{"id":63,"date":"2010-05-26T11:35:34","date_gmt":"2010-05-26T11:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html"},"modified":"2010-05-26T11:35:34","modified_gmt":"2010-05-26T11:35:34","slug":"the-yoga-of-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html","title":{"rendered":"The Yoga of “24”"},"content":{"rendered":"

With “24″<\/b>, “Lost”,<\/b> and “Law and Order”<\/b> all saying their goodbyes — and all rife with spiritual significance and religious symbolism — I wondered about a possible Hindu connection. Unfortunately, however, I wasn’t a devotee of any of the three shows (my 1st season LOST addiction notwithstanding). So I turned to my friend and avowed “24”-fanatic, Pragnesh Surti to muse on a connection between the show and his Hindu faith. Here’s his guest-post.<\/i>   <\/p>\n

\"24face.jpg\"<\/a><\/span>As one of many thousands of “24” fans worldwide, I was relieved to see Jack Bauer<\/span> survive “the
\nlongest day” of his life, yet again.  Monday nights were a fixture in
\nmy house (and countless others) as we all gathered around the television to see Jack make it through another fantastical hour– leaving us
\nwondering how much more he can take.   He was indeed a modern hero,
\nwhose daring escapades left us cheering him on and wanting more.   <\/p>\n

Stay tuned folks; the
\nmovie<\/a> will be out soon enough. <\/p>\n

Such is the wonder and attraction of a
\ngood story: dynamic characters, epic dilemmas, and  the ever-present intertwining of perennial yet relevant topics such as the
\nstruggle of good vs. evil, the pursuit of truth or justice, and
\nmessages of hope, peace, or happiness.  As universal as these themes are, I think it’s fair to say that such stories also serve as an
\noutlet for most of us to vicariously experience what it’s like to achieve
\nsomething fantastic and amazing, and probably something beyond the
\nscope of our day to day lives. <\/p>\n

For me, this is not something
\nnew.  <\/p>\n

\"amar_page.gif\"<\/a><\/span>As a child, I regularly read the stories of Lord Krishna,
\nRama, and other epic heroes<\/span>
\nfrom the Mahabharata<\/i>, Ramayana<\/i>, Bhagavad Gita<\/i> and other stories recounted in the pages
\nof Vedic literature (courtesy of Amar Chitra Katha comics<\/span><\/a>).  This was a
\nregular activity in my house (keep in mind that there was not much to brag about on
\nlocal TV in 1983).   <\/p>\n

My love of illustrated scripture evolved into reading Marvel
\nComics<\/span>. I also read
\nabout the exploits of
\nSherlock Holmes<\/span> or his youthful and modern counterpart, Encyclopedia Brown<\/span>.   Even in school I felt drawn to the heroic — figures like Martin Luther King<\/span> Jr., Abe Lincoln<\/span>, and Charlemagne<\/span>. And now in
\nour present day, come heroes like Jack Bauer. <\/p>\n

So, what is this  fascination with heroism?<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n


\nWhile in college, I read  Joseph Campbell<\/span>‘s The Power of Myth<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/a>
\nand was struck by his description of the hero’s path:<\/p>\n

“… we have not even to risk adventure alone, for
\nthe heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly
\nknown. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path … Where we
\nhad
\nthought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own
\nexistence. And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the
\nworld.”<\/p>\n

(chapter 5, introduction)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a Hindu, I take solace in
\nstatements like this, which encourage us to take help from those who
\nhave
\ntread the same path we may be on now, mythically or in real-time.  I
\nthink of this connection as a kind of yoga<\/span><\/b><\/i> (which
\nliterally means “union”). By watching or
\nhearing about the hero’s activities and qualities, we learn to develop
\nan
\nappreciation for and connection to those qualities that has an impact on
\nour lives.  Though
\nnot necessarily tangible, that connection can be very real and
\nmeaningful. <\/p>\n

\"24-jack-bauer-glass.jpg\"<\/a><\/span>I think this is why “24” was so successful and resonated with so many of
\nus. We felt strongly connected to Jack Bauer. We walked in his shoes,
\nfelt his pain, and joined in his victories. The show’s hour-by-hour
\nday-in-the-life format made this connection even stronger, and blurred
\nthe line between the mythical and real-time.    <\/p>\n

Jack Bauer had many opportunities to prove himself
\nworthy of being called a hero to his audience.  In the final season, he
\nwas ultimately pitted alone — against the rest of the known world —
\nhaving
\nto decide for himself what is right and wrong, while relentlessly
\npursuing the truth. <\/p>\n

His determination to succeed at any cost could
\nserve as an inspiration to people everywhere. I certainly felt inspired
\nby his character, and maybe even closer to discovering “the center of
\nmy own existence.”  Just don’t expect me to knock down doors and blow up
\ncars every time I feel the need to “pursue the truth.”  <\/p>\n

Let’s
\nleave that to the professionals.<\/p>\n

Pragnesh Surti is an architect and designer by day, and a
\n“24”-inspired super hero by night.
\n <\/i> <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With “24″, “Lost”, and “Law and Order” all saying their goodbyes — and all rife with spiritual significance and religious symbolism — I wondered about a possible Hindu connection. Unfortunately, however, I wasn’t a devotee of any of the three shows (my 1st season LOST addiction notwithstanding). So I turned to my friend and avowed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,17,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-day-in-the-life","category-bollywood-bhakti","category-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Yoga of "24" - Om Sweet Om<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Yoga of "24" - Om Sweet Om\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With “24″, “Lost”, and “Law and Order” all saying their goodbyes — and all rife with spiritual significance and religious symbolism — I wondered about a possible Hindu connection. Unfortunately, however, I wasn’t a devotee of any of the three shows (my 1st season LOST addiction notwithstanding). So I turned to my friend and avowed…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Om Sweet Om\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-05-26T11:35:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/05\/24face-thumb-200x150-14286.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vineet Chander\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Yoga of \"24\" - Om Sweet Om","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Yoga of \"24\" - Om Sweet Om","og_description":"With “24″, “Lost”, and “Law and Order” all saying their goodbyes — and all rife with spiritual significance and religious symbolism — I wondered about a possible Hindu connection. Unfortunately, however, I wasn’t a devotee of any of the three shows (my 1st season LOST addiction notwithstanding). So I turned to my friend and avowed…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html","og_site_name":"Om Sweet Om","article_published_time":"2010-05-26T11:35:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/05\/24face-thumb-200x150-14286.jpg"}],"author":"Vineet Chander","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html","name":"The Yoga of \"24\" - Om Sweet Om","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/05\/24face-thumb-200x150-14286.jpg","datePublished":"2010-05-26T11:35:34+00:00","dateModified":"2010-05-26T11:35:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/#\/schema\/person\/cf2056f344b6fa435169a0edd9e93d8b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/05\/24face-thumb-200x150-14286.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/files\/import\/assets_c\/2010\/05\/24face-thumb-200x150-14286.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2010\/05\/the-yoga-of-24.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Yoga of “24”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/","name":"Om Sweet Om","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Sheetal Shah","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/#\/schema\/person\/cf2056f344b6fa435169a0edd9e93d8b","name":"Vineet Chander","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/221\/221efe0b0631084cd4843bb843427584x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/221\/221efe0b0631084cd4843bb843427584x96.jpg","caption":"Vineet Chander"},"description":"Vineet Chander is a legal and communications consultant, writer, and teacher, specializing in the Hindu diaspora community. He is a Hindu Chaplain and the Coordinator for Hindu Life at Princeton University, and serves as the North American Director of Communications for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a worldwide organization representing the Vaishnava Hindu tradition. In previous incarnations, Vineet has been a New York City prosecutor, a cable TV show host, and a hospital chaplain. In his free time, he enjoys relaxing with his wife and his new baby, attending classes at The Bhakti Center, and teaching himself photography. As a second-generation, Indian-American, Vaishnava-Hindu, Vineet ponders new ways of further hyphenating his identity.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/author\/vchander"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}