An item in the November print issue of Wired drew my attention to the work of Dr. Smita Jain Narang, who has developed WebVastu, a system to design websites in balance and harmony with cosmic principles. According to the article (page 72 in the print edition), “Narang reports that on the 500 sites she’s redesigned, three-quarters received an imediate boost in traffic.” I took a look at Narang’s own site to learn more about this path-breaking technique:
We all know that the five elements that comprise the human and the world are called the “Paanchbhootas”. Similarly every website has its own “paanchbhootas” and a balance has to be maintained to achieve a desired result. Any disturbance in any of the element may result in negative consequences.
This is especially important for commercial sites, as you can imagine. Negative energies are never good for the bottom line:
For the websites to bring business the element in each quadrant must be honored and they should be kept in balance as this creates powerful and beneficial conditions, which draw business towards the owner. On the other hand, an imbalance of the elements can create negative energies, which may have an adverse effect on the websites.
Wired asked Narang, who is 30, to “diagnose one of our spiritual haunts, Slashdot.org,” and her assessment was mixed at best. It scored well for its address and graphics (good Water flow), but poorly on structure (too much Air), lead-off (inauspicious header), page length and footer, which should have been “brown, fawn or copper.”
Copperish colors must be extremely auspicious, as Narang’s own site involves white lettering bathed in a glowing, brown-yellow background that is nearly overwhelming to my bleary morning eyes. Then again, I haven’t been up since 3 AM performing austerities and contemplating the Divine. The site also lacks navigation; perhaps such tools only breed maya, and we must instead move about the site in an organic way. So should you, but if you don’t mind the spiritual shortcuts, here are a few highlights.
WebVastu takes its place in humanity’s long process of spiritual and material advancement:
Man has endeavoured to improve from time immemorial. Starting from the Stone Age to the 21st century, mankind has only improved and is keeping their step toward modernisation. But as we are becoming modern we are leaving our culture far behind and are overburdened by sorrows, unhappiness, mental tensions and what not. Thus all kinds of sufferings are taking place in the life and in order to get all the things back, we are trying to follow the path showed by our ancestors. In my book I have tried to formulate some principles for designing the websites on the fundamentals of Vastu science, so that the person can achieve the maximum benefit in totality.
I am only trying to smoothen the people business by making it more harmonious and thereby having gradual increase through websites. Destiny always prevails, but by implementing the Vastu concepts, one can enhance the business provided by websites. Therefore, it is advisable to follow Vastu to open the gates to a happy and prosperous life.
A detailed table of contents follows, leading the reader to the formulation and application of WebVastu’s principles, after, of course, studious analysis of the fundamentals:
3. A Deep Study of Internet
3.1. What is Internet?
3.2. How Internet Came into Being?
3.3. A Brief History of Internet
3.4. The Beginning
It was in the course of desiging building interiors that Narang realized that the same principles of balance and flow that apply to your home should also govern your website:
Dr. Smita Jain Narang is a science graduate from Delhi University and started her career as Interior designer after doing studies in Interiors. While practicing her career, she was equally engrossed in studying Vastu Shastra, the ancient science of direction. Being a computer wizard herself, she was keen in formulating a different science that brings the sciences of two worlds, the ancient with the modern together.
She continued her studies eventually obtaining an M.Phil and Ph.D in Vastu Shastra (I didn’t know you could do that!):
She made her seven-year flourishing practice of Interiors and Vastu consultation secondary and started her research on the new subject three years back of which this book is the result. She did her M.Phil and PhD in the same subject and extensively studied all concepts and of which arises WEBVASTU.
Long before the Wired item, her practice had earned her great recognition:
She is a renowned Vastu consultant and is a prominent author for many websites, has written hundreds of magazines articles, has introduced and promoted Vastu Shastra internationally by writing for many international magazines. She is a highly sought-after lecturer and has appeared on TV couple of times. Her major aim is to take Vastu Shastra, the science of directions to unlimited heights.
I shudder to think of what Dr. Narang would make of Sepia Mutiny. We would do well to consult her in the course of our much-rumored but as-yet embryonic redesign. I suspect we could use less Air and more Earth. I’m not sure what she’d make of the rotating banners. Perhaps they are a spiritually productive reminder that our lives are characterized by impermanence yet embedded in a stable Truth.
After all, there’s nothing new under Brahman:
The effect of the Vastu is permanent, because the Earth has been revolving round the Sun, in geo-stationary orbit for over 400 crores years creating the magnetic effect caused by the rotation.
Four hundred crores years! Now that’s what I call stability, an infrastructure that’s 99.99999% reliable. So fire those high-price Web consultants, with all their gibberish and obfuscation. Ancient wisdom has triumphed again.
