I fully enjoy what I have in the now: P C Ramakrishna

P C Ramakrishna appears, to me, to be in his mid-fifties, while he’s actually over 71 years old. And then, he is so full of life, with a rare, unbridled, enthusiasm in him. Is there a secret to his looking and feeling youthful, I ask him. He laughs heartily and then replies emphatically, “I live in the moment. I do not waste time thinking of what could have been. I don’t think of the future either. I fully enjoy what I have in the now.” 

Ramakrishna, who’s been on stage for 50 years now (most of them with The Madras Players), firmly believes that for anyone to be happy, there must be no conflict between who they are and what they do. His own story is one of being happy doing what he loves doing. In 1993, he quit his 26-year-old corporate career to immerse himself in theatre and voiceover work. “I hated my job. I survived that phase thanks to theatre rehearsals in the evenings. So, when I got the first opportunity to get out and be free, to do theatre and voiceovers, I quit,” he explains. 

He affirms that he’s been so happy ever since that he’s never had to consider going back to a conventional job to earn a living. Being silent for at least half an hour daily and driving on the streets of Chennai help him immensely in maintaining his equanimity, says Ramakrishna. 

I find both choices intriguing. So, he elaborates on each: “Silence is the greatest contributor to my state of well-being. Silence is awareness. It is only because stillness isn’t there, that there is anxiety all around. And driving is therapeutic. I find great pleasure in negotiating traffic and still not getting caught in it. Besides, when I am driving, I am mostly alone. So, it furthers my practice of silence.” Such an evolved perspective – it mirrors what all scriptures say about living in this world yet being above it! 

As I get ready to leave, Ramakrishna offers me a Mirza Ghalib couplet for the road: Aish Kar Duniya Mein Ghalib, Phir Zinda gani Ab Kahaan? Jab Bhudaapa Aa Gaya, Toh Jawaani Phir Kahaan? Ghalib’s poetry sums up Ramakrishna’s philosophy for happiness beautifully: Life is ever-flowing, so live each moment fully…because when you grow old, you can never be young again!