HELPING READERS REACH THE THREE PEAKS OF HAPPINESS

Author Interview - Atman in Ravi

Atman in Ravi is an embodied soul whose only mission in life is to help seekers Realize the Truth. Atman in Ravi, meaning the soul in Ravi V. Melwani, is an Indian speaker, author, singer, poet and philanthropist. He was one of the earliest successful Indian retailers who launched India’s largest store of over 300,000 feet and transformed the way retailing was done in India through his brands like Kids Kemp, Big Kids Kemp and Kemp Fort. Then he embarked on a quest for self-realization and founded RVM foundation and AiR foundation, which aim to make a difference in the society through humanitarian, inspirational and spiritual initiatives. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, the author discusses about his latest book “3 peaks of Happiness”, what AiR and RVM philosophy are, his other interests apart from writing and also shares motivational quotes for our esteemed readers.

When did you think about writing this book and what was the inspiration behind it? Can you tell us more about your writing journey?
One day, I realized that life was not just about making money but making a difference. And so I decided to just stop making money and do humanitarian, inspirational and spiritual work which I call H.I.S. work. In that inspiration, one of the things I did was to write books. I became an author and I have as of now written 20 books, 10 under the brand RVM when I had not become AiR and 10 as AiR. One can share one’s knowledge, one’s learning through a book. How else can one share his or her learnings? And specifically when I learnt that happiness is something that we all can choose and we can be happy irrespective of the circumstances. Being the happiest man in the world, I thought I must write the 3 Peaks of Happiness.

Can you give a brief overview of your book “3 peaks of Happiness”?
3 peaks of Happiness is a book that tells us that happiness doesn’t come only from Achievement. Most people think that pleasure is happiness. While it is true, it is only the first peak. All those who achieve success, money, wealth, pleasure are not necessarily happy. Look at those who are content. They live with fulfilment. They have climbed the second peak of happiness called ‘Fulfilment’ while the first peak is ‘Achievement’. While I was on my journey of introspection, I happened to tread the third peak; a peak called Liberation. I pursued, I went on a quest, a search and I discovered the third peak. In fact, I realized how one can be liberated from prisons of misery and sorrow, not just live with pleasure and peace but also finding true purpose in life. Therefore, this book – The 3 peaks of Happiness, takes us on a journey from the first peak of Achievement traversing the second peak of Fulfilment and taking us to the third and ultimate peak of Liberation where we are liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth. So, that is in brief – The 3 Peaks of Happiness. There is a lot more that I can talk on the 3 peaks of Happiness but then it’s in the book.

The book blurb mentions about the three peaks of happiness- with most of humanity living in the first peak, about 20% experiencing the second peak, and only a fraction of people going on a quest for the third peak. For the benefit of our esteemed readers, can you tell us more about these peaks and your experiences of climbing all the three peaks?
The first peak is Achievement. I was on the Achievement for 25 years and all we want to do on Achievement peak is achieve, achieve, achieve - achieve money, achieve name, fame and achieve pleasures. I realized that was not giving me happiness. It was giving me momentary happiness but not giving me the happiness that I was seeking. I gave up making money and started making a difference and I found myself on the second peak of contentment and fulfilment which comes not from making money but from making a difference. It is not happiness that comes from pleasure but happiness that comes from peace. I was on this peak for some time in fact until I realized that it was a plateau. When I realized that the second peak was a plateau and we could live on this peak forever, I went on a quest, a search for the third peak.
The third peak is not a peak meant for anybody to seek. Yes, you need to be a seeker. If you are a true seeker, and you seek the realization of the truth then you can realize the third peak. The third peak can’t be discovered, it has to be realized. And I went on a search to find the true purpose of life. I wanted to have happiness that was beyond pleasure and peace. I wanted to find purpose in life. And after a long search and a big quest, I found this third peak, the peak called Liberation or Enlightenment.

Can you tell us more about the RVM philosophy- Rejoice, Value life, and Make a difference, that you follow and about your H.I.S. work- Humanitarian, Inspirational and Spiritual work?
The RVM philosophy was bought about by RVM who is no more. He was a person whose philosophy was Rejoice, Value Life and Make a Difference. RVM was there between 2008 – 2015, 7 to 8 years and then there was an evolution when RVM evolved to AiR. AiR doesn’t follow the RVM philosophy, he follows the AiR philosophy which is to help people ask questions, investigate and realize the truth. Talking about the RVM philosophy, it was to Rejoice, to Value Life and Make a Difference.
The first step for discovering a new way to live is to Rejoice, or be Happy and live a Blissful Life. You can rejoice, if you:
”Rejoice
Count your blessings
Live positively
Be enthusiastic”
The second step to discover a new way to live is to value life. Treat your life as the most important treasure you possess.To value life, you must:
“Live every moment
Introspect
Have purpose, meaning and direction
Live, don't just exist!”
The third step is to Make a Difference. Most people live life just making money. They strive for wealth that they will finally leave behind. Instead, why not Make a Difference and carry with you an everlasting wealth?
To make a difference, you can
“Be that change
Reduce pain and suffering
Give before you are gone
Share your life experiences”

What are your other interests apart from writing?
My interests are to help people realize the truth, be it through writing, speaking or singing, to use creative methods to touch, trigger and transform people’s lives, to make them ask interesting questions like – What came first – the Chicken or the Egg? Where is God? What happens after death? Then, they also include investigating and introspecting on these questions and finally to realize the truth, not through reading books but through direct realization which come from inside.

Are there any other literary projects that you’re currently working on?
I don’t work on any projects. I work intuitively when a message comes from the heavens that we must do something to help people realize the truth. I just do it. I surrender and let the Lord use me as an instrument to do His work.

There are many new writers there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
I don’t know of the writers who are aspiring to get their work published, but I believe that if anybody has an idea, a good thought and they would like to share it, then they should write a book. You shouldn’t write a book just because you want to write a book or just because somebody wants to read. Knowledge must be shared and if somebody doesn’t share their knowledge they deprive the world of something beautiful. So, if somebody has got something good to share, go ahead and share it be it through a book or a talk or a song. Don’t hesitate because otherwise the world will be deprived of your creative thought.

Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
What keeps me going is something different. What keeps me going is the new quote that came to me:
“We think, “We are this”. But in reality, “We are that”. Not the body, the mind, the ego that we look like…, but a Spirit, in fact!”
But, if you ask me for a quote that will keep the readers going, it would be an RVM quote:
“If you do not know where you are going…
Then how can you get there?”