Today’s very interesting topic was on how to follow your bliss and maintain holistic happiness.

Jane kicks off the show with some sage advice that says that we must all spend 2% of what we earn on ourself and our indulgences. She then introduces the first guest, Mr. Parthibhan – dept. of Police and Public Administration at the Madras University.

He says that working with the rural community gives him happiness. He teaches at a rural village and trains faculty there. His idea of holistic happiness is that should be sustainable and long term development.

A Caller – Ganesh, shares his views on happiness. He says It’s not something you just do. He gives an analogy that happiness is like a butterfly that sits on your hand and for that to happen, you have cultivate flowers around you. You’ve to be giving more than getting. Making other people happy around you. He finds his bliss by meditating in the morning along with Yoga and exercise, which gets the good energy flowing. When it comes to happiness in relationships, he feels that relationship issues are caused by ego, which should be nipped in the bud with communication. He also feels that couples should find things to do together.

Another caller, Anjali, says she finds joy in doing small things for her family. Be it making a cup of tea for her hubby in the morning, or tucking her kids in every night, little things she does for them makes her happy.

The second guest on the show calls in from Himachal Pradesh. He is Mr Om Swami. An author of the book “if truths be told – A Monk’s Memoir”

He ran a software company for 7 years but grew up Influenced by religion n spirituality and always thought there must more to life. 2010 he went away to the Himalayas to meet a guru and then went into meditation in caves. After a year up high in the Himalayas, he now lives in the foothills. He feels that the problem with society today is that everybody’s trying to get somewhere, and it’s usually someone else’s benchmark. The stillness of the mind you acquire when you meditate allows you to rise above all your thoughts. They don’t bother you anymore. He advises everyone to follow the path that matters to you. It could be dancing or writing or even being an RJ. We must take a step back and figure out if we’re doing what we want to be doing, and choose the path we want to be on.

Jane then asks Parthibhan when he got the calling to help society. He says that most of us get some benefits from society, and we must give back as well. He teaches a rural community how to make a living without affecting the environment. They provide two meals a day for the students, all organic as they grow their own vegetables. He started with 7 students and now has 160.His students are happy to come to school as opposed to being happy to leave.

A caller, Asha, shares her story. As student of physiotherapy, her class went to an ashram for a month to work with disabled kids. She realised how much of a difference she was making in the kid’s lives that she volunteered to work with them for a year. To see someone else happy because of something you did, especially kids, this is her idea of holistic bliss.

Jane and the guests seem encouraged to see the younger generation volunteering to step up and help the community.

Swami gives another analogy about how our bodies are made of billions of cells, so is the universe. If there is a pin prick on our body, all the attention is on that point. The same way for the universe, when a part of it is hurting, we need to come together to help.

He gives a brief background about his book, which is based on his journey so far. His biggest lesson has been that nothing is really absolute. We may often lose the idea of what our lives should be. All the colours and moments of ups and downs make life. We need to find our bliss in each of these moments. He says half your life is already gone by the time you realise what you’re doing. That’s what triggers people to find their bliss. It makes them take the steps towards inner fulfilment.

Parthibhan points out that in a country like ours, inequality is very high and we cannot depend on the govt to empower the poor. He urges the community to give back.

In conclusion a caller summarises it perfectly. She says happiness is an inside job. Your perception of happiness keeps changing over time. She suggests keeping a journal of things that make you happy. Money can’t buy happiness. So the best way to stay happy is to spread smiles.