That is a pity. To make the matters worse, the reality on the ground in India is very much muddled because of our confused identity.

Regards,
Chocka

thanks for leaning over the picket fence this morning...
your NC neighbor here has enjoyed the chat...love, Carolyn

Hi Sudha,
What exactly is "Asian consciousness" anyway? It seems sad to define ourselves in terms like that because even if the definition is positive it still creates a separation. My way is just a little bit better than yours. And what about the Asian's that don't fit the definition of "Asian consciousness" (whatever that may be)? And who is it who creates the definition. Hopefully not the adults! I like the poem Mallika posted from Kahlil Gibran. The part that struck me today is:

"You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday."

I think sometimes when we create those imaginary barriers, it is our way of holding onto yesterday. Of course yesterday may have been very beautiful. But today is beautiful too.

I read somewhere once, something about people in the west "stealing" Asian culture. I didn't get it. Some people were feeling offended that someone might adopt some of their customs? It seemed strange to me...

And what about those people who grow up as part of two cultures? Which one defines them?

If we could be like the children we could let our innocent, curiousity guide us and we wouldn't have to be so concerned about labeling or "owning" the experience.

Love, Kristin

Dear Sudha Koul,

If I may interpret your post as saying that there appears to be a 'picket fence' situation here at Intent between the Deepaks of this world and his responders, would that be accurate?

It is always inspiring when Dr. Deepak takes the time to personally reply to the bloggers. It tells me two things: 1) that he is reading what is being written rather than sitting aloof on a pedestal and 2) that he cares.

I am certain that his busy agenda precludes him from responding more.

I am not sure how busy Kavita is, but she regularly and conscientiously responds to her responders which I think is encouraging to those on the other side of the fence.

Respectfully,

Ron Saywack.

Kristin I agree completely with your reasoning.

I honestly don't get the 'Asian consciousness' bit either. Are we at all Asian here? The only Asians are Indians, as far as I can make out. We do not, as yet, represent a truly Asian consciousness. To my way of thinking it would be better if we aspired to arouse a 'Positive' consciousness worldwide. (Not even two bits worth!) :)

Hi Sudha

The "About" section of Intentblog says, "The goal of www.Intentblog.com is to present original voices on and from Asia and India to inspire, stimulate and engage a dialogue about new paradigms of creativity, communication, and fulfillment....".

If this is the mission statement, it's clear that the contributors are intended to be from Asia and India, but there seems to be no limitation on the origin of the voices who engage in dialogue.

It would seem to me, a non-Asian, non-Indian, that part of the underlying motive for Intent is to gather a broad audience for the contributors and their points of view, because, after all, Intent is public and on the web. If I'm understanding the purpose of Intent correctly, the composition of Intent's audience shouldn't matter, except in terms of the quality of thinking and writing in the audience replies. In fact, a multi-cultural audience is evidence that Intent is successful in its goals to "...inspire, stimulate and engage a dialogue about new paradigms of creativity, communication, and fulfillment...". The contributors' wintings are so attractive, intelligent and dynamic, that the writers' base cultures are almost immaterial. At least, I find this to be the case.

It does bother me a little that some posts end up having their reply threads taken over for a while with responders talking to each other, instead of to the points the contributor was making. Sometimes these chats over the back fence are quite interesting, and sometimes not. Overall, maybe Mallika's weekly Open Threads are a better place for responders' conversations.

Just my two cents...

Cheers, Heather

sudha aunty,
wish you were with us eating turkey on turkey-day...my most favorite american tradition, because of...you got it...YOU. thanks for making thanksgiving a great tradition for me and mine.

Was wondering about that and commented on that so I appreciate your post a lot. Then I was thinking..."Caucasian"...huh? That doesn't really leave ANYONE out...I think.
Well Asian consciousness may be running rampant but the emphasis should be on what it really is, not what the mainstream idea is of it so far (Indians with weird accents or messed up cultures)...

Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur made a great blog with a great intent and I think when you look at "who" they are and understand "who" they are then that is what "Asian" consciousness should be.
I don't think DC is turning into a politician it's just that in order to change the world in a great way unfortunately a huge crux of the power to change that is in the hands of todays leaders. So I am thinking he is definately on the right track...and I am thankful to him for that because it cannot be easy to deal with such...oh how can I put it...yucky people.
Who wants to sit there and research all the details of every political party's move and their tactics-however-awareness is key. I see it as a sacrifice on his part due to the compassion and vision that he/we have for a greater humanity/world/existence.