Can you tell us about a unique experience that changed or shaped your spiritual beliefs?
There were many such events. I always say for instance “when I go up, I will first salute the weather God”. Indeed, so many times our plans would have been completely ruined by a bad rain, but we would be unexpectedly blessed with sunshine. Also, as a brigadier in Kashmir in the early nineties I was seriously wounded. But the spinning bullet went twelve inches through my body without touching a single vital organ, or bone, or main artery --- had that happened, by the time I reached a hospital, I would not have been alive. Such an experience showed me again that there is some hidden hand seeing me through.

If you were to be reincarnated, what would you like to be reincarnated as?
I would say it is up to God to decide! But, if a human, I would want to be in a position I can be of service to mankind.

If there was one question you could ask God, what would it be?
How could I dare question someone so superior, who is running the universe? We cannot always comprehend His deeds, but at the same time, we cannot assume the role of questioning. He is the Creator, so He is the decider.

What is your idea of happiness?
Mahatma Gandhi used to say that the world has enough resources for people’s needs, but not for people’s greed. I think it summarizes my idea of happiness: knowing where to draw the line of what will give me inner contentment and not constantly crave for more. In the army for instance, I would often observe happy retiring colonels and much more discontented retiring generals. And I would wonder and tell them: what is the point of being a general if it is to be so unsettled? What have they done with their lives to reach such a state? Why be a rat in the rat race and a rat when reaching the top? When will that person become a tiger, a winner? One ought to know what will give oneself inner satisfaction and where to draw that line of happiness. Otherwise, we can be on the unhappy rat race forever.

... contd.