26 Apr 2022 | 04:36am IST
India draws people with its spiritual knowledge
Celebs from the west come to India for spiritual guidance. Will Smith was in India. This is keeping in line with a long list of westerns celebs that come to India for such purposes. What is it about India that makes them come to this country seeking spiritual help ?
Team Café
Yoga is the best form of meditation to one's mind and body. It
does help to relieve stress and anxiety. If religion is not linked to this
beautiful science then it's the way out. Since India is a home to this bliss,
the preference is justified.
Dr. Annie Gomes,
Margao
India... some call Hindustan still others call Bharat. Yet India
is known for its diversity. People all over the world flock towards India to
gain wisdom. They seek spiritual help,looking at our religious structure, our
temples, churches, mosques,gurudwara, all places of religious importance, they
seek help in nature. They seek help foreseeing the goodness in our culture.
They seek help by listening to our music. They find essence in our lifestyle. In
seeking all this help they celebrate their spirituality as it is said
Savia Fernandes
teacher, Bicholim
INDIA was & is known for its cultural and family values.
It's a Land where quite a few religions originated. It's a land of Art of
giving, acceptance and co-existence. Not surprising Will Smith is Seeking
solace and self evaluation / revelation in INDIA. Quite a few ashrams and
gurukuls are flooded with the Westerners. OSHO @ Pune, VIPASANA at Igatpuri and
Christian Retreat Centers can vouch for it. For that matter our armed forces
are also known as Defense Services. We don’t believe in attacking and grabbing.
Indians stand for caring and sharing.
Deepak Lobo,
Writer, Panjim
India’s spiritual diversity and being the birthplace for yoga
with several forms of spiritual teachings makes it the yoga and spiritual
capital of the world. While new age yoga can be more exercise based, here it's
clear message of bringing harmony between the mind and body through yoga and
meditation. It is the perfect place to start one's spiritual journey.
Aadore Mukherjee,
Producer, Bambolim
I think this whole India being the land of mystics, spiritualism
etc etc definitely is what attracts all these western folks, celebs included to
India. But I personally feel that ultimately one can meditate or actually
practice spirituality in any part of the world, provided one is really serious
about practicing it.
Nupura Hautamaki,
Marketing and Events Consultant, Guirim
There are many
reasons, but I will highlight few - India is the only country in the world
which lives an environment friendly lifestyle, for eg we eat with our fingers,
we revere water, we co exist with animals so on. Our lifestyle is eco friendly.
If you go little deep in any religion , you will notice it has a foundation of
sanatan, that is why Hindus accept all religion coz all other religion has a
base of Hinduism. India is a Hindu country and Hinduism could also mean living
in harmony with nature, for example the word yoga means in union with the
divine (nature or creator). Everyone wants to connect with the source. So when
westerners realize that spirituality is the only truth then they prefer to
learn it from the source ie Bharat.
Steve Satya,
Entrepreneur, Bicholim
Western celebs like Will Smith have been known to visit India
since time immemorial, mostly looking to get answers to life's bigger questions
and more. This has culminated in them going on pilgrimages, spiritual retreats
and engaging in meditation to ascend to a higher level of enlightenment. India,
as we know, is a reservoir of spiritual knowledge and wisdom. It is the
birthplace of four of the world's major religions: namely Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, and Sikhism.
Joanne da Cunha,
Model, Actress and Singer
Will Smith in India to meet Sadhguru
Hollywood star Will Smith was spotted in Mumbai over the
weekend. He, it is claimed was in the
country to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru, following the incident at the Oscars
where he slapped Chris Rock onstage, leading to speculation over his personal
life. Smith was seen interacting and laughing with people around. 'The Pursuit
of Happyness' actor hit the headlines because of the incident at the Oscars
where he assaulted comedian Chris Rock after the latter made fun of Smith's
wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head.
Post that Smith has been banned from
attending any Academy event for the next 10 years, including the Oscars. He had
won the Best Actor award for 'King Richard'. As per reports, he stayed at the
JW Marriott Hotel in Juhu.
The
actor has visited India on several occasions. He last came in 2019 for the
shooting of his reality show 'The Bucket List'. He also visited Haridwar and
took part in the 'Ganga Aarti'.
List of Celebrities who visited India over the years to
gain spiritual knowledge
The Beatles
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison
famously visited Rishikesh in the 1960s to study Transcendental Meditation
under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Steve Jobs
The founder of Apple's adventures in India are also part of
every entrepreneur's lexicon. He visited India in 1974 to meet Guru Neem Karoli
Baba, whom he wanted to study under and attain spiritual enlightenment, as most
people will tell you.
Emilia Clarke
Queen Daenerys Targaryen also visited India, going to Rishikesh
along with GoT co-star Rose Leslie to participate in some kind of spiritual
retreat. She also visited Jaipur, as most foreigners are wont to do.
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts actually has a real life connection to India, and
it's not just from Eat Pray Love. Post filming that movie, she actually
converted to Hinduism and started taking her entire family on trips to India,
where they would go to temples and 'chant and dance and pray'.
The Beach Boys
This iconic band had a close karmic connection with India. They
also visited Rishikesh to practise Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi after a recommendation from The Beatles.
Russell Brand
The flamboyant actor and comedian is yet another student of
Transcendental Meditation, despite being of a different generation from when
it was most famous. He even got married to Katy Perry in India, and has log
stated that meditation changed his life.
Mick Jagger
After The Beatles visited Rishikesh, every other rockstar of the
60s joined the bandwagon. Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones also practised
Transcendental Meditation, and still visits India once in a while.
Madonna
The Queen of Pop has a song called Shanti-Ashtangi, so that
should tell you all you need to know about her love affair with India and yoga
in particular. She is also known to practise transcendental meditation, and has
often visited the country.
Gwyneth Paltrow
The American actress has studied yogu under R. Sharath Jois, who
teaches in Mysore, and is known to be a guru to several celebrities.
Sting
The
popular mononymous musician Sting is also a practitioner of yoga, and his
former band The Police famously performed in India in 1980. He's well known
for his love of India, meditation, and even embarked on a pilgrimage in the
90s.
