He's a riot, good fun to read even after reading him for decades. --srs (iPad)
Begin forwarded message: > > > KHUSHWANT SINGH AT 98 > >>>>"Time tested tips on how to stay healthy & live longer – by Khushwant > >>>>Singh > >>>>Coming on to 98 and still earning more than I did in my younger days, > people ask me how I manage to do it. They regard me as an expert on > longevity. I have pronounced on the subject before; I will repeat it with > suitable amendments based on my experience in the past two years. > Earlier I had written that longevity is in one’s genes: children of > long-living parents are likely to live longer than those born to > short-lived parents. This did not happen in my own family. My parents who > died at 90 and 94 had five children, four sons and a daughter. > The first to go was the youngest of the siblings. Next went my sister who > was the fourth. My elder brother who was three years older than me went a > couple of years ago. Two of us remain; I, who will soon be 98, and my younger > brother, a retired Brigadier three years younger than me and in much better > health. He looks after our ancestral property. > Nevertheless, I still believe gene is the most important factor in > determining one’s life-span. More important than analysing longevity is to > cope with old age and make terms with it. > > As we grow older, we are less able to exercise our limbs. We have to devise > ways to keep them active. Right into my mid-eighties, I played tennis every > morning, did rounds of Lodhi gardens in winter and swam for an hour in > summer. I am unable to do this any more. The best way to overcome this > handicap is regular massages. I have tried different kinds and was > disappointed with the oil drip and smearing of oil on the body. A good > massage needs powerful hands going all over one’s body from the skull to > the toes. I have this done at least once a day or at times twice a day. > > >>>>I am convinced that this has kept me going for so long. Equally important > is the need to cut down drastically one’s intake of food and drink. I start > my mornings with guava juice. It is tastier and more health-giving than > orange or any other fruit juice. My breakfast is one scrambled egg on toast. > My lunch is usually patli kichri with dahi or a vegetable I skip afternoon > tea. In the evening, I take a peg of single malt whisky. It gives me a false > appetite. > Before I eat supper, I say to myself “Do not eat too much.” I also believe > that a meal should have just one kind of vegetable or meat followed by a > pinch of chooran. It is best to eat alone and in silence. Talking while > eating does not do justice to the food and you swallow a lot of it. For me no > more Punjabi or Mughlai food. I find South India idli, sambhar and grated > coconut easier to digest and healthier. > > Never allow yourself to be constipated. The stomach is a storehouse of all > kinds of ailments. Our sedentary life tends to make us constipated Keep your > bowels clean however you can: by laxatives, enemas, glycerin suppositories, > whatever. Bapu Gandhi fully understood the need to keep bowels clean. > Besides, taking an enema every day, he gave enemas to his women admirers. > > Impose strict discipline on your daily routine. If necessary, use a > stop-watch. I have breakfast exactly at 6.30 am, lunch at noon, my drink at > 7 pm, supper at 8. Try to develop peace of mind. For this you must have a > healthy bank account. Shortage of money can be very demoralising. It does not > have to be in crores, but enough for your future needs and possibility of > falling ill. Never lose your temper, it takes a heavy toll and jangles one’s > nerves. Never tell a lie. Always keep your national motto in mind: Satyamev > Jayate — only truth triumphs. > > Give generously. Remember you can’t take it with you. You may give to your > children, servants or charity. You will feel better. There is joy in > giving. Drive out envy of those who have done better than you in life. A > Punjabi verse sums up: Rookhi Sookhy Khai kay Thanda Paani Pee Na Veykh > paraayee chonparian na Tarssain jee (Eat dry bread and drink cold water Pay > no heed or envy those who smear their chapattis with ghee) Do not conform > to the tradition of old people spending time in prayer and long hours in > places of worship. That amounts to conceding defeat. Instead take up a > hobby like gardening, growing bonsai, helping children of your neighborhood > with their homework. > >>>>A practice which I have found very effective is to fix my gaze on the > >>>>flame > of candle, empty my mind of everything, but in my mind repeat Aum Shanti, > Aum Shanti, Aum Shanti. It does work. I am at peace with the world. We > can’t all be Fauja Singh who at 100 run a marathon race but we can equal > him in longevity and creativity. I wish all my readers long, healthy lives > full of happiness. > > >>>>Khushwant Singh > > . > > > > > > > > >
