The journey of an author is really an interesting one. The
decision of writing a book includes several steps including deciding of a
topic, penning down the thoughts in the mind and also making it reach the
perfect audience. Let us know more about the journey of eminent author Ravi
Valluri.
Q1) You are a faculty of Art of Living. Tell us how the
experience is beneficial and what all can be learnt from there.
Ans:
Art of Living is an
ocean, and one has to dive deep into it to acquire the precious wisdom and
knowledge from the founder and Master.
The
foundation was established by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the year 1981.He has transformed millions of lives through simple yoga, meditation,
the breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya (proper vision process) and
practical wisdom spread over 180 countries across the globe.
“Whenever you are in love and feel joyous, your mind is in the
present. That is when you achieve yoga. The art of living lies in being in the
present moment,” says Gurudev.
Living in the present is the essence of the Art of Living, where
one does not brood about the past or fret as to what will happen in future.
We all face misadventures in life but this cardinal principle (to be
in the present), to my mind is the bedrock of spirituality and psychology,
which is essential to be happy and contended in life.
I was struggling to combat alcoholism and that is when my wife
enrolled me for the Part 1 Course (now called the Happiness Programme) during
my posting at Jaipur in the year 2003. I finally quit quotidian drinking in
November 2006 and by the grace of the Master and the prayers of my parents and
wife. I have been sober since and am eternally grateful. In the year 2009, I
became a faculty of the Art of Living. Since then, I have been conducting the Happiness
Programme where the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya is
taught along with yoga, pranayama and meditation. In addition, along with other
programmes, we organise Art of Living programmes (under the GEP- Government
Executive Programmes) for the staff and officers working in government departments
to improve their productivity and efficiency.
In addition, I counsel alcoholics and drug addicts, conduct courses
for them to eschew this terrible dependency and help them lead normal lives.
Q2) “Make the Mind Mt. Kailasa” is another wonderful book
and the title is evergreen. What inspired to write this book and how did you
think of this title? Also attach the link of the book.
Ans:
The
human mind is our biggest friend so
that we become achievers in life or it makes us a slave where we
succumb to all kinds of pressures and problems.
The
Art of Living Foundation trains the mind through various courses
and programmes to accept challenges we confront in life and become suzerains.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had unveiled the book at the
International Centre of the Art of Living, Bengaluru and remarked, “People go
to Kailasa in search of Shiva and peace, he has brought Kailasa for you.” It
was high octane stuff when the Master uttered these generous words.
This book is a collection of one hundred articles, dealing with human
mind, yoga, pranayama, meditation, improving communication skills,
transformation of lives, combating problematic situations and life stories of
people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Steve Jobs and Stephen
Hawking to name some. There are also articles on organisations such as IKEA and
others which provide us inspiration and motivation, essentially to make a
paradigm shift from negative to positive thinking.
This is not a typical self-help book, but provides various tips
from what I have learned through my experiences of being with Gurudev.
The link of the book:
Q3) You have written several books from which the youth can
learn a lot. How has life thought you the lessons that you have imbibed in the
book?
Ans:
Over the years I
have written both fiction and non-fiction work, apart from contributing to the
Mind Matters section of Free Press Journal, Mumbai, Life Positive E- Magazine,
Sakshi Times and occasionally for The Hindu.
Non-fiction endeavours revolve around positive thinking and
holistic practices such as yoga, pranayama, meditation techniques and inspirational
and motivational thoughts to live in the present and emerge as suzerains.
I have also written about travels, to well-known and relatively
unknown places, and travelling by Indian Railways to various places, which has
caught the attention of readers.
My realm of fiction includes two collections of short
stories, drabbles and plays (based on Hindu mythology, Zen stories and
Panchatantra, all with a spin tailor-made for modern times). Apart from these
there are tales on the trials and tribulations of people, especially the
migrant labour during Covid-19, the journey of a Chinese techie who travels
westwards to India to overcome immense lack in her life and a true-life account.
These books should fire the imagination of students, youth
and adults to delve into life and face it as it unfolds.
Q4) “Divine Whispers” is also one of your creations. Tell
us something about the book.
Ans: Divine Whispers are akin to vibrations from
the divine.
The name of the book is “Divine Whispers: 365 Spiritual
Quotes of H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar”. This book was released online by Gurudev
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during the lockdown.
It covers topics like love, lust, breath, meditation, yoga,
Sudarshan Kriya, death, life, seva among others. There is one quote of
Gurudev for everyday which an individual mulls over to suffuse positivity in
his/her life.
Essentially after the sadhana which a seeker does every
day, it would be efficacious to read a quote and feel the vibrations in body,
mind and soul.
Q5) What is the one advice you want to give to the future
generations who want to become authors?
Ans:
Read, read, read and then write, write and
write. Keep writing and mercilessly edit to separate chaff from
the grain.
Writing is a lonely profession and any author has to
practice the craft and hone the skills incessantly. I would recommend a
strategy of maintaining three diaries (incidentally this is the title of a short
story – Three Diaries in my collection of stories called “A Tale of Parallels”).
The first diary can be to note down new words every day, another for new
quotations and the third for ideas. This will form the fulcrum or scaffolding
for a book to emerge.
It would also be prudent to write down 500 to 700 words
daily without fail and in a couple of months a book will surface. There are
several writing portals where one can contribute stories, articles, tales etc.
Recently I have launched a website called
RustleofWords.com. Both budding and established authors are invited to send
their contributions at rustleofwords@gmail.com.
And the most important advice, have patience
and do not be in a hurry to showcase your talent. We all seeking instant gratification,
look for likes on social media and seem to be satisfied with that.
However,
a good writer through well-researched subjects will be certainly be sought
after for his/her works.
Ravi Valluri sir's vibrant thought is able to change social mindset.
ReplyDeleteThank you Archishaa Vijay for your comment. Take care of yourself and the family and if you have not done the Art of Living Course do it.
DeleteThanks Subechcha Ganguly
ReplyDelete