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Anu Aga is director of Pune-based engineering firm, Thermax, and is also engaged in social activities such as education for underprivileged children

What does spirituality mean to you?
Spirituality is the inward journey of discovering who you are and getting in touch with your inner strength. It is about taking responsibility for your life and well being, no matter what happens in the outside world.

How has that journey unfolded for you?
In many people’s case, and very much in mine, something not so good takes place in one’s life and we are pushed to find the answers. Otherwise we collapse. After such an event, we basically have no choice, we either find inner strength or give in and head for the black hole.
I was in my fifties, coming back from England and landing in Bombay, where my husband was to come and pick me up. There, I learnt that he had had a massive heart attack and died.

We were very close as a couple, we were very good friends. I had to cope with his death, while the Board of the company [Thermax] appointed me as Chairperson. I had never defined myself as a business woman. And the economy was going down. The business began doing very badly. The company shares went within a year from Rs.400 to Rs.36. I felt completely inadequate at leading the company and I was missing my husband badly.

So I decided to go for a vipasana meditation program, sitting for ten days in silence. My husband had always joked about that practice, saying he would love to see me quiet for ten days. In fact, I found it extremely difficult. But every time I considered giving up, I looked at the other 700 people in the course, and thought there was nothing that special about me that would prevent me from completing it as well.

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