Dr Bankey Lal Sharma is 95 years old.
Every morning, he wakes up, does pranayama (breathing exercises), washes his clothes, irons his kurta, has a hearty breakfast, rinses his dishes, and then reads.
His personality is magnetic and his zest for life is evident. The secret to happiness, he shares, is meditation.
“When your mind wanders, check where it is going. Be impartial as you do it,” he advises.
Like most people, Sharma has had his fair share of ups and downs.
While his teaching years were filled with activity — Sharma taught philosophy for 25 years at the University College of Kurukshetra — his post-retirement years saw a certain loneliness.
His children settled down, his wife passed away in 2019, and grief seeped in.
“But I couldn’t let myself slip into depression by holding onto those feelings,” Sharma says, adding, “There is no formula to fix loneliness, you are your best company.”
Important to keep in mind is that you can overcome anything if you want to, he notes.
However, he acknowledges that the world has changed, and happiness now requires a reason.
“I grew up in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, where I saw poverty at its worst. No one studied; children would bunk school.”
But Sharma knew education would take him places, and so he studied hard, sometimes even walking 4 km to reach school. But nothing deterred him. To date, his attitude reflects that resilience.
Leaving us with some lasting advice, he says, “There are four secrets to leading life to the fullest — be happy in others’ happiness, be sad in their sadness, be amazed at their talents, and ignore their faults.”