Insights from Science and Silence in Arrangement with Financial Chronicle (My Sacred Bull - 3)

Dr. Kuruvilla Pandikattu (born 1957) is Professor of Physics, Philosophy and Religion at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, India, since 1996. He has three Masters' Degrees in Physics and Philosophy and two Doctorates in Philosophy and Theology to his credit. He has been actively involved in dialogue between science and religion. Author of more than 30 books and 160 academic articles, Pandikattu is a Jesuit priest belonging to Dumka-Raiganj Province, India. He has been involved in organising more than 20 national and international conferences on Science-Religion Dialogue. He has visited more than 15 countries and attended more than 100 conferences on Philosophy, Theology and Science-Religion Dialogue. Because of his creative and committed writings, he has been in the editorial board of five philosophical/religious journals. He is a renowned author, spiritual leader, motivational speaker and research guide. His main topics of research are: Anthropology, Eschatology and Transhumanism.

Six years ago, Financial Chronicle, India's first global business networking platform, was looking for spiritually focused, knowledge-driven content to inspire and enrich its educated audience of business leaders, managers and corporate executives. Editor-in- chief Shubhrangshu Roy, who conceived the daily newspaper and initiated the project "My Sacred Bull," on the editorial page of Financial Chronicle, asked me to discover an enlightened thinker to address the existential yearnings of intelligent India and FC's wider global audience.

I turned to Professor Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ for his innate wisdom. He is a priest, physicist and philosopher, adorned with three masters degrees and two doctorates. His creative spirit and open vision had long inspired me. The professor-priest readily obliged. taking pen to paper week after week to script a volume that has now acquired epic proportions. His pathbreaking column is deeply relished and respected by FC's global band of dedicated readers.

Prof Pandikattu's articles stand out for three characteristics that uncommon in both spiritual and scientific discourses:

Contextual sensitivity: Normally he takes up a current event - from politics, science or religion - and reflects on it giving it a spiritual basis and contemporary relevance.

What is life? How do we cope with the difficulties and anxieties of life? How do we experience it as sacred? In order to answer these questions from scientific and religious perspectives, I have been writing these articles in the prestigious Financial Chronicle.

The articles in this book were especially written for Financial Chronicle (FC), from the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, which was launched on 16 April, 2008, by India's youngest team of media professionals, and in the shortest-ever run- up for a newspaper.

As such, the articles are meant to target general audience, who may or may not be organisationally religious. They are meant to inspire a band of young men and women to think deeply about themselves, leading to deeper insights and wisdom that emerge from inner silence.

Open-minded and thought-provoking, these articles are meant to touch the daily life of busy people who are fully involved in the struggle and success of daily life. So, the articles are limited to 625 words. And these articles attempt to provide them with both roots and wings: roots that will give them a sense of belonging to the world and wings that will take us forward to unlimited possibilities. In this book, as the title suggests silence is taken as the area of religion and wisdom. So the need for science to dialogue with the depth dimension - symbolised by silence - is emphasised here.

**Contents and Sample Pages**