As we step into Navratri, I’ve been reflecting on what this time really means, beyond rituals and festivals. For me, Navratri is a reminder of rhythm, renewal, and resilience. It’s one of those living threads that connects us to a much deeper civilizational flow.
When I think about Bharat, I don’t just see a nation. I see a consciousness, a civilizational entity that has carried light, memory, and wisdom for thousands of years.
Even the name carries this truth. Bharat comes from bha (light) and rata (engaged), “one who is engaged in light.” Imagine that. A land defined not by conquest or power, but by illumination and awareness.
History has tested this consciousness. Invasions, colonization, partitions, Bharat has faced them all. And yet the essence survived. Not by freezing itself in time, but by adapting. Through oral traditions, festivals like Navratri, folk arts, and everyday practices, Bharat kept the fire alive. Continuity here has always meant resilience, not sameness.
This is where Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) feel so relevant today. Bharat’s “civilizational operating system” has always been about harmony, between humans, nature, and the cosmos. Ancient water systems, climate-responsive architecture, seasonal festivals, and agricultural rhythms weren’t just practical solutions. They were living expressions of balance.
In today’s context; with ecological crises, fractured communities, and the relentless pace of technology, I feel Bharat’s wisdom matters more than ever. While modern systems often extract and optimize, Bharat teaches us rhythm, interconnection, and sustainability.
And it’s not only in grand ideas. Even the smallest things; a greeting, a shared meal, a dawn ritual, are civilizational codes that carry gratitude and continuity. They remind us who we are and what we stand for.
So, as Navratri begins, I’m reminded that Bharat is not bound by geography or time. It flows wherever its values are carried, across the diaspora, across exchanges, across generations. Like a river meeting the sea, it does not lose itself; it expands.
To me, Bharat is a conscious, living civilizational entity. And the question that keeps me curious is this: how do we reimagine this wisdom for our future, in technology, healthcare, sustainability, and storytelling?
Because we don’t just inherit light. We are asked to engage with it.
As this Navratri begins, what does “being engaged in light” mean to you today?
