In sorrow one seeks comfort, in pain some balm. When curiosity is excited, a book or the apt sayings of the wise come to provide relief. Prof C. M. Joad is both loved and hated. He is himself. He is bold, original, terse and witty. He knows the art of loading the gun and firing it at the exact part of the bull’s eye. Of sleep, beauty and peace of mind, he concluded, “The road is not direct, it is different, difficult and indirect.” He meant that one must watch the state of body needing sleep rather than providing items of comforts. For beauty a sense for its realisation is the basic requisite. Peace of mind lies in providing peace of mind to others rather than seeking or snatching it. Perhaps, these practical tips can help the modern citizen to sleep well, to enjoy real beauty more aesthetically and also to discover the road that leads to peace of mind.

Coming back to the crying problems of health and happiness. More than half a century ago, John Donne’s poetic flights and metaphysical hyperboles appealed to my young mind. Our learned professor gave the hint that Donne was under a self-created illusion. He was a victim of his inflated ego. Princess Lucy of Bedford appreciated his poems. Donne thought, she loved him. Not stopping at admiration. This proved his undoing. He lost balance, turned against all the beautiful women of all ages, all lands! John Donne concluded, “Nowhere lives a woman true and fair!” No parody intended, a modern-day, Donne would add, “ Nowhere lives a person healthy and happy.” It is this contemporary pessimist who is requested to benefit by wisdom of the wise.

The source of this time-tried wisdom is Prof M.C. Sharma. He is 85, both healthy and happy. Prof Sharma has capsuled a time-tested and practical six-step formula still holding relevance to a large extent. The road to happiness, he believes, lies through health. Therefore, physical fitness is the first requisite. He wisely adds for the benefit of sports persons and gym-goer to reach physical health through mental health. Mental health is the magic key, the only key. It saves one from indulgence, greed, anger, possessiveness involvements, ego, etc. These ills kill health. Breed very fast. The second requirement is money as means to meet needs, a few comforts. Not luxury! It is desire of the wayward mind. Leading to competition, anxiety, blood pressure, heart diseases. One gets better health and more happiness from an understanding spouse. Sulakshni patni. No Helen. No Romeo. No hero, only homemaker.

Family is a source and centre of pleasure. A manageable size is good. Best is to have a dutiful son or helpful daughter. Indian parents still rightly seek and pride. They get happiness from worthy sons. One is enough for parents for whole of the life. The fifth cornerstone of happiness is living or settling in one’s own country, land or place. This strengthens the sense of belonging. It cements human, social, cultural and historical bonds. It caters to mental health, levels the prejudice, balances the mind. Removes contradictions. The sixth is to take positive interest in constructive things. Retain your objective and be on the right side of powers. No loss. No fear. The situation is alarming. The state of diseases of a town is directly proportional to the number of healers, physicians, doctors, surgeons, or paramedical. The state of a metros is worst. Ludhiana is no exception. It is fast-growing, overcrowded and heavily exposed to health-hazards of all sorts. Count the number of hospitals, add ever-expanding nursing homes. Make an estimate of daily indoor/outdoor patients. Count road-accidents, breaking of vital bones, loss of limbs. Come to think of the state of mental health. Think of murders, rapes, dowry-deaths, accidents, intended injuries, cases of intentional involvements, etc. Get a rough idea of ill-gotten wealth, illegally taken over property, children lifted for ransom.

Prof M.C. Sharma’s wisdom is still relevant. Tolstoy thoughtfully wrote, “Happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

M.S. Cheema