Sir,

Apropos N.K.A. Ballal’s article ‘What is the purpose of one’s life?’ published in Star of Mysore dated Apr.13, I am tempted to write as under:

I am a regular meditator since about 16 years and a disciple of guruparampara of Shri Ramachandra Mission. I was also wondering on the subject of purpose in life for a long time.

As pointed out by Ballal, people think that making donations etc., may be part of purpose in life which is certainly not. It is an exhibition of our ignorance about why at all we exist.

Living upto a certain moment which requires our immediate attention to be followed by a true and honest ACTION is of paramount need of the hour (time). Otherwise an opportunity to live a purposeful living is lost.

I once read somewhere about why some people are considered great is because of the way they handled ‘small things’ and not because of their ‘great’ deeds. Father of the Nation M. K. Gandhi, while engrossed in a hot discussion about country’s great concern of those times, that is about how to present India’s cause of Independence at the ensuing Round Table Conference at London, left the august gathering (including  Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Moulana Azad etc.) in between to talk to a little child sobbing about a sheep in pain in its paw at Sabarmati Ashram, which was got hurt due to sticking of a thorn.

Nehru frowned at his ‘indifference’ but Gandhiji hinted that it was the need of the hour to console that little girl and to get immediate treatment to the hurt sheep.

Do we understand the real purpose in our lives. That is human beings to be humane always, at any cost. But we forget that and behave differently and perhaps indifferently by wearing a mask.

It was indeed a nice and purposeful article.

Thank you SOM.

– M. C. Chandrashekar, Retd. Chief Manager, SBM, Mysuru, 14.4.2017