CATERING TO BOTH THE LITERARY AND THE ENERGY COSMOS

Author Interview | Atma Sumit Agarwal

A lot of motivational and self-help books are being written nowadays and are also being widely appreciated because of their universal appeal and the positive impetus that they provide to people’s lives. Atma Sumit Agarwal is author of such a genre and his books delve into self-help by taking the path of meditative talks and writing about the microcosm called life. He is also an energy therapist and a relationship counsellor. Though he runs a successful business of waste management, he tries to utilise all the available time to study and analyse the human soul and energy. His years of learning and practice has culminated into his globally appreciated books “Owner of a lonely heart” and “The Book of Life”, of which he talks about in this candid conversation with Chirdeep Malhotra. The talk also forays into the benefits of Pranic healing, his inspirations to start writing and the importance of esoteric and theosophical books.



When did you first start writing? What inspired you to start writing?

Writing, in its various forms, has always piqued my interest – I remember even in my school days I used to write poems and plays. Words are a form of magic: throw them together and spells are created. Everyday life inspires me, people and their unique yet universal behaviour is my biggest form of inspiration.



Can you give us a brief overview of your books “The Book of Life” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart”?

“Owner of a Lonely Heart” is a compilation of short stories of simple people living their seemingly ordinary lives yet when you look deeper you come to realise how astounding the whole setup is. The common thread binding them, like all of us, is that everyone is lonely in their own shell and desperately looking out to fill this gnawing pain.

“The Book of Life” is a book dedicated to my spiritual Master – Master Choa Kok Sui- the Founder of Modern Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga. This book is derived from his teachings and translates life into words. Various chapters deal with an illuminated way of leading our life – from simple things like breathing and eating to the more complex emotional and mental aspects; and then finally the spiritual enlightenment.



A lot of motivational and self-help books are being released nowadays. What is the reason behind the immense popularity of this genre which is making writers delve into it and what inherent message should readers take from these books?

According to my understanding, each and every one of us is insecure - maybe we do not feel loved enough, or appreciated enough or have not achieved as much as we had expected and many a times we do not want to know what we are insecure about. Most of the times, this insecurity has actually hidden itself in the form of other visible feelings, for example the most common form – Anger. This insecurity stems from us not being happy with ourselves. We look for others’ love so that we can love ourselves by convincing/fooling ourselves that we are loveable. This is a deep trough and most people do not sit with themselves to identify what is going on within their actual self. In these times, this nowadays makes up almost whole of the adult life of an individual, motivational and self help books act as a source of immense hope. Reading these words, even if momentarily, one is transfixed into a world where one thinks that there is a second chance to do it right this time, that everything is going to be okay from now on and people themselves become the solver of their own problems, which is enormously liberating and in a lot of cases really helps them to take stock of the situation and get back on track.



Can you share with our readers about the system of Pranic healing and your rendezvous with it?

Pranic Healing is a highly developed system of energy based healing technique that utilises Life Force or Prana to balance the body’s energy processes. It is a holistic no-touch method of healing that treats a person on the physical, emotional and mental levels by treating the human energy field. It is a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of life, a gentle pause for mind, body and spirit. For the past 10 years this very peaceful and calming practice has become my way of Life. It has helped me to be a better person with each passing day.



You have mentioned the eternal inspiration and the life-changing impact of Master Choa Kok Sui, your guru in your life. Can you tell us more about his teachings and philosophy?

Master Choa Kok Sui has formulated an easy to learn and user friendly system, which is so brilliantly simple that even a novice can rapidly learn to heal simple ailments, enabling him or her to produce immediate positive results that contribute to good health and well-being. For these seekers on the spiritual path, Master Choa has developed a system of practices that lead to greater Soul Realisation. Though he is not in the physical body any more but his energy is still omnipresent and for even the smallest of things in my life I reach out to this energy and it just makes me flow through the toughest of times with utmost ease. I remember that when I was small I had read this brilliant piece about ‘Footprints in the sand’ and how in the most difficult periods of life there are only one set of footprints in the sand because God has carried his disciple in his arms during this period – this is the effect Master Choa has on his students – he is our Carrier.



You mentioned that you are an avid reader. Can you tell us some of your favourite authors and books that have inspired you?

Esoteric and Theosophical books intrigue me. Madame Blavatsky, C. W. Leadbeater, E. Powell, Paramahansa Yogananda and of course Master Choa Kok Sui are a few of my favourite authors. Another spectacular series of books in the Astara domain written by Earlyne and Dr. Robert Chaney leaves me in a state of trance.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

Healing, Reading and surprisingly analysing the capital markets take up most of my spare time.



Are there any new projects that you are currently working on?

A book on divine romance titled ‘In Love with Love’ is in the pipeline, with work on it in the advanced stage.



Can you share any motivational message for our readers, or an inspiriting quote that keeps you going?

The quote which has had the most profound impact in my life is – Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.