SIDH, in collaboration with Udhbhavaha, organised a four-day retreat titled “Modernity & Me” from 23 to 27 April 2025 at Swami Rama Sadhana Dhama, Karnataka. The retreat was facilitated by Shri Pawan Gupta, founder of SIDH, and brought together participants interested in education, culture, self-inquiry, and Bharatiya ways of understanding life.
The retreat opened up a reflective space to look at modernity not merely as an external social or economic phenomenon, but as something that deeply shapes our mind, relationships, education, institutions, and everyday choices. Through dialogue and contemplation, participants explored how the Bharatiya mind has undergone a fundamental change, especially after the introduction of modern English education, and how this has affected our sense of self, society, tradition, and responsibility.
A major focus of the retreat was to examine the influence of modernity on education, healthcare, food, governance, family, and community life. Participants reflected on some of the key attributes of modernity, such as rootlessness, the constant search for newness, excessive individualism, and the separation of education from deeper questions of life and spirituality. The retreat also invited participants to ask whether we are truly aware of how our drishti has been shaped by modernity.
The sessions also brought attention to the role of teachers and educational institutions. It was emphasised that education is not only about curriculum or skill development, but about life as a whole. A teacher must remain a learner and be rooted in darshana, so that teaching becomes a process of inner clarity, responsibility, and connection with truth.
The retreat included dialogues on Dharampal ji’s work, Bharatiya knowledge systems, tradition, and the need to see Udhbhavaha not merely as a school but as an abhiyan—a movement committed to bringing Bharatiya civilisation and its deeper vision to the forefront. The retreat created a meaningful opportunity for participants to pause, reflect, and look at modernity in relation to their own lives.
