English Literature – Article ☆ Book Excerpt: CULTIVATING HAPPINESS ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Author, Blogger, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Founder: LifeSkills, Behavioural Science Trainer, and National Science Talent Scholar. He is a Laughter Yoga Master Trainer of international repute and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has published eight books on the subject of happiness.)

? Book Excerpt: CULTIVATING HAPPINESS: A Guide to Practices that do Wonders ☆ Jagat Singh Bisht ? .

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(Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht)

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Book Excerpt

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 Prologue:

“Change in the world always begins with an individual who shares what he or she has learned and passes it on to others.”

-Dalai Lama

Do you seek health, happiness, and peace? Would you like to increase your well-being and flourish?

Would you mind exploring a happy state of mind called flow, the feeling of complete engagement in a creative or playful activity?

Do you value gratitude, meaning, and better relationships, and want an abundance of these in your life?

The good news is that all this is possible. You can learn these skills to make your life happier.

This book takes you on a pathway to authentic happiness, well-being, and a meaningful life.

It will equip you with sustainable scientific and spiritual tools to cultivate a happy and fulfilling life with a greater sense of well-being.

LIFE SKILLS FOR AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS

To experience authentic happiness, you need to have a true understanding – scientific as well as spiritual – of happiness and practise exercises – like yoga, meditation – for well-being.

This book outlines twelve sets of proven practices that are known to bring health, happiness, and peace.

You will find a brief description of each of the practices, step by step instructions on how to perform them, followed by deep insights into them from experienced practitioners.

Some of the practices – like yoga – are exercises to be done on a regular basis, while the remaining – like spirituality – are essentially programmes that run at the back of your mind.

You may choose as many practices as you wish and add to your repertoire to enrichen your experience of life.

It is not necessary to learn all the skills at one go and practise them. You may learn the skills one by one at your own pace and develop a fit that suits you.

You will slowly discover the activities that suit your temperament and requirement.

THE FOUNDING PILLARS OF WELL-BEING

Taking care of body, mind and spirit is of utmost importance. It is like a tripod. All limbs must be equally strong for balance and harmony. We need to transform the entire experience of life by taking care of all the relevant dimensions – physiological, psychological, and spiritual.

This work is the result of years of deep study and practical sessions with people from all walks of life. A holistic approach that carefully blends the best of positive psychology, laughter yoga, yoga, meditation, and spirituality, evolved over time:

Positive psychology is the science of happiness. It provides authentic understanding of happiness and well-being and dispels myths and wrong notions about happiness. It is a treasure trove of evidence-based happiness-increasing strategies from which one may choose activities suitable for oneself.

Laughter yoga combines laughter exercises with yogic breathing. It is instrumental in oxygenation of the body, strengthening immune system, and stress relief as feel-good hormones known as endorphins are generated during the process.

Yoga can do wonders for your health by stimulating endocrinal systems and taking care of neuro-muscular systems. It is suitable for modern day lifestyle diseases and brings about body-mind union.

Meditation is an invaluable tool for calming, concentration, and purification of the mind. It clears clouds and lets you seek wisdom.

Spirituality provides right view and right understanding of life. It gives spiritual insight into right speech, right action, and right livelihood.

After years of deep study and practical sessions, we believe that the practice of yoga, meditation, and laughter yoga along with fundamental understanding of positive psychology and spirituality can lead you to lasting happiness and peace.

Wish you a happy journey into the realms of health, happiness, and peace!

“Positive Psychology takes seriously the bright hope that if you find yourself stuck in the parking lot of life, with few and only ephemeral pleasures, with minimal gratifications, and without meaning, there is a road out. This road takes you through the countryside of pleasure and gratification, up into the high country of strength and virtue, and finally to the peaks of lasting fulfilment, meaning, and purpose.”

-Dr Martin Seligman

1

HAPPINESS

Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.

-Aristotle

Are you seeking authentic happiness? Do you want to enhance your well-being and flourish? Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.

Everyone seeks happiness in life. No one desires misery. Twenty-three hundred years ago, Aristotle said that different men seek after happiness in different ways and by different means, and so make for themselves different modes of life.

According to positive psychologists, 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.

Does happiness reside within us or in the outside world? That is a baffling question to which Jonathan Haidt gives a beautiful response, “Happiness comes not just from within or even a combination of internal and external factors, happiness comes from “between”.

“Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to survive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger.

“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.”

It is true that we all have a genetic set point of happiness built into us and we are as happy or unhappy in our life as were our parents and grandparents during their lives.

Some happiness also depends on the circumstances of life – whether married or single, social relationships, money, age, religion, living in a democracy or under military dictatorship, etc.

But the good news is that about forty percent of happiness is under our voluntary control and depends on the intentional activities that we choose to do in life. This is important – up to 40% happiness is within your power to change!

Action and activity are the keys to happiness in your life. Positive psychology tells us of several evidence-based scientific exercises that bring more happiness and positivity. These are called happiness activities.

CREATING YOUR HAPPINESS

Happiness lies in activities.

All activities may not lead to happiness but there is no happiness without activity. You can create your own happiness by voluntarily engaging in activities like exercise, yoga, meditation, helping someone, being kind, expressing gratitude, and savouring life’s little pleasures.

Happiness activities like Expressing Gratitude, Nurturing Social Relationships, Increasing Flow Experiences, Practicing Yoga, and Meditation are known to increase your level of happiness.

Here are some evidence-based, scientifically proven, exercises that make you happier. Choose the activities that you like and practice them regularly. You will feel happier!

HAPPINESS ACTIVITIES:

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.

Have A Beautiful Day

Set aside a free day every month to indulge in your favourite pleasures.

Pamper yourself.

Have a beautiful day.

Design, in writing, what you will do from hour to hour.

Be mindful and savour every moment of the beautiful day.

Do not let the bustle of life interfere and carry out the plan.

The Gratitude Visit

Select one important person from your past who has made a major positive difference in your life and whom you have never fully expressed your thanks.

Take your time to compose a testimonial just long enough to cover one laminated page.

Travel to that person’s home.

It is important to do this face to face, not just in writing or on the phone.

Do not tell the person the purpose of the visit in advance; a simple “I just want to see you” will suffice.

When all settles down, read your testimonial aloud slowly, with expression, and with eye contact.

Then let the other person react unhurriedly.

Reminisce together about the concrete events that make this person so important to you.

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.

Simplify

Answer the following questions:

Where can I simplify?

What can I give up?

Am I spending too much time on the internet or watching TV?

Can I reduce the number of meetings at work or the duration of some of the meetings?

Am I saying “yes” to activities to which I can say “no”?

Commit to reducing the busyness in your life.

Simplify, slow down, be kind. And do not forget to have an art in your life – music, paintings, theatre, dance, and sunsets.

Practicing Acts of Kindness

True happiness consists in making others happy.

In our daily lives, we all perform acts of kindness for others.

These acts may be large or small and the person for whom the act is performed may or may not be aware of the act.

Examples include feeding a stranger, donating blood, helping a friend with homework, visiting an elderly relative, or writing a thank-you letter.

Over the next week, try to perform at least three acts of kindness that you may decide.

Learning to Forgive

This exercise involves letting go of your anger, bitterness, and blame by writing, but not sending a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt or wronged you.

In it describe in detail the injury or offence that was done to you.

Illustrate how you were affected by it at the time and how you continue to be hurt by it.

State what you wish the other person had done instead.

End with an explicit statement of forgiveness and understanding – e.g. “I realize now that what you did was the best you could at the time, and I forgive you”.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY AND SOUL

Taking care of the body and soul is of utmost importance for happiness and well-being.

Everyone knows that physical exercise is good for health. But positive psychologists have discovered that physical exercise enhances your level of happiness and well-being.

Go for long walks, trek, jog, gym, practice yoga, swim, play basketball, or learn the martial arts. It will not only improve your health and fitness, but it is also good for your overall well-being.

Exercise reduces depression, anxiety, stress, and panic; it betters mental processing, creates longer life, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system.

Research demonstrates that exercise may be the most reliable happiness booster of all activities.

Acting like a happy person also makes you happy – seems strange but it is now scientifically proven. So, go join a laughter club and laugh for no reason. The body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter and you get an instant mood boost.

Meditation relaxes the body and mind and brings peace. It takes care of your mind, body, and soul. When you are relaxed and peaceful, there is no tension of mind and no tension of body. You are fully stress free and can concentrate upon whatever you do.

Scientists have also found that practising religion and spirituality makes one happy. You may have your own ways of prayers, meditation, or any other rituals.

Overthinking and stress are harmful for your health and reduce your happiness.

Overthinking is thinking too much, needlessly, passively, endlessly, and excessively pondering the meanings, causes, and consequences of your character, your feelings, and your problems. If you want to be happy, avoid overthinking and social comparisons.

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with so high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense,” recommends Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Stress is a major contributing factor in lifestyle diseases. Choose stress management techniques like mindfulness of breathing, vipassana or transcendental meditation for coping with stress.

Savour the positive experiences in your life. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”

Have an optimistic approach about future to be happy. Looking at the bright side, finding the silver lining in the cloud, noticing what is right rather than focussing on what is wrong, having positive friends and avoiding the negative ones, giving yourself the benefit of doubt, feeling good about your future and future of the world, or simply trusting that you can get through the day – all are strategies for cultivating optimism.

Do not spend your free time mindlessly. Choose an active pursuit of happiness over passive hedonism. Instead of doing nothing, watching TV, after returning from work, turn to your hobbies, or other activities that challenge you. You may also think of spending quality time with your near and dear ones, finding time to call upon someone not keeping well, or having an engaging conversation with old friends.

Happiness Mantra

Do yoga and meditation every morning or go for a walk in the park and exercise.

Smile and be kind to all.

Spend quality time with family and friends.

Engage deeply in work, study, play, love, and parenting.

Connect with a meaningful cause.

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Happiness does not just feel good. It is good for you and for society. Happy people are more successful, have better relationships, are healthier and live longer.

Psychological wealth includes life satisfaction, the feeling that life is full of meaning, a sense of engagement in interesting activities, the pursuit of important goals, the experience of positive emotional feelings, and a sense of spirituality that connects people to things larger than themselves.

It appears that the way people perceive the world is much more important to happiness than objective circumstances.

-Edward Deiner

People generally have the misconception that, to be successful, they must postpone their happiness. Ironically, what research is showing is that happiness is the fast track to success. If, instead of overworking and burning out, you take time to relax, to cultivate calmness, to stay present, and to be compassionate to yourself and others, you will be more productive, more resilient to stress, more charismatic and influential, and more creative and innovative.

-Emma Seppala

Those who seek happiness in pleasure, wealth, glory, power, and heroics are as naive as the child who tries to catch a rainbow and wear it as a raincoat.

-Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

We cannot reach happiness by consciously searching for it. It is being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly. The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.

-William Morris

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Unless there is inner peace, you will not experience happiness. If your mind is serene and calm, it is possible for this inner peace to overwhelm a painful physical experience. But if you suffer from any form of emotional distress, then even while enjoying physical comforts, you will not be able to experience the happiness that these could bring.

-Dalai Lama

Happiness does not just exist in the present but also can be drawn from past events. Try savouring past successes, enjoyable experiences and other golden memories by making a habit out of looking at memorabilia or trading stories with a spouse or friends.

You will be surprised to find that you can draw actual happiness– right now– from events that have taken place long ago. Rather than looking for increased happiness in a better future you can mine your past experiences to pay out happiness dividends!

-Ed Diener & Robert Biswas-Diener

We are partly responsible for the happiness or unhappiness we experience. We can all make ourselves happier.

The still and the harmonious mind is happy and joyful; the unhappy, disturbed, or violent mind is never still. Mindfulness, contemplation, meditation, and prayer are pathways to greater stillness.

Kindness and goodness make us happier: selfishness and unkindness make us unhappy now or in the longer term. It is inevitable.

Letting go of attachments to possessions, thoughts and feelings, especially in the ‘second half’ of our lives, is the way to the joy and reality that lie beyond happiness.

-Anthony Seldon

Contrary to what most of us believe, happiness does not simply happen to us. It is something that we make happen.

-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.

-William James

Happiness is a deep sense of flourishing, not a mere pleasurable feeling or fleeting emotion but an optimal state of being.

-Matthieu Ricard

Happiness does not come automatically. It is not a gift that good fortune bestows upon us and a reversal of fortunes takes back. It depends on us alone.

One does not become happy overnight, but with patient labour, day after day. Happiness is constructed, and that requires effort and time. In order to become happy, we have to learn how to change ourselves.

-Luca & Francesco Cavalli-Sforza

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.

The enjoyments of life are sufficient to make it a pleasant thing, when they are taken en passant, without being made a principal object. Once make them so, and they are immediately felt to be insufficient. They will not bear a scrutinizing examination.

Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so. The only chance is to treat, not happiness, but some end external to it, as the purpose of life.

Let your self-consciousness, your scrutiny, your self-interrogation, exhaust themselves on that; and if otherwise fortunately circumstanced you will inhale happiness with the air you breathe, without dwelling on it or thinking about it, without either forestalling it in imagination, or putting it to flight by fatal questioning.

-John Stuart Mill

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Happiness Formula?

The Happiness Formula is

H = S + C + V

The enduring level of happiness that you experience (H) is determined by your biological set point (S) plus the conditions of your life (C) plus the voluntary activities (V) you do.

50% of the happiness depends on the genes you have inherited (S) and is called the biological set point, 10% on the circumstances of your life (C) such as money, marriage, social life, health, education, climate, race, gender, and religion; and 40% on the voluntary activities (V) that you undertake.

What is the PERMA Theory of Well-being?

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).

What is the AIM Model of Happiness?

Psychologists Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener propounded the AIM Model of Happiness.

Attention: Pay close attention to the good things that happens to you.

Interpretation: Try to interpret the experiences in positive light. Look for the positive whenever you can.

Memory: Peg the positive events to your memory. Paint positive mental pictures of your experiences.

REFERENCE BOOKS

FLOURISH: A New Understanding of HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING – and How to Achieve Them by Martin Seligman.

AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D.

THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt

THE HOW OF HAPPINESS: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

HAPPIER: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph. D.

“Through daily physicality and other lifestyle choices we have the power to make ourselves happier.”

-Christopher Bergland

2

ENGAGEMENT

If you observe a really happy man, you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert.

-Walter Beran Wolfe

Do you remember being totally engrossed in an activity – reading an absorbing book, trekking inside a beautiful forest, or playing with children – forgetful of yourself and the surroundings, when time stood still? This optimal experience is known as flow. Would you like to have more flow experiences in your life?

Happiness is a flowing river – a river that flows continuously – it is not a stagnant pool.

Happiness consists in activity – go for a long walk, exercise, do yoga, meditate, sing, dance, paint, play football, swim, travel, or learn a new skill.

Whatever you do, engage fully. Go deep into it – immerse yourself fully.

Just like a musician – who forgets himself, is oblivious of the surroundings and time, and ultimately becomes one with the musical instrument and the music.

Engage deeply – be it play, work, love, or parenting. And experience flow.

When you are in flow – deep into music, play, work, reading, or smiling with your child – oblivious of time and self, you are in heaven.

Flow is total absorption in an activity – you lose sense of time and self.

What more could you ask for when you are fully present, immersed in something worthwhile, and there is an exhilarating feeling of transcendence?

THE CONCEPT OF FLOW

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a professor at the Drucker School of Management in California. He has been involved in research on topics related to optimal experience or “flow”. During his studies, he tried to understand as exactly as possible how people felt when they most enjoyed themselves, and why.

His first studies involved a few hundred “experts” – artists, athletes, musicians, chess masters, and surgeons – in other words, people who seemed to spend their time in precisely those activities they preferred. From their accounts of what it felt like to do what they were doing.

Csikszentmihalyi developed a theory of optimal experience based on the concept of flow – the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.

Flow is what we feel when we are fully alive, involved with what we do, and in harmony with the environment around us. It is something that happens most easily when we sing, dance, do sports – but it can happen when we work, read a good book, or have a good conversation.

Flow is the psychology of optimal experience. During flow, people experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.

Let us listen to some of the people who have experienced flow:

“You are so involved in what you are doing, you are not thinking about yourself as separate from the immediate activity. You are no longer a participant-observer, only a participant. You are moving in harmony with something else you are part of.”

-ROCK CLIMBER

“You feel like there’s nothing that will be able to stop you or get in your way. And you are ready to tackle anything, and you do not fear any possibility happening, and it’s just exhilarating.”

-CYCLIST

“You are not aware of the body except your hands – not aware of self or personal problems. If involved, you are not aware of aching feet, not aware of self.”

-SURGEON

“Concentration is like breathing: You never think of it. The roof could fall in and, if it missed you, you would be unaware of it.”

-CHESS PLAYER

“Two things happen – after it is passed, (time) seems to have passed really fast. I see that it is one o’clock in the morning and I say, ‘Ah-ha, just a few minutes ago it was eight o’clock.’ But then while I am dancing… it seems like it’s been much longer than it really was.”

-SOCIAL DANCER

“Do it for the satisfaction it gives. This is what I tell my students. Don’t expect to make money, don’t expect fame or a pat on the back, don’t expect a damn thing. Do it because you love it.”

-COMPOSER

HOW TO EXPERIENCE FLOW

The experience of flow makes our life richer, more complex, and intense.

To experience flow, find an activity that you find interesting, that you love to do, that gives you a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. Do it with full concentration and absorption. Go deeper and deeper into it.

Engage fully to meet the challenges the task offers by upscaling your skills by continuous learning. Find ways and means to repeat the activity again and again.

Some activities are more conducive for flow experience and seem to have been designed for optimal experience, like singing, making music, rock climbing, games, sailing, and chess.

Yoga and the martial arts are activities that ingrain in us the control of body and its experience. They could be considered as the ultimate exercises leading to optimal experience and flow.

Csikszentmihalyi observes, “The similarities between Yoga and flow are extremely strong; in fact, it makes sense to think of Yoga as a very thoroughly planned flow activity. Both try to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which in turn is made possible by a discipline of the body.”

You may have an optimal experience with deep involvement in intellectual and scientific pursuits, including reading, writing and poetry, and work. If one finds flow in work, one is well on the way toward improving the quality of life. People who learn to enjoy their work, who do not waste their free time, end up feeling that their lives have become much more worthwhile.

Abraham Maslow coined and defined the term “plateau experience” as a sort of continuing peak experience that is more voluntary and one that requires a lifetime of long and arduous effort.

According to him, “Such people who appear to be in harmony with their lives often have moments of an extraordinary occurrence called ‘peak experiences’. These are profound moments of intense rapture and well-being, along with possibly the awareness of ultimate truth and the unity of all things. Accompanying them is a heightened sense of control over the body and emotions and a wider sense of awareness.”

WHAT MAKES FLOW ACTIVITIES ENJOYABLE

Why is playing a game enjoyable, while the things we have to to do every day – like working, waiting for the bus, or sitting at home – are often so boring?

Activities like sports and games, surfing, dance, and theatre make optimal experience easier to achieve. They have rules that require the learning of skills, they set up goals, they provide feedback, they make control possible.

They provide concentration and involvement by making the activity as distinct as possible from the mundane chores of everyday existence.

“For example,” Csikszentmihalyi describes, “In each sport participants dress up in eye-catching uniforms and enter special enclaves that set them apart temporarily from ordinary mortals. For the duration of the event, players and spectators cease to act in terms of common sense and concentrate on peculiar reality of the game.”

Such flow activities provide intensely enjoyable experiences. Because of the way they are constructed, they help participants and spectators achieve an ordered state of mind that is highly enjoyable.

Games offer ample opportunities to go beyond the boundaries of ordinary experiences. For example, in competitive sports – athletics, rugby, tennis – the participants are required to stretch their skills to meet the challenge provided by the skills of the opponents.

Any activity that transforms the way we perceive reality is enjoyable. Vertigo is the name given to activities that alter consciousness by scrambling ordinary perception. Small children love to turn around in circles until they are dizzy, girls have fun doing the merry-go-round, the whirling dervishes of Turkey go into states of ecstasy, a young biker experiences thrill doing the wheelie, sky diving is great fun for some, and others find bungy jumping super exciting.

Games of chance – dice, cards, bingo – are enjoyable because they give the illusion of controlling the inscrutable future.

Dancers wearing the masks of their Gods feel a sense of powerful identification with the forces that rule the universe. Activities in which alternative realities are created – dance, theatre, performing arts – turn out to be deeply engrossing for the participants as well as the spectators.

Csikszentmihalyi found that every flow activity, whether it involved competition, chance, or any other dimension of experience, had this in common: It provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality.

It pushed the person to higher levels of performance and led to previously undreamed-of states of consciousness. In this growth of the self lies the key to flow activities.

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside events, but rather on how we interpret them. Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any one of us can come to being happy.

The best moments in our lives are not passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen.

-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.

-Abraham Maslow

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is an autotelic experience?

An optimal experience is essentially an end in itself. Even if initially undertaken for other reasons, the activity that consumes us becomes intrinsically rewarding. Some surgeons speak of their work, “It is so enjoyable that I would do it even if I didn’t have to.”

“Autotelic” is made up from two Greek words, auto meaning self, and telos meaning goal. It refers to a self-contained activity that is done not with the expectation of some future benefit. But simply because doing itself is the reward. For example, teaching children to turn them into good citizens is not autotelic, but teaching them because one enjoys interacting with children is.

Csikszentmihalyi feels, “The autotelic experience, or flow, lifts the course of life to a different level. Alienation gives way to involvement, enjoyment replaces boredom, helplessness turns into a feeling of control, and psychic energy works to reinforce the sense of self, instead of being lost in the service of external goals.

“When the experience is intrinsically rewarding, life is justified in the present, instead of being held hostage to a hypothetical future gain.”

What is Vital Engagement?

Vital engagement is a relationship to the world that is characterized both by experiences of flow (enjoyed absorption) and by meaning (subjective significance). It is the end state of the deepening process of flow.

A writer is ‘swept away’ by a project, a scientist is ‘mesmerized by the stars’.  The relationship has subjective meaning: work is a ‘calling’. There is a strong felt connection between self and object. We call this vital engagement.

REFERENCE BOOK

FLOW: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

“Successful painters, dancers, poets, novelists, physicists, biologists, and psychologists seem to have crafted lives for themselves around a consuming passion. These are admirable lives, desirable lives, the sort that many young people dream of having when they look to these people as role models.”

-Jonathan Haidt

A Brief Description of the Book:

LEARN PRACTICES TO FIND MEANING, PEACE AND WELL-BEING

You can change your life if you have the right understanding and adopt proven practices for creating happiness. This is a comprehensive guide on the art of living and the science of being, based on years of study and practical sessions. It includes a step-by-step guide to twelve sets of exercises and a treasure trove of timeless wisdom.

The book is a unique confluence of positive psychology, laughter yoga, yoga, meditation, and spirituality. It is the right place for beginners to take the first steps and for the advanced learners to add more skills to their repertoire. You will experience cheerful health, authentic happiness, and everlasting peace once you adopt these practices.

(This book is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle formats.)

©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

LifeSkills

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.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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English Literature – Book-Review ☆ Garden of Fragility by Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ☆ Ms. Meera Bhansali ☆

(What’s life? It’s a garden of fragility. Nothing is permanent – be it murkiness, nothingness or happiness. Life is meant to take you through various paths during its journey, and you are ultimately meant to enjoy treading on them – for it is after all a garden and gardens are known for their fragrance. “The Garden of Fragility” is a collection of fifty poems written by Limca Book of Records Holder, Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra, that make you understand the different facets of life.)

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra)

☆ English Literature – Book-Review ☆ Garden of Fragility by Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ☆ Ms. Meera Bhansali ☆

Title : Garden of Fragility

Author : Neelam Saxena Chandra.

Publication : AKS publishing house.

Price : 175.00

Kindle Price: 49.00

Amazon Link – 👉  Garden of Fragility

Book review by Ms. Meera Bhansali

The Garden of Fragility is a collection of fifty heart whelming poems . The very first poem ” Poetry” touched me and I found an instant connection to it. The latter poems “Lovers”, “Carving a poem”, “A poet”, “Poetry”, “poems” resonated and defined what it is to be a poet. The poems are not in any particular sequence, they are like a bouquet of flowers that one would pluck from the wilderness and make an enchanting memento. The free verse  of the poems add to the free flowing thought process of the mind and there is a silent smoothness as one goes through them one after another. The poems are bounded, together in a very natural process by imagery of plants, garden and in general by nature.

Poems like ” The Sadhvi Speaks” brings out societies vulnerability due its superstitious beliefs. The poems all different but in unison driving home the point that as humans we are fragile and through up and downs , emotional roller coaster, one needs to go through it, face it head on and never give upon hope, the light that is within us. The collection ends with the apt poem “Sun in your soul”

“When the going gets tough,

Look within !”

After reading the poems, I did find my emotions fragile and understood the relevance of the title “The Garden of Fragility”

The language of the book is conducive for all age groups. The poetess has refrained from using bombastic language, making it a very simple yet impactful read. If you want to explore your own emotions then this monsoon, on a rainy day, with a hot cup of chai, this poetry book will definetly keep you melancholic company .

© Meera Bhansali

Email  – [email protected]

≈  Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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English Literature – Article ☆ Book Excerpt: Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht

☆ Book Excerpt: Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

Amazon Kindle Link: 👉  Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life

About the book:

This is a book on happiness, an autobiography, and a memoir that takes you for a journey on the pathway of authentic happiness, well-being, and a meaningful life. It gives you a new understanding of happiness and well-being and how to achieve them.
It takes a peek at my formative years, my work life, and my experiments with happiness. You will find, inside, a roadmap for a fruitful and fulfilling life, based on years of deep study and practical experience. It blends the best of positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga, and spirituality.
The book will enable you to discover new ways to flourish in life, find inner peace, and contribute towards enhancing well-being on this planet. You will gain tremendous insight into life and happiness. The new learning, investigation, and wisdom can catapult you into higher realms of existence! 

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Master Teacher: Happiness & Well-Being, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Author, Blogger, Educator, and Speaker.)

? Book Excerpt: Mission HAPPINESS: My Idyllic Life By Jagat Singh Bisht ? 

Childhood and adolescence are time for study and play. Small achievements make you happy and your parents proud. The first tiny steps out of home take you to new friends. Little do you know that you are building lifelong friendships. You have dreams in your eyes and immense potential within to accomplish whatever you desire in life.

I will begin my story from the very beginning. I still feel nostalgic about those days. That was the most beautiful phase of life. Some friends from the kindergarten days are still in close touch. We remember old deeds vividly and gleefully share them with each other. 

Jabalpur, where I was born and brought up, is located in the heart of India. In the 1950s and 60s, it was a sleepy town with a rustic feel. There were the beautiful marble rocks of Bhedaghat and old Madan Mahal fort. 

It was known for the ordnance factories and military establishments, including the Grenadiers and Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regimental centres. It had the majestic building of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and divisional headquarters of the Indian Railways. 

The Robertson College and Government Engineering College occupied a place of pride among several educational institutions in the town.

The people were warm, witty, and outspoken. Acharya Vinoba Bhave termed the town as sanskardhani, the cultural capital. Acharya Rajneesh, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Harishankar Parsai were steadily carving their niche during the time.

I was born in the year 1954 on the auspicious day of sharad purnima – the full moon day marking the end of monsoon season and celebrated as harvest festival in several parts of the country.  

My father came down from the Kumaon hills and set up a small business. He was simple, religious, and believed in ethical living. He moved barefoot and wore khadi. He was keen on our education which, he believed, would make us self-reliant. As for himself, he always dreamed of retiring to his birth place, Naula, on the banks of river Ramganga, after completing his worldly duties.

My first school was St. Joseph’s Convent, Ranjhi, Jabalpur. Our teachers in the school – Ms Johnson, Ms Stella, Ms Wilson, and Ms Anjali Banerjee – nurtured us with care. We learnt our first lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic and also in etiquette, manners, and discipline.

One morning, we had assembled for prayer, after which, Sister Jude summoned one of our classmates to the front. She asked sternly, “Why is your hair so long?” 

Then, she made him sit on a chair, took out scissors from the pockets of her tunic, and gave him a haircut. We felt amused and stunned.

Siqueira auntie’s stationery corner, just outside the school, was a place we visited almost every day to buy candy and toffees – orange candy and banta goli being the top favourites. We got our first drawing notebook, 4-line English handwriting notebook, and square-line arithmetic notebook from her.

On the other side of the school was a small church. After passing out from primary school, we went to St. Gabriel’s Higher Secondary School beyond the church. 

My fondest memories of childhood are from this school. Even before we had gone there, we had all heard about Dinkar sir. One could have loved him or hated him, but no one could ignore him. And he wouldn’t leave you alone either. He was just like an omnipresent policeman. You took one small wrong step, and you would find him staring down upon you. He was a sports lover and shared anecdotes about the West Indian cricketers and Brazilian footballers.

If I were to name one person from the school who has impacted my life the most, it would be Brother Frederick, my chemistry teacher. His unique way of teaching created love for Chemistry in me. 

We organized a science club, a magic club and a photography club. It was learning science by doing practical experiments. I remember assembling a telescope, a small radio transmitter, and designing a substitute for the Kipp’s apparatus. 

I assisted him in the Chemistry laboratory while at school and kept in touch with him till he left for heavenly abode. I revered him and he was always proud of me. 

When he was transferred from Jabalpur to Patna, we had gone to see him off at the railway station. I still remember, when the train started moving, I bid him good bye and started running on the platform along with the train and waving madly, with tears in my eyes. 

Under his guidance, I was selected as a national science talent scholar and got meritorious position in the Madhya Pradesh board examination. These achievements gave me confidence and earned respect for me.

The national science talent scholarship was prestigious. After clearing the written test, I went for the interview to Mumbai, along with Arunava Gupta and Pradip Mitra. We did a lot of sight-seeing and enjoyed our trip. 

The national council of educational research and training organized summer camps for us every year. I remember going to the university of Jaipur, Pachaiyappa’s college, Chennai, and Bhabha atomic research centre, Trombay, Mumbai.

Arunava went for further studies to the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), Columbia university, and Stanford university. He has published numerous scientific research papers as a professor at the university of Alabama.

Pradip also went to the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and completed his doctorate from the university of Boston. He has 26 patents in IR technology and is the senior director, advanced development at Leonardo DRS electro-optical and infrared systems, Colleyville, Texas.

The other teachers of the school whom I remember with a lot of respect are Ms Prem Kheda, Brother John Bosco, Brother Joseph, Ms O D’Souza, Ms Kulkarni, Khare sir, Sharma sir, Shukla sir, Chaudhary sir, Mehra sir, Lazarus sir and Shrivastav sir. 

We had on one hand, Pandit sir, clad in dhoti-kurta, who taught us Sanskrit and on the other hand, a suited-booted Englishman, John Peak sir, who came to our school every year for a few months all the way from England to teach us English Grammar. The standard and commitment to academics was of a high order.

I still remember the midnight knock on our door. When I opened the door, there stood Khare sir, waving the newspaper Nav Bharat in his hand, “Jagat, you are in the merit list!” 

In those days, the results of Board examination were published in newspaper. He had gone to the newspaper office late in the night and managed to secure a copy.

Khare sir once took our entire class for a Hindi movie, Aradhana, starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. 

We played a lot of games in the evenings – football, cricket, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and what not. I enjoyed the 100 metres dash, played football, and cricket. Vigorous play and interactions with schoolmates helped a lot in broadening and building skills that proved helpful in later life.

Annual sports day was an occasion of joy. My mother and sisters were always there in the audience to watch me participate in athletic events. They felt proud when I won medals. Because of my overall performance in academics and sports, I was elected as the School Leader in the year 1970.

Some of my classmates were Ainsley Niblett, Avinash Gaikwad, Barkat Singh, Bijoy Mukherji, Cashmere Fernandez, Chandra Babu, Chandan Neogi, Hardit Singh, Kumud Chakrapani, Rebecca Mullick, Rita Basak, Rita Bhambani, Shanta Murthy, Samuel Walker, Shobha Pawar, K S Rajan, Ram Chandra Singh, Mahendra Parmar, Mukundan Menon, Prabir Mitra, Soumen DasGupta, Subir Bhattacharya, Ralph Tate, Thomas Alexander, Tapas Mukherji and Vijay Nair – each unique in his own way.

Mukundan was my closest friend right from the kindergarten days. His father worked in the Central Ordnance Depot and his mother was a teacher at the St. Joseph’s Convent. She prepared idlis and dosas every Sunday and I was always there. On the occasion of Onam every year, she prepared the most awesome payasam. 

Mukundan was invited to our home for the Diwali dinner every year. My mother prepared pahadi raita, chhole, daal wada, puris, and sooji ka halwa.

We used to go for long walks in the evenings. It was also snack time and we had bananas, roasted peanuts, and boiled eggs. 

Ranjeet Singh Uppal, whom we respectfully called veerji as he was elder, sometimes joined us for the walks. It was pitch dark and started raining one night when we were returning. Suddenly, Mukundan, Dinesh, and I slipped into a pothole. Ranjeet was walking slightly ahead of us and stood still inside the pothole.

We asked him, “Why didn’t you warn us?”

He said, “You all would have laughed at me. So, I let you fall. Now, we are all in the same boat.”

After completing graduation in Engineering, he went away to Dibrugarh to do a post-graduate diploma in petroleum technology. He retired as general manager (production) from the oil and natural gas corporation.

Dinesh Babbar was fond of movies, and we watched quite a few movies together. We were fans of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand. Then came the era of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

The neighbourhood where we resided was a community of love and warmth. Nainji, an elderly lady, would light up her tandoor (mud oven) by mid-day. We took dough from our home, and she made tandoori rotis for us. 

Another old lady, bebe, mother in Punjabi, would call out, “woye, chaar akkhaan wale, saag ban rahya hai, shaami aa jaain.”  A rough translation, “four-eyed man, we are cooking saag, join us in the evening.” Saag is a green vegetable made from mustard leaves. She called me a ‘four-eyed man’ affectionately as I wore glasses. 

I re-visited the school in the year 1976 in my new avatar as a Chemistry teacher and taught there for about three years – the happiest and most engaging period of my life. 

I genuinely love all my students of the time and feel proud of them. I remember most of them and am still in touch with some of them through social media. 

I had the honour of teaching along with Sharma sir, Mehra sir, Chaudhary sir, Dinkar sir, Ms Kulkarni, Ms Kheda, Ms Mandal, Ms Tobin, Ms Natarajan, Ms Pushpa, Brother Mani, Brother David, Brother Barnabas, Brother Philips, Brother Peter, and Brother William.

Travel makes you happy and provides a practical view of life. It gives you a glimpse of people, culture, and cuisine of different parts of the country. I took the students for educational tours on two occasions.

In the first trip, we visited Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad, Goa, and Mumbai. Some students experienced the sea, a beach, and a ferry for the first time. They visited a planetarium, an aquarium, and a couple of museums. They visited the Gateway of India, Elephanta Caves, and some grand old churches.

During our second excursion, we travelled by train to Patna, took a steamer from Mahendru Ghat to Nepal border, and enjoyed a bus ride through the hills to Kathmandu. We visited the Pashupatinath temple and went for sight-seeing around the city.

 

I was fascinated by the game of cricket. Don Bradman’s book, The Art of Cricket, was my guiding light. I had adopted cricket as a way of life. It helps you to develop sportsman spirit, accept defeat as well as victory, and is a gentleman’s game.  

I coached the school cricket team for a while. We felt proud when one of our students, C N Subramaniyam, represented Madhya Pradesh in the Cooch Behar Trophy.

Subramaniyam was a gifted leg spinner, who bowled a truly deceptive googly, at a decent pace. He was a classy batsman and an outstanding fielder. We all felt that he deserved to represent our country in international matches. 

He captained Madhya Pradesh and went on to play for the central zone. He participated in the C K Nayudu Trophy and shined against England and Pakistan school boys.

Ajay Suri was the skipper of the Ranjhi cricket club. Gurmeet Matharu was our wicket keeper, Gopal Joshi – left arm spinner, and yours truly – medium pacer. We participated in open tournaments. In one of matches, I bagged 7 wickets for 30 runs against the vehicle factory team.

Mela Singh uncle, Gurmeet’s dad, loved cricket even at his grand age. He used to call me “Jaagtt”. We played tennis ball cricket in the lawn inside their residence. 

I went with him on his old Vespa scooter to watch all the matches in town. He was a master craftsman, won award for making santoor (musical instrument), and sang shabad-kirtans (religious hymns) in the gurudwara.

Harjinder Pal, uncleji’s eldest son, studied with me. He was fond of doughnuts and cream rolls. He trained with Pandit Shiv Kumar for years and plays santoor, a musical instrument. 

We went for long walks, really long ones. Once we went from our place in Ranjhi to 506 army base workshop – Aamanala – Dumna – Pipariya – Khamaria and back home. On another occasion, it was vehicle factory estate – agriculture college – city – sadar and back. On reaching home, he proclaimed, “I have broken all my previous and further records!”

During my student days, I regularly wrote letters to the editors that were published in the Indian Express, Times of India, Blitz, and Nav Bharat. 

In the year 2005, some of us from the Class of 1971 visited our alma mater. The school was gracious to arrange a beautiful cultural programme and friendly cricket match for us. We enjoyed alumni re-union at the Kanha national park, where we saw tigers from close quarters.

I studied at the government science college, Jabalpur from the year 1971 to 1974 and completed my bachelor’s degree. 

The professors were highly knowledgeable and imparted quality education. Professor Mahalaha was ambidextrous and wrote on the black board with both hands proficiently. 

Professor Handa, probably the tallest man in town, drove his car with his neck stretching out of the window. Before the close of class, he would ask, “Any questions?” 

When we kept quiet, he would remark, “Very intelligent!”

Those were days of fun as well as serious study. We – Vijay Bajaj, Arvind Harshey, Vijay Chourey and yours truly – were the four musketeers of our class. 

Arvind stayed in the government colony close by, Bajaj stayed on the Narmada Road, Chourey had his residence in the Satna building, and I came all the way from Ranjhi. 

After class, we used to stand at a nearby square and talk, talk, talk. Our discussions were not on any particular topic, nor meaningful by any means, but always full of fun and frolic. We used to laugh a lot for no reason.

Arvind had a baby face. When he went to the office to collect scholarship for the first time, the clerk refused to hand over the money, as he looked too young, and asked him to bring his father along to receive the amount.

A classmate was having a one-sided love affair with one of the girls in our class. He sent her a poetic love letter. Soon he got a reply from her. The reply was spiritual in nature, with the concluding words, “Ishwar aapko sadbuddhi de,” which means, “May God give you good sense.”

Vijay Chourey proceeded to pursue Bachelor of Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and from there to the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai for master of technology. He worked for the Tatas all through and was the chief corporate safety at the Tata power company in Mumbai.

Arvind Harshey worked for the life insurance corporation and Vijay Bajaj served in the bank of Baroda.

I went to the department of chemistry at the university of Jabalpur for my master’s. After its completion, I registered for my doctorate at the department of applied chemistry in the government engineering college under Dr C.V.P. Pillai. He was the best guide one could aspire for and one of the finest human beings I have been met. 

I worked on my project for three years but could not complete it as my guide had to leave for an overseas assignment. I had the option to continue my research work and submit the thesis in due course but, in my wisdom, or the lack of it, I decided to leave it there. 

My humble beginnings did not prevent me from dreaming big. Sincere devotion and deep engagement with studies was the key to whatever little success I may have achieved in my life. Knowledge and wisdom are virtues revered ubiquitously across all cultures. Sports and games broadened and built my physical and emotional skills. Playfulness and zest might have made a few enemies but helped me in developing warm relations.

©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

LifeSkills

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.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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हिन्दी साहित्य – व्यंग्य ☆ साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ – सुनहु रे संतो #12 – व्यंग्य निबंध – व्यंग्य में हास्य की उपस्थिति होने से उसकी सम्प्रेषणीयता बढ़ जाती है पर प्रहारक क्षमता कमजोर हो जाती है. ☆ श्री रमेश सैनी

श्री रमेश सैनी

(हम सुप्रसिद्ध वरिष्ठ व्यंग्यकार, आलोचक व कहानीकार श्री रमेश सैनी जी  के ह्रदय से आभारी हैं, जिन्होंने व्यंग्य पर आधारित नियमित साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ के हमारे अनुग्रह को स्वीकार किया। किसी भी पत्र/पत्रिका में  ‘सुनहु रे संतो’ संभवतः प्रथम व्यंग्य आलोचना पर आधारित साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ होगा। व्यंग्य के क्षेत्र में आपके अभूतपूर्व योगदान को हमारी समवयस्क एवं आने वाली पीढ़ियां सदैव याद रखेंगी। इस कड़ी में व्यंग्यकार स्व रमेश निशिकर, श्री महेश शुक्ल और श्रीराम आयंगार द्वारा प्रारम्भ की गई ‘व्यंग्यम ‘ पत्रिका को पुनर्जीवन  देने में आपकी सक्रिय भूमिकाअविस्मरणीय है।  

आज प्रस्तुत है व्यंग्य आलोचना विमर्श पर ‘सुनहु रे संतो’ की अगली कड़ी में आलेख ‘व्यंग्य निबंध – ‘व्यंग्य में हास्य की उपस्थिति होने से उसकी सम्प्रेषणीयता बढ़ जाती है पर प्रहारक क्षमता कमजोर हो जाती है.’।  

☆ साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ – सुनहु रे संतो # 12 – व्यंग्य निबंध – व्यंग्य में हास्य की उपस्थिति होने से उसकी सम्प्रेषणीयता बढ़ जाती है पर प्रहारक क्षमता कमजोर हो जाती है. ☆ श्री रमेश सैनी ☆ 

[प्रत्येक व्यंग्य रचना में वर्णित विचार व्यंग्यकार के व्यक्तिगत विचार होते हैं।  हमारा प्रबुद्ध  पाठकों से विनम्र अनुरोध है कि वे हिंदी साहित्य में व्यंग्य विधा की गंभीरता को समझते हुए उन्हें सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण से आत्मसात करें। ]

व्यंग्य  एक गंभीर विधा है. जो समाज, व्यक्ति के सरोकारों, मानवीय संवेदनाओं के साथ आगे बढ़ती हैं. जिसमें जीवन और समाज में  व्याप्त सारी विसंगतियों पर अपनी बात करती है. जिससे व्यक्ति समाज,या शासन का का वह तबका  जिसके कारण व्यक्ति समाज प्रभावित है वह सोचने को मजबूर ह़ो जाता है. व्यंग्य वह शक्ति निहित है कि शोषक तंत्र के माथे पर चिंता की रेखाएं खिच जाती है.. तब यह गंभीर  चिंतनीय विचारणीय हो जाता है. इस स्थिति में हमारे पास वह अस्त्र होना चाहिए. जिससे सामने वाले पर तीखा प्रहार पड़े. उन अस्त्रों में हमारे पास शब्द हैं. शैली हैं. विचार हैं. इन अस्त्रों के उपयोग से ही हम सार्थक ढ़ंग से सामने वाले के पास अपनी बात पहुँचाने में सक्षम होंगे. अन्यथा अगर किसी एक टूल में कमजोर हो जाएंगे. तब इस स्थिति में हमारी विसंगति, सोच का असरहीन होने की पूरी संभावना है.इससे हमारे प्रयास और उद्देश्य विफल हो जाएंगे.यह विफलता शोषण और शोषक को शक्ति प्रदान करेगी।यह अराजकता धीरे धीरे समाज में बड़ी समस्या बन सामने आ सकती है.  समस्या का विकराल में परिवर्तित होने पर समाज और व्यक्ति का बहुत बड़ा नुकसान होने की पूरी की पूरी संभावना है.इस स्थिति में हमें सिर्फ पश्चताने के सिवा कुछ हाथ नहीं आना है. सभी सभ्य समाज, व्यक्ति शासन, या सत्ता  सदा सजग जिम्मेदार चिंतक, विचारक, लेखक कला साधक समाज सुधारक, समाज सुधारक संस्था की ओर आशा की नज़र से देखता है. इस समय लेखक कवि, और कलाकार का दायित्व बढ़ जाता है कि वह गंभीरता से उस विसंगति, कमजोरी, पर विचार करे. अपने पूरे टूल्स के साथ के उन कमजोरियों के समाज और सत्ता के सामने लाए. या उन विसंगतियों का संकेत करे. जिससे पीड़ित, शोषित वर्ग उन विसंगतियों के प्रति सजग सतर्क हो सके. यह काम सिर्फ और सिर्फ गंभीर प्रवृत्ति वाले लोग ही अच्छे ढ़ंग से कर सकते हैं. जिससे बेहतर समाज, बेहतर मनुष्य को बनाने की संकल्पना कर सकते हैं. यह कार्य हास्य की उपस्थित में पूरी क्षमता के साथ संभव नहीं है. गंभीरता में हमारी क्षमताओं का घनत्व बढ़ जाता है. जिससे हमारी सोच और बात की संप्रेषणीयता को विस्तार मिलता है. तब इससे इसकी पठनीयता बढ़ जाती है. संप्रेषणीयता और पठनीयता के तत्वों के कारण हमारे उद्देश्य की सफलता के अवसर बढ़ जाते हैं.हास्य रचनाओं में तरलता प्रदान करता है. जिससे रचनाओं का उद्देश्य कमजोर हो जाता है. किसी कमजोर चीज या शक्ति का प्रभावहीन होना बहुत साधारण सी बात है. तब हमारा उद्देश्य पीछे ह़ो जाता है. हमारा यह श्रम और प्रयास विफल हो जाता है. गंभीर से गंभीर रचना अपने सरोकार और संवेदनशीलताको लेकर अपनी बात समाज के सामने आती है.उसका प्रभाव सकारात्मक लिए होता है. यदि उसमें हास्य का मिश्रण कर दें. तब उसकी संप्रेषणीयता और पठनीयता तो बढ़ जाएगी. तब लोग उसको हास्य में ले लेंगे.और उसॆ  हास्य में उड़ा देंगे. इस स्थिति में हमारा को उद्देश्य हास्यास्पद होने की संभावना बढ़ जाती है. यह विकट स्थिति है. इससे बचना चाहिए. हरिशंकर परसाई जी सदा विसंगतियों पर बहुत गंभीरता से लिखा. चाहे इंस्पेक्टर मातादीन चाँद पर,अकाल उत्सव, वैष्णव की फिसलन, पवित्रता का दौरा,आदि अनेक रचनाएं अपने गंभीर उद्देश्य को लेकर चलती है.. उनकी रचनाओं में हास्य के छीटे जरूर आते हैं पर व्यंग्य और विषय की गंभीरता को कम नहीं करते हैं. इस पर परसाई जी का कहना है कि “हास्य लिखना मेरा यथेष्ट नहीं है यदि स्वाभाविक रूप से हास्य आ जाए तो मुझे गुरेज भी नहीं है.” यहां पर परसाई जी ने हास्य को प्राथमिकता नहीं दी है. वरन वे अपनी बात को गंभीरता से क ने विश्वास करते हैं. उनकी चर्चित रचन ‘इंस्पेक्टर मातादीन चाँद पर ‘ का संवाद हैं

एक  इंस्पेक्टर ने कहा  – हाँ  मारने वाले तो भाग गए थे. मृतक  सड़क पर बेहोश पड़ा था. एक भला आदमी वहाँ रहता है. उसने उठाकर अस्पताल भेजा. उस भले आदमी के कपड़ों पर खून के दाग लग गए हैं.

 मातादीन ने कहा- उसे फौरन गिरफ्तार करो

 कोतवाल ने कहा – “मगर उसने तो मरते हुए आदमी की मदद की थी “

मातादीन ने कहा – वह सब ठीक है. पर तुम खून के दाग ढूंढने कहाँ जाओगे  जो एविडेंस मिल रहा है. उसे तो कब्जे में करो. वह भला आदमी पकड़कर बुलवा लिया गया.

उसने कहा- “मैंने तो मरते आदमी को अस्पताल भिजवाया था. मेरा क्या कसूर है?

चाँद की पुलिस उसकी बात से एकदम प्रभावित हुई. मातादीन प्रभावित नहीं हुए. सारा पुलिस महकमा उत्सुक था। अब मातादीन क्या तर्क निकालते हैं।

मातादीन ने उससे कहा- पर तुम झगड़े की जगह गए क्यों? उसने जवाब दिया -“मैं झगड़े की जगह नहीं गया. मेरा वहां मकान है. झगड़ा मेरे मकान के सामने हुआ.

अब फिर मातादीन की प्रतिभा की परीक्षा थी. सारा महकमा उत्सुक देख रहा था.

मातादीन ने कहा- “मकान है, तो ठीक है. पर मैं पूछता हूं कि झगड़े की जगह जाना ही क्यों?” इस तर्क का कोई जवाब नहीं था. वह बार-बार कहता मैं झगड़े की जगह नहीं गया. मेरा वहां मकान है. मातादीन उसे जवाब देते – ‘तो ठीक है, पर झगड़े की जगह जाना ही क्यों ? इस तर्क प्रणाली  से पुलिस के लोग बहुत प्रभावित हुए.

संवाद हमें ह़ँसने के लिए विवश अवश्य करता है. व्यंग्य के उद्देश्य कहीं भी तरल या कमजोर नहीं करता है. यहाँ हास्य हैं पर रचना की गंभीरता पर कोई असर नहीं पड़ता है. परसाई जी सदा इन विशेषता के आज भी याद आते हैं. उन्होंने अपने व्यंंग्य में टूल्स का समानुपातिक मात्रा में प्रभावी ढ़ंग से लिखा. यहां पर उनके समकालीन लेखक के पी सक्सेना जी का अवश्य ही उल्लेख करना चाहूंगा. उन्होंने विपुल मात्रा में लिखा। पर उनकी रचनाएं हमें समरण नहीं है. उनकी रचनाओं में पठनीयता थी लोगों को बहुत पसंद आती थी. वे मंच पर बहुत सराहे जाते थे. पर हास्यपरक होने के उन पर आरोप लगते रहे. उन्हें भी जीवन भर यह मलाल रहा कि मेरी रचनाओं में व्यंंग्य हैं परंतु यह स्वीकारते नहीं. इसके पार्श्व में मूल कारण यही था कि उनकी रचनाओं में हास्य व्यंंग्य की गंभीरता को तरल कर देते थे. जिससे व्यंग्य प्रभावहीन होकर अपने उद्देश्य में विफल हो जाता था. जब व्यंंग्य अपने सरोकारों और मानवीय संवेदना से छिटककर सामने आता है. तब प्राणहीन प्रस्तर प्रतिमा के समान दिखती है.उसका आकर्षण तो होता है, पर जीवंतता गायब रहती है.यही व्यंंग्य की गंभीर रचना में हास्य दुष्प्रभाव है.   

© श्री रमेश सैनी 

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हिन्दी साहित्य – व्यंग्य ☆ साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ – सुनहु रे संतो # 10 – व्यंग्य निबंध – साहित्य और समाज का संबंध: समय के संदर्भ में – भाग-4 ☆ श्री रमेश सैनी

श्री रमेश सैनी

(हम सुप्रसिद्ध वरिष्ठ व्यंग्यकार, आलोचक व कहानीकार श्री रमेश सैनी जी  के ह्रदय से आभारी हैं, जिन्होंने व्यंग्य पर आधारित नियमित साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ के हमारे अनुग्रह को स्वीकार किया। किसी भी पत्र/पत्रिका में  ‘सुनहु रे संतो’ संभवतः प्रथम व्यंग्य आलोचना पर आधारित साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ होगा। व्यंग्य के क्षेत्र में आपके अभूतपूर्व योगदान को हमारी समवयस्क एवं आने वाली पीढ़ियां सदैव याद रखेंगी। इस कड़ी में व्यंग्यकार स्व रमेश निशिकर, श्री महेश शुक्ल और श्रीराम आयंगार द्वारा प्रारम्भ की गई ‘व्यंग्यम ‘ पत्रिका को पुनर्जीवन  देने में आपकी सक्रिय भूमिकाअविस्मरणीय है।  

आज प्रस्तुत है व्यंग्य आलोचना विमर्श पर ‘सुनहु रे संतो’ की अगली कड़ी में आलेख ‘व्यंग्य निबंध – साहित्य और समाज का संबंध: समय के संदर्भ में’ – भाग-4 (अंतिम भाग)  

☆ साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ – सुनहु रे संतो # 10 – व्यंग्य निबंध – साहित्य और समाज का संबंध: समय के संदर्भ में – भाग-4 ☆ श्री रमेश सैनी ☆ 

[प्रत्येक व्यंग्य रचना में वर्णित विचार व्यंग्यकार के व्यक्तिगत विचार होते हैं।  हमारा प्रबुद्ध  पाठकों से विनम्र अनुरोध है कि वे हिंदी साहित्य में व्यंग्य विधा की गंभीरता को समझते हुए उन्हें सकारात्मक दृष्टिकोण से आत्मसात करें। ]

स्वंतत्रता के पूर्व साहित्य को समय के संदर्भ में देखने के लिए उपन्यास सम्राट मुंशी प्रेमचंद महत्वपूर्ण लेखक हैं. उनके उपन्यास और कहानियों से गुजरने के बाद भारत में ग्रामीण और शहरी परिवेश का पता लगाने के लिए उस समय की राजनैतिक सामाजिक और आर्थिक स्थिति का बहुत बारीकी से पता चल जाता है. लोगों का रहन सहन जीवन शैली रीति रिवाज का निर्वहन, जमींदारी और सांमती प्रभाव आम आदमी पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ रहा है, पता चल जाता है. पूस की रात और कफन आदि रचनाओं से आम आदमी की मन:स्थिति मालुम हो जाती है. देश की राजनीतिक स्थितियां कांग्रेसियों का स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन का आम जन पर प्रभाव ग्रामीण राजस्व व्यवस्था और अंग्रेजी शासन पड़ रहे असर से भी पाठक रुबरु हो जाता है. उस वक्त स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन में संघर्ष कर रहे राजनीतिक दलों ने आमजन  को स्वतंत्रता का अर्थ और महत्व से परिचय कराया और साथ ही यह भी आश्वासन दिया कि स्वतंत्रता के बाद लोगों की तकदीर और तस्वीर बदल जाएगी. इस आश्वासन के बाद लोगों ने उस आंदोलन को तन मन धन और जन से पूरा पूरा सहयोग किया और यह आंदोलन जन आंदोलन में बदल गया और देश  को शीघ्र ही स्वतंत्रता मिल गई. लोगों को विश्वास था अब हमारे दिन फिरने वाले हैं. पर ऐसा कुछ हुआ नहीं. नेताओं की आम आदमी के प्रति उपेक्षा, भाई भतीजावाद, भ्रष्टाचार,पीड़ित का शोषण  आदि विसंगतियों के चलते नेताओं से सामान्य जन का मोहभंग हो गया. इन विसंगतियों और मानवीय सरोकारों को किसी लेखक ने बहुत ईमानदारी और सरोकारी ढंग से उकेरा है. तो वह है स्वतंत्रता के बाद के सबसे अधिक चर्चित सबसे अधिक पढ़े जाने वाले लेखक व्यंग्यकार हरिशंकर परसाई. हम जब साहित्य समय के संबंध से देखते हैं तो हरिशंकर परसाई इस खाते में सबसे सटीक बैठते हैं. स्वतंत्रता के बाद परसाई ने मूल रूप से समाज  में व्याप्त आर्थिक मानवीय, राजनैतिक राष्ट्रीय और वैश्विक सरोकारों को साहित्य का विषय बनाया है. परसाई जी की मृत्यु के बाद प्रथम पुण्यतिथि पर जबलपुर में आयोजित एक कार्यक्रम में वरिष्ठ आलोचक डॉक्टर नामवर सिंह ने कहा था कि अगर भारत के इतिहास को जानना है तो हमें परसाई जी की रचनाओं से गुजरना होगा (उनके वक्तव्य के शब्द अलग हो सकते हैं पर आशय यही था) परसाई जी का साहित्य समकालीनता का समय सामाजिक और मानवीय सरोकारों पर केंद्रित रहा. उस समय में देश में व्याप्त सामाजिक, राजनीतिक, आर्थिक वैश्विक राजनीतिक परिदृश्य, पाखंड, प्रपंच, ठाकुरसुहाती, अफसरशाही आदि विसंगतियों के साथ वैयक्तिक नैतिक मूल्यों में हो रहे पतन पर कलम चलाई है. स्वतंत्रता के बाद के आरंभिक दिनों की रचनाओं में यह सब मिल जाता है. स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन में साहित्यकार पत्रकारों ने बहुत बड़ी भूमिका का निर्वाह किया था. पर  बाद में उन भी नैतिक पतन आरंभ हो गया. वे लाभ का अवसर पर सत्ता उन्मुखी होते गए. अपना सामाजिक राष्ट्रीय दायित्व भूलकर दरबारी परंपरा का निर्वाह करते नजर आने लगे.  जबलपुर से प्रकाशित साप्ताहिक अखबार के अपने स्तंभ में 18 जनवरी 1948 को प्रकाशित रचना “साहित्य में ईमानदारी” से उस समय के साहित्यकारों की प्रकृति का पता चलता है. ‘प्रजातंत्र की भावना को लेकर जो जन जागरण हुआ तो साहित्य कोटि-कोटि मुक्त भारतीय की वाणी बन गया. सरकारी भृकुटि की अवहेलना कर हमारे अनेक साहित्यकारों ने इमानदारी के साथ देशवासियों का चित्र खींचा. अनेक कवि व लेखक जेल गए. यातना सही, बलिदान किए, परंतु सच्चे रहे.’ यह साहित्यकारों का स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन के समय का चित्र है, पर स्वतंत्रता के बाद का चित्र कुछ अलग बात कह रहा है.,” परंतु इधर कुछ दिनों से दिख रहा है कि ‘इतिहास पलटता है’ के सिद्धांत पर रीतिकाल फिर आ रहा है. ‘साहित्य सेवी’ जनता जनार्दन की सेवा छोड़कर देवी चंचला और सरकार की सेवा में पुनः रत दिखाई दे रहे हैं. इस प्रकार का साहित्य, साहित्य नहीं रहता बल्कि बाजार का भटा भाजी हो जाता है. और साहित्यकार एक कुंजड़ा’ वो आगे शिक्षा जगत के पतन और मंत्रियों में नाम के प्रति आशक्ति के आचरण पर कहते हैं “आजकल देश के विभिन्न विश्वविद्यालयों में मंत्रियों को डॉक्टर ऑफ लिटरेचर (साहित्य मर्मज्ञ) की उपाधियां देने में जो होड़ लगी है। उसे देखकर अचंभा और दुख दोनों होते हैं. दही बड़े की तरह है यहां साहित्य की डॉक्टरेट पैसे की दो मिल रही हैं. अब जरा पाने वालों की लिस्ट लीजिए, अधिकांश मंत्री लोग हैं.” यह दृश्य लगभग 74 वर्ष पूर्व का है. स्वतंत्रता के समय में आए ईमानदारी, नैतिकता, जनसेवा का ज्वर उतर गया  और स्वार्थ लोलुपता जोड़ जुगाड़ के चक्कर में नेता और अफसर लगे थे आज भी अधिकांश साहित्यकार भी सत्ता के अधिक पास देखना चाहते हैं. नैतिकता ईमानदारी साहित्य सेवा उन्हें दूसरों के लिए अच्छी लगती है. इस समय को दस साल बढ़ कर  उस समय को देखते हैं तो देश के अखबारों की सुर्खियों में तीन शब्द प्रमुख रुप से रहते थे, बम,विस्फोट बम. इसी शीर्षक से प्रहरी में अप्रैल 6,1958 में प्रकाशित लेख में वे विद्यार्थियो की प्रवृत्ति पर कहते हैं “विद्यार्थियों का विरोध परीक्षा से है. कठिन प्रश्न यदि परीक्षा में आ गए तो विद्यार्थी परीक्षा भवन  से हट जाएंगे क्योंकि उनका हक है. आसान प्रश्न आए जिन्हें वे साल भर बिना पढ़े भी कर सकें. वैसे उनकी वास्तविक मांग यह है कि प्रश्नपत्र एक महीने पहले अखबार में छप जाए. ना छपने से उन्हें असुविधा होती हैं.ठीक पढ़ने के वक्त पर उन्हें पता लगाना पड़ता है कि किसने पेपर निकाला है. उसमें क्या आया है. उनकी यह मांग न्यायोचित है.”

उनकी दूसरी मांग यह है कि परीक्षा भवन में उन्हें नकल करने दी जाए. इस संबंध में हमारा सुझाव है कि उन्हें परचा दे दिया जाए और कह दिया जाए कि वह घर से कर कर ले आए इससे परीक्षा का बहुत सा खर्च बच जाएगा.दोनों मांग पूरी नहीं होने पर सत्याग्रह होगा .उनकी बात क्यों नहीं मानी जाएगी जबकि हमारे यहां प्रजातंत्र है. जनता चाहेगी जैसा शासन होगा तो फिर विद्यार्थी चाहेंगे वैसे ही परीक्षा क्यों न होगी. यदि मध्य प्रदेश की राजधानी काठमांडू में है तो इसे मानना पड़ेगा क्योंकि यह उनका जनतांत्रिक निर्णय है.” इस लेख में शिक्षा जगत में बढ़ती अराजकता शिक्षा नीति की विसंगति आदि को भलीभांति समझा जा सकता है. राजनीतिक दलों को युवा शक्ति की जरूरत चुनावों के समय में होती है उनकी नजर छात्रों पर रहती है बे उनकी अनाप-शनाप मांग पर भी पिछले दरवाजे से दे देते हैं. शिक्षा जगत का यह दृश्य आज के समय पर सोचने को मजबूर करता है.

भारतीय राजनीति में आठवां दशक बहुत उथल-पुथल वाला रहा 73-74 में छात्र क्रांति आरंभ हो चुकी थी. जनता सरकार में व्याप्त भ्रष्टाचार भाई भतीजावाद अकर्मण्य अफसरशाही से परेशान थी. वे परिवर्तन चाहते थे. परिवर्तन हेतु छात्र आंदोलन शुरू हुआ. जयप्रकाश नारायण इस आंदोलन के अगुआ हुए. उन्होंने संपूर्ण क्रांति का नारा दिया. आपातकाल लगाया गया. विपक्ष के छोटे बड़े राजनेता, छात्र नेता जेल में ठूंस दिए गए. उस समय संजय गांधी युवा शक्ति बन कर सामने आए. आतंक और भय का वातावरण व्याप्त था. पर ढाई साल बाद चुनाव हुए. तत्कालीन सरकार हार गई. विभिन्न विचार वाले राजनीतिक दलों ने मिलकर ‘जनता पार्टी’ बनाई और चुनाव जीत गए. पर ढाई साल के बाद ही उनमें मतभेद उभरकर आ गए. सभी नेताओं की महत्वाकांक्षाएं और सामने आ गई. इन सब पर परसाई जी के बहुत सारे लेख मिल जाएंगे. उस समय के नेता राजनारायण, मोरारजी देसाई, चरण सिंह, चंद्रशेखर, जॉर्ज फर्नांडिस, मधु लिमए आदि सभी के नेताओं पर उनके लेख मिल जाते हैं .जिससे समय का इतिहास का पता चल जाता है. उदाहरणार्थ एक लेख ‘जार्ज का जेरुसलम’ उल्लेखनीय है.

“साधु जॉर्ज करिश्मा करने वाले नेता हैं कुछ करिश्मा रहस्य में ढके हैं जरा याद करो जब चरण सिंह प्रधानमंत्री बनने को उतारू थे. तब जनता पार्टी की सरकार के खिलाफ चरण सिंह ने  अविश्वास प्रस्ताव रखवाया था. तब लोकसभा में जनता सरकार के पक्ष में सबसे अच्छा जार्ज बोले थे. वे लगातार दो घंटे बोले थे. लगता था जनता सरकार बच गई. पर दूसरे दिन खुद जॉर्ज ने उसी जनता पार्टी से इस्तीफा दे दिया जिसके काम की तारीफ वे चौबीस घंटे पहले कर चुके थे. साधो यह क्या चमत्कार था. कैसे बदल गए वीर शिरोमणि जार्ज.  तब अखबारों ने संकेत दिए थे और दिल्ली में आम चर्चा थी कि रात को गृहमंत्री चरण सिंह जार्ज के बंगले में ‘भ्रष्टाचार विरोधी फोर्स की रेड( छापा )डलवा दी थी. नतीजा यह हुआ की रेड के फौरन बाद जार्ज के राजनीतिक विचार बदल गए उन्होंने जनता पार्टी छोड़ दी.”

जब आप यह पढ़ते हो तो सोच भी नहीं सकते कि भारतीय राजनीति में ऐसा भी हुआ था. या हुआ है. तभी परसाई जी ने लिखा. जिसे हमने आज जाना. परसाई ने अपने लेखन के समय के साथ जिया. इस कारण परसाई के समय की रचनाओं में  इतिहासिक परिस्थितियां, सामाजिक राजनीतिक वातावरण को हम जान रहे हैं. वैयक्तिक विचलन, समाज में पतनोन्मुख नैतिक मूल्यों का पतन. आदि उनकी रचनाओं में मिल जा ती हैं. वैष्णव की फिसलन, टॉर्च बेचने वाली कंधे, श्रवण कुमार के, भोलाराम का जीव. आदि वैयक्तिक पतन की रचनाएँ हैं. जब देश में अकाल पड़ा तो उस समय की अफसरशाही, भ्रष्टाचार को समान रूप से परसाई और शरद जोशी ने निर्भीकता ‘अकाल उत्सव’ और ‘जीप पर सवार इल्लियों ‘में लिखा जो साहित्य में समय को हस्तक्षेप करने वाली रचना जानी जाती है.. शासन में व्याप्त विसंगतियां और अफसरशाही पर हरिशंकर परसाई ने – इंस्पेक्टर मातादीन चांद पर, भोलाराम का जीव आदि और शरद जोशी ने वर्जीनिया वुल्फ से सब डरते हैं, आदि रचनाओं से साहित्य में समाज के संबंधों समय के परिपेक्ष्य में साक्षात्कार कराया. इसी तरह साहित्य और समाज के अंतर संबंधों पर समय को केंद्र में रखकर बाबा नागार्जुन, धर्मवीर भारती, धूमिल, मुक्तिबोध आदि ने बहुत लिखा जिसे पढ़ने से हम उस समय से रूबरू हो जाते हैं.

समाप्त 

© श्री रमेश सैनी 

सम्पर्क  : 245/ए, एफ.सी.आई. लाइन, त्रिमूर्ति नगर, दमोह नाका, जबलपुर, मध्य प्रदेश – 482 002

मोबा. 8319856044  9825866402

≈ ब्लॉग संपादक – श्री हेमन्त बावनकर/सम्पादक मंडल (हिन्दी) – श्री विवेक रंजन श्रीवास्तव ‘विनम्र’/श्री जय प्रकाश पाण्डेय  ≈

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मराठी साहित्य – पुस्तकांवर बोलू काही ☆ ‘प्रवाहाविरुद्ध पोहताना’ – डॉ. स्नेहसुधा कुलकर्णी ☆ प्रस्तुती – सौ राधिका भांडारकर

सौ राधिका भांडारकर

? पुस्तकावर बोलू काही ?

 ☆ ‘प्रवाहाविरुद्ध पोहताना’ – डॉ. स्नेहसुधा कुलकर्णी ☆ प्रस्तुती – सौ राधिका भांडारकर ☆ 

पुस्तकाचे नाव : प्रवाहाविरुद्ध पोहताना. (आत्मकथन)

लेखिका……..    डॉ. स्नेहसुधा कुलकर्णी

प्रकाशक..         दिलीपराज प्रकाशन

पहिली आवृत्ती   फेब्रुवारी २०१५

पृष्ठे                    २४३

किंमत                २८०/—

प्रवाहा विरुद्ध पोहताना–हे लेखिका डाॅ.स्नेहसुधा कुलकर्णी यांचे आत्मकथन आहे..

पुस्तकाच्या शीर्षकावरुनच लक्षात येते की एका संघर्षाची कहाणी आहे.जीवन जगताना विलक्षण जिद्दीने ,मनाशी स्वप्ने बाळगून संकटांना कणखरपणे तोंड देत जगलेल्या एका स्वप्नाळु मुलीची ही काळीज चिरणारी ,पण धडपडीची जीवनकहाणी आहे.एक लांबलचक हर्डल रेसच..

लहान वयातच पितृछत्र हरपले.अकरा भावंडांचं कुटुंब,

अठरा विश्व दारिद्र्य.ऊपासमार. आजारपण.समाजाकडून  झालेली उपेक्षा.अवहेलना.सगळ्याच  आघाडीवरची अस्थिरता.या सार्‍यांशी वेळोवेळी लढून मात करुन ही मुलगी टिकून राहिली.

शाळेची सलग तीन वर्षे आजारपणामुळे बुडाली.त्या आजारपणाचे वर्णन वाचताना  मन अक्षरश: पिळवटते.

खाटेला खिळलेली ,भविष्यात कधी पायावर उभं राहून चालता तरी येईल का हाही प्रश्न असताना ,तिची जगण्याची धडपड आश्चर्यकारक वाटते.त्याविषयी लिहीताना लेखिका म्हणतात,

“रात्री सगळ्यांची निजानीज झाल्यावर मी आईच्या आधाराने उभी राहू लागले.पंधरा दिवसांनी काॅटला धरुन दहा पंधरा पावले चालून झाली आणि आशेला पालवी फुटली…मी बरी होऊ शकते असा विश्वास मिळाला..”

एकीकडे त्या असंही म्हणतात,माझ्यासारखी सामान्य माणसे दूरदृष्टीने वागत नाहीत.भावनेत वारंवार गटांगळ्या खातात.श्रद्धेवर व भावनेवर जगतात.कधी दैवाचे अनुकुल दान पडले की मूठभर ज्वारीचे दाणेही सुवर्ण मोहरा वाटू लागतात….”

त्यांच्या आयुष्याची सारी जडण घडण त्यांच्या या लेखनातून वाचायला मिळते.आयुष्याचा टप्प्या टप्याने आढावा घेताना लेखनातील सुसूत्रता कुठेही तुटलेली नाही…

प्रवाहा विरुद्ध आयुष्य घडवत असताना,सुरवातीला त्यांनी अनेक नोकर्‍या केल्या.आणि  शिक्षिका ,लेखिका ,कवयित्री ,प्रकाशिका ,विविध संस्थांवर पदाधिकारी …इतपर्यंतचे त्यांचे सविस्तर आणि अत्यंत प्रामाणिकपणे लिहीलेले हे लेखन उत्कंठावर्धक आणि वाचनीय आहे…वेळोवेळी थक्क करणारे आहे.

एक आगळंवेगळं ,शिस्तबद्ध,नीटनेटकं चोखंदळ व्यक्तीमत्व— याचीच ओळख यातून होते….

स्वप्नांची मोडतोड,अपेक्षाभंगांचे चटके ,वैवाहिक जीवनातले सुखदु:खांचे चढउतार,सहकार्याचे हात देणारेही नातलग,मित्रमंडळी यासोबत एक अडखळती पण यशाची वाट धरणारी अशी ही सकारात्मक दृष्टीकोणाची  संघर्ष कहाणी.

आयुष्यात कोणी गॉडफादर नाही ,कुणाचे प्रोत्साहन नाही तरीही शिक्षण आणि प्रकाशन व्यवसायात त्यांनी लक्षणीय यश मिळवलं…

पुण्यातले साहित्य वर्तुळात एका महिलेने चालवलेले “नीहारा “हे पहिलेच प्रकाशन असेल.!

लेखिका म्हणते,मी चारचौघींसारखीच धडपडणारी संसारी स्त्री आहे,पत्नी माता भगिनी या भूमिका वठवणारी सामान्य गृहिणी आहे.पण मी दुबळी नाही. मी बुद्धीने असामान्य,हजारात एक नाही पण मी अगदीच सर्वसाधारणही नाही. मी कुठे आहे,कशी आहे याचं नेमकं भान मला आहे. माझ्यात खूप उणीवा,कमतरता आहेत,पण प्रवाहपतित होउन  जगणं,मला मान्य नाही. तशी मी जगले नाही म्हणून माझं आयुष्य संघर्षमय झालं…..””

खरोखरच अजिबात रटाळ,पाल्हाळिक नसलेल्या आणि ओघवत्या शब्दशैलीतले हे डॉ.सुधाताई  कुलकर्णी यांचे आत्मकथन वाचताना,आयुष्यांतील संकटाशी,अडचणींशी झगडण्याची उमेद मिळते…हेच या लेखनाचे उद्दीष्ट्य सार्थ झाले असे म्हणायला हरकत नाही…..

 डॉ. स्नेहसुधाताईंना पुढील वाटचालीसाठी खूप शुभेच्छा!!

 

प्रस्तुती : सौ. राधिका भांडारकर

पुणे

≈संपादक–श्री हेमन्त बावनकर/सम्पादक मंडळ (मराठी) – श्रीमती उज्ज्वला केळकर/श्री सुहास रघुनाथ पंडित /सौ. मंजुषा मुळे ≈

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English Literature – Article ☆ Authentic LEADERSHIP: Musings on Supplementing Skills and Happiness ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht

Authentic LEADERSHIP: Musings on Supplementing Skills and Happiness ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

I am happy to share with the readers and writers of e-abhivyakti that my ninth book Authentic LEADERSHIP: Musings on Supplementing Skills and Happiness is available on Amazon.

Amazon Kindle Link: >>>> Authentic LEADERSHIP: Musings on Supplementing Skills and Happiness

 

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Author, Blogger, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Behavioural Science Trainer, and Founder: LifeSkills.)

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, Positive Education: Happiness Fundamentals for Children and Parents.

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!

About the book:

This book is about essential skills that supplement leadership qualities. It is based on theories and models from behavioral science and positive psychology. It also gives you a new understanding of happiness and well-being and how to flourish in life.

An authentic leader is self-aware, emotionally intelligent, creative, stress-free, and takes judicious decisions.

Based on years of experience in grooming young leaders. as a behavioral science trainer, the author has shared concepts, ideas and thoughts on self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, creativity, emotional intelligence, negotiation skills, and stress management
Recommended as a supplementary reading book for all leaders and aspiring leaders.

©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

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.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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English Literature – Article ☆ Positive Education: Happiness Fundamentals for Children and Parents ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht

☆ Positive Education: Happiness Fundamentals for Children and Parents ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

I am happy to share with the readers and writers of e-abhivyakti that my eighth book Positive Education: Happiness Fundamentals for Children and Parents is available on Amazon.

Amazon Kindle Link: >>>> Positive Education: Happiness Fundamentals for Children and Parents

 

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Author, Blogger, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Behavioural Science Trainer, and Founder: LifeSkills.)

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!

About the book:

Brief description:

Do you wish to prepare your child with life skills, such as, grit, optimism, resilience, growth mindset, engagement, and mindfulness?

A combination of traditional education with the study of happiness and well-being can be of great help in this regard.

Children and parents can flourish in life by practicing scientifically proven happiness activities.

The concepts are derived from Positive Psychology, the modern science of happiness and well-being, and Positive Education, an approach that focuses on specific skills that assist students to strengthen their relationships, build positive emotions, enhance personal resilience, promote mindfulness, and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

There are books for children and there are books for the grown-ups. This one is for both of them – the children and their parents. The book may also be used for implementing positive education in schools.

Introduction

Fundamentals of happiness and well-being for children and their parents

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”

 – J Krishnamurti

This is a book describing the fundamentals of happiness and well-being for children and their parents. It is to be read individually as well as collectively by them so as to have a true understanding of happiness and how to flourish in life.

Usually, there are books for children, and there are books for the grown-ups. This book is different. It is for both of them – the children and their parents. Each one reads and understands from his/her own perspective and then there is friendly sharing of learning amongst them for better understanding. It creates joy and bonding. The effects on long-term happiness and well-being of the family are deep rooted and robust.

The concepts are derived from Positive Psychology – the modern science of happiness and well-being – and Positive Education – an approach to education that blends academic learning with character and well-being.

All parents want the best for their children, they want their child to be happy and flourish. However, finding the right education for their child can be a challenge.

The Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia, in consultation with world experts in positive psychology, developed a model for positive education to complement traditional learning.

It is essentially an applied framework comprising six domains:

positive emotions,

positive engagement,

positive relationships,

positive purpose,

positive accomplishment,

and positive health.

Each of these six domains are explained and elaborated in the book. The emphasis is on how to cultivate each one of these practically and enhance happiness and well-being.

A good school doesn’t just aim for its students to achieve their academic potential. It also aims to develop them as caring, responsible, and ultimately productive members of society.

Positive education curriculum has been implemented with good results in schools in Australia, USA and Germany. Widespread support is necessary for the success of the positive education movement.

This book may also be used as a well-being primer by teachers and educators for implementing positive education in their schools. It will enable the students to develop an understanding of authentic happiness and flourish in life.

“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”

 – Voltaire

 ©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

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.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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English Literature – Article ☆ Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht

☆ Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life ☆

☆ Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆ 

I am happy to share with the readers and writers of e-abhivyakti that my seventh book Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life  is available on Amazon.

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Master Teacher: Happiness & Well-Being, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Author, Blogger, Educator, and Speaker.)

About the book:

This is a book on happiness, an autobiography, and a memoir that takes you for a journey on the pathway of authentic happiness, well-being, and a meaningful life. It gives you a new understanding of happiness and well-being and how to achieve them.
It takes a peek at my formative years, my work life, and my experiments with happiness. You will find, inside, a roadmap for a fruitful and fulfilling life, based on years of deep study and practical experience. It blends the best of positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga, and spirituality.
The book will enable you to discover new ways to flourish in life, find inner peace, and contribute towards enhancing well-being on this planet. You will gain tremendous insight into life and happiness. The new learning, investigation, and wisdom can catapult you into higher realms of existence!

Amazon Kindle Link: >>>> 

Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life

©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

LifeSkills

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.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

संपादक – श्री हेमन्त बावनकर/सम्पादक मंडल (हिन्दी) – श्री विवेक रंजन श्रीवास्तव ‘विनम्र’/श्री जय प्रकाश पाण्डेय  ≈

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English Literature – New Book ☆ NIRVANA – The Highest Happiness: Be A BUDDHA in the modern world ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht

☆ NIRVANA – The Highest Happiness: Be A BUDDHA in the modern world ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆ 

I am happy to share with the readers and writers of e-abhivyakti that my fourth book NIRVANA – The Highest Happiness: Be A BUDDHA in the modern world is available on Amazon.

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

(Master Teacher: Happiness & Well-Being, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Author, Blogger, Educator, and Speaker.)

In this book, you will find simple, effortless, and painless practices for authentic happiness, stress management, and lasting peace. These exercises are easy to do, can be taken up by anyone, and require no previous training or experience.

About the book:

The Buddha taught the Dhamma – the law of nature, the path of truth -about two thousand and five hundred years ago.

A lot of time has since elapsed, and much water has flown down the rivers. The whole world has changed drastically but the guiding principles of spirituality remain the same.

The Buddha understood that this world is in turmoil. There is stress, misery, and pain all around. The human beings are suffering.

After a long struggle for enlightenment, he arrived at the root cause of all suffering, and discovered a path leading to liberation from suffering, to peace, to happiness.

This book helps you to understand Nirvana – the culmination of the quest for perfection and happiness – and takes you on the path leading to Enlightenment.

  • It presents the Buddha’s teachings in a crystalline form and acquaints you with the quintessence of the practice of meditation.
  • It takes you on the way to the end of suffering, pain, and distress.
  • If you are seeking a stress-free life, peace of mind, and spiritual wisdom, this book would be of immense benefit.

This is the fourth book by the author on happiness.

Amazon Kindle Link: >>>> 

NIRVANA – The Highest Happiness: Be A BUDDHA in the modern world

You Tube Link : >>>> 

NIRVANA – The Highest Happiness: Be A BUDDHA in the modern world

Other books of the Author on Amazon Kindle.

Amazon Kindle Links >>  

©  Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

Author, Blogger, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Behavioural Science Trainer, and National Science Talent Scholar.

He is a Laughter Yoga Master Trainer of international repute and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years.

He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has published six books.

Please feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +917389938255 or email [email protected] if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

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