Dr. Debasish Mridha speaking at the Mridha International Peace Symposium, Saginaw Valley State University.
Dr. Debasish Mridha is a physician, author, philosopher, and philanthropist whose lifelong devotion to peace, harmony, and happiness has shaped both his medical career and his writing. Born in Bangladesh and based in Saginaw, Michigan, he is the founder of the Mridha International Institute of Peace & Happiness (MIIPH) and one of the most widely quoted contemporary voices on peace and happiness.
From a refugee camp to medicine
Dr. Mridha spent three years of his childhood in a refugee camp in India during and after the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence — an early encounter with hardship that shaped his lifelong commitment to peace. He completed his medical studies at the Kiev Medical Institute in Ukraine before immigrating to the United States for his residency and fellowship at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
Physician and neurologist
Licensed to practice medicine in Michigan since 1995, Dr. Mridha is board-certified in both Neurology and Sleep Medicine and an active member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology. In 1999 he founded the Michigan Advanced Neurology Center (MANC) in Saginaw, where he has cared for patients across mid-Michigan for more than two decades.
Author and poet
While practicing medicine, Dr. Mridha began writing poetry in his spare time, developing a rich body of inspirational verse and aphorisms. He is the author of several books — including Verses of Peace, Verses of Happiness, and Sweet Rhymes for Sweet Hearts, along with two books in his native Bengali. His quotes on peace, happiness, kindness, and love are shared widely online, with hundreds featured on Goodreads.
A philosophy of peace and happiness
Dr. Mridha believes that the lessons of peace, harmony, and happiness are renewable resources — and that education is the key to spreading them. This conviction is the foundation of everything he builds, from his writing to his philanthropy. His personal mantra, “Service is joy; service is happiness,” reflects a life devoted to others.
Philanthropist and founder
In 2001, Dr. Mridha established the Mridha Foundation, which each year recognizes deserving students, educators, and medical professionals with awards and scholarships for their achievements in education, medicine, and humanitarianism. In 2021, together with his wife, Chinu Mridha, he founded the Mridha International Institute of Peace & Happiness — an ambitious extension of his belief that education can help solve the world’s most challenging social problems and minimize human suffering.
Quotes Dr. Mridha is known for
“Be the light of peace to drive away the darkness of hatred.”— Debasish Mridha, MD
“Peace is not an option. It is the only choice to live a beautiful life.”— Debasish Mridha, MD
“To find your peace, help others to live in peace.”— Debasish Mridha, MD
“Happiness is not in perfection but a perception in the midst of imperfection.”— Debasish Mridha, MD
Explore hundreds more on his author website and Goodreads author page.
Continue his mission
Dr. Mridha founded MIIPH to make peace and happiness renewable through education — and the courses are free.
Related: Dr. Mridha as MIIPH’s founder · The Mridha Foundation · Verses of Peace on Amazon