A vacation is always a good time to catch up on your reading. And I had the good fortune of spending a few hours today, being completely engrossed in Vijay Rambhatla’s “An Orphan’s Pilgrimage”. In addition to being an IT professional, a meditation practitioner and now, a writer, Vijay happens to be a neighbor as well and we happened to be happy recipients of a free copy of this very interestingly titled book. Through a very simple and elegant storyline, Vijay is able to effectively carve out a very melancholic journey of the protagonist Manohar, who through a variety of circumstances, ends up being an orphan and how he eventually ends up getting “closure”.
Now “closure” is a very interesting term that the Western world uses quite often to help people come to terms, especially with the tragedies encountered in their lives, gain a mental level of acceptance that this is all, part of the overall scheme of things and then move on with a renewed hope of better things to come. In an Indian context, we do refer to it as one’s samskara. There is definitely a reasonable acceptance (through research or otherwise), that this “closure” is absolutely important for us to evolve as humans and move into Self Transcendence
But as is with most cases, “Closure” is not that easy and it involves a process that the individual goes through as he/she grapples with deepest feelings/emotions/conflicts and most importantly culture/contradictions. Vijay deftly brings these to life through his storytelling as we see the world through the eyes / thoughts of Manohar, who goes through an exceptionally troubled childhood, grapples with all these nuances and then finds his “closure” and most importantly his “Guru”. As somebody who grapples everyday to understand the shenanigans of today’s world, I am able to significantly appreciate the thoughts that Vijay tries to communicate through the story. The plot is not unique and certainly predictable but Vijay’s success lies in the way that he paints the landscape through an interesting use of words and make us travel with Manohar all the way. The title is extremely apt and makes it all the more melancholic. Last but not the least, the cover of the book stays with you long after you have read the book as it captures the essence of the book, so well. A minor opportunity for improvement would have been a little more interspersing of the “Awakening of the Yogic chakras” throughout the journey other than just in the foreword (and Vijay does mention the relevant article which made for fascinating reading as well)
Overall a couple of hours well spent in a thoroughly enjoyable book. Hope Vijay continues with his literary journey and gives us more “food for thought” in the years to come.
Experiential Musings 