On this day of Gandhi Jayanthi, one thing that inspires me most is his book “My Experimentation with Truth”.  The very title brings a revered feeling to me because truth is a term that takes into account the integrity of human beings. Though I haven’t read the book and I don’t know whether the title is justified, I am impressed with the title which is a clear expression of Bapuji’s earnestness. Well, what is the role of truth in my life? How far have I lived up to it? According to me truthfulness is being sincere and being reliable.

I am not perfect (and I relate this with the title “My experimentation with truth”), but I learn from my mistakes. Day by day I strive to become the better version of myself. Sometimes, even after several attempts to correct my mistakes, I may repeat the same mistake. Hence, the experimentation with truth seems difficult. But my intuition says that the real enlightenment for me is to keep fighting the battles and eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel with truth as the torch in the otherwise dark path during the journey.

One thing that comes in between what I consider as truth and reality is perception. According to me, a particular viewpoint may be truthful to me but not for the other person. And instead of considering the other person’s view point as insignificant, I should learn how to manage it. What do you think about a person who leads a life of ethics and moral values by following his/her own path of truth without giving importance to the viewpoint of others?

Yes the purpose of life is to be happy..but it should be added value by being truthful. A life that is both truthful and happy may seem to be impossible because we always attach truthfulness with pain. But it needn’t be so. When we understand that pain can be a by-product of truth because of different perceptions, we will lead a life of truth with peace.