Book Review

I am just an ORDINARY MAN

G S Subbo

I am not a great bibliophile but I was very keen to read the book of G S Subbo after I came to know of its publication from Face book. This was because I know Subbo, both of us having worked in the same organisation and more importantly I was familiar with his writings through his blog which I found highly enjoyable. So with great expectation I ordered a copy of the book. I took about two days to finish reading the book as I am a bit slow reader. I must admit that I have enjoyed reading the book, every line of it from beginning to end.

I am just an ORDINARY MAN is indeed a fascinating book, a book written in an autobiographical style but it is something more than an autobiography. The author has narrated some events of his life some real and some imaginary and uses the same to portray the inner feelings of an ordinary man, his joy and sorrow, pain and relief, hate and love, doubts and believes, fears and fantasies.  I believe that the narrator of Subbo’s book represents every ordinary man or the mankind as a whole and Subbo has talked about every possible feelings and emotions that one can experience in life by beautifully narrating some real events of his life and some imaginary ones. I am sure the reader will identify himself with the author as he starts reading the book.

The author has shown great command over his language in the book. He has dealt with the most complex philosophical subjects like God, death, meaning of life in an easy to understand manner. The book exudes the author’s erudition. However his writings are free from verbose and complex jargon and will therefore be appealing to all and even a not so serious reader like me will highly relish reading the book. Some of the passages like the one on the author’s father and his death is indeed very touching. The passages on God and the author’s letters to God have brought out the questions that are haunting the mankind through the ages about God and His machinations. The issues raised by the author in his letters to God reminds me of what Swami Vivekananda wrote in his paper on Hinduism and I quote the great Swamiji Quote Is man a tiny boat in a tempest, raised one moment on the foamy crest of a billow and dashed down into a yawning chasm the next, rolling to and fro at the mercy of good and bad actions- a powerless, helpless wreck in an ever-ragging, ever rushing , uncompromising currents of cause and effect- a little moth placed under the wheel of causation, which rolls on crushing everything in its way and waits not for the widow’s tears or the orphan’s cry? Unquote.

The epilogue of the book and the imaginary letter of the grandfather are indeed heart-warming. The book’s cover showing the photograph of its author has been most appropriate. The fonts of the letters in the book are of proper size and will not cause any strain on the eye.This may be first published book of the author but it unmistakably bears the stamp of an established writer.  I strongly recommend the book I am just an ORDINARY MAN by not so ordinary G S Subbo to my all friends.