Author name: Nitish Rai Parwani

Author: Nitish Parwani In 2025 Prayag, a city that dates back thousands of years, hosted the Maha Kumbha Mela, which has concluded, leaving behind a historic testament to faith, logistical prowess, and the sheer power of collective participation. The occasion was tipped to be monumental in scale. What transpired seems to have exceeded all expectations and redefined the scale of human convergence. With reports indicating that over 660 million pilgrims attended across the 45-day gathering, the initial estimate of 400 million, a gargantuan number in and of itself, was dwarfed. This staggering figure indicates the immense pull of an ancient tradition. Hindus from across the world of all ages, castes, class, creed, and race merged into one confluence of humanity. Coupled with this are the logistical challenges that were successfully navigated in bringing together such vast numbers of diverse people from across the world.   A ₹63.82 billion (roughly US$740 million) budget is nothing to sneeze at for a country like India, which has so many other commitments and priorities: combating poverty on the one hand and satisfying the 21st century ambitions of its 500 million middle class on the other. But Indian culture has always been a blend of religiosity and mercantilism, and the Kumbha was no different. The Kumbha generated approximately ₹ 3 trillion (US$35 billion) in economic activity, representing a 47x Return on Investment. However, reducing the Kumbha to mere economic arithmetic would be to misconstrue the occasion, and run against the spirit of which it stands for. The gathering has a profound spiritual significance for pilgrims; and beyond this, it has also provided a critical case study in social capital, large-scale volunteerism, and the management of a temporary city of unimaginable proportions.  Central to the Kumbha experience was to witness the enduring spirit of seva, or selfless service. On 29th January, for instance, nearly 100 million people were present in the city. Yet, amidst this sea of humanity, in a country with 400 million citizens who live below the poverty line, not one person apparently went hungry. Food was available for all, not as a commodity to be bought, but as a selfless offering. Massive community kitchens sprang up across the Mela grounds, throughout the Mela period, offering fine delicacies and beverages to one and all. There were no price tags, no transactions, and no expectations. In fact, any attempt to offer money in return was met with a firm refusal, and sometimes even disapproval. The spirit that fuelled these mammoth kitchens was seva, where feeding another was an act of devotion, a way to serve the divine present in each pilgrim.  The spirit of voluntary service extended beyond food. Teams of medics from across the country arrived to offer free medical aid. Organisations like the ‘National Medico Organisation’ set up free health camps, while initiatives like ‘Netra Kumbha’ provide eye check-ups and cataract surgeries at no cost. Numerous ashrams and organisations established free medical camps, reinforcing the idea that healthcare, like food, should be available to all, irrespective of status or wealth.   A unique economic model sustained the operations of this large scale without direct financial transactions, making Kumbha-Mela a case study for economists. Reserving that discussion for another article, this piece focuses on another currency: social capital. As thinkers like Pierre Bourdieu (1986) and Robert Putnam (2000) have discussed, social capital is the foundation upon which communities thrive. It is the trust, the networks, and the shared values that bind people together and enable cooperation beyond personal or material gain. India’s enduring civilisation owes much to this invisible wealth.   The Kumbha Mela is a living laboratory for studying ‘social capital’ and seva. The 2025 event, with its record-breaking attendance, provided a critical test of this concept. The volunteering activities and the ‘infrastructure of goodwill’ complemented the state’s efforts, proving that formal governance alone cannot sustain a society—people’s willingness to give and serve is just as crucial. The successful deployment of police and security forces, alongside tens of thousands of sanitation workers and countless volunteers, demonstrated the power of coordinated action. The achievement of multiple Guinness World Records, including the largest simultaneous river clean-up and the highest number of volunteers participating in a single-site cleanliness drive, testified the collective commitment to a shared goal.   At the Kumbha, the barriers of class, caste, and status were eclipsed by social capital. A rickshaw puller, who earns his livelihood on daily wages, can be seen distributing food alongside a wealthy jeweller. An IT professional was washing dishes next to students like many of those in our group from Oxford, who saved for months just to attend the Mela. In these acts of service, the distinctions seemed to fade. However, despite the powerful spirit of equality demonstrated by the volunteers, there were few occasions where the presence of VIP movements seemed to dilute this. Special enclosures and privileges for certain groups stood in contrast to the overarching ethos of the Mela, momentarily disrupting the otherwise seamless breaking of class barriers.   The Kumbha also defied the common perception of discrimination based on caste or class in India. Pilgrims took a dip in the sacred waters together, served side by side in voluntary activities, and ate from the same community kitchens, breaking long-held social barriers. No one asked about caste or economic background when offering or receiving food, medical aid, or other services. The Mela created a space where the human identity transcends constructed divisions, reaffirming the idea that collective well-being is greater than individual differences.  The 2025 Maha Kumbha Mela has concluded, but its legacy will endure. It has demonstrated the remarkable capacity of human organisation, the enduring power of faith, and the transformative potential of social capital.     

Perspective of Dharmic-Faiths on the British Assisted Dying Bill Author: Asian Voice and Nitish Parwani The recent Parliamentary discussion on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024 [Assisted Dying Bill or ‘ADB’, for short], has sparked intense debate on life, death, and individual autonomy. The Bill seeks to provide terminally ill, mentally competent adults the option to end their lives with dignity. However, the absence of perspectives from Dharmic-faiths—Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism—is concerning. These communities, representing over 1.5 million people in the UK, possess profound philosophical traditions that could enrich this ethical debate. Their exclusion from the government’s consultation paper reveals a missed opportunity to engage in a more inclusive and comprehensive dialogue. Dharmic-faiths present a distinctive ethical framework on life and death. They view life as sacred and the body as a temporary vessel for the soul (Ātman) or, in the case of Buddhism, a transient manifestation of consciousness. The Bhagavad Gītā (2.22) illustrates this concept through a metaphor: “Just as a person discards worn-out clothes and dons new ones, so the soul discards old bodies and enters new ones.” However, preservation of the body is considered a duty, as it serves as vehicle for fulfilling Dharma—the ethical responsibilities necessary for sustaining the individual, society, and the cosmos [śarīramādyaṃ khalu dharmasādhanam, (Kumarsambhava, 5.33)]. Consequently, premature-termination of the body is generally discouraged. Another central tenet, the law of karma, asserts that every action has consequences. Karma is categorised into prārabdha (ongoing-karma), sanchit (accumulated-karma), and agāmi (future-karma). The karmic-principle dictates that one must endure the consequences of past actions within the current life until prārabdha-karma is exhausted. Ending life prematurely interferes with this natural process, resulting in unresolved karmic-debts that must be borne in future incarnations.  However, Dharmic-faith-traditions also recognise exceptions where the voluntary ending of life may be permissible. One such exception is when the act is spiritually motivated. In Yogic traditions, practitioners may enter mahāsamādhi, a conscious and intentional departure from the body.  Another exception is when an individual, typically in old-age or suffering from a terminal-illness, can no longer fulfill their societal or Dharmic duties due to physical-decline. In such cases, relinquishing the body is permitted. However, even in these instances, the principle of karma remains central. The body’s natural decline must be allowed to run its course, ensuring that prārabdha-karma is fully exhausted. For instance, practice of Sallekhana or Santhārā in Jain-traditions involves gradually fasting to death as a means of destroying rebirth-influencing karma. These acts are not considered suicide in the conventional sense but are viewed as acts of spiritual liberation.  When examined through this Dharmic-faiths’ lens, ADB presents some ethical challenges. The Bill allows terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to seek assistance in ending their lives. Yet, if spiritual intent or infirmity to serve society and Dharma are not the sole intentions to terminate the body-life prematurely, cases under the ADB would not meet the criteria outlined in the exceptions above. Moreover, the active administration of life-ending substances (clause 20) conflicts with the karmic principle of non-intervention, as prārabdha-karma must be allowed to unfold naturally. There is a crucial distinction between passive and active assisted dying. Passive methods, such as withholding life-sustaining treatment, may align with Dharmic-faiths’ principles as they permit the natural course of life and death. In contrast, active methods involve direct intervention and are generally inconsistent with Dharmic faiths’ teachings unless motivated by spiritual purposes. ADB, primarily endorsing active intervention, has to meet a high standard of purpose test to satisfy ethical conditions required by Dharmic faiths. Furthermore, informed decision-making on assisted dying necessitates introspection (often spiritual), engagement with religious texts, and consultation with spiritual leaders, none of which are adequately facilitated under the current framework. Palliative care and psychological support (clause 9) of ADB don’t address the need for spiritual-guidance. The UK healthcare facilities currently lack adequate faith-based support for Dharmic communities.  Therefore, while Dharmic traditions acknowledge limited circumstances under which the voluntary ending of life may be permissible, the Assisted Dying Bill does not sufficiently address these nuances. Without a robust infrastructure for spiritual guidance and faith-based support, the ethical and cultural justification for assisted dying remains incomplete for Dharmic-faith communities.

Author: Asian Voice and Nitish Parwani This article was written by the journal Asian Voice featuring one of our researchers, Nitish Parwani. To view the original article click here. This week marked a significant escalation in the ongoing war in Ukraine, as the US and UK crossed a boundary set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both nations allowed Ukraine to fire Western-supplied longer-range missiles into Russian territory, intensifying the conflict. The UK is believed to have allowed its Storm Shadow missiles to be used in Russia’s Kursk region, while the US has given the green light for its ATACMS weapons to target sites within Russia. In response, Putin issued a stark warning to the UK, the US, and any other nations providing such weapons, stating that Russia considers itself entitled to strike military facilities in those countries that enable the use of their weapons against Russian targets. As the war enters its third year, Putin’s threats raise an urgent question about what he will do next. The Kremlin has accused the “collective West” of escalating the war, despite a history of being the primary actor driving escalation in the quest to assert control over Ukraine or, at the very least, to secure peace on his terms. From his initial full-scale invasion to his annexation of Ukrainian territories, Putin has repeatedly raised the stakes. This week alone, he deployed North Korean troops to the Kursk region and  targeted Ukraine’s Dnipro with a new hypersonic missile apart from issuing explicit threats to the West. Nitish Rai Parwani, Head of the ‘Diasporic communities’ desk at the International Centre for Sustainability (ICfS), shared his perspective on this whole situation with Asian Voice, stating, “The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now nearing its third year, continues to reshape global geopolitics. With leadership change in the United States, the dynamics of international involvement are likely to shift significantly. Donald Trump has hinted at reducing US funding to Ukraine and prioritising negotiations, signalling a possible pivot in Western strategy. As a NATO member, a US ally, and a friend of Ukraine, the UK has supported Ukraine through military aid and sanctions on Russia, despite the economic costs. However, a shift in US policy may prompt the UK to reconsider its approach. “The UK faces critical decisions as these dynamics evolve. A potential improvement in US-Russia relations under Trump, alongside Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO or other global alliances, demands a careful balancing act. Furthermore, the post-war landscape will require the UK to reassess its international engagement strategy, fostering ties with both nations while safeguarding its national interests. Adopting India’s pragmatic diplomacy could guide the UK in aligning its long-term goals with global peace and stability. “Amid this, India’s diplomatic stance stands out as a model of balance and maturity. By maintaining cordial relations with both Russia and Ukraine, India has leveraged its position to advocate for dialogue and a peaceful resolution while avoiding overt alignment. This strategy has allowed India to safeguard its strategic interests and promote peace simultaneously.” Diplomatic tensions heighten Russia expelled a British diplomat on Tuesday, accusing him of espionage and escalating tensions between the two countries. Moscow stated that it would not tolerate “undeclared” intelligence officers operating on its soil, further fuelling an ongoing diplomatic dispute with London. The British government has denied the allegations, rejecting claims that one of its embassy employees was a spy. This marks the latest in a series of espionage accusations that have contributed to the already fraught relationship between the two nations. The Russian foreign ministry summoned British Ambassador Nigel Casey after the FSB (Federal Security Service) claimed to have uncovered a British spy. The FSB identified the diplomat as the embassy’s second secretary and accused him of conducting “intelligence and subversive activities” that threatened Russia’s national security. Moscow’s foreign ministry stated that the diplomat was being expelled for providing false information on his visa and accreditation applications. State media footage showed Ambassador Casey surrounded by journalists as he arrived at the foreign ministry in Moscow. The UK government quickly rejected the accusations, dismissing them as malicious and unfounded. A Foreign Office spokesperson stated, “This is not the first time that Russia has made baseless accusations against our staff. We will respond in due course.” This expulsion follows the earlier ejection of six British diplomats by Russia, also on espionage charges. In a separate move, Russia’s foreign ministry announced a travel ban on several British cabinet ministers, citing what it described as London’s “Russophobic” policies. Among those targeted were Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and ministers from various sectors including education, environment, health, and energy. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has added hundreds of Western politicians, journalists, and business leaders to its “stop list” in retaliation for Western sanctions and travel restrictions. The US Embassy in Kyiv was closed on Wednesday, November 20, due to concerns over a “potential significant air attack,” according to a statement from the Department of State’s Consular Affairs. “Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy personnel have been instructed to shelter in place,” the statement read. “The US Embassy advises American citizens to be prepared to take shelter immediately if an air alert is issued,” the message posted on the embassy’s website added.