Life beyond complications by author Vaidehi Taman is a coming of age story of a young boy and his serendipitous introduction to spirituality and spiritual practices of Hinduism through a chance meeting with the Shiv Sena Supremo Bala Saheb Thackeray. This is a work of non-fiction and a fresh, confessional, insightful view of a young boy’s journey from ignorance to a better understanding of himself and his spiritual senses. It is a tete-a-tete with Sadhguru Shri Riteshwar who was not born as his public persona but was a commoner unaware of his spiritual obligations and far from the quest to understanding his place in the universe and the beauty of the Creator. The book talks about his journey as a young boy from Jharkhand who became a student leader in undivided Bihar at the age of 20. He led the student wing called ABVP of a leading political party of India named BJP.
As a leader of ABVP he was a karyakarta and a staunch believer and flag bearer of the ideals of the party which are deeply rooted in Hindutva. It was in the year 1993 that he came across a gathering in which Bala Sahed Thackeray was giving a speech enthusiastically which instilled in him the values that he was working on and he felt inspired by that speech to further the cause of Hindutva. This made him put his thoughts into action and he called for public prayers among the masses and started to conduct Maha arti.
His immediate presence and influence at such a large scale rattled the ruling party and the then government asked for immediate actions to be taken against him which led to him being convicted in a false murder case. This shook his mother to the core and made her die of shock. This became a major turning point in his life which is also the major climax of this book. Prison is where he became closer to his spiritual self but did not lose touch with reality. He began to hear about the problems of prisoners in his jail and started to fight for their rights and their needs. This made others look up to him as a reformative revolutionary. In jail he continued with spreading the word of spirituality and brought about spiritual awakening among the prisoners through conducting prayer meets and satsang. After the four years in jail, he was transformed into a completely different person who became closer to his spiritual self and did not have any inclination to return to worldly life. This is the point that he became the Sadhguru that he is revered as now.
This book is a sneak peek into the life of one such ordinary person who became extraordinary by firmly holding on to the light of faith that is within each individual but is realised by few. He is a believer of Shri Krishna and his word Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran only. He acknowledges that happiness and sorrows are temporary part of life but the real goal is to unite with the inner light within all people which is a part of the higher light. The realisation of this is the realisation of higher spirituality that will lead to spiritual awakening and overall betterment of life. The book is an inspiring read and one that instils hope in the reader that despite all the mistakes that people make, despite their ordinariness and all the worldly temptations, they can all transform themselves and unite with the goodness of the higher world setting their goals in place.
Author Vaidehi’s writing style is simple, easy to follow with apt vocabulary and clear explanation of thoughts. There is no circumlocutory manner of noting anything. The language is formal and respectful of the topic at hand. All these incorporate the twist of fate that brings an honest soul towards its goal of becoming one with their real duties in this world and make them exemplary through their good deeds. It is this clear, straight forward manner of relaying the journey of Sadhguru Shri Riteshwar that makes for an interesting read.
The book does not dictate anything to the reader but leaves the reader to absorb the core values that Sadhguru Shri Riteshwar’s life resonates so that the reader may whole heartedly and in an open minded manner deduce the morals and key takeways from his life. This is done so that they may imbibe these lessons in their own daily lives and bring about a lifestyle change. The goal of the book is clear. It is about showing people real living examples of how being at one with one’s inner light of faith and having their goals adjusted to causes that benefit humanity will eventually bring about betterment for themselves and those around them. Not once is Sadhguru Shri Riteshwar talked of in terms of someone who is out of this world. It is his journey from being ordinary to an extraordinary individual that makes his story so relatable and worth replicating. At around 80 pages, the book is a short read though it is deep and thought provoking. The book also has a lot of beautiful, colourful photos of high definition that makes for an engaging read.
Title: LIFE BEYOND COMPLICATIONS: tête-à-tête with Sadguru Shri Riteshwar
Author: Vaidehi Taman (http://authorvaidehi.com/)
Genre: Biographies & Autobiographies/ Spirituality
Publisher: Astitva Prakashan
Reviewed By: Tasnima Yasmin
Order Book: Amazon
