Bathroom Chronicles

When Shahrukh Khan spent about Rs 15 crores in building his bathroom, which has a splendid library inside, the world viewed the man as an arrogant celebrity. He was accused of spending too much on self indulgence, and the media drew nasty comparisons of him with other celebrities, who spent their money in adopting kids from various countries and contributed to charity in a large way. The world could not decipher the hidden message behind his action of building a bathroom whose money could have been used to feed a lakh of children three times a day 365 days a year instead. Showing people a way that can transform their lives is equivalent to charity if not better. Shahrukh Khan has done that.

The bathroom is the only place where you are blessed with complete solitude. You have the luxury to admire things about yourself that no one ever knew. It is the only place in the world where you can be who you are, without having the fear of being judged or laughed at. In a country like ours, where space is a huge constraint not only in queues or parking lots, not all of us have the luxury of a separate room and spend what is known as 'Alone Time'. Schools in Europe and America give their kids what is known as Alone Time, whenever a child does something wrong. The children are asked to to stay alone and ponder over their actions. Not only children but even adults require some 'Alone Time'. In a normal household if anyone is found quietly sitting and thinking about something, he or she is prodded and asked a zillion questions. If you tell someone ' Please leave me alone' you are often tagged as acting pricey or moody. The only place where you can have 'Alone Time' without being prodded or nagged is the bathroom. The best thing about being in the bathroom is that, inside the bathroom, you are your own friend and you are your own enemy.

When you are irritated or angry, it is the bathroom that listens to you patiently without giving you unwanted advice. When depressed, it is the bathroom that takes your tears and welcomes you each time with an open door. You can sing, shout, scream, and cry at the same time when you are in there and no one would ever question you. The walls of the bathroom are always audience to every kind of music and any kind of singer.

A good bath gives one a good heart. The days I wake up late, the process of my daily ablutions is nothing more than brushing my teeth while I simultaneously wash my face and pour two mugs of water over myself. These are the days I come groggy to work with an incomplete feeling. These are the days where I have to coax your mind into work. An incomplete bath gives you an incomplete feeling. Your mind is cross with you that you didn't give it enough time to snap out of the previous night's dreamy fantasy, while the pores of your skin are unhappy that they didn't get scrubbed well. Your mind and you body fight against you at the same time.

Science says that a good bath improves blood circulation in the body and improved blood circulation means you brain becomes more alert. When depressed, there is nothing better than a Jacuzzi or a spa that can make you feel nice. It gets you high while you are grounded. If you can't afford a Jacuzzi a good bath can give you just the same feeling. Lifeboy has been advertising this message for 115 years now.While you visit history, it is said that King Louis XIV (1638-1715), King of France, the Sun King, had a bath only thrice in his entire life. No wonder his life was quite depressing and all he could think of was war and no peace. Had the king known the importance of bathrooms he wouldn't have built the palace of Versailles without a single bathroom.

The special thing about a bathroom is that it treats you the way you treat it. If you keep it clean and neat it gives you a nice feeling. Messy bathrooms with dirty creatures crawling can render you sleepless for nights together. In our country most of us seek solace in temples and snow filled mountains. We believe that meditation can help cleanse our mind. If only everyone of us treated the bathroom like a temple, there could be no better place to cleanse one's mind, body and soul. To me, the first step to living a luxurious life lies in a clean bathroom. I wouldn't mind spending all my life's earnings in building a dream bathroom. To me, it is my self discovered path to knowing myself. All of us cannot afford a bathroom worth fifteen crores. What all of us can afford is at least a clean bathroom.

Never disregard the bathroom for it was the place where Archimedes had his eureka moment. Spend time and have a good bath, for it could lead you into the right path.