Designing a dharmic debut

CHENNAI: Dharma is not a synonym for religion. It is beyond it, and can be universally applied if people the world over follow its practices,” says spiritualist, vocalist, writer and independent hypnotherapist Surekha Kothari, giving us an insight into her recently launched book, Dharma by Design: A Universe in Harmony.

The author’s debut offering — a product of her extensive study and understanding of the concept, married with her love for words — takes a simplified yet reflective route to teach or rather introduce to its readers the different dharmic tenets.

While offering comprehensive methods to ‘adapt and adopt, to clean and simplify our lives’, Surekha discusses the three Rs that her book hopes to achieve — reflect, reconnect and reform.

Excerpts follow.

Written during the lockdown period, how did you translate your reflections into a tangible creation?
Over time, the world has been driven by a lot of uncertainty, conflict and unhappiness; values are on a decline and humankind sees no empathy. The COVID-19 came as a warning to humanity to introspect and heal and the lockdown to me was a time to reflect on all this and more. By March, using dharma as a tool of human connectivity during these troubled times, I began tapping into my experiences and learnings to write and offer the readers steps to discover their inner selves and humanity while enjoying the journey.

You are no stranger to penning your thoughts — be it on social media or your blogs. But was turning a published author on the cards for a long time?
Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction and what happened to me was strange. Many years ago, I consulted an astrologer for a personal reason. During the session, the astrologer said that I will write a book and I wanted to laugh aloud! I was, back then, a musician, singing and performing across different venues. Yes, I used to occasionally write Hindi poetry but to delve into concentrated writing was never my goal, my forte even.

But, for the past four years, I have been writing every day. So, I was happy writing blogs, practising hypnotherapy… it was a full life. Two years back, I visited my guru to listen to the Srimad Bhagwat for seven days wherein he spoke about truth, simplicity and honesty. One evening, as I sat with him, he offered that I write a book in English about my understanding and learning of life. The idea began germinating in my mind and soon, I decided to write about dharma.

In today’s world, where we have lost contact with human touch, I began observing how people were not responding. Their actions were more reactionary. For me, having grown up with a lot of spirituality and respect for elders, the declining values were alarming. On the sidelines, I was reading about ‘religious warfare’ and found it strange how there was war in the name of religion and how it was being taken advantage of by many to glorify a single thought or a person. The intolerance was unacceptable. To me, all humans are one and it is that humanity I wanted to explore. I wanted to talk about dharma and take it beyond religion.

Dharma beyond gender too finds a space in your book. Did this stem from your experiences as a woman?
Yes, over the years, I have worked in many organisations and worn several hats. This has given me the experience and insights into several prevailing gender issues. I have, on several occasions, found men trying to sideline women at work. In our country, we have a vast human resource by virtue of both men and women. Women have been coming out and shining in every field, so why do we still fight over who is more productive? Why are women still “shown their place” by those around them? In several households, women not only supplement the family with their income but also act as caregivers to the family with no help from the establishment they are married into. Despite their contribution across sectors, women are not recognised. Writing about dharma beyond gender was an attempt to break existing conditioning, one of the biggest self-created myths of our times — gender war, and explore dharma, which is genderless, universally equal and timeless.

You have explained in detail the four pillars of dharma — truth, austerity, cleanliness and compassion. When did you start echoing these tenets?
Dharma was something I was brought up with. It wasn’t a conscious decision to become a dharmic being but was a result of the values we were taught as children. Growing up in a wellknit family taught me a lot about empathy, compassion and respect for one another. When I turned 19 and stepped into the real world, I was rather shocked by the complexities and unhappiness that many faced. People were struggling to evolve; values, relationships and work were being taken for granted and everyone was trying to make peace with their lives. This day-to-day struggle was hard-hitting. The fourpillars of dharma helped me understand and tide through. While penning the book, I felt I needed to write and share comprehensive methods to help readers adopt these pillars in their lives.

How did the book evolve around its focal point — the four pillars?
Initially, I had to reflect a lot and extensively think before I wrote the chapters. Being my first book, it made the process more intense. I aimed to present a comprehensive and cohesive read and the entire book revolved around that. It was a great learning process. If the readers can reflect upon what I have written, then I will consider that the book has done its job!

Is a second book in the making?
Yes, I have started work on my second. It will be a two-part book focusing on karma and its theory, and will be interspersed with anecdotes and reflections from the past life regression sessions that I conduct. Past life regression has opened a vista for me and it is that wide vision that I hope to take to people
with short stories about life and the learning process.

For details, visit: www. BodyMindSoulCentre.com Book available on amazon. com, flipkart.com and notionpress. com