The Fakir (Bengali Edition) by Ruzbeh Bharucha

Rudra doesn’t love anything and is in fact much in need of spiritual or medical help. He is a hippie inclined to live out of haversacks in small and dingy hotels and swigging down malt whiskey. However, this young man finds that everything in his life is changed due to a chance encounter. While driving along the highway, he comes upon an old man lying in a pool of his own blood. In a moment of conscientiousness that the traffic around him doesn’t bother to acknowledge, he rushes forward to the old man’s aid. There and then in an embrace, Rudra notes the resemblance this man shares with the Shirdi Sai Baba.

The novel is an empathetic symbol of spirituality and life as the old man makes the hapless protagonist realize several truths about the metaphysics of the world. The dialogues that are written between the sage and disciple are at the heart of this novel and Bharucha brings a fascinating narrative to life.

Karma, divinity, praying, and spirit communication among the broader entities of faith, forgiveness, and energy are all demystified to both the lay reader and the hippie. Most importantly, this book dwells upon the antenna that connects every individual to its master and how the act of goodness is necessary to inculcate a more attuned relationship with that figure of authority.

The book stretches across the length of mysticism and spirituality and Bharucha triumphs in his use of symbolism and generosity.