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In a fast-changing world is there still a need for religion and rituals of worship?

n or co 'throw the baby om wim the bath wate r '. De Botton has steered the religio n ver s u s atheism a rgument away from not b eing entirely true or e ntirely false.

In the last 50 years o r so, institutionalised religions have been relegated as non-essentials in daily life.

Many, i n particular the urban intellectuals, have argued that they have no pJace in a rational world any more. Tben comes Alain de Botton, atheist and author of bestselling books on a variery of top ics ranging from love, travel, arr and architecture, and more recently a book citied Ri!li,gion )or Atheistr.

De Borton, 43, a young philosopher, validates a lot of the sentiments be ld by man y who see themse lves not as parriculacly religious, but not atl1ei st either.

Tbese are the people who have considered religious teachings w ith a critical mind and found some valid statements. They prefer

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Coming from a non- believer, for he confesses co be one, de Botton weaves a n argument tbat we need to see religions and what tl1ey have co offer in a di perspective to what we have become accustomed Marryin g the need to be emorionally in touch w itl1 whatever we do, a la our EQs, he develops die idea of looking in to religio n s and meir rimals as a minefield of ideas o n a variety of top ic s ranging from conducting efficient governru1ce and bus iness, co appreciaring arr in everyday life.

For many Indians wbo Lry co follow t he principles of sa11ata11a dham10, more commonly referred to as Hinduism, many of de Botton's sentiments do not come as an alien concept. The h olistic view of life and the universe, and living as a res ponsible member of a communiry, ha s been r e iterated over and over again in the hi story, m yths, arc and arch itecture of what we see as Hinduism now.

The interdependence of human existence with narure and its many manifestations is repeated in prayer, philosopby, arc, architecture, poetry and in te!Jectual discourse, and thro ug h the many everyd ay rituals

From mandalas that decorate the entrance of a home reflecting pattern and connectedness of the infinite, and elegant geometric al d esigns o f na n1re that are ever presem all arow1d u s, co monolitl1s of stone carvings.

In sa1111tana dhar111a as in m ru1y ancient wisdom traditions, a common place of worship held a v.ital role in preserving h armony and peace within gro u ps The spirinial traditions created mis common place as a seren dipitous sanctuary for people. A set of r u les and codes o f conduct were then d eveloped for use in suc h p lace s. Beliefs in a power g reater th an buman we re gen erally accepted , and the place an d means b y which such powers could be evoked, became rituals of worship. Suc.h acts have evolved and illllended over miJJennia. Th e validatio n of tbese practices was never d etailed in words, fo r experience could never be adequately verbalised. The y were accepted unquestioned until m any of these b egan to b e referred to as ' blind faith'. Looking at what, if any, ben efits m ay be gained b y worsh ip, it could at best be described as a s trategy to reflect and gain some equa nimi ty when beset by turbulence in the mi nd Set procedures, allotted times and p la ces help to increase compliance and thus allow for a beneficial experie nc es to occur In the minds of the billion or so people from Lidia that have evolved over millennia through m y ths, storie s, histo ries interwoven w ith rituals and intellectual disse rtari ons o n philosoph y, we have a vibrant intricate tap estry with each minme stra n d conveying a critical part of the big p icture of lite.

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