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THE devil in most religions is painted jet black. He is represented as the enemy of all mankind—as the one who leads us astray, the one who confuses and confounds as well as the one to be stayed away from. In short, the one who prevents us from achieving salvation. Why would anyone in his right mind want to actively seek him out? Herein lies the twist. The author discovers one fine day that his soul has deserted him. Suspecting the devil of stealing it, the author begs the devil to come forth and answer his fears. Not only does the devil make his presence felt but he also agrees to a question-answer session with the author.
What is more intriguing is that the author is already a laughter yoga guru and has touched many lives. Yet, he is plagued by doubts as to whether he is doing the right thing by sometimes putting aside pressing matters to pursue his passion of making people laugh. Also, contradictory emotions like anger that well up inside him make him sit up and think if he is too much of a human being to practice the super human technique of staying happy. Narrated in a question-answer format, this semi-autobiographical book is generously peppered with witticisms and spiritually elevating quotes from great thinkers all over the world. Gently, with the author, we come to the realisation that what we thought of as fugue of the soul was only its search for a refuge. The devil, with enormous patience, explains that what we call trials and tribulations are only the rough stones where we can sharpen our soul-axe. The dark patches in our lives only serve to act as relief for the light at the end of the tunnel. The devil, whom we least expect to show the way to moksha, unclutters the mind of its myriad theories of right and wrong. He assures us, paradoxically, that he is our comrade-in-arms on the road to self-realisation. In the end he gives us the same sutras to wash off the dirt of our samskaras which we learned sitting on our mother’s lap, but which we seemed to have forgotten along the way. The author uses simple language to get his points across but sometimes the narrative can be pretty long-winded. Like all journeys, the one within will no doubt leave you refreshed, clearer and raring to go. We are on a journey to
becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of
our lives.
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Thus
begins the journey within. The author threshes out his doubts, seeks
answers and hunts for explanations. In the process he discovers, to his
surprise, that the devil is not all black. Even though he is thought to
be evil personified, yet the devil’s job is like any other. If God is
the source of all creation, the devil merely looks after the twin
departments of death and destruction.