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ARTS & cULTURE JUNE 04, 2021 | The Indian Eye 39

Q&a With sarah loUise gates

“We have an obligation to do more than just shout

slogans about Kashmir pandit genocide”

arah Louise Gates is an and practice of yoga instill values
Australian Cultural Stud- that are essential to overcome
Sies PhD Candidate, Kash- many ecological and social is-
mir Shaivite Hindu and yoga in- sues. Eco philosophers say this
structor, finalizing her “thesis of is due to a disconnection from
interconnectedness” in yoga and nature and one another as hu-
eco-social justice. In an interview man beings. Misunderstanding
with The Indian EYE news- about who we are and our dhar-
weekly, she spoke about her in- ma, or duties at individual, social
terest in Indian culture, especial- and universal levels carry society
ly Kashmir Shaivism. Excerpts: away from right living. World-
How and why did you become ly people need to find balance
interested in Indian culture? within and without to navigate
My interest in Indian culture rapidly changing environmental,
and tradition began as a child. social and geopolitical systems.
There is no answer to the how or Do you think this tradition is
the why, it was how life happened. Shaivism is an integral part of Kashmiri Pandit identity under threat? Why?
My family were into natural Kashmir Shaivism is part of
health, lifestyle and spirituality. Kashmir Hinduism and it sits
Meditation, in a traditional yogic within that system, informed by
method was something I already it and informing it, as a house-
knew from four. My grandfather holder tradition. It cannot be
and father raised me. We were uplifted from Kashmir without
all vegetarian. Dad was a mental changing its form. To reinvent a
health nurse who meditated and tradition in a new place requires
gave energy healing. His spiritu- it to be learnt correctly to begin
al beliefs were very much Hindu. with which can take many years.
Before he died, we talked about There are very few who can do it
Kashmir Shaivism. We had got without destroying it in some way.
to the same end point from two As an international commu-
different paths. nity we have an obligation to
A rebellious teen, I left home do a lot more than just shout
at 15, moved to the forest and slogans about Kashmir Pandit
met a pair of Swamis, one of genocide. Media reports that
whom, Swami Alokananda Sarah Louise Gates (sitting, first from left) with a group of mistake terrorism for activism
Saraswati became my Guru at Kashmir Pandit women in India should be roundly condemned
16, in 1994. She is an Anglo In- as apologism. Researchers owe
dian from Kolkata and would and in India. From 2014 I came ect on Realizing Interconnected- duty of care to the vulnerability
tell me stories of India and Kali to Kashmir Shaivism with more ness: A Yogic Ecology. I needed of this unique community before
which got me inspired. There I questions about consciousness, a darshana that recognized the rewriting their history or mis-
learnt integral yoga in the Bihar the self and ultimate reality. world as both real and sacred. In appropriating their intellectual
method as well as my Guru’s re- Why did you pick the kashmiri 2014, I read “The Doctrine of Vi- and cultural heritage. Like any
finements from sadhana of kriya Shaivite tradition as your area of bration” by Dr Mark Dyczkow- other self-determining peoples,
yoga. I left that ashram around interest and study? ski which set me on the path of the path forward must be indig-
2009 feeling that part of my jour- My honors was on “intercon- Kashmir Shaivism. He was run- enous led and administrated and
ney was complete. nectedness” in ecocritical theo- ning a course a few months lat- incorporate political and practi-
In 2004 and 2008 I trained to ry. This was an ambiguous catch er in Melbourne so I flew over cal solutions to the genocide of
instruct yoga, taught small ses- word that sounded a lot like a and have since taken Swami Hindus including legal recogni-
sions privately and in the com- yogic state to me. Nothing real- Lakshmanjoo as my Sat Guru. tion of this crime against human-
munity. Many experiences were ly dealt with yogic philosophy in you are working on a thesis of ity still being ignored after 30
unexplained still and I took up ecocritical theory. It only drew “interconnectedness” of yoga and years in exile.
jnana yoga. First it was Advai- superficially from ‘eastern’ and eco-social justice. Could you please For a detailed Review and
ta Vedanta at Swami Venkate- ‘indigenous thought’. Noticing a elaborate on it a bit? Interview, please log-in to
sananda’s ashram in Fremantle gap, I continued with a PhD proj- The precepts, philosophy www.theindianeYe.com

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