Profile: Satish Kumar

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Satish Kumar (born 1936) is an Indian-British activist, educator, and editor who founded Schumacher College and edited Resurgence & Ecologist magazine for over forty years. His work integrates ecological sustainability, spiritual values, and nonviolent social change.

Kumar trained as a Jain monk in India, learning principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and reverence for all life. In the 1960s, he undertook an 8,000-mile peace walk from India to America without money, relying on hospitality. This journey demonstrated his commitment to Gandhi’s philosophy of simple living.

Profile: Vimala Thakar

Sun, 01 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Vimala Thakar (1921-2009) was an Indian philosopher, social activist, and spiritual teacher who pioneered the integration of meditative inquiry with social justice work. A woman who challenged the norms of Indian spiritual and political life in the mid-20th century, she proposed that inner transformation and outer action are inseparable dimensions of human wholeness.

Influenced by both Gandhian philosophy and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, Thakar developed an approach to spiritual life that rejected the traditional separation between contemplation and social engagement. She argued that becoming a spiritual inquirer without social consciousness is a “luxury we can ill afford,” while social activism without understanding the inner workings of mind represents “the worst folly.”

Gandhi on deep ecology

Profile: Satish Kumar

Profile: Vimala Thakar