Renowned poet-author and motivational speaker Dr Kumar Vishwas inaugurated Sakal ‘Swasthyam’. While appealing to everyone to participate in this activity, he shared his thoughts regarding physical and mental health
At the inauguration of ‘Swasthyam’, poet-author and motivational speaker Dr Kumar Vishwas addressed the audience after doing the customary lamp lighting. He mentioned how he was overwhelmed by the worship of idols in the Rampanchayatan style performed on the dais, Abhijit Pawar’s brief discussion on spirituality in Indian culture with a contextual explanation of some shlokas and the Aarti sung by Sunil Tambe and his chanting of Omkara.
Dr Kumar Vishwas also changed the arrangement on the dais and chose to address the audience in a seating position because he felt it was inappropriate to address them in a standing position as if he was an authority. “Considering the broad purpose of the ‘Swasthyam’ initiative, Pawar’s views on the physical-spiritual harmony and the standard of this audience, I think it is not appropriate for me to stand and make a speech with authority. I sit at the same level as you and communicate,” said Vishwas.
He spoke for more than two hours. The audience intently listened to him and responded with occasional clapping and peals of laughter. Although Vishwas is known for his poetry, he humbly refused the request to recite any poem saying, “Poetry reading has its own space. A dialogue on spirituality (happening here) that has the potential to change someone’s life is as significant as poetry recital.”
Referring to Abhijit Pawar’s speech occasionally, Dr Vishwas also promised to do a three-day programme on ‘Apne Apne Ram’ with ‘Sakal’ in Pune.
Here are some of the gems from Dr Kumar Vishwas’s session at ‘Swasthyam’
- If you have 5,000 friends on Facebook but your real brother is not talking to you; if you celebrate Navratri but don’t care for your mother at home, how will you attain mental health? People say that the disease afflicts the body but the disease is in the soul, the mind. If the soul is good, the person is healthy.
- Our sages have been saying for thousands of years that disease is related to the mind, not the body. The mind needs to be calm. From the Vedas to the Puranas, all scriptures tell us the same thing – that a person is happy when he has attained mental peace. They have also suggested many ways to attain peace of mind and many people are adopting those. Yoga features among them. Yoga and mental health are closely linked. Puranas have also said, ‘Yogashcha Vritti Nirodham’. Mental peace can keep physical ailments at bay. So, if we take care of the mind, we would not need vaccination for physical ailments.
- Our current lifestyle makes it even more important for us to pay attention to mental health. We see life, death, success, failure, loneliness, relationships, etc. being discussed more in the post-Corona period. A lot of people are restless. Many of them are suffering from some kind of mental illness. Some are ignoring their mental health. This is dangerous but can be overcome by making the mind strong. Think daily about your diet, relationships and what you want to do in life, write about it in a diary and change yourself accordingly. This alone will bring you mental and physical health.
- We are representatives of the oldest civilisation in the world. We are the children of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who defeated the Mughals. We are the daughters of the Queen of Jhansi. Then, how can we be depressed? If it is happening, it means that we have not been taught properly.
- It’s not how you look but how you are on the inside that makes you a great personality. What we eat and how we behave with family, relatives and society determines our personality. Be sure to be ambitious as you progress in life but don’t be greedy. If you live your life upholding social values, your health will never deteriorate.
- So jaate hai footpath par akhbar bichhakar…
Woh majdoor kabhi neend ki goliyan nahi khatein…”
(The labourers who spread newspaper on the footpath and sleep there, never take sleeping pills)
One should make one’s house divine, not grand because monuments are grand but divinity is found only in temples. You can’t find health in resources; it exists in satisfaction.
- We never tell children to be good individuals. The Indian education system preaches that doing a job is rewarding but it doesn’t talk about becoming a good person. Everyone wants to be a doctor, engineer or pilot but no one wants to be a good person. No wonder such doctors later sell kidneys while engineers construct sub-standard bridges and political leaders rob people.
- Faithfulness does not produce good individuals; noble thoughts do. In this world, if religious bigotry has produced hatred, sin and oppression, then spiritual consciousness has produced as much peace, purity, acceptance, affection and love. When we say, ‘I am a Hindu’, ‘I am a Muslim’ or ‘I am a Christian’, it separates us. But when we say ‘I am a human’, it unites us. For the last 5,000 years, the battle to fortify respective bastions is on. But what about humanity? Remember the story about Arihant Mahavir? When his shawl was stuck in a thorn, he chose to discard the shawl because he did not want to cause harm to the tree by breaking its thorn.
Be ambitious, not greedy!
- You will be healthy only if your soul is pure. Physics talks about the God particle. Its size or weight is not known. But scientists say that it is what drives everything. This is what we have been saying for thousands of years. But when the West says it, people believe it.
- People wonder how a husband and wife can live together for 50 years in India. Because marriages don’t last beyond 10 years abroad. Our culture teaches us these values.
- Our culture also teaches us that no one should go hungry; we even offer food to ants. But the disharmony between the limits of the body and the mind is causing all the problems. If your mind controls the body, there won’t be any problem.
- You should be ambitious, not greedy. However, at present, we are doing the exact opposite and our greed is only increasing.
- We are told that only education will fix everything. But we see that pollution and evils like abuse, rape and bigotry are increasing. Earlier there was no education in the village but every man living there considered a girl in the village to be his sister and there was no misappropriation of money.
- So, there is no connection between education and health or education and a pure soul. True health consists of the values that were inculcated in us in childhood by our mother or grandparents. I am a university topper but this is my opinion based on experience.
- Both body and mind need a good diet. If the diet is wrong, then how can health be good? Take the example of the Harry Potter movies where a boy sitting on a broomstick is shown doing magic. This method of inculcating values among children is wrong. Books no longer teach children good things about grandmothers and daughters of the house.
Do not support wrong things
- We must stop poisoning our brains, mind, and body every day. We must not forward wrong messages on social media.
- Talk to elders in the house with respect, listen to their instructions and do whatever work they tell you to do. It will make life worthwhile for you and your children. I have achieved a lot by doing this. If you support wrong things, you will perish. So, always support the truth. Do not get involved in TV programmes and news if they are showing the wrong discussions.
- When your mental health is spoilt, both Goddesses — Saraswati and Lakshmi – shun you. Kaikeyi’s mental health was poor, while Bharata’s mental health was good.
Decide what you want to do in life!
- The flower on the tree knows how it is going to die, yet it lets its seed germinate. A new tree emerges from the seed and the fragrance of the flower stays. This is how your life should be, but no one is ready to let others grow. Plants that don’t leaf out in the Spring will never bloom, so it’s important to change with time. Think about what you want to do in life. Speed is necessary but it must be controlled.
Announcement of ‘Dress the Nation’
At the event, Kumar Vishwas announced his social initiative – ‘Dress the Nation’ under which clothes belonging to celebrities will be auctioned off among fans and the proceeds will be used to stitch uniforms for students. “Through this initiative, the fans will get the clothes of their favourite stars and at the same time, no student in the country will feel deprived of a uniform,” he said.
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