It is easy to lose hope in the future. The 20^th-century growth model is no longer viable as is evident from the spiralling climate crisis. At the time of writing this paper, the atmospheric carbon dioxide reading is a record high of 417 ppm. The current COVID-19 outbreak (and prediction of more such pandemics) is a grim sign of humanity’s distorted relationship with nature. Scientifc data related to the breaching of four of the nine planetary boundaries puts a dent on the aspirations and chase for unfettered economic growth and increasing material wealth. In reality, it is and always has been a dance of death resulting in several crises that we encounter today – extreme inequality, rising populism, degrading of our natural environments and violence and injustice of various kinds. Mahatma Gandhi warned of such a fate for India and the world when he wrote, “…like the proverbial moth (India) will burn itself eventually in the fame round which it dances more and more furiously”