BOOK REVIEW- MY MANY TRYSTS WITH GOD by P.V. RAGHUNATHAN

BOOK REVIEW

MY MANY TRYSTS WITH GOD by P.V. RAGHUNATHAN

AN OVERVIEW

This autobiography is a monumental work. To say that the book is intense will be an understatement as Raghunathan takes us through the trials and tribulations that life had chalked out for him: an extraordinary journey of courage, pathos, success and finally towards enlightenment. The book has several poignant  moments which turn out to be tipping points in the author’s view of life – from a theist to an atheist, agnostic and finally acceptance of a greater power that guides the course of an individual’s life, brings out the author’s inherent strength of character and integrity, ready to face the truth and accept change as an instrument towards understanding life in all its hues.

The essence of the book is brought out in the last few lines where the author acknowledges the role played by those people who were all along with him in this journey of life.  

“I have thus had many trysts with God, who was always leading me to where I needed to reach – Wisdom dawned on me: after all I was not the hero I believed myself to be. I was just a zero, enhanced in value by so many angels prefixed to me.”

THE BOOK

Writing an autobiography is a very difficult proposition. Trying to recollect all that has happened in one’s life would be a gargantuan task. Yes, we do remember events that happened long ago and have been turning point in our lives, but it is very rare that we remember the minutest details; going back in time, the memories become hazy after a point. Another difficulty is that we may not remain true to the exact narration, in the process fill up fictional details. So, I was astounded by Raghunathan’s eye for details and going back in time till he was three years old. His description of his early years – born in a large lower middle-class family as one of eight children, he struggles through life through sheer grit and a belief in himself, qualities instilled in him by his father. The family bonding and the support they give each other throughout life without waning in intensity touches your heart. It is this bonding which keeps the author going in the face of adversity both in official as well as upheavals in personal life.

The one great influencer early in life his father, taught him how to look at life and these were values which he has retained throughout -

‘We fear the unknown. In darkness, since we do not know what is within, we fear darkness. But once we understand the reason for the darkness and the shadow, we do not fear them. So, son fear not the unknown; try to find out, understand and conquer fear’.

‘So, while belief in God should be with faith, belief should not be blind to rational thinking. Moreover, there is no absolute good or absolute evil.’

The major theme of the book is the author’s many trysts with God as he would like to term it, I found the following passages take us through the various stages of his search for a meaning in life –

‘Even as a child I was looking for God in key holes of doors, in pebbles of various sizes, among ants marching silently in a disciplined line, and the like.’

‘At this point in my life, my reverse search started. I started reading literature by rationalists criticizing the institution of God’

‘We went to Somnath temple. I did not worship God because I was cross with him after the demise of my father’

‘From that moment I became an unquestioning disciple of Maha Periyava. Theist as a child, atheist as a young man, God hating agnostic thereafter and then theist, my transformation was complete’

This transformation occurs following various traumatic events in his life. I leave it to the reader to go through the book and connect with the author through his journey.

A major portion of the book covers his years in the State Bank of India and the National Bank of Oman. The narration is interesting and exhaustive. These were the years that tested his mettle as a banker who trained and educated himself to be an authority in whichever position he found himself placed. Apart from his efficiency as a banker, what stands out is his ability to not buckle under even when there was pressure from superiors or politicians if he thought that the demand was not fair or unethical. A successful banker he bade adieu to his career on his own terms.

I could connect with his stint in SBI and the anecdotal references since I also served the same organization and in the same circle. Though I never had the opportunity to work with him, I knew him and was a distant admirer especially as a greenhorn who joined the bank six years later. Whether it was Baroda Industrial Estate branch or Jamnagar branch I knew what was going on.

But it is the smaller chapters tracing his growing up years till the time he leaves his job at the Madras Telex Exchange where he was a JE to join as a PO in the largest bank in the country, which brings to fore the molding of his personality – from an inquisitive childhood to growing up as a teenager harboring rebellious inclinations against social injustice and his early fascination with Napoleon and Hitler and the formation of the ‘Troika’ with two of his like minded friends all provide for an interesting read.

For me the most impactful chapters were the last two ‘Hibernation and Renascence’ and ‘My Many Trysts with God’ rounding up what is a fascinating look in to an individual who for all the steely exterior he presented is a very compassionate human being – a devoted child, a protective sibling, a successful careerist, a doting husband and a loving father.

The book by normal standards is voluminous and some may find the font size used does strain one’s eyes when continuously read. But I can understand the dilemma faced by the author and publisher from going in for a slightly increased font size for it would have extended the book by another hundred pages at least. The cover is well-conceived and looks good. The Kindle version of the book is also available.

The author’s language is scholarly and simple. This book is not to be rushed through. It is when we go through word by word that we experience the intensity of an extraordinary life.

In concluding I would like to quote the following lines from ‘Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance’

You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes much sense, but then you look back at where you've been and a pattern seems to emerge. And if you project forward from that pattern, then sometimes you can come up with something.

THE AUTHOR

This is the debut book of Raghunathan. He has in the past contributed short articles to some journals and some periodicals on subjects of social relevance. He is an avid reader and an intrepid traveler and trekker. A successful banker having served with the State bank of India and the National Bank of Oman, now settled in Gurgaon and has rediscovered his passion for writing.

A book highly recommended not only for reading and relishing, but as an adornment on your bookshelf.