On Wednesday, September 18, during International Peace Week, MIIPH held an Opening Reception to celebrate the completion of Dr. Mridha’s forthcoming book, “Verses of Inner Peace.” More than 100 people attended the event, which was produced by MIIPH and SVSU Cardinal Solutions and was sponsored by the SVSU Foundation, SVSU Mental Health Services, and The Peace Project. The event site was the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum on the Saginaw Valley State University campus.

An exhibit of 10 illustrations from Dr. Mridha’s book was on display, each accompanied by a companion quote and a wellness suggestion. SVSU student artists Bri Atudoroae, Abigail Kerby, and Savanna Shaw, who illustrated the book, also attended the opening.

A brief program of speakers included MIIPH Board Chair Andy Bethune, Museum Executive Director Megan McAdow, and SVSU Cardinal Solutions Chair Professor Blake Johnson. They were followed by Dr. Mridha, who graciously thanked those in attendance – especially the artists for interpreting his words with beautiful imagery – and expressed humility for being able to explore his philosophy about inner peace.

“Confucius once said that life is very simple, but we insist on making it complicated,” he began. “My life is very complicated. I was born in a country called Bangladesh, lived in a refugee camp in India, studied Medicine in Ukraine in the Russian language, and now I have been practicing neurology in this lovely country for more than 30 years . . . Even though my life is complicated from the outside, life is very simple from the inside. Because I have a simple thing, I have inner peace.”

The book will be published in late 2024, with more details to be shared in the coming weeks.