Arunisha Sengupta, professionally a MARCOM consultant started her spiritual journey at a tender age. After seeking various paths, she found her true calling with Fire. She learned to perform and conduct yagnas and homas and today is one of the few women in India who practices homa as a spiritual tool. Homa/Yagna is an ancient spiritual practice traced back to the vedic times. Through eons, it has sustained and evolved and even in modern days, there can be no Hindu religious/auspicious occasion without a yagna/homa. Homa was also a daily spiritual practice by a householder during vedic times and Arunisha conducts DIY (Do-It-Youself) homa camps for people who would be interested to learn. She makes it a point to travel and conduct free homa workshops for seekers who wish to be initiated into such an ancient spiritual way of life. Having said that, her passion project is to teach homa to more and more women. She believes that women are the bearers and the upholders of culture. They are the teachers of the future generation and because of them, a society’s moral, traditional, and ethical values are sustained. So, if more and more women learn to do homa, which was an ancient spiritual practice, that will not just help maintain and sustain family values but also the values of the society, community, and the country (or countries) at large.
But many women are hesitant to learn homa. In the realm of spirituality, where seekers yearn for enlightenment and transcendence, a prevailing bias has persisted—a bias that has perpetuated a male-dominated narrative. From time immemorial voices & experiences of women have been sidelined, overlooked, and suppressed. They have been conditioned to believe that spiritual wisdom and leadership, especially traditional formats of spiritual disciplines, are men's domains. Women have been detracted and through ages (till date) there is fear-mongering, especially of traditional systems. “Whether it is by design or by default is not the current debate,” says Arunisha, “but it is time to challenge the notion. Throughout history, male spiritual leaders have dominated the narrative, while women's contributions have been relegated to the shadows. Spirituality is a universal path, transcending gender. It's disheartening to witness women's wisdom being ignored or belittled. We need to reclaim our place in spiritual leadership and reshape the narrative. It's time for an inclusive, balanced approach to spirituality.”
With her this approach, she has given a lot of women confidence and voice, urging them to come ahead and reclaim their rightful space, even in spirituality, like they are confidently coming ahead in other fields. Arunisha lays special emphasis on all-women homa workshops and group spiritual practices that will help in confidence boosting and exchange and free flow of spiritual energies. One such workshop will be conducted on the 10th of March in Mumbai on the occasion of Women’s day/week/month, where a group of women beginners will be taught how to do a simple Ganapati homa. “A simple Ganesha homa will lay the foundation of their initiation into traditional spiritual disciplines. I want more and more women to come and embrace tradition because it's not the tradition that is non-inclusive but it is the men, the so-called, entitled messiahs of religion, who have kept the women at bay. As we challenge the notion of spirituality as a male bastion, we recognize the importance of celebrating diverse voices and experiences,” adds Arunisha
Despite the barriers, women have persisted, forging their paths within spiritual practices, often creating safe spaces where their voices can flourish. In the pursuit of true spiritual enlightenment, barriers that limit spiritual growth need to be dissolved. Let us all Break the Chains. Embrace Equality. Evolve Spirituality.
