Alok Tripathi is a senior executive working in a premier Government of India company. He is a Mechanical Engineering graduate (from BIT Mesra, Ranchi), and an MBA from MDI, Gurgaon, India. He has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Gold Medal and ITC Gold Medal in the MBA program. He also holds a PhD degree from UPES, Dehradun. Alok is a Life Coach who helps people achieve success and happiness in life. One of his next upcoming books is on Ghazals, Geet, and Short Stories.
An Interview with Author Alok Tripathi
The Literature Times: Congratulations on the release of your book. Can you share with us the inspiration behind writing “The Peace Approach” and what drove you to explore the concept of lasting happiness through inner peace?
Alok Tripathi: The inspiration for this book came from the life circumstances which I went through. I encountered many situations in life which made me think deeper into what makes people happy or unhappy. There were many personal situations, for example, someone very close to me being diagnosed with cancer. Another situation came when I was working in Dubai it was year 2008-09 when world was reeling with recession. Many people, whom I knew who had to leave Dubai because they became jobless. These were moments of unhappiness for me. Also there have been very joyous situations in my life, like having a happy and caring family, a satisfying career, opportunities to see various beautiful places in the world etc. During several such situations, I observed that different people respond very differently to situations. Some become deeply unhappy while some remain calm and confident in the same situation. This raised my curiosity to know what makes people happy or unhappy. Is there any way to remain happy through all the situations? I started studying human psychology and also started observing and interviewing people I also started studying books on happiness. Moreover, I read at least 50 books on happiness. This included works of great thinkers, philosophers, and scriptures. Then I started creating set of approaches for myself which will make me happier. The book is therefore basically about my experiments with peace and happiness. I learnt several things through my own experiences and experiences of others. Having collected those experiences and pearls of wisdom I was thinking of writing a book on the subject.
I started crystallising my thoughts in the form of what I now call has the Peace Approaches. And then COVID came during the period 2020-2022. I observed several people undergoing extreme anxiety and then I decided to publish my book soon. If my book could bring some peace happiness, peace and fulfilment in lives of some people, it will be a great satisfaction and reward for me. That is how this book came into being. I am happy that book has been very well received. It is constantly featuring among top 100 hot new releases globally under the happiness category. There have been very encouraging reviews from people from all ages.
The Literature Times: How did your personal experiences and journey contribute to the development of the thirty-one practices outlined in the book? Can you provide an example of how a specific experience influenced one of the approaches?
Alok Tripathi: The book is full of examples from my own personal life and from lives of others. There is an experience about my mother-in-law who in the wake of eminent death due to a critical illness maintained such calm and composure. I wondered how she could be so composed, knowing fully well that she would say goodbye to this world in two months. There is another story of a girl named Divya who was very fearful and anxious of speaking or performing in public. I saw her transforming into a vivacious, confident girl. She is now doing very well in life. There are several such interesting stories in this book. I have brought in real examples because people relate better to real life stories.
The Literature Times: In your opinion, what sets inner peace apart from other forms of happiness? How does it contribute to a more profound and enduring sense of contentment?
Alok Tripathi: This is the central message of my book. The happiness that we normally understand, or experience is heavily dependent on external circumstances, objects and people. Whenever the circumstances change, our happiness vanishes. Fortunately, there exists an endurable form of happiness which is more profound. This form is inner peace. Inner piece is like calmness in a pond that doesn’t get agitated if you throw a pebble on its surface. It does not create big waves. Ripples get created on the surface and then they die down. They do not create agitated waves like you see in oceans. The whole book talks about how to bring that ever-present inner calm inside us.
There are many good books on the subject. However, most books talk about happiness and how we can avoid unhappiness. This book talks about how we can get into terms with reality, embrace both happiness and unhappiness with poise, and remain calm and blissful. There is one chapter in this book which talks about suffering. My take about suffering is very different I have described how suffering is amongst one of the four truths described by Buddha and how we have to deal with suffering rather than avoiding it. There is also a chapter called face your problems. It talks about how facing our problems and not avoiding them is the way to happiness.
The Literature Times: With so many self-help and personal development books available today, what makes “The Peace Approach” unique and stand out from the rest?
Alok Tripathi: There are several books written on happiness I have myself read at least 50 books on this topic. I found was most of the books approach happiness from a very different perspectives, my book takes a very different approach. It says that happiness is a superficial virtue, it is fragile. But peace is much more profound. You cannot be happy in unhappy situations, but you can be peaceful in happy as well as unhappy situations.
The Literature Times: How do you believe readers can effectively incorporate the thirty-one Peace Approaches into their busy lives? Do you have any suggestions or strategies to help readers integrate these practices seamlessly?
Alok Tripathi: This book is more of a practical guide. Every chapter or every approach which I have written here, has been tested by me or someone very close to me. I have included only those approaches which work practicality. Readers will find it easy to understand and implement.
I have purposefully written the book in such a way that there are 31 different approaches and one can read each approach take a pause think about it and practice it in life even one approach will make a difference since each approach has been written with practical insights I am sure readers will find it easy to adopt in their own lives I suggest reading 2-3 chapters, reflecting on it, making certain notes and reflecting on how they doing in their own lives each chapter also has a summary at the end which will help the reader too quickly revisit and grasp the important points of each approach.
The Literature Times: As a life coach, how have you witnessed the transformative power of inner peace in the lives of your clients? Can you share any specific success stories or testimonials?
Alok Tripathi: My teachings, lectures and this book has impacted several people. I personally know and I am in touch with at least 50 such people who transformed their lives in many ways. There is a girl I know who was very depressed and anxious she had lost her father; her mother has been sick, and her sister had committed suicide. Even in such difficult situation in life, she could get strong bearing in file, became calm, reclaimed her life and is doing very well.
The Literature Times: While writing the book, were there any surprising discoveries or insights you came across that altered your own understanding of inner peace and lasting happiness?
Alok Tripathi: The most profound discovery was about our approach and feelings towards suffering. I realised that suffering is almost everywhere, in everybody’s life. It will come sooner or later in some form or the other. It is futile to avoid or get paranoid about it. We have to deal with it. It is important to realise that everything will pass. Bad time will pass and so will the good time. In fact – there is nothing as bad time and good time it is just time. Another big revelation came to me about setting goals in life. We are always taught to have big dreams and goals in life. I realised that in pursuit of big dreams, there is a chance that we might miss the joys of the journey. This was a great revelation to me, after having come this far in my life and my career.
The Literature Times: “The Peace Approach” draws from ancient wisdom, philosophical insights, and spiritual teachings. How did you ensure that these teachings resonate with a modern audience and remain relevant in today’s fast-paced world?
Alok Tripathi: The pearls of wisdom that I have collected are in fact, much more relevant in the fast-paced life of today. They are timeless, limitless and boundary less. They have come from the teachers who have lived worthy and sublime lives. I’m sure they will resonate all the more with modern day readers because these thoughts are sometimes very opposite of what we think. Those opposite thoughts are striking, revealing and eye opening. We need such jolts to change from within.
The Literature Times: In your opinion, what are the biggest obstacles or challenges that individuals face in their pursuit of inner peace? How can readers overcome these challenges and stay committed to their journey?
Alok Tripathi: The biggest obstacles are our own experiences, our own notions or the norms set by society which define success, failure and relationships etc. They limit our thinking. Another major obstacle which is rising is the superficial nature of relationships prevalent in the modern society. I have covered all these aspects in my book.
The Literature Times: What do you hope readers will take away from “The Peace Approach” and how do you envision it impacting their lives? Are there any specific messages or lessons that you would like them to remember long after reading the book?
Alok Tripathi: The central message of the book resonates with the very first quotation that I have given in the first chapter of the book. Imagine yourself like a rock in the middle of the storm you exude nothing, but peace and tranquillity.
Life is a theatre, play your role well. Live your life with love and compassion. Feel and radiate happiness and peace.
Be that person. That is what this book aims at.
Order Book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0C4Z4X5N3
The Book is also available at Kindle, Flipkart, Notionpress, Google Books and other platforms.
