Is our health linked with our thoughts?

This thought came to my mind recently. After getting involved in certain research studies which tries to measure behaviour and its impact on the health, I have understood that our behaviour is linked with our health. By modulating behaviour, we can change health outcomes. It is not that easily visible but it is true.

Let me take an example. A person having hypertension can reduce his blood pressure just by reducing his weight if the hypertension is caused because of increased weight. So, without medication he can remain disease free if he chooses to change his eating behaviour and reduces weight. Another example is – if we are sitting in a wrong way (wrong posture), we might face issues like backache and by correcting our sitting posture, we can help treat our backache. Many of the examples in ‘occupational health’ domain can be cited here.

So, let’s understand that our behaviour is responsible for diseases or its treatment. Certain behaviours can create certain diseases and certain behaviours can be a treatment for those diseases.

Once we understand this, the point will be clear which I am going to mention next. That in the similar way, even our thoughts are responsible and is a treatment of many diseases.

Hence correction of wrong thoughts is a health promoting activity. The role of great teachers in health promotion is to identify wrong thoughts / false values / wrong assumptions present in the minds of students and to correct them. As a student, we can try to correct our wrong thoughts as our teacher guides.

I am aware it is not that easy as it looks now. But I am very happy to understand the link between our thoughts and health and most importantly to share it with you all. 😊

The definition of heath also includes spiritual dimension. Maybe they wish to point out to this fact of thought correction?

There is nothing known as absolute freedom

I had this realization since long but I felt like documenting it now. There is nothing known as absolute freedom.

I used to imagine that I am doing things which I do for more and more freedom. That is a true thing. We do things to get more and more control over our own lives. It is a human nature. Freedom is of most importance to us. But we should be able to tell very clearly why we need a particular kind of freedom and what we are going to do with the help of that freedom. I am not saying that we need to tell to everyone every time. We need not share it with anyone but it should be clear to us at least. Otherwise it becomes a struggle for our own dominance over the other person(s). While that can be a necessity sometimes, that cannot be our ultimate aim.

The problem with that aim is that there is huge possibility that we will create injustice while trying to dominate other people and then we will be the people from whom other people need freedom! So once the person who was speaking for freedom will go against the very basic principle of freedom only because he does not understand there is nothing known as absolute freedom.

Freedom will always have limitations. Then what we gain by gaining freedom? We push those limits further every time. So that new limitations become visible and then we try to push those limits too. There is a lot of fun in this process hence it is worth doing but only by keeping this thing in mind that – There is nothing known as absolute freedom!

मुझे खुद को भी है टटोलना

तेरा रंग ऐसा चढ़ गया
कोई और रंग ना चढ़ सके
तेरा नाम सीने पे लिखा
हर कोई आके पढ़ सके

है जूनून है जूनून है
तेरे इश्क का ये जूनून है
रग रग में इश्क तेरा दौड़ता
यह बावरा सा खून है
तूने ही सिखाया सच्चाइयों का मतलब
तेरे पास आके जाना मैंने ज़िन्दगी का मकसद
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते
सच्चा है प्यार तेरा, सत्यमेव जयते
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते

तेरे नूर के दस्तूर में
ना हों सलवटें ना शिकन रहे
मेरी कोशिशें तो हैं बस यही
रहें खुशबुएँ गुलशन रहे
तेरी ज़ुल्फ़ सुलझाने चला
तेरे और पास आने लगा
जहाँ कोई सुर ना हो बेसुरा
वो गीत मै गाने चला
है जूनून है,जूनून है
तेरे इश्क का ये जूनून है
रग रग में इश्क तेरा दौड़ता
यह बावरा सा खून है
तूने ही सिखाया सच्चाइयों का मतलब
तेरे पास आके जाना मैंने ज़िन्दगी का मकसद
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते
सच्चा है प्यार तेरा, सत्यमेव जयते
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव,सत्यमेव जयते

तेरा रंग ऐसा चढ़ गया
था नशा जो और भी बढ़ गया
तेरी बारिशों का करम है ये
मै निखर गया, मै संवर गया
जैसा भी हूँ, अपना मुझे
मुझे ये नहीं है बोलना
काबिल तेरे मै  बन सकूं
मुझे द्वार ऐसा खोलना
सांसों कि इस रफ़्तार को
धड़कन के इस त्यौहार को
हर जीत को, हर हार को
खुद अपने इस संसार को
बदलूँगा मै तेरे लिये

है जूनून है, जूनून है
तेरे इश्क का ये जूनून है
रग रग में इश्क तेरा दौड़ता
ये बावरा सा खून है
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते
सच्चा है प्यार तेरा सत्यमेव जयते
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते

मुझे खुद को भी है टटोलना
कहीं है कमी तो बोलना
कहीं दाग है तो छुपायें क्यूँ
हम सच से नज़रें हटायें क्यूँ
खुद को बदलना है अगर
बदलूँगा मै तेरे लिये
शोलों पे चलना है अगर
चल दूंगा मै तेरे लिये
मेरे खून कि हर बूँद में
संकल्प हो तेरे प्यार का
काटो मुझे तो तू बहे
हो सुर्ख रंग हर धार का

है जूनून है, जूनून है
तेरे इश्क का ये जूनून है
रग रग में इश्क तेरा दौड़ता
ये बावरा सा खून है
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते
सच्चा है प्यार तेरा, सत्यमेव जयते
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते
सच्चा है प्यार तेरा सत्यमेव जयते
सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव, सत्यमेव जयते

- Prasoon Joshi

How to convert anger in something productive

A beautiful talk by our Nobel Prize winner, Kailash Satyarti on how to convert anger in something productive - https://youtu.be/HI7zfpitZpo

जंग टलती रहे तो बेहतर है

खून अपना हो या पराया हो
नस्ल ए आदम का खून है आखिर
जंग मशरिक में हो या मगरिब में
अम्न ए आलम का खून है आख़िर

बम घरों पर गिरें कि सरहद पर
रूहे-तामीर जख्म खाती है
खेत अपने जलें या औरों के
जीस्त फाकों से तिलमिलाती है

टैंक आगे बढ़ें या पीछे हटें
कोख धरती की बांझ होती है
फतेह का जश्न हो या हार का सोग
जिंदगी मय्यतों पे रोती है

जंग तो खुद ही एक मसला है
जंग क्या मसअलों का हल देगी
खून ओर आग आज बरसेगी
भूख ओर एहतियाज कल देगी
इसलिए ए शरीफ इंसानों
जंग टलती रहे तो बेहतर है
आप ओर हम सभी के आंगन में
शम्मा जलती रहे तो बेहतर है

- साहिर लुधियानवी

Dr. Ashok D. B. Vaidya

Dr. Ashok D B Vaidya is a great person I was able to meet 2 times in my life.

He is a great researcher and father of Dr. Vidita Vaidya.

It might take time for me to understand and write about him, hence I will keep updating this post as I will get more information and time.

I liked his interview in which he says that - "Science is learning to say - I don't know"

Dr. Abhay Bang had suggested me his name to meet him and I was able to find him out only based on his name and was able to meet him at his home at Parel, Mumbai.

Will share more about him as time permits and as I understand more.

Completed the course - Internet History, Technology and Security from University of Michigan at Coursera

I am very happy to share that I have just completed the course - Internet History, Technology and Security.

The link to the certificate can be found here.