Many books and websites richly expound and extol countless aspects of the Hindu world. Some of them claim for Hindu perspectives the same kind of centrality and superiority that Hegel claimed for German philosophy at one time, and equally ardent exponents of other cultures do for their own. All this may be good, but my goal here is to cherish and preserve some of the precious stones in the treasure-chest of Indic heritage and to share these in the context of a new and changing world. I do not experience the fear that the gush of new ideas is uprooting with heartless rationality the sturdy roots of Indic culture; rather I believe they can only enrich it as Indic visions also enrich the world. Nor am I so intoxicated by the power and prestige of science that I relegate all ancient cultural worldviews to the archives of disposable history. But though I am concerned that many ancient visions, values, and worldviews are slowly losing their appeal, I see a resilience in Indic culture whose mantras and melas can outlive the glitz of neon-lights and the glamour of night clubs that are inundating contemporary India.
I have tried in these pages to recall what gave substance and richness over the ages to countless people in India. If appropriately remembered, respected, and interpreted, they can still serve a healthy purpose. This can be done without embracing every thought and belief that nurtured the past, and blindly venerating everything that was said or written by the distant ancestors of humanity.
As in Modern India there was considerable intellectual activity in classical India too,
Spurts of Thought 