Success Of The Soul

The more I empower myself, the more successful I am. Those who believe that the more they achieve, the more successful they are, can deplete themselves, says Sister BK Shivani in this interview with Suma Varughese.

- Suma Varughese

Sister BK Shivani is surely among the flag-bearers of holistic success. A gold medallist in electronic engineering from Pune University (1994), she could easily have stridden down the golden path of an MBA, a cushy corporate job and a fancy lifestyle. But she chose instead the road less travelled. Having been exposed to spirituality through her mother’s involvement with the Mount Abu-based spiritual organisation, the Brahma Kumaris (BKs), she began to explore its tenets in her student days. Although married and even helping in her husband’s business, her priority is her role as a Raj Yoga meditation teacher with the Brahma Kumaris. Over the years, thanks to her programme called Awakening With Brahma Kumaris, presently channelled on Aastha, Sanskar and India Today, she has become one of the most popular speakers not just from the BK stable but in the field of spirituality itself.

She is a regular speaker at our Life Positive Expos in Delhi, and I have seen the powerful impact her presence and words have on the listener. Tall and slender, dressed invariably in a white sari, her hair worn in a simple plait, her face radiant though free of make-up, she emanates an unmistakeable air of peace and purity. Blessed with a rare clarity, Sister Shivani can penetrate to the depths of any subject you invite her to speak on, with a perspective that is both profound and fresh. Despite her phenomenal popularity, which keeps increasing with time – I have seen how the public jostles to get anywhere near her, and how much adulation she receives – she remains simple, unaffected and herself. Her focus is unmistakeably on contributing. If that isn’t success, what is?

Excerpts from a recent interview with her:

What is holistic success?