Religion and its rituals Lubna Salim

There are times in all our lives, when we desire the need for divine intervention; times, when life refuses to acknowledge the seemingly obvious and decides to take refuge in a world that is far away from ours. A world that gives the body and mind the spiritual healing that it yearns for. We, at Telly Chakkar.com decided to delve deeper into the lives of our favourite stars and know a little about their lives beyond the obvious.

Lubna Salim is currently seen on Star Plus' Baa Bahoo Aur Baby. Lubna Salim hails from a very open-minded Muslim family. She was never forced to follow any particular religion or rituals. She idolises her journalist turned script writer father Javed Siddique and his principles and feels that God is one but we humans perceive Him differently.

Define God?
God is omnipresent being, He is within my heart. I always feel that there is some magic working for me and may be that magic is God. I do not believe in a particular religion or God, I think He is the same for every human being.

What is spirituality to you?
I think it's the peace of your mind. Spirituality means being good, kind and positive.

What special bond/connection do you feel with God and your inner-self?
One cannot deny the existence of a supreme power. We cannot justify many things happening around us and many questions remain unanswered because it is not in our capacity to reason them. The only one who can justify those things and answers those questions is the Supreme. I at times find it really strange how things happen, how the earth is revolving. I feel a strong connection with God.

How much do you believe in the magic and power of prayers?
I believe in the magic of prayers. I believe that if something is asked with pure heart it will get fulfilled. I do bow my head whenever I pass by a temple or even a durgah. I feel the best time to get connected to God is the wee hours of morning say around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m.

Who do you credit for your ability to overcome the hurdles, if any?
I definitely credit my husband, my children and parents and also the people around me. I know I have a shoulder to cry on whenever I am stressed.

What kind of books do you read? Especially to get connected to God and your spiritual side?
I have read all the religious books. Be it Holy Bhagwat Gita or Quran. I also loved reading Conversations with God which is gifted to me by my father. At the end of the day all the book tell you one basic thing about humans, but we perceive it differently and wrongly which leads to all the confusions and rivalry.

What do you do on a daily basis to remain connected to God and your inner-self?
Whenever I am free not doing anything I just stop my thinking process and keep my mind blank. That time is the time when I really feel connected to God in the real terms. I see things happening around me and I get answers to all my questions.

In an industry that is so materialistic, how do you manage to retain your inner-self?
I feel it entirely depends from person to person. I am not a very ambitious person. One has to hold himself. If you want to be dictated you will be. I as a person command my respect which I think I deserve. I think to retain yourself you have to set your targets right and work on that and must not get distracted. I have not let people and such things affect me.

Astrology, numerology and tarot reading? Have you taken help of such occult sciences?
It has become a subject of interest to almost everyone off late. Success comes along with a price. With success comes along fear, anxiety and negativity. You don't want to risk your achievements and so you take help of these sciences. I think these astrologers and readers are very blessed people as it is not every body's cup of tea to practice and predict about your future. But then I firmly believe that you have to decide how much you want to absorb.

Do you fast?
I can't fast. I actually can't stop eating. My metabolism is built up in a way that I have to eat every two hours or I will have acidity problem.

Following rituals?
See I don't understand the concept. Who is actually following the rituals? The religion and its rituals are being distorted to suit ourselves.

What is your comfort zone?
It is the time when I go home. I feel comfortable when I am talking to my family. Also I feel relaxed when I am sitting alone at my home and doing what I really want to do.

What keeps you going?
It has to be my positive attitude. I have not succumbed to the negativity around me. I am an ultimate optimist. You have to make choices which I think I have made.

Any wish/votive that you would want God to fulfill?
I just want to ask God to keep blessing me the way He has done so far. I just want to ask Him to continue giving me strength.