Fear of public speaking is rooted less in speaking itself and more in dependence on others' opinions. When identity becomes tied to social approval, even simple words feel difficult. Mistakes should be treated as feedback, not as a measure of self-worth. Confidence grows by letting go of image, accepting correction without guilt, and speaking without seeking validation from others.
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Originally published in The Pioneer on 18 July '26
Indian spiritual figures have been travelling abroad for more than a century. Halls have filled, applause has sounded, and followings have formed across the world. My tour of Britain in May to July 2026 might, at first glance, look like one more link in that same chain. But what mattered in those rooms was not the name of the venue; it was who sat across from me, and the standard against which the argument was placed.
The tour began on 30 May at the Cambridge Union, moderated by Professor Jaideep Prabhu. That same day, a student put her point plainly. "At Cambridge, learning is based on evidence, and every belief is tested against a standard. So how is this philosophy any different from any other belief?" It is the kind of question most figures in this field rarely face on a public stage. The answer was not a defence. "Let us rebuild this framework right now, right here, from scratch," I said, "leaning as little as possible on belief and dogma." If a framework is universal, it cannot belong to any one person; it has to be built together and tested together. What took place was not a lecture but a construction, halted again and again by objections and demands for clarity. A session scheduled for one hour stretched into nearly three sittings across two days. Later, when a participant thanked me for sharing "my philosophy," I corrected her: it was not my philosophy; it had been built together, in that very room. When someone asked where the framework drew its authority from, I set the question aside. Nothing had yet been asserted that needed defending. The "I" being questioned is real only because it keeps being uttered; you yourself are its only proof.
