Why 15th August is significant in India & Greece

Writing to you from Crete, Greece…

Today, 15th August is a significant day in both India and in Greece…

In India it is the day that India became independent from years of British occupation.

In Greece it is the day that commemorates Virgin Mary’s death and ascension into heaven.

So here’s a fun fact that links India with Greece. The word “Hinduism”, and before I continue - I want to state that this post is not a post about religion. The word Hinduism was not created by Indians in India.

It was around 300 to 350 B.C. when the great Greek Alexander the Great was increasing his empire, conquering Persia and with his eyes set on India. He entered India and was in the Indus Valley, an area that crosses the border around present day India and Pakistan. There they saw many people, spiritual people, meditating and living simple lives. Alexander’s men started to talk to these people and were enthralled by their way of thinking.

Back in their own camps, Alexander’s men talked about these spiritual people, yogis if you like, referring to them as the people from the Indus. Except that with their Greek accent, the word came out as “H-indus.” And that’s how they became known these “Hindus”, whose practice went on to be called “Hinduism”.

I told this fun fact in a yoga class earlier this week and one of the students commented “Well, they say that all words started in Greece” - Quite true, when you think about this story!!

What is even more fascinating is that Alexander the Great himself became friends with one of these yogis, Kalanos was his name. Through his talks with Kalanos, Alexander decided to make a U-turn and retreat back to Persia. Before he did, he asked this yogi Kalanos to join him on his travels, so he would be available to Alexander as a teacher.

So there you have it. This strong historical link between India & Greece which me as an Indian is narrating to you from Greece!!