Dwelling on act of questioning at a philosophy boot camp in Uttarakhand

Unsurprisingly, Jahanbegloo's most evocative session was on forgiveness and revenge, and the most hotly contested one on God and religion

It’s 5.45 am. In the Shatabdi Express bound for Kathgodam, I’m thinking about philosophy. As a student, when I’d read some of the works of Sartre, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, they’d sunk without trace in my mind. But today, as I find myself pondering the art of questioning and reflection in everyday life, the upcoming three-day philosophy boot camp in the hills conducted by noted Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo seems an exciting (albeit daunting) prospect.

Around me, my fellow attendees, all from diverse backgrounds, seem equally agog as they make nervous jokes about feeling the need to sound “intelligent”. Neena Tejpal of Qurio, one of the six women of Gurgaon-based Algebra Club who have curated this, their maiden event, allays these doubts by teaching us the highly addictive card game, Rummy 500. Several rounds later, we’ve reached our destination.

A conversation at sunset

Two Chimneys, our home for the weekend, is a lovely estate with hidden nooks and crannies, gardens and gazebos 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 Glenlivet). 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.

People attentively listening to Jahanbegloo at a session

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.

We wander around the gardens until it’s time for another session. Jahanbegloo introduces us to his favourite philosophers as he paints a lucid history of philosophical thought. Later, the obvious question about the act of questioning itself arises. What if we question ourselves and the world we inhabit and find the answers too depressing? It strikes me (rather obviously) that the practice of unthinkingly accepting status quo is often a defence mechanism, for questioning is often disruptive, mostly uncomfortable, and always resulting in change.

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.

Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo

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.