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The Old Man and His
God
Sudha, Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, has, in her lifetime of travel, met people or was faced with situations that have been everlasting in her memory. She has put together some of those valuable insights in the book as snapshots that are reflective of human nature as it is—sometimes wholly selfish, sometimes annoyingly indifferent and at other times immensely gratifying. The stories are true and drawn from every-day happenings—stories of you and me. They have in them something that can be imbibed—lessons in friendship, faith, honesty and perseverance. Yet, the tone of the book is neither moralistic nor spiteful. The attempt is to understand people for what they are—shorn of all the halo. So there are manipulative people who can use the money meant for their children’s treatment to build a house; people who end years of friendship on an unfounded belief; people who adopt a child even when there are no resources; the few who know what peace there is in contentment; and those who know when to retrace their steps. There have been times when Sudha has felt cheated—where the money given by her was not used for the purpose intended—but she always let it serve as a growing experience and not let it come in the way of again reaching out to those in need. The nature of her work gives her the freedom to play out the various roles of a social activist, a writer and a teacher. Since her involvement is not sciolistic, the narrative is cryptic, sincere and evocative. This isn’t her first work. Her books range from travelogues to technical aspects and have been translated into all major Indian languages. Sudha comes forth as a woman of grit and compassion. A woman who enjoys sharing her wealth with those who need it, and above all, one who doesn’t use it to hog headlines or draw attention. It is done with humility—an act of returning what God has kindly bestowed on her. |
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