A former journalist, Ruzbeh N. Bharucha, author of nineteen books, is one of the most influential writers of today's time. He is also a documentary filmmaker. His documentary Sehat-Wings of Freedom, on AIDS and HIV in Tihar Jail, was screened at the XVII International AIDS Conference in 2008. His articles are published in all premier newspapers of India. His book My God Is a Juvenile Delinquent has been included in the reading list of all judicial academies in India.
Ruzbeh is also the 110th Master on The Speaking Tree, and he has been writing articles on various subjects of Spirituality.
He has been a Ray of Hope for the upliftments of many lives, saved many individuals from drifting off the Path, directed many youths on the Path of righteousness, healed many of them through prayers and natural remedies. He has been teaching the right Way of praying and mediating. He conducts workshops on breathing and meditation.
Ruzbeh inspires and motivates many through his daily affirmations, messages, and write-ups on various sages whom today's generation may not have even heard about.
1) About your background and education?
At the age of 6 years, I was sent to a residential school as I was extremely mischievous, if anything went wrong in school or at home I was the first one to be called upon for interrogation and my family thought I would be better in a boarding school and I was there in Billimoria High School till I became sixteen.
Once during sunset time, I was looking at Sydney Point, and the mountains which surround Panchgani, and a powerful thought came through as to what I am doing in this body and that I was not this body but the energy within. I was merely nine years then.
This duality of whether I was the body or the energy in the body made me divert my mind towards taking part in more physical activities like sports, games, exploring mountains, valleys, climbing trees; into everything else but my studies. My family began to get worried as the school kept reporting back to them about my mischievousness and thus my family took me to many Sages, Sufis, mediums, with the hope that I would behave like a rational human being. All through my life, my parents, and extended family encouraged us to go to various places of worship like temples, Churches, Fire Temples (Agiarys) and Durghas. My family believed in the Oneness-Family.
2) The journey towards writing?
When I was doing my graduation, with my two other friends, we launched a magazine called Venture. Writing allowed me to get to wander through the by lanes of stories and fiction and allowed me to express myself and help me escape from mundane reality and made my life worth living. I decided to become an author, but I married early and became a dad by the age of twenty-four and decided that Journalism would be the right medium to support my family. I became the editor of a newspaper in Pune at the age of twenty-six and then became the Executive Editor of magazines for Indian Express. However, through it all, I continued pursuing writing books. My first book got published when I was twenty-nine, called The Last Marathon, a book on spirit communication and the paranormal. I have written books also on social themes like mother and child in Indian Prisons, on juvenile delinquents and slum demolitions, but my main focus has always been Spirituality and the paranormal.
3) How did you develop an interest in Documentary film making?
When I started writing on social topics, I realized the importance of visual images. Sometimes a photograph can speak more than ten thousand words, and sometimes words can express far more than a picture.
I was writing a book on mother and child living in Indian Prisons. In India, a woman prisoner can keep her child, with her in prison, till the child reaches the age of six. I wanted to showcase a child's life in prison and thus while writing the book called Shadows In Cages; I made a documentary called I Believe I Can Fly that showcased their life in prison.
When I was writing my other book on slum called Yamuna Pushta, and the demolition that left thousands homeless and thus made a documentary called the Yamuna Gently Weeps were around 150,000 people were going to get homeless. I came across poverty, squalor, tears, helplessness, frustration, anger, and ill health but they showed magnificent courage in dealing with tensions with great harmony.
I saw Spirituality in these people who accepted the situation calmly, and it humbled me. I wanted to capture those feelings and their greatness of heart and spirit.
My book on juvenile delinquents called My God is a Juvenile Delinquent has been selected as a recommended reading for all judges by the Supreme Court of India.
4) What motivates you in life?
When I see people around me, who have nothing going on right in their lives but lead a life with dignity, honor, calmness, even joy. Many sick people still going about life with courage. People who have been abused, raped, violated, dishonored, still leading a life of respect and joy and being responsible for human beings, despite everything going against them truly motivates and humbles me. These people are my real heroes.
5) What is Spirituality to you?
For me, when in spite of all odds and difficulties, you can lead a life with your head held high, with a smile in your eyes, peace in your heart, spring in your feet, joy in your soul, is to be truly spiritual. When you can share a little of whatever you have to those in need; when you don't lose your cool even though everything is going downhill; when you know and believe in Oneness not only in the Spirit World but also down here, in the physical world, for me this is Spirituality.
Spreading joy and happiness and one’s inner light, continuously trying to become a better version of oneself, is real Spirituality. Through this, we can make our Goddess, God, Guru, proud, and happy. This Way we automatically become a better person.
6) What is your guidance to viewers?
Life is all about giving your best to every moment and leaving the rest to the wisdom of your Master or whomever you believe in or to the wisdom of the Cosmos. When you give your best without expecting anything in return and most importantly, not bothering about the perceptions of the world, to me that is walking the Path. Just being a decent human being is truly being a spiritual person. Be always blessed. JAI BABA.