Books on Philosophy are oh-so-boring!!! Yaaawwwwnnn!!!
Mostly dwelling on the abstract, the tone of such prose would target the appeal of an extremely serious minded reader well versed in the
drone of spirituality or people past their 60s wanting to enter
sanyaasashram with gusto.
Thus my tryst with this genre had remained a trifle less frequent than what I had hoped for.
It was about 5 years ago on a 25 hour train journey which I was undergoing without company of friends. The only companion in my train worth some conversation was an elderly gent who had equipped himself with a backpack of books. Not much of a reader, I wasn’t too excited with his offer of reading any one I wanted. Nevertheless, I lazily rummaged through the cloth bag hoping (but not expecting) to find some juicy Sidney Sheldon type fiction. As expected, the good man’s interest seemed to be restricted to godliness and spirituality. Most of the books had drab sounding titles and were too buxom for my comfort. But not wanting to appear impolite, I reluctantly selected the leanest book from his collection. As I pulled it out, I read the title ?
’’The Sage and the Housewife’’ by Shanta Kelker.The title sounded like those Panchatantra tales we used to be told as kids. But the cover page had a portrait of a saintly looking gent, who I learnt was U.G. Krishnamurthy. For want of something better to do, I settled on the top berth and started digging into the book.
As I forced myself through the Preface and introductions, what struck me was the last paragraph of the ’’Publisher’s note’’. It was a brief conversation between the author and publisher. The mood was set - the book seemed to be interesting after all!
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A word about the author:Shanta Kelker was born in Mumbai but settled down in Bangalore after marriage. Here she came into contact with many spiritual gurus and her thirst for spiritual knowledge kept increasing. After meeting U G Krishnamurthy, she began to find answers to many of her questions. This book is in a diary form about her experiences with the Master. You will see a picture of her with the Guru on the back cover.
About U G KrishnamurthyGuru of many celebrities including Parveen Babi, Mahesh Bhat etc. UG (as he is fondly called) comes across as a maverick spiritual leader. Shorn of any religious dogma, scathing with his tongue, he administers his teachings with a flourish rarely thought to be befitting a venerated godman. But dwell deep, and you will discover a lot of hidden meaning in his words.
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The narrative:Shanta Kelker comes across as a fun loving yet courageous woman who has a delightful sense of articulation as she narrates every amusing anecdote with a detail that makes the scene vivid. At the same time, when it comes to the ’’moral of the story’’, she wisely leaves it to the interpretation of the reader.
The author has to trudge a long distance in Bangalore to visit her Guru and tags her kids along each time. The kids become friendly with UG and they talk about the latest US television serials and video games. During her visits, the author comes into contact with some of UG’s other disciples, some like the famous Bollywood director, Mahesh Bhat. The conversations that they have range from the mundane to the outrageous - enough to keep Ms. Kelker from shielding her more conservative sisters from the environs. The prose comes across as a sincere, from-the-heart expounding of the events under discussion. While the narrative aims to be light hearted and high on the humour quotient for most part, it seamlessly gets into the pathos tone in the final chapter where the author describes the events after her husband’s demise. By this time, you are so part of Ms Kelker’s existence - don’t be surprised if you find yourself shedding a quiet tear or two.
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Some interesting passages (to get you hooked):The first meeting!’’The handsome, smiling, humbly-clad man they called U.G. sat relaxed and friendly before me. Intent upon using my visit to get straight answers, I hurled at him my first question:
’’Are there any boots to walk on thorns.’’
His reply came back crisp and direct, ’’There are no thorns.’’
Unsatisfied, I pursued, ’’The thorns are very much there for me!’’
With quiet patience he answered, ’’Stop looking for roses and there will be no thorns.’’
NOW THAT WAS REALLY SOMETHING! He had no boots for sale, nothing to offer. Suddenly the man in the white kurta-pajamas sitting before me became a very interesting personality indeed! I kept on throwing questions at him for some time, and like a golden bell the answers came back clean, precise, and convincing. (Three more extracts from the book are given in the comments section)
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Finally,From the above, I’m sure you would have been able to get a glimpse of the book in its right perspective. I bought this book recently for my father who is very interested in this subject. For readers who haven’t yet been initiated into the spiritual sojourn, this book with its delightful reading could well be a beginning. For those who are already well into some distance, the deeper meaning which throws some gems from the spiritual Guru could add a whole new meaning in their spiritual quest!