(Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi—an ex Naval Officer, possesses a multifaceted personality. He served as a Senior Advisor in prestigious Supercomputer organisation C-DAC, Pune. He was involved in various Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing projects of national and international repute. He has got a long experience in the field of ‘Natural Language Processing’, especially, in the domain of Machine Translation. He has taken the mantle of translating the timeless beauties of Indian literature upon himself so that it reaches across the globe. He has also undertaken translation work for Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, which was highly appreciated by him. He is also a member of ‘Bombay Film Writer Association’.
We present Capt. Pravin Raghuvanshi ji’s amazing poem “~ Writing…~”. We extend our heartiest thanks to the learned author Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi Ji (who is very well conversant with Hindi, Sanskrit, English and Urdu languages) and his artwork.)
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!
☆ # 05: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
BE A FREE SOUL
“I think, one must finally take one’s life in one’s arms.”
Arthur Miller
We are all born free. We have the potential to be winners. We have a right to be self-determining. An authentic person experiences self-reality by knowing, being, and becoming a credible, responsive person.
We all have within us a child, an adult, and a parent. This becomes apparent when we respond differently to different situations – exhibiting fear, playfulness, balance, self-control, hatred, love, and compassion.
Sometimes we are childlike – full of feelings and emotions – laughing, crying, jumping, shouting, and screaming. At times we behave like an adult – fully aware and organized – oriented to the current reality. On other occasions, we tend to be like parents – critical and prejudicial – and often nurturing too!
Every state of mind is equally important and there is a time for it. There is a time to work and a time to play, a time to laugh and a time to cry, and a time to speak and a time to be silent.
We are all born free. We have the potential to be winners. We have a right to be self-determining. An authentic person experiences self-reality by knowing, being, and becoming a credible, responsive person.
Autonomy is a human birthright. Being autonomous means being self-governing and determining one’s own destiny. A slave can never be happy. A slave can never flourish.
According to Stephen Covey, “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative freedom. These give us the ultimate human freedom… These give us the power to choose, to respond, and to change.”
We must begin by taking responsibility for our own actions and feelings. We must also learn to throw off patterns that are irrelevant and inappropriate to living in the here and now.
The litmus test of a truly autonomous person lies hidden in three fundamental capacities – awareness, spontaneity, and intimacy.
AWARENESS
Awareness is knowing what is happening now. An autonomous person is aware. His body and mind are in unison in the here and now. It is not that the body is physically present somewhere and the mind is wandering elsewhere.
One must not only be fully present but also fully aware of the situation, surroundings, and feelings of self and others. The decisions taken must depend upon the facts of the situation and not on some pre-conceived notions. Prejudices from the past must not impact actions in the present.
An autonomous person looks objectively at the situation in the present, listens attentively, seeks clarifications to arrive at a deeper understanding of the situation, and arrives at a balanced decision without being influenced by opinions.
One must be in touch with one’s feelings and sensations in the body. If you are tense, your breath is shallow. You can relax by taking a few deep breaths and exhaling in a relaxed manner. That will help you clear your mind and make a better decision.
Always listen to the other person with empathy, do not interrupt, and ask questions that help you understand the person in the right perspective. Do not form opinions about the person based on what you have been told earlier. Keep your mind open, make your own observations, and arrive at your conclusions based on the facts before you.
You must be fully present there. Fully mindful. Do not let your attention wander hither and thither. Let past prejudices and opinions not influence you. Be your own witness. Decide on your own based on the merits of the case. Take full responsibility of the decision taken by you. Be honest and upright.
Sometimes our parental influences crop up to affect our decisions or the playful child contaminates our thinking. One must be vigilant and must be in the right frame of mind, always fully aware, to make the right decisions in the here and now.
SPONTANEITY
You must have the spontaneity to choose from a whole range of behaviour that the child, adult, and parent residing within you prompt you to adopt. Your decisions must not always along the pre-decided patterns that you have been accustomed to witnessing for ages.
Spontaneity denotes choosing the right actions from a wide range of possibilities. You must choose the option that you find appropriate, as per your inner voice, and accept full responsibility for the decision. Let not your inner child or parent influence you, do not be victim of confusing voices from the past. Be analytical, choose what you find appropriate, and feel relaxed.
If you arrive at free and independent decisions, without being swayed by feelings and prejudices, you will not experience stress. You will be happy. Spontaneity helps you to be autonomous and take control of your destiny.
An autonomous person is spontaneous and flexible – not rigid and impulsive. The person is free despite basic instincts or drives, free despite inherited characteristics and environmental influences. An autonomous person can be realistic and choose from the entire spectrum of behaviour appropriate to the situation.
INTIMACY
Intimacy is expressing feelings of warmth, tenderness, and closeness toward others. One must shed masks and old programming, if any, and be warm toward people. One should not be sarcastic or play games with people. One should learn to let go and develop a capacity for intimacy.
People moving toward autonomy expands their personal capacities for awareness, spontaneity, and intimacy. Once you are open and have no conflicting voices within, you are in full control. There is no tension. You feel happy.
EXERCISE
Look inward to know yourself deeper.
Spare a few moments for yourself in a quiet place.
Just ponder:
How often do you behave like a child? Do you sulk or get angry often? Do you still laugh and play like a child?
What parental influences have you inherited? Do you have too many rigidities and prejudices? Are you nurturing and kind toward people?
How often do you analyse situations impartially? Are you aware of the circumstances and feelings of others? Do you make decisions in the here and now?
Are you still carrying burdens from the past that you would like to shed off?
How stressed do you feel?
Do you feel happy, content, and peaceful?
Are you doing your best under the situations?
What changes would you like to make in your life?
Where do you see yourself five years from now, ten years from now?
Take your own time. No hurry.
Get back to the questions that you feel are important and give a second thought.
Keep exploring. Try to be better and better every day.
You will feel liberated and on control of your destiny.
THE PARABLE OF THE EAGLE
Have you heard of the parable of the eagle? The parable is paraphrased beautifully in ‘Born to win’:
“Once upon a time, while walking through the forest, a certain man found a young eagle. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat chicken feed and to behave as chickens behave.
“One day, a naturalist who was passing by inquired of the owner why it was that an eagle, the king of all birds, should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens.
“Since I have given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it has never learned to fly,” replied the owner. “It behaves as chickens behave, so it is no longer an eagle.”
“Still,” insisted the naturalist, “it has the heart of an eagle and can surely be taught to fly.”
“After talking it over, the two men agreed to find out whether this was possible. Gently the naturalist took the eagle in his arms and said, “You belong to the sky, and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.”
“The eagle, however, was confused; he did not know who he was, and, seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.
“Undismayed, the naturalist took the eagle on the following day, up on the roof of the house, and urged him again, saying, “You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.
“On the third day the naturalist rose early and took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There, he held the king of birds high above him and encouraged again, saying, ”You are an eagle. You belong to the sky as well as to the earth. Stretch forth your wings now, and fly.”
“The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Still, he did not fly. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble, slowly he stretched his wings. At last, with a triumphant cry, he soared into the heavens.
“It may be that the eagle still remembers the chickens with nostalgia; it may be that he occasionally revisits the barnyard. But as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to lead the life of a chicken, He was an eagle though he had been kept and tamed as a chicken.”
Be a winner. Go, kiss the world!
“It takes courage to be a real winner – not a winner in the sense of beating out someone else by always insisting on coming out on top – but a winner at responding to life. It takes courage to experience the freedom that comes with autonomy, courage to accept intimacy and directly encounter other persons, courage to take a stand in an unpopular cause, courage to choose authenticity over approval and to choose it again and again, courage to accept the responsibility for your own choices, and, indeed, courage to be the very unique person you really are.”
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 Where Trees Were Promised and Titles Were Planted.
☆ Witful Warmth# 51 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ Where Trees Were Promised and Titles Were Planted… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
In the dust-choked lanes of a forgotten village in Champaran, where only electoral drizzle now refreshes the thirst of hope, once sprouted a noble seedling: the Janhit Utthan Parishad. This was not an institution born of lobbying or LinkedIn connections, but of a frail old teacher—Masterji—who traded his only piece of ancestral land, not for stock options, but for the betterment of the village. Back when devotion had not yet been gobbled up by dopamine-fueled selfies, and when sacrifice did not need hashtags to go viral, Masterji dared to dream of a platform that would channel rivers of altruism. That sacred shrine of public service has now been annexed by a mob of sweet-toothed contractors who flock not to serve but to be served. The walls that once echoed with his maxim, “An institution is a temple of service,” now display laughing faces on election posters. Mahatma Gandhi still hangs there, though rumor has it he occasionally mutters, “Hey Ram! What calamity is this?”
Where once sat councils of virtue—discussing education, sanitation, and green revolutions—the institution’s meetings have been demoted to exhibitions of egos and necktie knots. One fine day, as though an old transistor caught a rogue frequency, ten members stood up simultaneously and cried, “The institution is sinking!” One might have mistaken it for the Titanic’s final scene, had it not been accompanied by the chairman’s candy-store smile. And like a comic twist in a political reality show, the solution proposed was not reform in intent or action, but reform in titles—new president, new vice president, and a minister to complete the trilogy. As if governance was a talent hunt and the prize was a gilded armchair. Not a whisper on principles, but a stampede for positions. Somewhere in the cracked plaster behind Masterji’s garlanded photo, his spirit may well have headbutted the wall.
Gone are the days when meeting agendas brimmed with purpose—children’s education, cleaning of the village pond, and planting of trees. The modern meeting resembles a wedding procession, without the bride. Chairs line up like anxious guests; speeches rain down like confetti, but the issues are conspicuously absent. The only mission now is the mission to capture a better camera angle. The guiding philosophy has been replaced with an inventory of chairs. One veteran, his eyes moist with betrayed faith, whispered, “We used to plant trees; now we plant titles.” This from a man who once pledged his pension to the cause, now left to admire the president’s gold chain while peering into an empty treasury register.
The annual celebration—once a festival of soil and saplings—has transformed into a carnival of banners, drums, and declarations. “Fifty trees planted this year!” the president announced, and the crowd clapped like metronomes. Meanwhile, the village searched for a single sprout. Neither pit nor plant could be found. The trees had evidently taken root in reports, watered and nourished by budget files. A trophy followed—“Best Environmentalist”—handed to the chairman, who stepped up and declared, “Our institution is the mother of society!” A child in the crowd innocently quipped, “Then why does she feel so stepmotherly?” Ah! There lies the whole tale—this mother no longer nurtures, she merely poses.
The institution’s social media handles now read like a satire on benevolence. The same leader, the same cap, the same posture—ad infinitum. Old-age homes became backdrops for photo ops. Fruits were ‘distributed’—or rather, made to hover before the lens—while the elders received smiles more than sustenance. One old man chuckled, “Son, they didn’t give us fruit; they just clicked pictures and vanished.” And thus, the institution transitioned from a service mission to a lighting studio, where emotion was the wallpaper and the spotlight reserved for faces, not causes.
As the curtain drew further, original members were either retired with ceremonial garlands or systematically muted like unwanted tabs on a browser. Masterji, once a living manual of integrity, now only grins from his dusty frame. His grandson once asked, “Grandpa, what does your institution do now?” He sighed and replied, “It’s no longer an institution, son. It’s a flea market for chairs.” The PR firm has taken over the spirit, and truth, it seems, has taken a long vacation. Masterji no longer speaks from the dais; he speaks from the frame. A relic of a time when service was the language of the soul.
Eventually, under the theatrical name of ‘restructuring,’ the institution quietly dissolved itself. No drums, no slogans, just a withered meeting where Masterji’s photo received its final garland. A crack ran down the wall, and those nearby claim they heard a voice whisper, “I created this for service. You used it for selfies.” The institution that once irrigated the barren fields of Champaran with hope has itself turned barren. Now, its tale is preserved in one corner of a modest library, in a frail diary’s final line: “There’s only one letter’s difference between service and power—but the intent is separated by a thousand miles.”
(Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi—an ex Naval Officer, possesses a multifaceted personality. He served as a Senior Advisor in prestigious Supercomputer organisation C-DAC, Pune. He was involved in various Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing projects of national and international repute. He has got a long experience in the field of ‘Natural Language Processing’, especially, in the domain of Machine Translation. He has taken the mantle of translating the timeless beauties of Indian literature upon himself so that it reaches across the globe. He has also undertaken translation work for Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, which was highly appreciated by him. He is also a member of ‘Bombay Film Writer Association’.
We present Capt. Pravin Raghuvanshi ji’s amazing poem “~ Sacrificed Dreams…~”. We extend our heartiest thanks to the learned author Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi Ji (who is very well conversant with Hindi, Sanskrit, English and Urdu languages) and his artwork.)
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!
☆ # 04: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
KEEP EVOLVING, KEEP LEARNING
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
The happiest persons on this planet are engaged deeply in creative pursuits. They are constantly in a state of flow. They keep on creating, exploring, and evolving.
Happiness lies in activity. It is like a flowing river, not a stagnant pool. Keep moving. Keep exploring. Learning is fun. Be a lifelong learner. Grow. Evolve. One who learns continuously, one who evolves continuously, one who is never stagnant, always remains cheerful, happy, and forward looking. There is no anxiety, depression, or stress.
Action may not always bring happiness but there is no happiness without action. Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions. You must do the work to achieve it.
The happiest persons on this planet are engaged deeply in creative pursuits. They are constantly in a state of flow. Time stands still for them. They never face boredom. One level of creativity leads to the next level. They keep on creating, exploring, and evolving. They exist at a different plane altogether.
Flow is total absorption in an activity – you lose sense of time and self. 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.
CREATE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS
What are you good at? What do you love doing? What is it that gives you contentment? Keep a palm on your heart and choose that activity honestly. Do not choose what others are doing or what you think will make you famous. Choose the activity that you are good at and find genuinely absorbing.
Try to find ways and means to do the activity as often as possible. Go deep into it and learn all the finer points. Develop your skills in the field, be a learner of the deepest level, and master all the skills needed to be the best in the field. Do not compare or compete with anyone else, compete with yourself, and be your best self.
Challenges will come. Overcome those challenges by hard work and matching your skills to meet the challenge. Stretching yourself more and more will take you to newer heights. You will be fully immersed in what you do. You will learn new skills every day. You will grow every day. You will evolve on an ongoing basis. There is no happiness like this.
Keep evolving, keep learning something new all the time. Think differently and be connected to creativity. Read a book, listen to music, paint, watch a movie, write poetry, pen a short story, record a video with a good message – anything meaningful and beautiful enough to engage you with intensity.
Create or immerse yourself in the creation of another mind. You may start with immersing yourself in the creativity of others and gradually learn to be creative in your own way. Do not be in a hurry. People often make the mistake of taking a jump before they are fully ready. Learning an art or a science takes a long time and requires patience and hard work.
You can create your own happiness by voluntarily engaging in activities like helping someone, being kind, expressing gratitude, nurturing social relationships, increasing flow experiences, practicing yoga and meditation, exercising regularly, and savouring life’s little pleasures. Choose the activities that you like and practice them regularly.
OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE
One must carefully understand each word of what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says about engagement and happiness, “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.”
Flow is the psychology of optimal experience. The optimal state of inner experience is one in which there is order in consciousness. During flow, people experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says, “By stretching skills, by reaching toward higher challenges, a person, who has achieved control over psychic energy and has invested it in carefully chosen goals, becomes an increasingly extraordinary individual.”
PLATEAU EXPERIENCE
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.
Maslow describes the experience, “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.”
According to Ed Diener, “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.”
EXERCISE
Making the right decisions.
Imagine you have a collection of six hats of different colours – white, red, black, yellow, green, and blue. These are your tools for arriving at the right decisions in complex life situations.
Think of a problem that you have been facing. The problem is confusing and perplexing. You are finding it difficult to arrive at a solution.
Let us begin solving it in a creative and systematic way.
Begin with wearing the white hat.
The white hat denotes purity. You look only at the pure data. Just information and facts of the case. No opinion, views, or prejudices.
You may write down the problem and all related data on a sheet of paper, or prepare a document on your computer.
Make sure it is pure data, no opinions, or pre-conceived notions.
Take off the white hat and put on the red hat.
The red hat denotes emotions. Only emotions. What you feel. No logic, pure emotions.
Express and go through all the emotions. Your fears, anxieties, and hopes about the case. Whatever you feel. Let the whole range of feelings – positive, neutral, and negative – flow. No justifications needed.
Be as irrational and emotional as you can.
Take off the red hat and put on the black hat.
The black hat is the devil’s advocate. Everything that is wrong and that may go wrong in the case. All the failures, drawbacks, and negatives about the case. The emotional as well as the logical dark side.
Imagine all that can go wrong and the havoc that may be created.
Now, take off the black hat and put the yellow hat.
Yellow is the colour of sunshine, positivity, and optimism. Look at the brighter side of the problem and list all that is good and full of hope about it.
Look at all the positives and be full of optimism and hope.
Take off the yellow hat and put on the green hat.
Green is the colour of creativity and nature. Be creative. Look at the problem from totally different perspectives. Be creative. Think laterally. Think something new, innovate, and out of the box.
Imagine what no one has ever thought about the problem. Be disruptive in your thinking, not just incremental. Find totally new solutions. Brainstorm to the fullest. Use your whole range of thinking – make use of the entire rainbow.
Now, put down the green hat and put on the blue hat.
Blue is the colour of the sky. It covers everything.
Consider whatever you have thought and felt wearing all the hats – white, red, black, yellow, and green – and summarize them. You must arrive at a balanced decision, taking everything into consideration. You must weigh all the pros and cons.
Make the ultimate decision. Let there be no doubt in mind. All apprehensions must be given consideration and cleared. Take very single factor into account and arrive at the most comprehensive decision.
Your decision should not be lopsided or taken without considering any angle. Let it be all encompassing.
You arrive at the right decision and there is no stress.
This method of arriving at a balanced decision in complex situation has been devised by Edward de Bono and is known as the Six Thinking Hats.
Not being able to reach at the right decisions causes stress and anxiety. Knowing how to make the right decisions relieves you of stress. If you have a thinking mind, if you are creative, if you are positive, if you believe in activity, and if you are not afraid to take the right decisions, you will always be happy and stress-free.
“Thinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better. The main difficulty in thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope, and creativity all crowd in on us. It is like juggling with too many balls. The six thinking hats allow us to conduct our thinking as a conductor might lead an orchestra. We can call forth what we will.”
Six Thinking Hats/ Edward de Bono
“A good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.”
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 Bread In The Sky, Moon In The Plate.
☆ Witful Warmth# 50 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ Bread In The Sky, Moon In The Plate… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
If ever the heavens rained bread and the moon found residence in a steel plate, it would be in the absurd republic we call modern India—where petrol rides higher than hope and the unemployed carry their pride like worn-out socks, threadbare but essential. Imagine, dear reader, a citizen wandering through the labyrinthine digital corridors of the Education Department, only to be met with the soul-shattering pop-up: “No vacancies available. Kindly try again.” Try again! As if life were a polite web page and not the snarling belly of capitalism. I, a humble supplicant armed with degrees and delusions, stood before a bureaucrat who ogled me as though I had proposed elopement with his daughter. “No experience,” he spat, as if hunger were not the most seasoned tutor. For is not the gurgling of an empty belly a more eloquent bell than any cathedral can ring?
And so I wandered with the last surviving rupee in my digital wallet, only to have it vanish like Gandhiji’s promise of village utopia. In this brave new world of QR codes and failed OTPs, even coins prefer to commit digital suicide. On the iron bench of a station, with PayTM as bankrupt as my ambition, I contemplated inventing a new IRCTC category: ‘Bhookh Tatkal’. Just then, a rustic messiah arrived in the form of a melon-bearing farmer. With the grace of a Mughal noble, he handed me two slices and said, “Brother, these are sweet as sugar.” And lo! I beheld sugar in its purest, most unscam-like form. I devoured those slices as one binges on forbidden shows, grateful not just for sustenance, but for proof that humanity had not fully migrated to the cloud.
Employment did arrive—at a government school in Jabalpur—though the salary marched slower than a sleepy snail. Without ticket or tact, I clambered aboard a train with dreams, books, and a rolled-up sense of self-worth. A cook, as saintly as any cardinal, whispered, “Crawl under the seat, the inspector is too busy texting memes.” And thus I learned the first true lesson of employment: that compassion runs on data packs. When the salary finally dropped—not into my account but straight into mortality—my father died. I wished to post an Instagram story: #FirstSalaryVibes, but fate had scheduled a funeral instead. The currency, so warm and awaited, paid for flames and flowers. “Where did your first salary go?” asked relatives. I replied, “To secure Papa a Provident Fund in the afterlife.”
Then came my sister’s wedding, where the guest list exceeded the budget, and the groom’s expectations surpassed GDP growth. At a dingy station, fate stole my wallet, phone, and identity; all I had left was her trust. A priest offered me tea and potatoes and a cryptic prophecy: “Let us find our path by electricity’s gleam.” We reached our village like lovers meeting on a first date—unsure, excited, but alive. The wedding happened, not by luxury but by resilience, and we celebrated it like bureaucrats who cleared UPSC by some divine clerical error. I began writing satire not when likes poured in, but when tears refused to come. I wrote for those who smile through their despair, lest the world mock them with memes. Humor, once my hobby, became my sword. Unable to fight systems with fists, I trained my words in martial arts. Satire became not laughter, but an encrypted cry for justice.
Politics beckoned, its siren song promising reform. I fantasized about addressing the Rajya Sabha on educational overhaul, only to be shoved aside by a tsunami of ‘recommendation letters’ and ‘network referrals’. In the bureaucratic sea of politics, your résumé is but flotsam unless buoyed by nepotism. A month I languished in a queue where hopes were stapled and dreams photocopied. A doorman, drunk on protocol, declared, “No entry without influence.” It was then I realized that the Constitution is but a myth we recite on Republic Day, while power winks at networking cocktails. Today, my words appear calm on paper, but their journey has been more turbulent than the Yamuna after a monsoon. I write jokes with bleeding fingers and compose laughter with tear-stained ink. Satire has become a PDF file of sorrow—formatted, compressed, but never deleted.
Now, I consider branding my misfortunes for digital consumption. Perhaps my struggles can trend with the right filter, the correct angle, and a trending hashtag. Let every hunger become a reel, every insult a YouTube short. Let me say to the world, “Here, take my downfall in HD—like, share, subscribe.” For isn’t that the final mockery of our times? That even tragedy must pass through an editing app before it’s believed. Thus ends my tale—not with resolution, but with a smile filtered just right, and tears cropped just off-screen. Jonathan Swift might have railed against the cruelties of his age, but I merely upload mine to the cloud and hope for a few sympathetic comments before the algorithm moves on.
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!
☆ # 03: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
STRETCH, BEND, TWIST, TURN
“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.”
Thomas Jefferson
Exercise freestyle. Do not stress, let it be fun. Stretch, bend, twist, turn, whirl, move, and jump.
Getting up early and going to a park in the neighbourhood could be a rewarding habit to develop. It gives you a whiff of fresh air and sunshine that makes you feel refreshed the whole day. Once you add it to your routine, you will start looking forward to the morning, and it will become a rewarding hour of the day for you.
Start with a gentle walk and then walk briskly. Twenty to thirty minutes of walking every day can do wonders for you in the long run. It is good for your circulatory system and relaxes you a great deal.
Watching the trees and the flowers while walking gives a healing and soothing touch to your senses. It relaxes your eyes and is good for your eyesight too! Walking is not just an exercise, it reduces stress. You feel relaxed.
Exercises are not only good for your body. They bring happiness and well-being. Whenever you feel low, get up and move out to the neighbourhood park.
Physically active people are happier. Also, they have better life-satisfaction, and higher self-esteem. Exercise reduces depression, anxiety, stress, and panic; it betters mental processing, creates longer life, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system.
It is exercise itself that infuses us with happiness. Among various types of activities, exercise is the most reliable happiness boosting activity.
Find a quiet corner for yourself and just stretch, bend, twist, turn, and whirl your body in a freestyle manner. Do not worry too much. Nothing is right or wrong. Do whatever you feel like doing.
FREESTYLE EXERCISES
Walking, coupled with some freestyle exercises in a relaxed manner, brings multiple benefits. It stretches your skeletal structure, improves your blood circulation, and is good for your muscles. It is good for your heart and the respiratory track. This, in turn, activates your endocrine system.
Stand on both your feet in a balanced manner. Cross your palms, fingers interlocked, and stretch your arms straight above your head. Stretch, stretch, stretch! Keeping your palms interlocked, up above your head, bend to the right and then bend to the left. Now, take your palms in front of you, bend forward, and stretch.
Let your hands dangle freely below your waist. Twist your waist sidewise to the right and then to the left. Let your arms move slowly as if a washing machine is in motion. Twist your lower body and keep moving your arms sidewise for some time.
Close your fists and bring them close to tour chest. Twist your upper body and move your arms. keeping them together at chest height.
Raise your arms above your head and gently bend backwards from your waist. Stay there for a while. Then, raise your hands up and go on to bend forward, as far as you can comfortably. Raise your arms up again. Now, repeat the actions and swing your arms rhythmically, bending backward and forward. Inhale as you go up and exhale as you come down.
Open your arms wide, bring them forward crosswise, and hit the back of your shoulders with palms. Swing the arms back to wide open position. Bring them forward again, but this time keep the other arm on the top and hit the back of shoulders with palms. Alternatively, keep one arm on top and the other arm below. Keep on opening your arms and then swinging to hit the back of shoulders for some time.
Dangle your arms by the sides of your waist and then lift them up in a ‘V’ shape. Bring them back to the sides of your waist and then again take them up in a swinging action. Inhale as you go up and exhale as you come down.
Be on your toes and jump upward gently. Continue jumping for some time.
Place both your hands on your waist, breath in deeply through your nose, and exhale through your mouth making an ‘O’ with the lips. Repeat it thrice.
Stand balanced on both your feet. Stretch your arms fully sidewise. Turn to your right and whirl in a clockwise direction. Move slowly. Find an object at a distance and fix your gaze for a moment on it after each round. Go slow. Complete 10 – 20 rounds. Afterwards, stop and be stationary for some time. Do not move abruptly. If you feel dizzy, bend slightly, put your palms on your thighs, and look at the floor.
These exercises are only illustrative. You may add more of your own. Do not stress, let it be fun. Be freestyle. Stretch, bend, twist, turn, whirl, move, and jump. These exercises will make you feel good throughout the day. No equipment is needed. If you do not go out on any day, you may do these exercises at your home too.
EXERCISE
Play like a child.
Take permission from a group of children and join them in play. Play with them like a child.
Run, jump, and shout. Be fully immersed in the game. Forget the world.
Pour all your energy and heart into the game. Put in all your enthusiasm.
Enjoy the game.
Laugh whole heartedly.
Until you merge completely with the children. You are not an outsider who has joined them. Everyone is equal.
Sing, dance, play and laugh in unison with all of them. Enjoy the fun. Be a kid. Until you begin to perspire.
Have a hot shower and relax.
You feel positive and joyous.
Strenuous exercises may sometimes be harmful but light and freestyle exercises are always good. Go back to your childhood days, remember all the funny exercises you used to do, and try to re-create them. Gentle jogging, half jumps and stretching-bending exercises could be great fun, especially when done with children. The children would also be happy if you join them occasionally.
No equipment is needed, and you are not required to follow strict schedules. No membership fees and no registrations. Just have fun and get all the benefits. Include freestyle exercises in your routine. You will feel free and relaxed throughout the day.
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.
” Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.
“To achieve the highest accomplishments within the scope of our capabilities in all walks of life we must constantly strive to acquire strong, healthy bodies and develop our minds to the limit of our ability.”
Return to Life/ Joseph Pilates and William Miller
“Research demonstrates that exercise may be the most reliable happiness booster of all activities.”
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 Click to Connect, Sigh to Reflect.
☆ Witful Warmth# 49 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ Click to Connect, Sigh to Reflect… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
At the village crossroads, a bright and shiny hoarding screamed in full color: “A mobile in every hand, internet in every pocket.” Next to it stood Ramlal, a simple farmer who still thought of his mobile as a torch and a music box. He paused, confused, as if the banner had just whispered a prophecy. “Masterji,” he asked, scratching his head, “where does one catch this internet bug?” Masterji smiled, adjusting his glasses. “Everything’s online now, Ramlal—farms, fields, ration cards, weddings, even death certificates—it all fits in that tiny device.” Ramlal looked at his battered keypad phone and muttered, “This doesn’t even catch signal, how’ll it catch the internet?” The tea shop crowd burst into laughter, their chai nearly spilling. But that was the day Ramlal made a vow—his son would go digital.
With pride and poverty intermingled, he sent his son to the city to learn computers. A year later, the boy returned, laptop in hand, having finally stopped mistaking a mouse for a baby elephant. But the village had no power, no internet. One day, sitting among cows and crops, the son filled out an online form for a farmer’s subsidy. The site flashed: “Server Down. Please Try Again.” Ramlal squinted at the screen and asked, “Which crop is this ‘server’ that dies every season?” The poor boy clutched his head. And so, the word ‘digital’ slowly turned into a curse in the village’s vocabulary, like an evil spirit that haunted every WiFi-less hut.
Then came a day of miracles—or so it seemed. A government jeep rolled into the village, blaring from its deck: “Participate in the Digital Literacy Campaign!” People looked around as if some magic wand was about to wave. The secretary announced proudly, “Now land records will be stored in your mobile!” Ramlal, ever the realist, asked, “When there’s no water in the land, what use are mobile records? Should I plough my field with a screenshot?” The officer chimed, “You’ll now need to apply online.” An old man asked, genuinely curious, “Beta, first tell me where we get this ‘application sack’?” The crowd snickered, and the officer gently corrected him, “It’s not a sack. It’s a website.” The murmurs grew—”Seems like even plowing will soon happen on mobile.” Digital India had entered the village, but the village hadn’t entered Digital India. Not yet.
Then came the day when Ramlal received a message: “Rs. 6000 subsidy deposited in your account.” Overjoyed, he rushed to the bank. The banker calmly replied, “Your account isn’t linked to Aadhaar.” Ramlal blinked. “Is Aadhaar some special cow? One that gives no milk at the bank?” He was sent to get his Aadhaar made, but the machine at the center complained of the same old issue—network problems. After three days of sweating in queues, he still had no Aadhaar. The bank manager sighed, “The government is sending money, but you can’t catch it.” Ramlal responded with grit, “I’m a farmer, brother. I don’t catch money. I catch mud.” The village buzzed: the government wants us to fly, but forgot to give us wings. The hoardings flashed progress, but all the farmers saw were buffering wheels and power cuts.
Frustrated but not broken, Ramlal looked to the city for answers. He told his son, “Let’s leave the village. In the city, there must be power, internet—and maybe people too.” But the city was no land of salvation. Everyone seemed to be living inside their screens. Each human being was now a “mobile-staring worker,” lost in scrolls and swipes. The son whispered, “Father, hearts don’t beat here. Phones vibrate.” Ramlal sighed, “This city is like a body without a soul. At least in the village, eyes met and smiles had meaning.” But nostalgia has poor signal strength in a world obsessed with 5G. The village’s poverty seemed rich in comparison to the emotional bankruptcy of urban life.
One day, Ramlal fell ill. Off they went to a city hospital. The doctor peered over his specs and said, “Book an appointment online.” Ramlal coughed, “My body is sick, not my mobile!” The doctor chuckled, “Welcome to New India.” After struggling to get an appointment, a compounder whispered, “If you’ve got connections, treatment’s possible.” Ramlal asked, “Which connection? Electric? Water? Or political?” The doctor replied coolly, “Whichever one works.” The medicine was online, but the pain was very much offline. Treatment depended not on health but on hyperlinks. Ramlal realized that in Digital India, illness too had turned into a system crash.
As Ramlal’s condition worsened, his son, helpless, proposed, “Let’s go back to the village. Maybe peace still lives there.” But the village had transformed. Gone were the elderly gossiping at the chowk; everyone now sat hunched over screens. Ramlal’s eyes scanned for familiar faces, but all had become thumbnails. He whispered, “Son, return me the world where people called each other by name, not by usernames.” But the village had become an app, and relationships had logged out. Tradition had been replaced by touchscreens. Even the banyan tree, once a gathering place, now stood alone—its only company, a Jio tower humming above.
On his deathbed, Ramlal took one last breath and said, “Son, forgive me. I asked you to become digital but forgot to tell you to remain human.” The son wept, but not without multitasking—his fingers busy uploading a story: “RIP Dad.” Likes poured in. Comments too. But when it came to carrying the bier, no one showed up. In Digital India, Ramlal had finally become what most of us do—just another scrollable post, glanced at, liked, but never truly felt. His legacy? A few emojis, a blue tick, and an online condolence that never touched flesh. A life logged out, without ever really being logged in.
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!
☆ # 02: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
BREATHE, LOOK INWARD
“In our daily life our minds are almost continually externalized. We see and hear only what is going on outside of us, and we have little understanding of the events taking place in our inner environment.”
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Deep breathing is the simplest way to relax physically, mentally, and emotionally – anytime, anywhere.
We spend most of our waking time looking at the external world. Seldom do we look inward. Most of the time we are not aware of our respiration. Our feelings, emotions and thoughts overpower us as we do not have time to watch them dispassionately.
We have been given guidelines as to how to search for things outside ourselves but hardly any directions have been given on how to look inwards. We must train ourselves to look inside.
How good would it be if we could look at our real selves and understand what is happening in our inner world. There is so much turmoil there. If it could somehow be resolved, we would be in harmony with ourselves and feel peaceful.
Deep breathing is the simplest way to relax physically, mentally, and emotionally – anytime, anywhere. Just sit down, back straight, feet firmly grounded, eyes closed, and take three deep breaths.
Breathe deeply through your nose, into your belly, and exhale in a relaxed manner. The longer and slower the exhalation, the better it will be. You will experience relaxation instantly.
If you are feeling stressed, take three deep breaths again. Depending on the fatigue and time available, you may repeat the three deep breaths any number of times. Once you get accustomed to the practice and feel the benefits for yourself, you will be able to do it quietly while doing any other work.
Deep breathing infuses oxygen – a vital life force – into your bloodstream and expels toxins and stale carbon dioxide. You feel refreshed and more productive.
INNER SILENCE
The outer world is full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. That makes it perplexing.
On one hand, there are challenges but, on the other hand, there are opportunities. You must make your own decisions. The pros and cons of every step cause anxiety and hope.
There are many voices coming from the inside that may sometimes confuse you. If you know how to cope with the inner noise, you will have better control of the happenings around you.
EXERCISE
Observing inner noise and inner silence.
Roll a yoga mat or a small carpet on the floor. Place a small cushion over it.
Sit down comfortably on the cushion, legs folded crosswise, back straight, head straight, and eyes gently closed.
Take your own time to settle down. No hurry.
Listen to the sounds around you. Do not feel disturbed. No sound is good, no sound is bad. Do not worry about its origin. Do not concentrate on it. Just listen as a dispassionate observer.
After some time, you will hear less and less of the sounds.
Keeping your eyes closed, look at yourself internally. Pass your attention through each of your body parts. Do it in a relaxed manner.
Observe your breath as it goes in through the nostrils and comes out.
Watch your feelings and thoughts as they come and go. Do not worry if they are good or bad. Just watch them like an observer.
Initially, there will be a lot of noise inside, but it will gradually fade away, as you continue to watch it like a neutral spectator.
Do not be in a hurry. Take your own time to settle down.
Now, generate a thought consciously. Watch the thought like a witness. Let it fade away.
Generate another thought. Watch it dispassionately. Let it also go away.
Do not let any random thought occupy your mind. If any random thought arises, dispose it off. Do not allow it to stay.
This is the stage to generate thoughts at your will – the thoughts that you wish to have – watch them for some time and then let them go away.
In the next phase, dispose all random thoughts and any other thoughts that your mind generates. Let there be no thoughts.
As soon as a thought crops up, watch it and dispose it off. Do not allow any thought to stay in your mind.
Let there be shoonya or total vacuum. The mind must be totally empty. No thoughts must be allowed to stay there. Dispose them immediately.
This state of thoughtlessness is inner silence.
In the beginning, you were witness to inner noise. Now, you are observing inner silence.
This relaxes the mind fully and you experience peace. The stress goes away.
You feel relaxed.
When you do this exercise for the first few times, you may not get the desired results fully. But, after some practice, you will start feeling relaxed and stress free.
It is a practice, when once developed, remains with you throughout the day. Just look inwards and observe what is going on dispassionately. Like a witness.
You may practice it daily – any time – for about twenty to forty minutes.
This is an ancient practice, known as antar mouna, or inner silence.
Online versions of antar mouna by Swami Niranjananada Saraswati are freely available and you may initially listen to them and develop your practice. After some time, you will be able to do it by yourself.
The best time for any practice of a meditative nature is early in the morning when the surroundings are peaceful. You may also do antar mouna in the evening after returning from work, or before going to bed. It takes a while to develop the practice but, after some time, you start experiencing life optimally.
“Antar mouna is one of the few ‘permanent sadhanas’ which can be practised simultaneously all the twenty-four hours of the day by anyone who is really determined to know oneself. By maintaining awareness of one’s internal environment, thoughts, emotional reactions, etc., one can speed up one’s personal evolution to the utmost degree. It will make one understand the workings of one’s own rational and irrational mind, as well as giving one an understanding of what makes other people tick.”
Meditations from the Tantras/ Swami Satyananda Saraswati
“Antar mouna is a complete training system for the awareness process; it teaches one how to know the processes of the mind and ways in which one can bring them under control.”
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.
~ Writing… ~ 
