Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
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Bimonthly course on introspection opened to Madhya Pradesh public at Rs. 200 per session
Happiness is a universal virtue worth acquiring. It must be shared, and learning to embrace it collectively can be much more invigorating, so believes the Madhya Pradesh government.
Soothing the tempers of government officials since 2017, the Rajya Anand Sansthan (State Happiness Department) has now opened its doors to the general public. “Before asking others to work on themselves, you should work on yourself,” says Akhilesh Argal, CEO of the department. A bimonthly course on introspection, Alpviram, can help you become a better human not by means of sermons, but by sharing experiences. Temporarily renouncing home to rediscover oneself and know others pursuing a similar quest for happiness can be revitalising, believes the department. Now, others can accompany officials, on government duty, to attend “Anand Shivirs’ in Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Panchgani. “If you attend a shivir as part of a group instead of individually, there is support and you never feel alone. You go there representing your State and inculcate a sense of cohesiveness,” says Mr. Agal. Around 10 of the 30-40 seats are reserved for the public to attend courses on ‘Building Capacity to Live a Fulfilling Life’, ‘Inner Engineering Retreat’ and the ‘Art of listening to Yourself’. Departments shell out around Rs. 20,000 for officials attending any of the four-day-long courses. Others can also avail of the subsidised price, but the registration window for them closes at least 10 days earlier.
