Sartreandsocrates inthemountains
Geetanjali Krishna dwells on the act of questioning at a philosophy boot camp in Uttarakhand
Igazebos along the hill slopes. As we enter, we’re greeted by our resident polymath, Jahanbegloo himself, amid the popping of champagne corks (the weekend is going to be lubricated by the fine folk of Glenfiddich). He declares, to many audible sighs of relief, that this isn’t going to be a series of lectures but a collective process of self-examination. Champagne drunk, we check into comfortable rooms as our hostess, Geetan Batra, tells us that legend has it that Gandhi had tea in this century-old bungalow en route to visiting Kamala Nehru who was recuperating in the nearby sanatorium in Gethia. It’s hot in the sun and it seems inconceivable that just two weeks ago, Gethia was snowed in. We’re in the new cottage, separated by a swimming pool from the original old house and, all in all, I’m very pleased with my surroundings.
In the introductory session, Jahanbegloo argues the Socratic imperative of leading an “examined life”, which entails continuously asking questions, always the right questions, not only of ourselves, but also of the world around us. “In any society where fanatics are in power,” he says, “you will notice that people ask fewer questions.” It’s a thought-provoking taste of what’s in store, and our animated discussion continues over an excellent home cooked lunch.
Wewanderaroundthegardensuntil it’stimeforanothersession. Jahanbegloointroducesustohisfavourite philosophersashepaintsalucidhistoryof philosophicalthought. Later, theobvious questionabouttheactofquestioning itselfarises. Whatifwequestionourselves andtheworldweinhabitandfindthe answerstoodepressing? Itstrikesme (ratherobviously) thatthe practiceofunthinkingly acceptingstatusquoisoftena defencemechanism, for questioningisoftendisruptive, mostlyuncomfortable, and alwaysresultinginchange.
In fact, Jahanbegloo’s own questions about nonviolent change and reform were so disruptive that he was imprisoned in Tehran on the suspicion of being an American/Israeli spy in 2006. Unsurprisingly, his most evocative session is on forgiveness and revenge, and the most hotly contested one, on religion and God.
Even outside the sessions, Jahanbegloo is constantly in deep conversation with participants. “I’m learning so much from these side conversations!” he exclaims as jugs of mojito are passed around. Indeed, so are we, as they afford us the chance to apply principles of philosophy to our own experiences. Payal Puri of Qurio, who’s moderating the sessions, is happy with how their maiden event is panning out. “We’d planned this immersion into philosophy for people who want to know more about it, but don’t have the time for a course,” she says. A jazz playlist, curated by Jahanbegloo for this retreat, plays in the background. “The idea was to curate all the elements of the retreat— the discussion topics, food, drink and music, and let them alchemise into some sort of magic,” she adds. As the weekend draws to a close, I wonder at how well they’ve managed to accomplish this. It has been three days of not only learning and reflection, but also of not exchanging banal pleasantries with strangers. Instead, I’ve had many intimate, reflective conversations with people who I hope are now friends. Somehow, I don’t think even Sartre and Socrates would have anticipated this outcome.
Unsurprisingly, Jahanbegloo’s most evocative session was on forgiveness and revenge, and the most hotly contested one on God and religion