The Vedic wisdom of India says that spirituality is something to be essentially practiced, and the aim of human life

is to attain moksha. All the superior and d ifferentiating attributes that human has been endowed upon are meant by a divine design to achieve this purpose alone. Otherwise there is hardly much difference between human and the other living species. This wisdom watered down over several centuries, probably millennia, and today t he majority has little time to look towards the lofty goals of the life. Commonl y, man exhausts himself in pursuing the basic, or elemental, needs of survival o r its finer versions, say delectable food, glitzy fashion accessories, and palat ial house. Mans ordinary wisdom has limited itself to the pursuit of what the tit le of a Manoj Kumars movie aptly describes, Roti, Kapraa aur Makaan. All these mate rials are nothing but simple manifestations of money. So, it can be said that mo ney reigns supreme in the present times. Wisdom of some says that once you are out of these mundane affairs then only you can focus on the higher purpose of life. Even Swami Vivekanand, the most lumino us scholar of Vedanta, once said that spirituality is not for a hungry man. Does this imply that affluent societies are better seekers or practitioners of lifes higher goals? Do they now contentedly practice detachment, spirituality and aatm ic liberation? This is barely evident to us. Those who have money seek more mone y instead of relinquishing it having known its limits. But this is a different d iscourse. Even the wisdom of an ordinary Indian knows that riches begets desire for more r iches. But our definition of higher goals have changed. We dont shy to accept mat erialism over spirituality. Spirituality may have nothing to do with religion, b ut we sweep away both under the carpet branding them as a personal affair. Mater ialism is a global phenomenon. Lets celebrate it together. And we must accept tha t it has to stay for our survival. This material wealth vis--vis economy in the c ontext of a country is such a monster that if we dont feed it regularly, and come in the way of its growth, it would come upon us shadowing our survival. So we h ave no option except to live with it. It would be better if, at an individual le vel, we could strike a balance between the Vedic and modern wisdom. But the wisdom of country must ensure that economy grows so that people feel sec ure, materially happy, and the progress in every field continues. India and Chin a have been the new growth drivers of the global economy. Since the recession ma rred the US and the debt crisis bogged down Eurozone, the steering of global eco nomic growth has come in the hands of Asia Pacific region countries. These count ries hold immense possibilities and opportunities. If they work under a shared v ision, they can transform their economic fate. Indopac Summit, an international event participated by worlds top economists, bus inessmen and politicians, sets up the right agenda to create that understanding and vision which can provide trustworthy formulae to economic development of th e region and show a decisive light to the investing community. The august summit would take place on 26th November this year in New Delhi. Venue -: The Taj Hotel, 1, Mansingh Road, New Delhi. 110011 Contact Mr. Sanjeev Kalia +91-9811420446