By Tara Narayan

Iconic Indian American prolific author and alternate medicine advocate Dr Deepak Chopra… New Age “vishwaguru” for our modern times!

THESE days I’ve been catching up with famous Indian Americans in the USA and long before Baba Ramdev and Narendra Modi came along with their ghar ghar mein yoga promotions, there was the master “vishwaguru” – BKS Iyengar! And yes, it was Dr Deepak Chopra who introduced Americans to the preventive health regimes of yoga and Ayurveda and much else from the ancient Indian texts on healthcare disciplines. Dr Deepak Chopra, who I dare say was the first to offer crème de la crème Ayurveda and yoga retreats at exotic locations, to get Americans into body beautiful shape from the inside out, is a much feted and toasted allopathy physician turned alternative medicine and healthcare icon now – his 100 odd books are a money spinner lapped up by the many seeking better health parameters in today’s careworn, stress-filled traumatic times; yes, even in the US of A.
Read Dr Chopra’s or listen to his talks over the spate of videos where he comes across as a much seasoned and experienced man of physical, social, spiritual matters and the latest I hear is he has become a monk, after spending time at a Korean Buddhist monastery where they do go around with their bowls and people think they’re earning good karma if they feed the monks who pray and chant for their wellbeing…the monks ended up with more food than they could eat, he confides in one interview! The nights were for chanting.
Ironically, it is the anonymity of a monk’s life Dr Deepak Chopra is seeking after his decades of high-powered visibility across the Hollywood or uppercrust society of America! His is not exactly a rags to riches story for he was a defence kid from Delhi, a family of medical professionals…but yes, he made it to USA for brighter, greener pastures and currently lives the life he needs to live to stay alive post-76 plus, plus.
He has taken to silence in a big way and says he prefers to listen rather than advice (he’s done enough of that) and yes, he dislikes the idea of hope, especially if it comes along without any action to improve the suffering of the many in the world. Needless to say he has a foundation of his own which is doing good work in USA and India…amongst the many observations he has made I’ve taken a shine to some!
And some more: Like if you cannot find joy life is a waste; like you have to go back to some creative sources to be successful; the mind is weak because it neither accepts nor appreciates or loves. Most of us, he says, are trapped in the prison of the past and we must come to terms with it…another famous Deepak Chopra quote is: Some people are so poor all they have is money! It’s a scathing comment of those who do nothing on life but chase financial wealth but don’t really know who they are and what potential they have to make the world a better place to live for the many and not just the few…all this and much more, I’m offering just a gist of some of his thought-provoking, hard-earned wisdom here. I haven’t read his books yet but dare say they’re a fountain of revelations in which we may re-discover ourselves too.
YES, he wakes up daily asking himself, Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose? What can I do? Very important to ask daily is, What am I grateful for? There’s got to be something! So this is to say not for nothing is Dr Deepak Chopra called the New Age guru of alternative medicine and healthcare …in an interesting project he says his foundation group went out one of the most crime-ridden areas and found a “godmother” who had made a calling out of rescuing young criminals…with her help they introduced the youth to yoga and meditation programs and the result was so positive that now the jaded, hardboiled policemen too come to learn! Reaching out someone who is a suffering to bail them out of life’s never ending traumas is the right thing to do!
Well, the more I read up Dr Deepak Chopra the more I want to read him up. He has several critics too because some scientists think he should be a doctor of mainstream medicine and not try to be a know-all scientist, dabbling in laboratory experiments to get to the heart of the neurosciences, it is not his field of expertise!
Well, like it or not, Dr Deepak Chopra’s books and educational wellbeing programs have spawned many other wellbeing physicians too and of course his books are bestsellers (go look them up). I think he must be touching his 100th book any one of these days. He is married, has children, kith and kin and has arrived like few can arrive in the USA today for the competition is tougher.
Catch up with Dr Deepak Chopra if you haven’t yet so far!
I’M SORRY that despite all the wealth of knowledge out there the US government’s policies are so out dated that they have impacted and compromised American children’s natural immune systems to the extent that children will die earlier than their own parents in time to come (a future generation’s longevity is at stake while today’s generation of so called venal political leaders are seeking endless wellbeing and longevity for themselves but not the people on whose public kitty they live off most grossly).
ASK Email inventor and MITs systems scientist, the other famous American Indian Dr Shiva Ayyadurai, who is running for president of USA in the elections coming up next year. Now Ayyadurai’s is a real rags to riches story in the US of A and I’ve got a very soft corner for this story. It’s a pity neither American media nor Indian media is covering the dynamic observations and bottoms-up campaigns of this presidential candidate — like he justly deserves to be covered. But maybe all that is changing now.

GOLDEN WORDS OF ADVICE!
CAME across these golden words of wisdom by our ancient sages in a Facebook post, worth practicing…if you are a happy soul! Here are health tips translated from the original ancient Sanskrit texts…worth making a note of you seek peace, harmony and joy in mind and body, heart and soul:

1. If previously taken lunch is not digested, taking dinner will be equivalent to taking poison. Hunger is one signal that the previous food is digested.
2. Proper sleep cures half of the diseases.
3. Of all the pulses green gram are the best. It boosts immunity. Other pulses all have one or the other side effects.
4. Garlic even joins broken ones.
5. Anything consumed in excess just because it tastes good is not good for health. Be moderate.
6. There is no vegetable that has no medicinal benefit to the body.
7. No doctor is capable of giving longevity (doctors have limitations).
8. Worry aggravates ill-health.
9. Do any exercise slowly (speedy exercise is not good).
10. Chew your food like a goat (never swallow food in a hurry, saliva aids first in digestion).
11. Never take bath immediately after taking food (digestion is affected).
12. No water matches rain water in purity.
13. When there is indigestion taking plain water serves like medicine.
14. Always prefer things that are fresh. Whereas rice and servant are good only when they are old.
15. Take the food that has all six tastes (viz: salt, sweet, bitter, sour, astringent and pungent).
16. Fill your stomach half with solids (a quarter with water and rest leave it empty).
17. Never sit idle after taking food. Walk for at least half-an-hour.
18. Hunger increases the taste of food…in other words, eat only when hungry.
19. Worrying speeds up aging.
20. When it is time for health food keep even 100 jobs aside.
21. Choose always the middle path. Avoid going for extremes in anything.