Important Note: This Blog will continue to feature my daily blogposts. In addition, on Sundays, public holidays and long weekends, I will feature The Happiness Road Series and my #HelpYourselfToHappiness Vlog Series!
Here's today's blogpost!
The best
way to be happy and content is to want nothing, cling on to nothing and just
be!
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| A.B.Bardhan (1924 ~ 2016) Picture Courtesy: Jitendra Gupta/Outlook |
Three
weeks ago, veteran Communist leader (CPI), A.B.Bardhan, passed away. I am not a
communist. But I admired Bardhan’s simplicity, integrity and down-to-earthiness
greatly. Even so, I was surprised when I saw a picture (see below) going
viral on social media. Shot by someone called Bhupinder and shared by Bardhan’s
close associate Vineet Tiwari, a writer from Indore, the picture shows the only
possessions that Bardhan left behind: a rusted almirah, some clothes, a pair of
shoes and a red suitcase that he used while traveling. Bardhan, I gleaned, did
not even own or rent a house – after his wife Padma passed away in 1986, he
moved into the CPI headquarters in New Delhi, Ajoy Bhawan. I have never known
Bardhan personally. So, I am not sure if he was happy or what his idea of
happiness was. But going by the tributes that flowed upon his passing, I
believe that he was a much loved and respected man.
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| Picture Courtesy: Bhupinder/Internet/Vineet Tiwari |
My own
admiration for Bardhan grew exponentially when I saw the picture. I have learnt
from Life that minimalism – the art of living with bare essentials – is the key
to happiness. Isn’t it a great idea to live with just a few sets clothes, and
perhaps a passport if you love traveling, a mobile phone and a laptop with high
speed internet connectivity? You may want to consider owning a house if you can
afford one, or perhaps just rent one. After all, at the end of the day, you
just want a roof over your head, meaningful work to do and some food to keep
your body nourished and healthy.
I am
reminded of a Zen story. A visitor arrived at the home of a Master. The home
was just a small hut. It was absolutely barren. No furniture. No bed. The
Master sat and slept on the ground. He ate fruits from the orchard in the
neighborhood and drank water from a stream nearby. He had one robe which he
washed and re-wore every day.
The
visitor was intrigued. He asked: “Master, how come you have nothing here. How
do you live without anything – no furniture, no utensils, no clothes?”
The
Master looked at the visitor and said: “Sir, you too have come empty-handed –
no furniture, no utensils, no clothes!”
The
visitor was surprised with the Master’s remark and exclaimed: “But I am just a
visitor!”
The
Master, beamed a big, glowing, smile and replied: “So am I!”
That’s
what we all are. Mere visitors on this planet. And to live here – and be happy –
we need nothing more than the bare essentials! For almost 7 years now, my wife
Vaani and I have been following a simple principle: anything, barring our
passports and important documents, that we have not used, we have been giving
away – every six months. This process helps us sustain a free flow of positive
energy while keeping our home clutter-free. This energy, we realize, is the key
to inner peace and happiness. Each person’s idea of peaceful living and
therefore their version of the bare essentials will vary. But our
experience has been that the lesser we want, the lesser we cling on to, the
happier we are.
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