Life fascinates me incessantly

Understanding of GodI was born in a Hindu family, completed my schooling from a Christian institution, graduated from a devout Muslim college and finished my Masters in a multi-cultural foreign university. This exposure to a number of religions has made me develop a sense of understanding towards various beliefs and practices. Throughout my younger days, God, to me was a protector, a source of help and support. Spiritual beliefBeing an artist and a designer, I see beauty and inspiration in all things, great and small. Life fascinates and inspires me incessantly through happiness and sorrow. For me, God is present in daily life and everyday happenings that are usually not acknowledged — people (including ourselves), places, things, feelings and experiences.  Spiritual practicesI dislike standing in queues, fighting and paying money to pray to God. Prayer to me is a private conversation with my innermost self, untainted by the qualms of the material world. That moment of solitude helps me discover a sense of stillness and the presence of God within and around me. No matter how many people we have around us, at the end of the day, we all are left to ourselves and our conscience (God). God is our only companion. Pilgrimage spotsThrough a number of people visit places such as Nepal, Darjeeling, Gangtok and Ladakh, I have got to travel some of the most magnificent and oldest Buddhist monasteries in the world. The 1,000-year-old Alchi Monastery in Ladakh and the Nipponzan Myōhōji Buddhist Temple in Darjeeling are two monasteries that I had a tough time pulling myself out of. The serenity of a monastery is overwhelming and addictive and this has instilled in me a new urge to learn more about Buddhist philosophy. (Aishwarya Manivannan is an artist and an interior designer based in Chennai)