'Sab kachra bahar aa gya: Parmeet Sethi on how one meditation session saved his marriage with Archana Puran

Economic Times

03-08-2025

Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi
In a candid conversation with his son Aaryamann Sethi on YouTube, actor-director Parmeet Sethi shared how meditation helped him navigate a difficult phase in his marriage with Archana Puran Singh, manage long-held emotional stress, and find direction in his professional life. He credited the meditation learning from Art of Living course, which he attended reluctantly, as a key turning point in his personal transformation.Parmeet recalled a time when tensions at home were high and conflicts frequent. 'I did the Art of Living course. Archana forced me to do it. We were going through a very bad time as husband and wife. We were fighting a lot. She said, come and do the course. I did not want to do it. I went to Bangalore, did the course,' Parmeet told Aaryamann.
"After the course, mere andar jo jo kachra pada hua tha in my soul, in my being, vo sab bahar aa gaya. (After the course, all the things bottled inside me came out.) I cried loudly for my sister who had died earlier. I cried to my heart's content. I used to diet a lot during that time, but during the meditation, I imagined myself eating rich food. After that, all my physical ailments were gone after that day," he added.
He said that the breathing technique taught in the course, Sudarshan Kriya, had a deep impact on him. After just one session, he felt an emotional release and began crying, realising how much he had been holding back over the years. Parmeet said that he has not skipped a single day of kriya practice since completing the course. Whether he is travelling, on a film set, or at home, the routine has remained consistent. He shared that the practice helped him release unresolved grief from his sister's sudden passing in a road accident, which had remained bottled up for years.
'I had never cried for her. I had just shut it off. But everything came out during the kriya,' he said.That emotional clarity, he noted, allowed him to focus inward and rethink his relationship with his work. Previously, he had pursued acting mainly to recover from earlier business setbacks, but after meditation, he realized that writing and directing better aligned with his inner calling.After embracing meditation, Parmeet said he noticed a clear shift in his mood, behaviour, and relationships. The tension at home reduced, and he became more patient. His son Aryan also pointed out during the conversation that the change was noticeable — his father had become calmer and more composed.
Parmeet added that this inner change also helped him professionally. When a film project based on his father's refugee story didn't go through, he redirected his energy into writing Badmaash Company, which was quickly approved and later became his directorial debut. The film's genesis, inspired by his own life and relationships, became a milestone in his career, one that came after the inner realignment prompted by meditation.