Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
🌻Buddham Saranam Gachhami: My Slightly Wobbly, Wildly Wonderful Walk to the Dhamma🌻
You know, when people talk about a “spiritual awakening,” they often speak in the tone one uses while describing a Himalayan sunrise—golden light, misty mountains, soul-stirring violins in the background. Not me. My spiritual journey didn’t begin with a flash of inner illumination. It began, quite unromantically, with a thud—on the hard bedrock of disappointment, loneliness, confusion, and a sincere inability to make sense of a world where phone batteries die faster than friendships.
There I was, wobbling through life like a three-legged table, hoping to find something—anything—that might fix the wonky legs. The quest began with a certain desperation, a deep-seated sense that there must be more to life than emails, EMIs, and existential dread.
Once I recognised that I needed a spiritual path, I entered the curious spiritual supermarket. Shelves lined with teachings, masters, promises of bliss, chants, beads, bells, retreats, and recipes for “instant peace” (just add silence and stir). It was dazzling—and utterly disorienting.
So, like any confused consumer with a shopping basket of hopes, I chose the most popular route: the eclectic combo-platter.
A little of this, a little of that.
Buddhist mindfulness in the morning (with green tea).
Hindu mantra recitations in the afternoon (with incense).
Christian prayer in the evening (with a whiff of grace).
Sufi whirling on Sundays (with mild dizziness).
Kabbalistic meditations and Tibetan visualisations on alternate days.
It was a potpourri of paths, a spiritual salad.
Delightful? Yes.
Deep? Not quite.
It felt like I was hopping across stepping stones, never resting long enough to absorb the wisdom underfoot. A fine halfway house, yes—but a house doesn’t become a home until you stop wandering.
And then, on a quiet afternoon (perhaps the incense was working overtime), I stumbled upon a verse from the Dhammapada. Just four plain lines—no special effects, no thunderclaps. But something clicked.
“Abstain from all unwholesome deeds,
Perform wholesome ones,
Purify your mind—
This is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
No frills. No philosophies tangled in metaphors. Just the distilled clarity of a mind that had seen through everything.
It struck me—not with fireworks, but with the calm finality of truth. This was not another item on the buffet. This was the recipe. Three ingredients:
Don’t be a nuisance.
Try to be kind.
Clean up the mental mess.
Simple. Terrifyingly so. No rituals, no robes, no rituals wrapped in robes. Just direct instructions, like a cosmic Post-it note stuck to your forehead.
And something in me responded. The noise settled. The inner traffic jam eased. And from somewhere deep inside, a soft voice rose:
“Buddham saranam gachhami…”
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Not as a tourist. Not as a dilettante. But as someone who’s finally stopped looking for shortcuts.
The Buddha didn’t promise a quick fix. He offered something better: a clear path, trodden by the wise, free of gimmicks and glitter, where joy lies not in the arrival but in the journey itself—when walked with mindfulness, compassion, and the courage to look inward.
And so here I am. Not floating in bliss. Not enlightened (yet). But walking—with fewer detours, a lighter backpack, and a heart that hums a little more gently with each step.
Dhamma, it turns out, isn’t just a philosophy. It’s a way to live, a way to smile, and—on most days—a way to stay sane in an increasingly insane world.
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
🌌 Wandering the Thirty-One Worlds 🌌
Some people dream of visiting Paris, sipping espresso on a cobblestoned street. Others yearn for space tourism—bouncing weightless in a tin can, peering down at Earth. Me? I find myself daydreaming about the Thirty-one Planes of Existence described in Buddhist cosmology.
Yes, thirty-one! A rather crowded universe, isn’t it?
Now, I’ve never been to the upper heavens or the lower hells (that I recall, at least). But I’m quite delighted to be here—right in the Human World, comfortably placed at number five from the bottom. Not very glamorous, I know. But make no mistake, this is the sweet spot of the cosmos.
Down below us are some truly unfortunate neighbourhoods—the four states of woe—populated by suffering beings: hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, jealous titans, and the animal realm. Above us lie the pleasure gardens of six sensuous heavens, overflowing with divine delights and carefree abandon.
Sounds tempting? Perhaps. But here’s the paradox of cosmic real estate: suffering makes you strive, and too much pleasure makes you… well, lazy. And striving, in the spiritual sense, is the only way out of this grand, glittering trap called samsāra—the endless merry-go-round of birth, death, and rebirth.
We humans, blessed with just enough pain to awaken us, and just enough joy to keep us from despairing, occupy a rare and precious junction. It’s the Goldilocks zone of the Buddhist cosmos—not too miserable, not too blissful—just right for the uphill climb to liberation.
Above us stretch the heavens of form and formlessness—realms of sublime meditative absorption, breathtaking in their refinement. But alas, they too are temporary. No matter how high you rise in samsāra, gravity pulls you back. The only true escape? Nibbāna—the supramundane, the unconditioned, the other shore. A place that is not a place, a silence beyond sound, a peace beyond understanding.
I sometimes catch myself fantasising—not about retirement in Goa or a cottage in the Himalayas—but about travelling across these thirty-one abodes. No visa required. No rocket ships. Just meditative calm and inner stillness. For in meditation, I find that the borders between realms begin to blur. I can wander, wonder, soar or sink—all within this tender, mysterious human form.
It is said that all these worlds are in eternal flux—rising, collapsing, reforming like soap bubbles on the sea of time. But right now, this bubble of human life is floating, and I’m marvelling at its shimmer.
Some seek heaven, some fear hell, but I, dear reader, am deeply content here and now, sipping the subtle tea of mindfulness, dreaming big, breathing gently—and whispering to myself with a smile,
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra, known for his wit and wisdom, is a prolific writer, renowned satirist, children’s literature author, and poet. He has undertaken the monumental task of writing, editing, and coordinating a total of 55 books for the Telangana government at the primary school, college, and university levels. His editorial endeavors also include online editions of works by Acharya Ramchandra Shukla.
As a celebrated satirist, Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra has carved a niche for himself, with over eight million viewers, readers, and listeners tuning in to his literary musings on the demise of a teacher on the Sahitya AajTak channel. His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Telangana Hindi Academy’s Shreshtha Navyuva Rachnakaar Samman in 2021, presented by the honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao. He has also been honored with the Vyangya Yatra Ravindranath Tyagi Stairway Award and the Sahitya Srijan Samman, alongside recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and various other esteemed institutions.
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra’s journey is not merely one of literary accomplishments but also a testament to his unwavering dedication, creativity, and profound impact on society. His story inspires us to strive for excellence, to use our talents for the betterment of others, and to leave an indelible mark on the world.
Some precious moments of life
Honoured with ‘Shrestha Navayuvva Rachnakar Samman’ by former Chief Minister of Telangana Government, Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Honoured with Oscar, Grammy, Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi, Dadasaheb Phalke, Padma Bhushan and many other awards by the most revered Gulzar sahab (Sampurn Singh Kalra), the lighthouse of the world of literature and cinema, during the Sahitya Suman Samman held in Mumbai.
Meeting the famous litterateur Shri Vinod Kumar Shukla Ji, honoured with Jnanpith Award.
Got the privilege of meeting Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood, actor Aamir Khan.
Meeting the powerful actor Vicky Kaushal on the occasion of being honoured by Vishva Katha Rangmanch.
Today we present his satire Chips, Clicks, and the Cry of Empty Pockets.
☆ Witful Warmth# 54 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ Chips, Clicks, and the Cry of Empty Pockets… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
Now, I reckon it was a balmy Hyderabad evening, as balmy as a politician’s promise on election eve, and there I was, a poor soul, traipsing through the labyrinthine alleys of the city, searching for a chip-set for my infernal smart-contraption. Started my pilgrimage at five bells, and by eight, my spirits were as low as a snake’s belly in a ditch. This here Hyderabad, it seemed to have declared a holy war on ‘technological contentment’. The tech-parks were disgorging human beings like a leaky faucet, and the fancy gadget shops, these vegan eating-houses, and these ‘co-working’ dens were packed tighter than a sardine can on a monsoon evening. The online gaming parlors, well, they had young’uns glued to ’em like flies to a honey pot, their futures, if you can call ’em that, gambled away on glowing screens. And my chip-set? Ha! That elusive little bugger was probably holed up in some dark corner of the internet, waiting for its price to soar higher than a balloon at a carnival, much like a startup investor waiting for his golden goose to lay an egg.
I mused, in this digital purgatory, perhaps a cup of organic green tea might just cleanse my weary soul. So, I ambled into a ‘hip’ café, but lo and behold, peace was as scarce as common sense at a political rally! My inner ‘social media influencer’—a beast I usually keep chained in the basement of my conscience—awoke with a start, ready to churn out ‘reels’ faster than a politician spins lies. It brought to mind ol’ Mark Zuckerberg’s edict: “Move fast and break things.” And by Jove, this chip-set scarcity was surely breaking the back of this city’s ‘fast-growth’ gospel, wasn’t it? A chuckle, dry as a desert bone, escaped my lips. What was I, if not a digital phantom, my online identity stuck in a perpetual ‘buffering’ loop? Was I, too, one of those poor fools trying to buy ‘coding’ with ‘no-code’ tools? Likely so! This city, bless its cotton socks, had a ‘subscription plan’ for everything under the sun, except for the common decency of human compassion. I felt like a bewildered soul lost in some infernal ‘metaverse,’ where every ‘avatar’ was haggling for its worth, and I, a mere ‘user,’ had naught but the relentless ‘scroll’ of my thumb. As I stepped out, a young lad, looking as if he’d been plucked from a ‘digital detox’ clinic, extended a hand, “Master, a data pack, if you please, may your internet flourish!” I swear, if I’d had a ‘gigabyte’ to spare, I’d have given it to him to change his miserable ‘connectivity,’ but all I had was a ‘story,’ a ‘thread,’ and a ‘meme.’
Now, my ‘thinking cloud’ was racing faster than a 5G download, and that young chap’s face was playing a ‘looping GIF’ in my mind’s eye. Twenty-five, maybe thirty years old, skinny as a rail, but with a peculiar ‘no-Wi-Fi’ glint in his eyes. Was he a ‘digital pauper’ or some ‘tech-savvy’ con artist? His threadbare T-shirt and worn-out jeans were mocking the very idea of a ‘smart-casual’ dress code. I fumbled in my pocket, hunting for a ‘five-hundred MB’ pack, felt like an ‘archaeologist’ digging for ‘deleted files’ in some ancient hard drive. When I finally unearthed that paltry ’50 MB plan’ from amidst a heap of leftover data packs, it felt like unearthing ‘data from a lost civilization.’ But when I looked up, the lad was gone! ‘Invisible User’ – I declared myself the accidental inventor of a new ‘cyber-crime’ narrative. Had he truly vanished, or was my ‘data-sharing’ speed so abysmal that he figured, “Bless me, by the time you fire up that ‘hotspot,’ I’ll have begged four more ‘free Wi-Fi’ zones dry!” A ‘battery-low’ icon zipped into a nearby alley, and my brain screamed – ‘Connected!’ It was him, my ‘data-saving-campaign’ hero! “Hey, here’s your data!” I hollered, but he had ‘notification-muted’ himself so thoroughly, it was as if some ‘tech giant’ had decided to ignore user privacy altogether. He slumped onto a large charging station, his back to me, his face buried in his hands. I thought, this ‘user’ ain’t no user, he’s a ‘digital depression’ victim. Elon Musk, he once famously declared, “We are in a future where ‘Teslas’ are driving on roads, but people are still walking.” But this ‘digital’ beggar, he was hiding his ‘disconnection’ like a dirty secret, as if someone had managed to ‘monetize’ his ‘un-plugged’ existence. Was this merely ‘data-hunger,’ or a living, breathing ‘digital satire’ of this very city?
Stepping down from the cafe, I felt like I’d stumbled onto the set of a ‘web-series’ gone wrong. Right there, in the middle of the alley, a young woman, wrapped in broken headphones, a year-old child cradled in her arms, and ‘touch-screen’ tears tracing paths down her face – it was a scene so ‘pixelated’ it made my ‘4K vision’ blur for a spell. She was weeping in ’emoji’ form, as if her tears held all the ‘bugs’ of this sprawling city. I watched as her sobs subsided, and she looked at me like a ‘QR code,’ then bowed, “Sir…” Suddenly, it clicked! This was that ‘content creator’ family I’d met two years back at a workshop, when we were all trying to go ‘viral.’ “Is that your ‘follower’?” I asked, and she, with a ‘yes, sir,’ began to weave her ‘life-story.’ I reckoned, if George Orwell had witnessed this, he might’ve ripped up his next ‘dystopian’ novel and started afresh right there. She was thin as a rail, like a ‘low-battery’ warning, and her husband’s ‘network bars’ were dangling precariously, as if threatening to ‘disconnect’ at any moment. I thought, this ain’t poverty, this is a live demonstration of the ‘digital divide.’ Without needing to ask, I understood their plight. ‘Content creators’ from a ‘tier-2’ town, chasing ‘views’ like a dog chases its tail, and I remembered that first time I saw their ‘low-resolution’ predicament, and my ‘like’ button had cried out in anguish. But now, my ‘heart’ was ‘un-liked,’ a ‘hardware’ so hardened, no ‘software’ could melt it. I figured, in this country, ‘digital destitution’ wasn’t a problem, it was just a ‘trending hashtag,’ and everyone was playing their part to perfection.
“After how many ‘videos’ did this ‘viral’ child come to us? Today, he yearns for a single ‘like.'” The young woman’s words echoed in my ears like the sound of a ‘buffering’ video. I looked at the child, plump as a fresh ‘download,’ but his state was like a ‘growing subscriber’ whose ‘channel’ had suddenly been ‘deleted.’ That ‘low-battery’ little one was sucking his thumb, and it dawned on me that he wasn’t sucking his thumb, but rather, the very ‘digital ethics’ of this society. I transferred a ‘digital transaction’ into her hand, and she took it as if I’d handed her the world’s largest ‘Bitcoin.’ “If there’s any ‘remote’ job, sahib, please get us one. We’ll both ‘freelance,’ we haven’t had ‘Wi-Fi’ connected for three days.” Three days! Good heavens, these folks were dying of ‘digital deprivation’ while I was here crafting ‘memes’! Harishankar Parsai, a wise old bird, once said, “In a country where you have the freedom to curse, you don’t need the freedom to speak the truth.” And I wondered, was I, too, engaged in ‘digital hypocrisy,’ merely for the sake of my ‘keyboard’ clatter? I told her, “Online jobs ain’t easy to come by. But anyway, meet me on ‘LinkedIn’ in a week.” And I handed over my ‘profile.’ The couple looked at me with ‘thank you’ ’emojis,’ but the husband’s face carried a ‘signal-loss’ kind of anguish that words couldn’t possibly capture. His eyes screamed, “I don’t need ‘online charity,’ I need ‘real’ work!” This wasn’t satire; it was an ‘Artificial Intelligence’ ‘glitch’ that had thoroughly scrambled all my ‘algorithms.’ I reckoned, in this country, there’s no ‘virus’ bigger than the ‘digital divide,’ and no ‘software update’ more crucial than ’employment.’
Wandering through the electronics market, my mind drifted back two years, to a time when I was hunting for ‘genuine accessories’ for my new ‘iPhone.’ A ‘fast charging’ hub stood ready, and after tucking my belongings into a ‘digital locker,’ I settled into the ‘experience zone.’ The view outside? On one side, phones with ‘broken screens,’ ‘repair shops,’ and mountains of ‘e-waste’ – a scene straight out of a ‘cyber-crime’ movie, only the ‘multimedia’ colors were a bit faded. On the other side, ‘dated operating system’ gadgets, with kids playing ‘games’ like ‘professional e-sports athletes,’ begging for ‘in-app purchases’ as if their ‘lifetime subscriptions’ depended on it. ‘Users’ who shelled out money for ‘in-game items,’ those kids would ‘hack’ and extract them in a flash. Their ‘pixel-by-pixel’ tapping after money felt like a painful ‘digital entertainment’ to me. I thought, these weren’t just kids; they were ‘data miners,’ diving into the ‘virtual world’ for their ‘bread-and-butter.’ In my ‘pocket Wi-Fi’ section, a ‘tech entrepreneur’ and an ‘influencer’ boarded, looking like ‘business partners.’ They seemed to have come from ‘Cyberabad,’ seeking ‘funding’ with promises. After being ‘hacked’ during a ‘pitching session,’ they were returning to their ‘startup’ in a ‘data-corrupted’ state. Outside the ‘incubator,’ their two ‘angel investors’ stood by, and the entrepreneur offered a ‘five thousand dollar’ ‘check.’ “Only five thousand dollars given… what about the rest?” The investor’s voice was like a ‘venture capitalist’ collecting his ‘equity.’ I thought, these aren’t just investors; they’re ‘digital money launderers’!
“What rest, we agreed on five thousand dollars,” the entrepreneur said, pointing to the ‘CEO’ standing nearby. “These five thousand dollars are fine for me, give him three thousand.” The influencer, standing beside him, chimed in, “…and three thousand dollars? I won’t even give a thousand. It was settled that you’d both get a total of five thousand dollars.” I thought, this wasn’t a ‘startup pitch’; it was a bargain at a ‘black market,’ where ‘equity’ had become a subject of negotiation. Her husband pulled out a thousand dollars and offered it to the other investor. He flatly refused to take it. “If it’s one cent less than three thousand dollars, we won’t take it. They even started returning the first five thousand.” The second investor, with a ‘download-failed’ tone, sneered, “From where will such ‘budget-conscious’ startups become ‘unicorns’?” His words struck me like a ‘ransomware attack.’ The entrepreneur ‘froze,’ and his wife, the influencer, showed rapidly changing ’emojis’ of distress. Suddenly, her ‘battery’ began to ‘overflow.’ Wiping tears with a ‘power bank,’ she cried, “Smash three thousand dollars on his face!” Those two ‘mock-CEOs,’ making money from such a vile act, grinned sheepishly and walked away. The ‘file transfer’ had also started, but her ‘screen’ wouldn’t stop weeping. Her husband tried to ‘debug’ her repeatedly, but she kept crying. In a frantic ‘error-message’ voice, she cried, “Did we come all this way to hear these words from such ‘fake-profile’ people?” I thought, this woman wasn’t just a woman; she was a victim of ‘digital fraud.’ I tried to ‘recover’ her ‘corrupted data’ with a few words, but my interference wasn’t appreciated. After a while, she ‘rebooted.’ I figured, in this country, even ‘Web-3.0’ demands its ‘fees,’ and if the ‘blockchain’ falls short, they threaten with ‘NFTs.’
In Hyderabad, they were ‘tech-workers.’ Both husband and wife worked ‘remotely.’ He wrote ‘code.’ She analyzed ‘data.’ They managed their household on a ‘fixed income,’ saving quite a bit. I thought, these folks were the true face of ‘New-Age India,’ living their ‘digital’ lives independently, without any ‘government schemes.’ They had been married for eight years but were ‘childless.’ The husband was indifferent to this, but the wife couldn’t be. She had been saving money for ‘IVF’ for a year. Although the husband didn’t believe in it, he came along for his wife’s sake. I thought, this wasn’t ‘medical tourism’; it was ‘biotech hope,’ which people sought in ‘clinics.’ From ‘online consultation’ to ‘Hyderabad,’ I kept talking to them. The husband and wife shared a deeply ‘chemical bond’ of love. Both thoroughly enjoyed their ‘digital’ journey. They gave money to every ‘charity link’ that came their way. From ‘delivery’ apps to ‘subscriptions’ and ‘premium features,’ they enjoyed buying everything. I thought, these people knew how to buy ‘happiness’ ‘online,’ even if it was ‘virtual.’ When we bid farewell upon reaching Hyderabad, it felt as if ‘connections’ of many years were now ‘disconnecting.’ I thought, in this country, people ‘follow’ each other as quickly as they ‘unfollow.’ The place where they were sitting was just a ‘Wi-Fi zone’ away. Knowing that at least today they would get food with the money I had ‘UPI’ed them filled me with immense satisfaction. I thought, my ‘digital benevolence’ had come alive, if only for a short while.
Suddenly, a young woman, with ‘scattered pixels’ in her hair, came running towards me, weeping. She stood before me, glaring like a ‘bug.’ I looked back at her, her eyes brimming with ‘errors.’ It was that same ‘content creator.’ “Sir, have you seen my ‘account’? Have you seen my ‘channel’?” “Your ‘account’! The one that was ‘deleted’?” “Yes, that one… someone ‘hacked’ it.” I blurted out, “It won’t go anywhere. Don’t worry, where’s your husband? Let’s report it to the ‘cyber cell’.” Comforting her, I started walking with her towards her ‘IP address.’ It was eight o’clock at night. There was no other ‘software,’ so I bought a ‘connection’ from an ‘expensive foreign VPN’ store and came to her house through the same ‘dark web’ route. There, her husband sat in a deplorable state, his head in his ‘hard disk.’ He looked at me like a ‘Blue Screen of Death.’ “I left the ‘channel’ with them to get ‘cloud storage.’ When I returned, it was gone,” she said. After that, she didn’t stay in front of me. Pounding her ‘mouse’ and ‘keyboard,’ she cried out… “My ‘viral’ child, where have you gone… Ha…” She ran into the ‘alley’ between the ‘phishing sites,’ questioning anyone carrying a ‘recovered account.’ Her wailing and lamenting grew louder and louder. “Let’s report it to the ‘cyber cell’,” I told her husband. “I’ve ‘scanned’ everywhere. I’ve also ‘complained’ to the ‘police’.” After staying there for five minutes, I started walking towards my house. After years of ‘networking,’ a ‘follower’ had been gained. Now, where had it ‘vanished’?” When my wife came to me, holding our son in her ‘tablet,’ I remembered that ‘data-lost’ child and the ‘suffering motherboard.’ I ‘zoomed’ in on the child and kissed him. Two days passed. An ‘app developer’ was shouting from outside. I called out to the ‘app developer’ and went out. The ‘app developer’ was none other than that ‘tech-worker’ from Secunderabad. He had arranged beautiful ‘apps’ in a ‘play store’ basket. Placing the ‘play store’ on a ‘laptop-like’ platform, I began choosing ‘apps.’ His lips trembled, his eyes welled up. “Did you find the ‘account’?” I asked. “It won’t be found.” “Why won’t it be found?” “The ‘account’ wasn’t ‘hacked’; this sinner sold it for fifty ‘dollars’.” “You sold the child’s ‘account’…” He sat on the ‘laptop,’ wiping his eyes, and said, “To save the child, she was ready to go ‘offline’ and die of hunger. Whatever ‘digital content’ she got, she’d give to the child. Even after giving so much, the child’s ‘data’ wasn’t full, sir…” “Then?” “Then I couldn’t find any other ‘loophole’ for income.” “A ‘dark web king’ from outside asked for the child. He promised good ‘profiling.’ Thinking it was for everyone’s good, I sold the ‘account.’ My wife doesn’t know about this.” I sighed. “This sinner sold the child with these very ‘clicks.’ I’m doing ‘app development’ with those very dollars. Every day I earn two-four ‘dollars.’ I’ve told my wife that you gave me money for ‘funding’ the business. If she finds out about selling the child, she’ll ‘system crash’ herself.” “How could your ‘moral algorithm’ allow this…? You got this ‘account’ by seeking ‘funding’ from ‘Cyberabad’?” I asked. Hearing my words, he just kept ‘buffering’ for a long time, as if that ‘loading’ contained every ‘click’ of that child, every ‘tear’ of that mother, and every ‘error’ of that father. I thought, in this world, there’s no ‘virus’ bigger than ‘digital divide,’ and no ‘cyber attack’ bigger than ‘hunger.’ And finally, I could only say, “Oh, ‘online life,’ what a ‘business model’ you have, where a mother’s ‘like’ and a father’s ‘subscription’ are sold in the ‘dark web’!”
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ Cultivating Goodwill – A Quiet Revolution of the Heart ☆
In a world rushing towards achievement and noise, there lies a gentle strength in pausing… and wishing well.
Inspired by the luminous teachings of Shantideva, here’s a serene reminder —
All the joy in this world springs from wishing happiness for others.
All the misery comes from chasing it only for ourselves.
These verses stir the soul:
*
“All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others.
All the misery the world contains,
Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.”
*
“May beings everywhere who suffer,
Torment in their minds and bodies,
Have, by virtue of my merit,
Joy and happiness in boundless measure.”
*
“May every being ailing with disease,
Be freed at once from every malady…
May every sickness that afflicts the living,
Be wholly and forever absent from the world.”
*
A Simple Practice – Metta Bhavana (Loving-Kindness Meditation)
Here is a quiet, powerful exercise you can do today. Just thirty minutes – a gift to yourself and the world.
⇒ Choose a quiet time.
⇒ Inform those around you – no talking, no phones, no gestures.
⇒ Sit in stillness. Breathe deeply.
⇒ Let this gentle wish rise in your heart:
“May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.”
Send these thoughts like fragrant winds across land, water, and sky –
To those near you and far away, to humans, animals, birds, insects, trees…
To the whole living, breathing cosmos.
You will feel a soft smile blooming inside. Stress will dissolve.
And your heart – oh so quietly – will become kinder, lighter, and freer.
Because kindness begins within.
Because the world changes with the softest ripple of goodwill.
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 07: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
“There are these two kinds of happiness. Worldly happiness and spiritual happiness. Of these two kinds of happiness, spiritual happiness is foremost.”
Buddha
Spirituality means loving kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. A spiritual being harms no living being, performs wholesome deeds, and avoids unwholesome actions.
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Spirituality brings peace of mind, balances life, and generates compassion. You become a true human being, loving, and caring for those around you. You begin looking inward and develop empathy toward all beings of nature.
There is a growing body of evidence indicating that spiritual practices are associated with better health and wellbeing. Spiritual strength can help you overcome hardships.
Spirituality provides right view and right understanding of life. It gives spiritual insight into right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Inner wisdom steers us in the right direction. If you desire everlasting health and happiness, cultivate wisdom.
Nurturing and developing your spirituality may be just as important as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and building strong relationships. Taking the time to reconnect with what you find meaningful in life and returning to life’s big questions can enhance your own sense of connection with something larger than yourself.
All the religions of the world have spirituality at their core. Spirituality means loving kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. A spiritual being harms no living being, performs wholesome deeds, and avoids unwholesome actions.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. According to Dalai Lama, “Practicing compassion, caring for others, and sharing their problems, lays the foundation for a meaningful life, not only at the level of the individual, family, or community, but also for humanity as a whole.”
Spirituality may be expressed by working for a noble and worthy cause – taking care of the environment, conservation of wildlife, rescuing child labour, educating girl child, feeding hungry ones, and healing those who are suffering from misery and illness. The aim of spirituality is taking fellow human beings from misery to happiness and creating an environment of world peace and harmony.
CULTIVATING GOODWILL
The principal focus of the teachings of Shantideva is on cultivating a mind wishing to benefit other sentient beings. With an increase in our own sense of peace and happiness, we will naturally be better able to contribute to the peace and happiness of others.
Presented in the form of a personal meditation, but offered in friendship to whoever may be interested, the following verses from Shantideva prove extremely useful and beneficial to the mind:
“All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others.
All the misery the world contains,
Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.”
“May beings everywhere who suffer,
Torment in their minds and bodies,
Have, by virtue of my merit,
Joy and happiness in boundless measure.”
“May every being ailing with disease,
Be freed at once from every malady,
May very sickness that afflicts the living,
Be wholly and forever absent from the world.”
EXERCISE
Generating goodwill for the entire cosmos
Set aside thirty minutes of time for yourself any time of the day.
Observe silence – no talking, no gestures, no written communication. All devices completely shut.
Let those around you know that you would be observing silence for the next thirty minutes and that you should not be disturbed.
Silence brings peace of mind and quietens the mind.
Take a few deep breaths and relax.
Once you have settled down, bring this thought to your mind: May all be happy, peaceful, and free.
Send good vibes for all those around you and for all those who are far away.
Generate feelings of compassion for all living beings.
May all beings – on land, water, and air – be healthy, free of any ailments, and liberated from all bondages and pain.
Feel deep from your heart and wish health, happiness, and peace for the entire universe and all beings.
May all be happy!
You will feel relaxed, stress-free, and joyful.
This is known as metta bhavana – wishing good for all. You inculcate feelings of goodness, kindness, and compassion within yourself. Gradually your behaviour begins to change. You are not rude and angry. You become gentle and kind.
BE MINDFUL
Ajahn Chah has put it beautifully, “Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha.”
FOUR SUBLIME STATES
The four sublime states of mind are:
-Loving kindness,
-Compassion,
-Sympathetic Joy,
-Equanimity.
These four states are sublime because they are the right attitude, the ideal way of conduct towards living beings. They provide the answer to all situations arising from social contact.
The four sublime states remove all tensions. They make peace in social conflict, and they heal wounds that are suffered in the struggle of existence. Let us strive to dwell in these sublime states.
PURIFY YOUR MIND
One must take the first step toward spirituality sometime, somewhere.
The Dhammapada is an ideal place for taking the early, tiny steps. It is one of the most widely read books on spirituality. Its concise, crystalline verses are a thing of beauty and deep meaning. It is said in the Dhammapada:
“Abstain from all unwholesome deeds,
Perform wholesome ones,
Purify your mind.
This is the teaching of the Enlightened Ones.”
What are unwholesome deeds and what are the wholesome ones? Any action that harms others, that disturbs their peace and harmony is a sinful action, an unwholesome action. Any action that helps others, that contributes to their peace and harmony, is a pious action, a wholesome action.
Here are some more verses from the Dhammapada:
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought:
It is founded on our thoughts,
It is made up of our thoughts.
“If with an impure mind
you speak or act,
then suffering follows you,
as the cartwheel follows the foot of the draft animal.
“If with a pure mind
you speak or act,
then happiness follows you,
as a shadow that never departs.
“As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house,
Passion will break through an unreflecting mind.
“As rain does not break through a well-thatched house,
Passion will not break through a well reflecting mind.
“Burning now, burning hereafter,
the wrong doer suffers doubly.
Happy now, happy hereafter,
the virtuous person doubly rejoices.
“Watching his speech,
well restrained in mind,
let a man never commit any wrong with his body!
Let a man but keep these three roads of action clear, and he will achieve the way.”
Read some more verses from the Dhammapada, or any other scriptures you like, in a relaxed environment. Read the words again and again. Read between the lines. More is left unsaid than what is expressed in words by the sages. Stop, and think deeply, and apply them one by one to your life. Spirituality is values in action. Your life begins to transform.
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“Bhikkhus, there are these three purities. What three? Bodily purity, verbal purity, and mental purity.
” And what is bodily purity? Here, someone abstains from the destruction of life, from taking what is not given, and from sexual misconduct. This is called bodily impurity.
“And what is verbal purity? Here, someone abstains from false speech, from divisive speech, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter. This is called verbal purity.
“And what is mental purity? Here, someone is without longing, without ill will, and holds right view. This is called mental purity.
“These, bhikkhus, are the three purities.”
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha/ Bhikkhu Bodhi
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“Those who mistake the unessential to be essential,
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
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☆ Right Livelihood: Earning with Integrity in a Complex World ☆ Shri Jagat Singh Bisht ☆
In the grand mosaic of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path — that noble way leading to freedom and peace — lies a quietly powerful teaching: Right Livelihood.
At first glance, it may sound like just a moral checklist for choosing a job. But look a little deeper, and you’ll find that it holds a mirror to how we live, how we relate to others, and how our daily choices shape the world around us.
Right Livelihood simply asks: How do you earn your living? And does your work nourish the world — or quietly harm it?
In the Buddha’s time, this was radical wisdom. And even today, thousands of years later, it remains a question more relevant than ever.
More Than Just a Job:
We spend a good part of our waking life working — earning, building, producing, selling, managing. It’s how we provide for ourselves and our families. But it’s also how we contribute to society. The Buddha taught that while wealth in itself is not wrong, how it is earned matters deeply.
He laid down four simple conditions:
Earn it legally, not through unlawful means.
Earn it peacefully, without force or exploitation.
Earn it honestly, without cheating or misleading others.
And earn it in ways that do not bring harm or suffering to others.
This sounds simple. But in practice, it asks for tremendous awareness.
Occupations That Harm:
To make it crystal clear, the Buddha identified five types of livelihood to be avoided:
Dealing in weapons, which bring destruction and fear.
Dealing in living beings, including trafficking of humans or animals for harm.
Dealing in meat and butchery, where sentient life is taken for profit.
Dealing in poisons, which cause suffering to body and mind.
Dealing in intoxicants, which cloud the mind and ruin lives.
He also warned against dishonest means — trickery, fortune-telling for gain, deceit, and high-interest money lending that traps the poor.
Today, these categories still stand, though the contexts may have changed.
Take for example the marketing of addictive products — packaged with glossy labels and clever slogans — but at the cost of physical and mental health. Or apps designed to make people addicted to their screens while harvesting personal data. These may not involve knives or poison, but they chip away at well-being. Is this different, in essence, from causing harm?
Grey Zones of the Modern World:
The modern economy is full of grey zones. Not every questionable act is illegal, and not every legal activity is ethical. Some jobs are respectable on the surface, but behind the scenes may involve misleading others, exploiting trust, or damaging the environment.
For example:
A corporate professional might quietly manipulate numbers to meet targets.
A trader may overcharge customers, hiding behind jargon and fine print.
A factory may pollute a river, while sponsoring tree plantation drives for publicity.
The Buddha’s teaching invites us to look beyond appearances and ask, with honesty:
“Is my work rooted in compassion, fairness, and truth?”
Dignity in All Work — Done Right:
Right livelihood doesn’t ask you to change your career overnight or walk away from your responsibilities. It simply calls for awareness and ethics. Whatever your role — a teacher, artist, businessperson, farmer, driver, executive, shopkeeper, or homemaker — it is not the title that matters, but the values you bring into your work.
Are you honest with your time and effort?
Do you treat customers, colleagues, and staff with respect?
Do you resist the urge to exploit, manipulate, or deceive?
Do you bring conscience into your profit?
A shopkeeper who sells clean, good-quality goods without exaggeration is living rightly. A boss who rewards fairly, supports his workers, and doesn’t treat them as machines is living rightly. A service provider who listens, helps, and doesn’t overcharge is living rightly.
In contrast, a worker who idles away time, fakes productivity, or steals supplies is not.
In every job, there is the noble path and the harmful one. And the difference lies in small, daily choices.
For Employers, Employees, and All in Between:
The Buddha was deeply practical. He offered guidance for everyone:
Employers should assign work wisely, offer fair pay, promotions, rest days, and respect.
Employees should be sincere, dedicated, honest, and refrain from wasting time or resources.
Colleagues should foster teamwork, not rivalry.
Merchants should be fair and transparent, not misleading or greedy.
Even advertising, he said, should be truthful — not a clever spin that tricks the innocent.
A Quiet Revolution:
Choosing right livelihood is a quiet revolution. It doesn’t require placards or protests. It begins in the heart — with the courage to question one’s own work, and the willingness to change, if need be.
It takes strength to turn down easy money that comes from doing harm. But in that refusal lies the seed of real dignity.
When you earn with integrity, you sleep better, you live lighter, and you create ripples of trust around you. You uplift yourself and others. And you walk a path the Buddha smiled upon — a path of peace and purpose.
In Closing:
In a world that glorifies hustle and profit, the Buddha’s voice is a gentle whisper, reminding us that how we earn is as important as how much we earn.
He doesn’t ask us to become saints overnight — just better, more mindful humans. With each honest act, with each compassionate choice, we step a little closer to a life worth living.
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(We present an article ‘Morse Code of News…’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Door Darshan.)
☆ Morse Code of News… ☆ Shri Ajeet Singh ☆
(Tomorrow we will present Hindi version of this article.)
Somehow, I got my hands on the Morse codes of basic learning at schools and colleges and cleared the UPSC examination of the junior grade of the Indian Information Service. I arrived in Shimla on June 15, 1971, to learn the Morse code of news and broadcasting at my first job in the Monitoring Service of All India Radio.
On the very first day, I was quite puzzled that the term “stories” was being used for news. To me, stories were imaginative tales of dogs, cats, monkeys, bears, and lions—like the ones in the Panchatantra. How could accounts of people arguing, fighting, or discussing things be considered “stories”?
I didn’t dare ask anyone, fearing they might think I was a dumb person. I simply accepted it. Now, 54 years later, after reflecting, I feel there really isn’t much difference between stories of animals and those of humans. Especially after watching the prime-time debates on TV news channels—there’s hardly any difference.
Recently, I saw a viral joke on WhatsApp.
A man from the neighborhood asks a girl: “What job do you do?”
She replies, “I organize dog fights.”
The man, surprised, says, “What kind of job is that?”
She replies, “I’m a news anchor.”
Indeed, news has become synonymous with conflict. If everything is peaceful and cheerful, it’s not considered news. But if there’s a fight, abuse, violence, or destruction—the bigger the chaos, the bigger the news.
This obsession with news has replaced our grandmothers’ and mothers’ bedtime stories.
To understand news today, one must understand the ingredients that go into making it—fear, sensation, spying, drugs, sex, and whatnot. This is the Morse Code of news.
Thankfully, we were spared from having to learn all of it. Back then, All India Radio still believed in clean and truthful reporting. It still does today, but audiences have moved to private channels. The signal coverage may be 100%, but how many still tune in?
Mass media gets you addicted and then drains your pockets without you even noticing. Now even our minds are being stolen.
The Morse Code of social media these days is complex and twisted. Every citizen must be smarter than their smartphone. That’s what Professor Archana Singh from Panjab University, Chandigarh said in our recent webinar.
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I’m talking about a bygone era when news was sent via telegram, using Morse code.
At the risk of sounding self-praising, I must say—when I became a correspondent in the 1970s, rightly or wrongly, I felt it was the best job in All India Radio.
I interacted with prominent people, traveled across India and abroad, attended press conferences, interviews, had STD phones at home and office, bylines in national bulletins… no fixed office timings! File a story and head off—to the Press Club or anywhere else to relax, eat, or chat.
What more could one want?
Gradually, though, press notes and press conferences began to feel routine and boring. I started enjoying literary gatherings and cultural events. Literature began influencing my journalism. A certain refinement emerged in my writing. I adopted the literary style, though I never had to rely on imagination. As they say, “sometimes facts are stranger than fiction.”
In the field, I often encountered such facts—so vivid they seemed fictional. What I wrote weren’t stories, but reports.
At literary events, journalists were rarely present. They didn’t see any “news potential” there. But the grip that writers and poets had over words—that was something journalism often lacked. I started developing a taste for literature.
Journalism is often called hurried literature. But literature cannot be written in haste. It requires patience. Journalism is a race—who can break the news first. This race can make journalists frantic. Some even mess up reports or exaggerate them to ensure they get published, so news agencies don’t beat them, and they don’t face their editor’s wrath the next day.
In those days, All India Radio was the first to break news. That meant I had to stay extra alert. I realized over time that just collecting facts isn’t enough.
You have to write them in the traditional 5 Ws and 1 H format—or give it a personal touch as a voice cast. News management was essential too. One story had to be prepared in six different time zones—Early Morning, Late Morning, Early Midday, Late Midday, Early Evening, Late Evening. We had to find multiple angles for the same story—Voice Casts, Newsreels, Current Affairs, Spotlights, Morning Commentaries, Reviews.
Writing the intro—or the lead of a news story—is no easy task. Journalists suffer from “mental constipation” over it. They write, cut, and rewrite. Once the lead is ready, the rest becomes easier.
Understanding the Morse code of news takes time.
Reporting is also the process of writing contemporary history. A reporter is a witness to historical events.
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My field posting was in the state of Jammu & Kashmir—13 years in Jammu and around 6.5 years in Srinagar. I worked in difficult conditions. All in all, it turned out well. I was awarded Correspondent of the Year award by All India Radio and also received a Certificate of Merit.
The Newsroom of the News Services Division in Delhi is a peculiar place. Your service seniority doesn’t matter—only professional competence does. Senior officers might handle small bulletins while juniors might be Editors-in-Charge. The place is filled with brilliant people. Even a stenographer might shout at the News Editor saying, “Sir, there’s no ‘the’ before Parliament.” And if you ask why, you might hear, “Because it doesn’t work in English, sir.”
People used to dread attending DG Harish Awasthi’s news meetings. But he was a remarkable professional. Like school kids, we learned the art of news from him. Some got scolded harshly. Amid all this, the Morse code of news started becoming clearer.
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After retirement, I wondered what to do. No more press notes, no more press conferences—who or what would I report on?
I challenged myself—to report on the common man.
The person whose name, work, struggle, and achievements rarely make the news.
We started a small organization with 8–10 friends, called Vanaprasth Senior Citizen Club. We began organizing detailed self-introduction sessions of each member. I began writing engaging news features and sending them to local newspapers.
This continues even after 18 years. The organization now has nearly 140 members.
Strange thoughts come to mind. Moving memories well up in the heart. They compel me to write.
Articles like:
The House of Makhanlal Bekas..
The Punjabi Daughters of Harsinghpura: Why They Always Mention Their Village
In Memory of Chatrapal
The CRPF Girls in Srinagar
A Radio Announcer’s Railway Station
An Entire Family Born on August 15
Jingoism: On the Rise or on the Wane?
Pandit Jasraj Came to PilI Mandori Looking for Jasia
Remembering Father During Pitri Paksha
Sumitra Had Said…
Writing about your father or wife is both easy and hard. Who knows them better than you? But making such personal stories interesting for readers is difficult. There’s the issue of privacy too.
Sometimes I feel there’s a fundamental flaw in the evolution of human civilization—that we see news in bloodshed, conflict, death, and destruction, and sensationally promote it. But we fail to see news in laughing children, blooming flowers, and celebrating communities.
The kind of information circulated shapes the kind of society we become.
These days, everyone debates like TV anchors—full of rage and agitation.
Good news seems to have vanished.
I search for good news.
I believe every person has remarkable stories. If asked properly, they’re willing to share. That’s what I try to do within my limited capacity.
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For the past six years, I’ve been connected to several groups of talented people who give me immense love, encouragement, and inspiration.
The Morse code of news now seems to be gradually turning into the Morse code of writing.
The telegram system using Morse code is now extinct. New technologies have emerged. Writing styles are adapting to them. You can now speak in any script and get it typed on your phone and send it instantly.
My writing style has adapted accordingly. Some friends say—though my writing is about journalism, its style feels literary.
I want to hear your stories.
And I want to share mine.
The Morse code of news is fascinating, not dull.
It’s difficult, but also deeply enjoyable.
I tried to understand it and shape it my way.
⸻
Thank you, friend Vijay Dixit, the Deputy Director General of All India Radio (Retired) for giving me this new phrase: ‘The Morse Code of News.’
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra, known for his wit and wisdom, is a prolific writer, renowned satirist, children’s literature author, and poet. He has undertaken the monumental task of writing, editing, and coordinating a total of 55 books for the Telangana government at the primary school, college, and university levels. His editorial endeavors also include online editions of works by Acharya Ramchandra Shukla.
As a celebrated satirist, Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra has carved a niche for himself, with over eight million viewers, readers, and listeners tuning in to his literary musings on the demise of a teacher on the Sahitya AajTak channel. His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Telangana Hindi Academy’s Shreshtha Navyuva Rachnakaar Samman in 2021, presented by the honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao. He has also been honored with the Vyangya Yatra Ravindranath Tyagi Stairway Award and the Sahitya Srijan Samman, alongside recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and various other esteemed institutions.
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra’s journey is not merely one of literary accomplishments but also a testament to his unwavering dedication, creativity, and profound impact on society. His story inspires us to strive for excellence, to use our talents for the betterment of others, and to leave an indelible mark on the world.
Some precious moments of life
Honoured with ‘Shrestha Navayuvva Rachnakar Samman’ by former Chief Minister of Telangana Government, Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Honoured with Oscar, Grammy, Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi, Dadasaheb Phalke, Padma Bhushan and many other awards by the most revered Gulzar sahab (Sampurn Singh Kalra), the lighthouse of the world of literature and cinema, during the Sahitya Suman Samman held in Mumbai.
Meeting the famous litterateur Shri Vinod Kumar Shukla Ji, honoured with Jnanpith Award.
Got the privilege of meeting Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood, actor Aamir Khan.
Meeting the powerful actor Vicky Kaushal on the occasion of being honoured by Vishva Katha Rangmanch.
Today we present his सतिरे Chips, Clicks, and the Cry of Empty Pockets.
☆ Witful Warmth# 53 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ Chips, Clicks, and the Cry of Empty Pockets… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
Now, I reckon it was a balmy Hyderabad evening, as balmy as a politician’s promise on election eve, and there I was, a poor soul, traipsing through the labyrinthine alleys of the city, searching for a chip-set for my infernal smart-contraption. Started my pilgrimage at five bells, and by eight, my spirits were as low as a snake’s belly in a ditch. This here Hyderabad, it seemed to have declared a holy war on ‘technological contentment’. The tech-parks were disgorging human beings like a leaky faucet, and the fancy gadget shops, these vegan eating-houses, and these ‘co-working’ dens were packed tighter than a sardine can on a monsoon evening. The online gaming parlors, well, they had young’uns glued to ’em like flies to a honey pot, their futures, if you can call ’em that, gambled away on glowing screens. And my chip-set? Ha! That elusive little bugger was probably holed up in some dark corner of the internet, waiting for its price to soar higher than a balloon at a carnival, much like a startup investor waiting for his golden goose to lay an egg.
I mused, in this digital purgatory, perhaps a cup of organic green tea might just cleanse my weary soul. So, I ambled into a ‘hip’ café, but lo and behold, peace was as scarce as common sense at a political rally! My inner ‘social media influencer’—a beast I usually keep chained in the basement of my conscience—awoke with a start, ready to churn out ‘reels’ faster than a politician spins lies. It brought to mind ol’ Mark Zuckerberg’s edict: “Move fast and break things.” And by Jove, this chip-set scarcity was surely breaking the back of this city’s ‘fast-growth’ gospel, wasn’t it? A chuckle, dry as a desert bone, escaped my lips. What was I, if not a digital phantom, my online identity stuck in a perpetual ‘buffering’ loop? Was I, too, one of those poor fools trying to buy ‘coding’ with ‘no-code’ tools? Likely so! This city, bless its cotton socks, had a ‘subscription plan’ for everything under the sun, except for the common decency of human compassion. I felt like a bewildered soul lost in some infernal ‘metaverse,’ where every ‘avatar’ was haggling for its worth, and I, a mere ‘user,’ had naught but the relentless ‘scroll’ of my thumb. As I stepped out, a young lad, looking as if he’d been plucked from a ‘digital detox’ clinic, extended a hand, “Master, a data pack, if you please, may your internet flourish!” I swear, if I’d had a ‘gigabyte’ to spare, I’d have given it to him to change his miserable ‘connectivity,’ but all I had was a ‘story,’ a ‘thread,’ and a ‘meme.’
Now, my ‘thinking cloud’ was racing faster than a 5G download, and that young chap’s face was playing a ‘looping GIF’ in my mind’s eye. Twenty-five, maybe thirty years old, skinny as a rail, but with a peculiar ‘no-Wi-Fi’ glint in his eyes. Was he a ‘digital pauper’ or some ‘tech-savvy’ con artist? His threadbare T-shirt and worn-out jeans were mocking the very idea of a ‘smart-casual’ dress code. I fumbled in my pocket, hunting for a ‘five-hundred MB’ pack, felt like an ‘archaeologist’ digging for ‘deleted files’ in some ancient hard drive. When I finally unearthed that paltry ’50 MB plan’ from amidst a heap of leftover data packs, it felt like unearthing ‘data from a lost civilization.’ But when I looked up, the lad was gone! ‘Invisible User’ – I declared myself the accidental inventor of a new ‘cyber-crime’ narrative. Had he truly vanished, or was my ‘data-sharing’ speed so abysmal that he figured, “Bless me, by the time you fire up that ‘hotspot,’ I’ll have begged four more ‘free Wi-Fi’ zones dry!” A ‘battery-low’ icon zipped into a nearby alley, and my brain screamed – ‘Connected!’ It was him, my ‘data-saving-campaign’ hero! “Hey, here’s your data!” I hollered, but he had ‘notification-muted’ himself so thoroughly, it was as if some ‘tech giant’ had decided to ignore user privacy altogether. He slumped onto a large charging station, his back to me, his face buried in his hands. I thought, this ‘user’ ain’t no user, he’s a ‘digital depression’ victim. Elon Musk, he once famously declared, “We are in a future where ‘Teslas’ are driving on roads, but people are still walking.” But this ‘digital’ beggar, he was hiding his ‘disconnection’ like a dirty secret, as if someone had managed to ‘monetize’ his ‘un-plugged’ existence. Was this merely ‘data-hunger,’ or a living, breathing ‘digital satire’ of this very city?
Stepping down from the cafe, I felt like I’d stumbled onto the set of a ‘web-series’ gone wrong. Right there, in the middle of the alley, a young woman, wrapped in broken headphones, a year-old child cradled in her arms, and ‘touch-screen’ tears tracing paths down her face – it was a scene so ‘pixelated’ it made my ‘4K vision’ blur for a spell. She was weeping in ’emoji’ form, as if her tears held all the ‘bugs’ of this sprawling city. I watched as her sobs subsided, and she looked at me like a ‘QR code,’ then bowed, “Sir…” Suddenly, it clicked! This was that ‘content creator’ family I’d met two years back at a workshop, when we were all trying to go ‘viral.’ “Is that your ‘follower’?” I asked, and she, with a ‘yes, sir,’ began to weave her ‘life-story.’ I reckoned, if George Orwell had witnessed this, he might’ve ripped up his next ‘dystopian’ novel and started afresh right there. She was thin as a rail, like a ‘low-battery’ warning, and her husband’s ‘network bars’ were dangling precariously, as if threatening to ‘disconnect’ at any moment. I thought, this ain’t poverty, this is a live demonstration of the ‘digital divide.’ Without needing to ask, I understood their plight. ‘Content creators’ from a ‘tier-2’ town, chasing ‘views’ like a dog chases its tail, and I remembered that first time I saw their ‘low-resolution’ predicament, and my ‘like’ button had cried out in anguish. But now, my ‘heart’ was ‘un-liked,’ a ‘hardware’ so hardened, no ‘software’ could melt it. I figured, in this country, ‘digital destitution’ wasn’t a problem, it was just a ‘trending hashtag,’ and everyone was playing their part to perfection.
“After how many ‘videos’ did this ‘viral’ child come to us? Today, he yearns for a single ‘like.'” The young woman’s words echoed in my ears like the sound of a ‘buffering’ video. I looked at the child, plump as a fresh ‘download,’ but his state was like a ‘growing subscriber’ whose ‘channel’ had suddenly been ‘deleted.’ That ‘low-battery’ little one was sucking his thumb, and it dawned on me that he wasn’t sucking his thumb, but rather, the very ‘digital ethics’ of this society. I transferred a ‘digital transaction’ into her hand, and she took it as if I’d handed her the world’s largest ‘Bitcoin.’ “If there’s any ‘remote’ job, sahib, please get us one. We’ll both ‘freelance,’ we haven’t had ‘Wi-Fi’ connected for three days.” Three days! Good heavens, these folks were dying of ‘digital deprivation’ while I was here crafting ‘memes’! Harishankar Parsai, a wise old bird, once said, “In a country where you have the freedom to curse, you don’t need the freedom to speak the truth.” And I wondered, was I, too, engaged in ‘digital hypocrisy,’ merely for the sake of my ‘keyboard’ clatter? I told her, “Online jobs ain’t easy to come by. But anyway, meet me on ‘LinkedIn’ in a week.” And I handed over my ‘profile.’ The couple looked at me with ‘thank you’ ’emojis,’ but the husband’s face carried a ‘signal-loss’ kind of anguish that words couldn’t possibly capture. His eyes screamed, “I don’t need ‘online charity,’ I need ‘real’ work!” This wasn’t satire; it was an ‘Artificial Intelligence’ ‘glitch’ that had thoroughly scrambled all my ‘algorithms.’ I reckoned, in this country, there’s no ‘virus’ bigger than the ‘digital divide,’ and no ‘software update’ more crucial than ’employment.’
Wandering through the electronics market, my mind drifted back two years, to a time when I was hunting for ‘genuine accessories’ for my new ‘iPhone.’ A ‘fast charging’ hub stood ready, and after tucking my belongings into a ‘digital locker,’ I settled into the ‘experience zone.’ The view outside? On one side, phones with ‘broken screens,’ ‘repair shops,’ and mountains of ‘e-waste’ – a scene straight out of a ‘cyber-crime’ movie, only the ‘multimedia’ colors were a bit faded. On the other side, ‘dated operating system’ gadgets, with kids playing ‘games’ like ‘professional e-sports athletes,’ begging for ‘in-app purchases’ as if their ‘lifetime subscriptions’ depended on it. ‘Users’ who shelled out money for ‘in-game items,’ those kids would ‘hack’ and extract them in a flash. Their ‘pixel-by-pixel’ tapping after money felt like a painful ‘digital entertainment’ to me. I thought, these weren’t just kids; they were ‘data miners,’ diving into the ‘virtual world’ for their ‘bread-and-butter.’ In my ‘pocket Wi-Fi’ section, a ‘tech entrepreneur’ and an ‘influencer’ boarded, looking like ‘business partners.’ They seemed to have come from ‘Cyberabad,’ seeking ‘funding’ with promises. After being ‘hacked’ during a ‘pitching session,’ they were returning to their ‘startup’ in a ‘data-corrupted’ state. Outside the ‘incubator,’ their two ‘angel investors’ stood by, and the entrepreneur offered a ‘five thousand dollar’ ‘check.’ “Only five thousand dollars given… what about the rest?” The investor’s voice was like a ‘venture capitalist’ collecting his ‘equity.’ I thought, these aren’t just investors; they’re ‘digital money launderers’!
“What rest, we agreed on five thousand dollars,” the entrepreneur said, pointing to the ‘CEO’ standing nearby. “These five thousand dollars are fine for me, give him three thousand.” The influencer, standing beside him, chimed in, “…and three thousand dollars? I won’t even give a thousand. It was settled that you’d both get a total of five thousand dollars.” I thought, this wasn’t a ‘startup pitch’; it was a bargain at a ‘black market,’ where ‘equity’ had become a subject of negotiation. Her husband pulled out a thousand dollars and offered it to the other investor. He flatly refused to take it. “If it’s one cent less than three thousand dollars, we won’t take it. They even started returning the first five thousand.” The second investor, with a ‘download-failed’ tone, sneered, “From where will such ‘budget-conscious’ startups become ‘unicorns’?” His words struck me like a ‘ransomware attack.’ The entrepreneur ‘froze,’ and his wife, the influencer, showed rapidly changing ’emojis’ of distress. Suddenly, her ‘battery’ began to ‘overflow.’ Wiping tears with a ‘power bank,’ she cried, “Smash three thousand dollars on his face!” Those two ‘mock-CEOs,’ making money from such a vile act, grinned sheepishly and walked away. The ‘file transfer’ had also started, but her ‘screen’ wouldn’t stop weeping. Her husband tried to ‘debug’ her repeatedly, but she kept crying. In a frantic ‘error-message’ voice, she cried, “Did we come all this way to hear these words from such ‘fake-profile’ people?” I thought, this woman wasn’t just a woman; she was a victim of ‘digital fraud.’ I tried to ‘recover’ her ‘corrupted data’ with a few words, but my interference wasn’t appreciated. After a while, she ‘rebooted.’ I figured, in this country, even ‘Web-3.0’ demands its ‘fees,’ and if the ‘blockchain’ falls short, they threaten with ‘NFTs.’
In Hyderabad, they were ‘tech-workers.’ Both husband and wife worked ‘remotely.’ He wrote ‘code.’ She analyzed ‘data.’ They managed their household on a ‘fixed income,’ saving quite a bit. I thought, these folks were the true face of ‘New-Age India,’ living their ‘digital’ lives independently, without any ‘government schemes.’ They had been married for eight years but were ‘childless.’ The husband was indifferent to this, but the wife couldn’t be. She had been saving money for ‘IVF’ for a year. Although the husband didn’t believe in it, he came along for his wife’s sake. I thought, this wasn’t ‘medical tourism’; it was ‘biotech hope,’ which people sought in ‘clinics.’ From ‘online consultation’ to ‘Hyderabad,’ I kept talking to them. The husband and wife shared a deeply ‘chemical bond’ of love. Both thoroughly enjoyed their ‘digital’ journey. They gave money to every ‘charity link’ that came their way. From ‘delivery’ apps to ‘subscriptions’ and ‘premium features,’ they enjoyed buying everything. I thought, these people knew how to buy ‘happiness’ ‘online,’ even if it was ‘virtual.’ When we bid farewell upon reaching Hyderabad, it felt as if ‘connections’ of many years were now ‘disconnecting.’ I thought, in this country, people ‘follow’ each other as quickly as they ‘unfollow.’ The place where they were sitting was just a ‘Wi-Fi zone’ away. Knowing that at least today they would get food with the money I had ‘UPI’ed them filled me with immense satisfaction. I thought, my ‘digital benevolence’ had come alive, if only for a short while.
Suddenly, a young woman, with ‘scattered pixels’ in her hair, came running towards me, weeping. She stood before me, glaring like a ‘bug.’ I looked back at her, her eyes brimming with ‘errors.’ It was that same ‘content creator.’ “Sir, have you seen my ‘account’? Have you seen my ‘channel’?” “Your ‘account’! The one that was ‘deleted’?” “Yes, that one… someone ‘hacked’ it.” I blurted out, “It won’t go anywhere. Don’t worry, where’s your husband? Let’s report it to the ‘cyber cell’.” Comforting her, I started walking with her towards her ‘IP address.’ It was eight o’clock at night. There was no other ‘software,’ so I bought a ‘connection’ from an ‘expensive foreign VPN’ store and came to her house through the same ‘dark web’ route. There, her husband sat in a deplorable state, his head in his ‘hard disk.’ He looked at me like a ‘Blue Screen of Death.’ “I left the ‘channel’ with them to get ‘cloud storage.’ When I returned, it was gone,” she said. After that, she didn’t stay in front of me. Pounding her ‘mouse’ and ‘keyboard,’ she cried out… “My ‘viral’ child, where have you gone… Ha…” She ran into the ‘alley’ between the ‘phishing sites,’ questioning anyone carrying a ‘recovered account.’ Her wailing and lamenting grew louder and louder. “Let’s report it to the ‘cyber cell’,” I told her husband. “I’ve ‘scanned’ everywhere. I’ve also ‘complained’ to the ‘police’.” After staying there for five minutes, I started walking towards my house. After years of ‘networking,’ a ‘follower’ had been gained. Now, where had it ‘vanished’?” When my wife came to me, holding our son in her ‘tablet,’ I remembered that ‘data-lost’ child and the ‘suffering motherboard.’ I ‘zoomed’ in on the child and kissed him. Two days passed. An ‘app developer’ was shouting from outside. I called out to the ‘app developer’ and went out. The ‘app developer’ was none other than that ‘tech-worker’ from Secunderabad. He had arranged beautiful ‘apps’ in a ‘play store’ basket. Placing the ‘play store’ on a ‘laptop-like’ platform, I began choosing ‘apps.’ His lips trembled, his eyes welled up. “Did you find the ‘account’?” I asked. “It won’t be found.” “Why won’t it be found?” “The ‘account’ wasn’t ‘hacked’; this sinner sold it for fifty ‘dollars’.” “You sold the child’s ‘account’…” He sat on the ‘laptop,’ wiping his eyes, and said, “To save the child, she was ready to go ‘offline’ and die of hunger. Whatever ‘digital content’ she got, she’d give to the child. Even after giving so much, the child’s ‘data’ wasn’t full, sir…” “Then?” “Then I couldn’t find any other ‘loophole’ for income.” “A ‘dark web king’ from outside asked for the child. He promised good ‘profiling.’ Thinking it was for everyone’s good, I sold the ‘account.’ My wife doesn’t know about this.” I sighed. “This sinner sold the child with these very ‘clicks.’ I’m doing ‘app development’ with those very dollars. Every day I earn two-four ‘dollars.’ I’ve told my wife that you gave me money for ‘funding’ the business. If she finds out about selling the child, she’ll ‘system crash’ herself.” “How could your ‘moral algorithm’ allow this…? You got this ‘account’ by seeking ‘funding’ from ‘Cyberabad’?” I asked. Hearing my words, he just kept ‘buffering’ for a long time, as if that ‘loading’ contained every ‘click’ of that child, every ‘tear’ of that mother, and every ‘error’ of that father. I thought, in this world, there’s no ‘virus’ bigger than ‘digital divide,’ and no ‘cyber attack’ bigger than ‘hunger.’ And finally, I could only say, “Oh, ‘online life,’ what a ‘business model’ you have, where a mother’s ‘like’ and a father’s ‘subscription’ are sold in the ‘dark web’!”
☆😊 A Life Well-Laughed: A Journey of Joy, Duty, and Awakening 😊☆ Shri Jagat Singh Bisht ☆
☆
A Life Well-Laughed: A Journey of Joy, Duty, and Awakening
By Someone Who Still Thinks He’s a Schoolboy in Disguise
*****
All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others…
– Shantideva
*****
If life is indeed a stage, as the Bard declared, I suppose I’ve played my share of roles – a son, a student, a cricketer, a banker, a teacher, a laughter yogi, and, most importantly, a human being striving to become a little better each day. Sometimes, I’ve been Rama, bound by duty; sometimes Krishna, dancing through the lanes of joy. And now, in the golden evening of life, I find myself gently chuckling backstage, watching the drama unfold with a heart full of gratitude.
Act One: Of Frolic and Friendships
I was born in Jabalpur – a charming town nestled in the heart of India, known more for its marble rocks and misty mornings than for making headlines. But for me, it was the centre of the universe – the land of my first friendships, first bruises, and first cricket innings played with a stick and a rubber ball.
Childhood, as it is for many, was a simple affair. Studies and play held equal sway, and the thrill of winning a school quiz or hitting a six in the last over was unmatched. I now realise how much those tiny triumphs mattered, not just to me but to my parents – their eyes lit up with every certificate I brought home. Life, then, was an endless game of collecting stars, and I must say, I had quite the constellation.
But the most precious thing I earned wasn’t medals. It was friends. The kind you walk to school with, trade tiffins with, and swear lifelong brotherhood over shared comic books. Little did I know, these bonds would outlast report cards and cricket seasons.
Act Two: The Bat, the Book, and the Bank
My romance with cricket deserves a paragraph of its own. Blame it on Don Bradman’s The Art of Cricket, which I devoured like scripture. I learned early on that cricket wasn’t just a sport – it was a way to learn grace, discipline, humility, and yes, the art of laughing off a duck on the scoreboard.
While cricket gave wings to my spirit, academics grounded me. I was a diligent student, not particularly brilliant but deeply engaged. That sincere engagement, I believe, was the key to whatever little success I eventually found.
And then came youth – that dazzling, demanding phase of one’s life when the heart beats louder and dreams stretch higher. I joined the State Bank of India, not with a grand plan, but with the quiet resolve to serve honestly, support my family, and earn my keep. Thirty-five years passed like a well-paced test match. Each innings brought new learnings, new cities, and new people.
Life, in its mysterious wisdom, added another twist to my journey. I was chosen to be a faculty member in behavioural science at the bank’s learning centre. This was no ordinary training post – it was a portal to my deeper self. The Human Process Lab I underwent turned my question from “What do I do?” to “Who am I?” The answers were layered, tender, and sometimes delightfully confusing.
Act Three: Krishna in a Tie, Rama with a Smile
In truth, I lived a life of duality. There was the Krishna in me – playful, poetic, passionate about life. But life asked me to show up like Rama – responsible, measured, reliable. And that, in a way, was the beauty of it all. Life never lets you get too comfortable in one role.
It was during this phase that I also led the Citizen-SBI initiative, inspired by the powerful, luminous teachings of Swami Ranganathananda. Here, I discovered something profound – that duty is not a burden, but a privilege. That contribution isn’t an obligation, but a path to expansion. The more I gave, the more I grew.
Act Four: Of Laughter, Light, and Little Awakenings
Once our beloved son set out on his own path, my wife and I found ourselves asking – what now?
The answer came, appropriately, with a giggle. We embraced Laughter Yoga – not as a hobby but as a calling. Bringing smiles to faces, uplifting weary souls, and sharing joy with strangers became a shared mission. There is something disarmingly powerful about laughing with abandon. It melts away differences, dissolves stress, and makes you feel connected to every living being.
This newfound energy led me to dive deeper into Positive Psychology, Yoga, and Spirituality. These were not mere interests – they were soul-companions. They whispered to me truths I had sensed all along: that happiness is not out there, but within; that mindfulness is not an escape but a coming home.
Epilogue: Contentment – The Final Frontier
Now retired, I live what I call my ‘second innings’ – one where the scoreboard doesn’t matter. I walk more. I sing more (sometimes off-key, but joyfully). I read, reflect, and try to share whatever little wisdom I’ve gathered along the way.
I don’t harbour regrets. Life has been generous. My school nurtured my roots. My bank gave me wings. My family – oh, my family – they’ve been the sunshine on my path. Friends have stayed loyal, and even those who drifted left behind warm footprints in memory.
And while I haven’t attained enlightenment like the great Buddha, I have had my “little awakening.” I’ve realised that giving, laughing, serving, loving – these are the real treasures. And the best part? There’s no end to them.
So here I am – a lad in a retired man’s body – grinning like a child who just stole a mango. If I have one wish now, it is this:
May all be happy.
May all be peaceful.
May all be free of worry.
And may we all – in our own sweet time – find our own little awakening.
“Life’s a stage,” they said.
Well, I’ve danced a little, cried a little, laughed a lot –
And now, I sit in the wings, humming my song,
Waiting for the curtain to fall – with contentment in my heart
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness:Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 06: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
FLOURISH, DO NOT LANGUISH
“We can all say “yes” to more positive emotion. We can all say “yes” to more engagement. We can all say “yes” to better relationships. We can all say “yes” to more meaning in life. We can all say “yes” to more positive accomplishment. We can all say “yes” to more well-being.”
Martin Seligman
People flourish when they experience a balance of positive emotions, engagement with the world, good relationships with others, a sense of meaning and moral purpose, and the accomplishment of valued goals.
Flourishing is the experience of life going well – a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively. It is the opposite of languishing – living a life that feels hollow and empty.
If you have experienced the positive emotions of gratitude, forgiveness, contentment, mindfulness, hope, and optimism, you are closer to flourishing than a person who has just enjoyed the fleeting pleasures of life.
Flourishing is not just a simple measure of happiness or life satisfaction or positive thinking. It is a state where people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning, and positive social functioning, most of the time.
Positive relationships are at the core of a flourishing life. The richest source of happiness in life are other people. If we could build good relationships with them, we would be much happier.
You can be happier if you cultivate good relationships with your family, friends and even strangers whom you meet in your day-to-day life. A warm greeting, an authentic conversation and a goodbye full of loving care can work wonders.
Happy people are good at their friendships, families, and intimate relationships.
EXERCISE
What went well?
Each night before going to sleep, write down three things that went well during the day, that made you happy or things for which you are grateful.
These may be small things or important ones.
Doing this exercise regularly can help you appreciate the positive in your life rather than take it for granted.
You can do this exercise on our own or with a loved one – a partner, child, parent, sibling, or close friend.
Expressing gratitude together can contribute in a meaningful way to the relationship.
You will be less depressed and feel happier.
VIRTUES AND STRENGTHS
Almost all traditions and cultures across the globe endorse six virtues – wisdom and knowledge, courage, love and humanity, justice, temperance, and spirituality and transcendence. There are several distinct routes – the strengths of character – to each of these virtues.
Curiosity or interest in the world, love of learning, judgement, critical thinking, open-mindedness, ingenuity, originality, practical intelligence, street smarts, social intelligence, personal intelligence, emotional intelligence, and perspective are routes to the virtue cluster of wisdom and intelligence.
Valour, bravery, perseverance, industry, diligence, integrity, genuineness, and honesty are routes to the virtue of courage. The virtue of humanity and love may be reached through kindness, generosity, loving, and allowing oneself to be loved.
The strengths of justice show up in civic activities and may be exhibited by citizenship, duty, teamwork, loyalty, fairness, equity, and leadership. Temperance refers to the appropriate and moderate expression of your appetites and wants. It may be achieved by self-control, prudence, discretion, caution, humility, and modesty.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, optimism, future-mindedness, spirituality, sense of purpose, faith, religiousness, forgiveness, mercy, playfulness, humour, zest, passion, and enthusiasm are the routes to the virtue of transcendence.
We possess these strengths of character to a lesser or more degree but some of these strengths are well pronounced and in abundance. We enjoy exhibiting these strengths and they come naturally to us. They are our signature strengthens and we must use them more and more, again and again in the mansions of life – work, love, and parenting.
AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS
To flourish, an individual must be authentically happy – experiencing positive emotions, deep engagement, and meaning in life. This means access to the pleasant life, the engaged or good life, and the meaningful life.
‘Pleasure’ and ‘gratification’ are two different words that are sometimes used interchangeably. Eating an ice-cream or getting a massage are examples of pleasure, while playing football or doing an act of kindness are examples of gratification.
Gratitude, forgiveness, savouring, mindfulness, optimism, and hope are some of the positive emotions that we can feel. A life that successfully pursues the positive emotions about the past, present, and future is the pleasant life.
If you want to be happy, you must discover your signature strengths and put them into action. Using your signature strengths to obtain abundant gratification in the main realms of life is the good life.
A meaningful life is a life of meaning. Using your signature strengths and virtues in the service of something much larger than you are is the meaningful life. To live all three lives is to lead a full life.
Positive emotion is good for happiness but engagement in meaningful work helps you flourish. Happiness is the experience of positive emotions like joy and ecstasy along with a feeling that life is meaningful and worthwhile.
Gratitude helps us build new relationships and strengthen existing ones. It dissolves anger, bitterness, and jealousy. Gratitude is a meta strategy for happiness. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude to be happier in life.
According to Edward Deiner, “Happiness doesn’t just feel good. It is good for you and for society. Happy people are more successful, have better relationships, are healthier and live longer.”
Apart from experiencing positive emotions, one must be engaged in a creative pursuit, and have a purpose in life. If you have an engaged and meaningful life, you are experiencing flourishing in life.
The individual must also have a positive outlook of life, full of hope and optimism, coupled with positive relationships and strong social support system. The person must always strive for positive accomplishments in life that become foundation stones for lasting happiness.
A person who has strived for positive accomplishments experiences authentic happiness and a greater sense of well-being.
THE MAGIC TRIANGLE
People that exhibit flourishing are engaged in social participation and people that are engaged in social participation exhibit flourishing. Along with personal achievement in their life, they also focus on civic duty and social engagement. According to Stefan Klein, “A civic sense, social equality, and control over our own lives constitute the magic triangle of well-being in society.”
To flourish, an individual must also have a good measure of self-esteem, vitality, resilience, and self-determination. We must learn to be resilient in handling day-to-day problems that are common and thinking more realistically and flexibly about the problems we encounter.
Flourishing is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You must get the conditions right and then wait. Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger.
Jonathan Haidt has expressed it succinctly, “It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge. Happiness requires changing yourself and changing your world. It requires pursuing your own goals and fitting in with others.”
WHAT IS FLOURISHING?
Happiness is a thing and well-being is a construct. For example, weather is made up of elements like temperature, humidity, windspeed, barometric pressure, and the like.
Martin Seligman, known as the father of Positive Psychology, developed the PERMA model, which identifies the five things necessary for wellbeing. PERMA stands for positive emotion (P), engagement (E), relationships (R), meaning (M) and achievement (A).
If you are looking to increase the amount of happiness in your own life and on the planet, then your goal, perhaps, is authentic happiness. but, if you are looking to increase the amount of flourishing in your life and on the planet, your goal is well-being.
Please spare a while and answer the following questions honestly:
Taking all things together, how happy would you say you are?
Do you love learning new things?
Do you generally feel that what you do in your life is valuable and worthwhile?
In general, do you feel very positive about yourself?
Are you always optimistic about your future?
When things go wrong in your life, do you bounce back to normal soon?
Are there people in your life who really care about you?
Your answers to these questions are indicative of the following features of your personality:
Positive emotion
Engagement, interest
Meaning, purpose
Self-esteem
Optimism
Resilience
Positive relationships.
Based on their research in each of the twenty-three European Union nations, Felicia Huppert and Timothy So of the University of Cambridge have defined flourishing. According to them, to flourish an individual must have all the core features – positive emotions, engagement, and meaning – and three of the six additional features – self-esteem, optimism, resilience, vitality, self-determination, and positive relationships.
According to their findings, Denmark leads Europe, with 33 percent of its citizens flourishing. The United Kingdom has about half that rate, with 18 percent flourishing; Russia sits at the bottom, with only 6 percent of its citizens flourishing.
When individuals flourish, health, productivity, and peace follow. According to an estimate, 51 percent of the people of the world will be flourishing by the year 2051.
“It is all too commonplace not to be mentally ill but to be stuck and languishing in life.
“Positive mental health is a presence: the presence of positive emotion, the presence of engagement, the presence of meaning, the presence of good relationships, and the presence of accomplishment.
“Being in a state of mental health is not merely being disorder free; rather it is the presence of flourishing.”
Flourish / Martin Seligman
“By happiness I mean a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being. Happiness is also a way of interpreting the world, since it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.”
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
