Where Lies True Happiness…!?!

THE REAL HAPPINESS OF LIFE

(A Journey into Real Happiness and Peace)

:By Dr Sunil S Rana 

If Even Lata Mangeshkar Didn’t Want to Be Reborn as Herself… Then Where Lies True Happiness?

Once, in an interview, when the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, the Saraswati of Indian singing, was asked,

“Would you like to be born as Lata Mangeshkar again in your next birth?”

She replied with quiet honesty:

“…Agar waakayee janm mila mujhe to main Lata Mangeshkar banna nahi chahungi. Lata Mangeshkar ki jo takleefen hain, wo usko hi pata hai…”

Imagine this for a moment. The “Nightingale of India,” a name synonymous with devotion, discipline, melody, and unmatched glory, admitted that she wouldn’t want to return as herself.

And she is not alone. If tomorrow Modi ji were to say, “I don’t want to be reborn as Modi,” or if Tata, Ambani, Shahrukh, Salman expressed the same, wouldn’t it shake our illusions? We, as ordinary people, look at these icons, dream of their lives, and chase the shadows of money, power, fame, and recognition. Yet, those who have it all often whisper that it isn’t the treasure we believe it to be.

This paradox is everywhere.

• Michael Phelps, winner of 23 Olympic gold medals, confessed that he slipped into depression after touching the pinnacle of success.
• Jim Carrey, the global actor and comedian, once said: “I think everybody should get rich and famous so they can see that that’s not the answer.”
• Elon Musk, one of the richest men alive, admits: “My mind is a storm. People may think they’d want to be me, but they don’t know.”
• From Hrithik Roshan to Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez to Virat Kohli, and even beloved stars like Robin Williams, Naomi Osaka, Andre Agassi, Avicii, Chester Bennington, and Matthew Perry- so many have revealed their struggles with emptiness, loneliness, or inner storms despite their worldly crowns.

The truth is plain:

If peace was in wealth, power, or fame, these people would have been the happiest souls alive. But reality tells us otherwise.

So, Where Does Real Happiness Lie?

This blog of mine is not about glorifying poverty or rejecting ambition. It’s about realizing a forgotten truth; that happiness and peace don’t come packaged with money, position, or applause. They live in the quieter corners of life that we often ignore.

• In respecting your parents and cherishing their blessings.
• In loving your family and celebrating their presence.
• In letting go of jealousy and embracing gratitude.
• In being content with what you have, instead of craving what others flaunt.
• In realizing your own worth without measuring it by others’ yardsticks.

A Journey Together:

This is just the first step in a series of reflections I wish to share with you. Each blog will explore the true sources of happiness and peace, drawn from both timeless wisdom and my own life experiences.

If Lata Mangeshkar, Michael Phelps, Jim Carrey, Elon Musk, and so many others tell us that worldly crowns do not guarantee peace, shouldn’t we pause and ask ourselves:

What are we really chasing?

Let’s begin this journey; not towards more, but towards enough.

Not towards comparison, but towards contentment.

Not towards fame, but towards peace.

Because at the end of the day, real happiness is not found in the noise of the world but in the silence of our hearts.

 Stay with me in this series, as together we rediscover the simple, overlooked treasures that make life truly worth living…

-Dr Sunil S Rana