India, July 18 -- 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 look like one more link in that chain. But what mattered was who sat across from me, and the standard against which the argument was placed.

The tour began on May 30 at the Cambridge Union, moderated by Professor Jaideep Prabhu. A student put her point: "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?"

"Let us rebuild this framework right now, right here, from scratch," I said, "leaning as little as possible ...