Ikigai in India

With their new book, Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia look to India to find the meaning of life.

- REYA MEHROTRA

There is something deeply common between Shashi Tharoor and the writer duo of Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia. They draw from the same well of liberal religious philosophies.

Perhaps it was this that drew them close when the authors of Ikigaithe international bestseller headed to India in search of the secret to a happy life In his foreword for their new book The Four Purusharthas: The Path to Happiness, Success, and a Meaningful Life, the author of Why I Am A Hindu questions what being a Hindu means. "My Hinduism is a lived faith; it is a Hinduism of experience and upbringing, a Hinduism of observation and conversation, not one anchored in deep religious study," Tharoor writes.

Growing up, liberal instincts made Miralles and Garcia look beyond their cultures. "Visitors to India are surprised to encounter such cultural diversity in a single place: colourful Hindu temples, churches in Goa and Kerala, sublime mosques like the one in New Delhi and the Islamic mausoleum of the Taj Mahal," they write in their book. "One gets the impression that the entire world, at least as far as spirituality goes, is here." Garcia's Catholic parents did not stop him from exploring new ideas.

"I started reading science books and developed a scientific temperament, but was also interested in learning about new cultures," says Garcia. "Living in Japan, I became acquainted with Shintoism and Buddhism. I have now also come to learn about Hinduism. I like finding commonalities in human beings and their beliefs." His book on Shintoism is likely to be published next year.