Composer Nitin Kumar Gupta, who was studying to be a doctor, is not much spirituality. He is “more into science” and prefers finding explanations for every incident. But that does not mean he negates spiritual ideas for he also wonders about the origin of the laws of science and the universe itself and while doing that “the boundaries between science and spirituality begin to blur”.
“Humanity towards fellow beings is the philosophy I live by, because without humanity how can I be a human? Humanity is also something that transcends science, religion and philosophy. If we are not good to ourselves, people around us, nature and other living beings then what is our life for?” he questions.
There have been numerous occasions where Gupta have had a brush with death. “A truck a slipped during one of my mountaineering sessions once, I almost got hit but a vehicle abroad, I also feel into ice cold waters and many more such things happened with me. Every time I escaped I thought of it as luck, but in my subconscious perhaps I have a feeling of being protected,” he explains.
Gupta is not into praying but does mediate. “My method of meditation is jogging outdoors. I like to do it without music and without excessive noise or people outside. It gives me time to contemplate and clear out my confusion and priorities in life. My belief is – to be happy you just need to be good. It works most of the time. It earns you immense love, respect, and peace of mind. There are times when you feel you are being taken advantage of, but they are fleeting,” he says.
While he does not believe in any God but follow people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, who “selflessly sacrificed their material life for the greater good of others”. There are the “epitomes of spirituality” to him.
“The plight of migrant workers during lockdown was devastating to bear. It definitely made me compassionate towards them and others who face hardships every day. We realized that nothing is in or hands and that we should love and respect Nature. So now my philosophy of life is to be happy and be good. There are two ways about finding peace and happiness. You can be selfish and enjoy your own life. But I find it leaves me unsatisfied. The other is to care about others and not be left bitter and wanting something good to happen to you sometimes. Being good is what makes me happy and peaceful,” he ends.
