However complex and mysterious, religion in some form is integral to human life as evident in history and therefore cannot be divorced from study and analysis. The alternative term `spirituality' appeared to ward off the ambiguous characters of religion, but it has not proved to be less complex. Explicit religions claim to possess the resources of spirituality while often maintaining a dichotomy between spiritual and material. An alternative understanding of spirituality is presented as permeating all aspects of life. The concept of implicit religion and secular spirituality, unlike the established religion, is exploratory with open boundary. However, it cannot remain a concept in the intellectual realm but be applied to contexts like India where religious life is vibrant within a secular polity where struggle for legal and eco-justice continues.

The essays of this book provide a commentary on these issues. Further, insights, instincts and impulses to work for change at great personal risks deserve an in-depth exploration.