I AM

BAPPI LAHIRI

God is power. Whatever we are doing, whatever we have done and whatever we will be doing are all decided by the Almighty. One who is not spiritual can never be peaceful in his or her life. I have immense faith in the Higher Power and that’s why i doze off every night peacefully devoid of any stress. India is a country of wonderful traditions. Today, westerners are looking up to us and learning our kind of spirituality. We have so many religions that teach us beautiful things. It’s time we also looked within and respected our tradition. We should learn all the good things that every religion has to offer. I am an extremely religious and spiritual person. I respect and believe in all religions. I belong to a Bengali Brahmin family where a lot of importance is given to puja and rituals. My parents have taught me to be regular with rituals and i follow all festivals and ceremonies religiously. Whatever i think, talk and do is because of the influence of God. My music is a tribute to Him. Whenever i compose any music, i try to reach God. I would advice all the budding musicians to do the same and see the difference. Thanks to Him, i am what i am today. I take out time to visit religious places as often as possible. Every Saturday, i go to the Hanuman temple and read Hanuman chalisa. I pray to Him to make me as strong as He is. I left Kolkata 30 years ago and since then i have been living in Mumbai. While in Mumbai, i make sure i visit the Hanuman temple every Saturday. Other than that, i’m also a regular visitor to Siddhi Vinayak temple. Whenever i am abroad, i visit churches. I love the churches in Vatican City. I worship Ganpati Baba and i have his idols all over my home. I believe in wearing amulets and neckwear for luck. Why do you think i put on such heavy jewellery? All my accessories have some meaning to it. I have met almost all spiritual leaders all over the world except Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I wish i could. He was a great human being. My guru ji is Satya Narayan, i respect him and follow his words religiously. My wife is a devotee like me and my entire family is very spiritual. I am a karmayogi and i think without God’s blessings no one can achieve anything in this world. (As told to S Shanthi)