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common their stated inability to fit this text into any of their categories, while
recognising its quality.
Finally, with both C’s and F.J’s help, and thanks to the openness and boldness of a
friend publisher in the South of France, who had already published a few texts of
F.J’s, my father’s, my book was published in early 2001. DEB, the publisher, and
me, one day when we sat together in F.J’s house in France, found the perfect
picture for the cover: a photograph of lava flowing, all deep orange tones of Agni
against an intense blue, the exact rendering of what I felt, and still feel is truly
happening .
This book was put into some libraries throughout the country; but DEB did not have
the means to advertise or promote, nor even to merely inform about it – its spirit
and contents – more than a few lines on his web-site.
The competition is such in the publishing and distributing markets nowadays that
very few books stay in the same libraries for more than weeks; one year time is the
very maximum for the majority of published books.
“Chemins Entiers” during that one year of library life has perhaps sold to 400
copies. I have not got a single response or comment, except from a few very close
friends. As for nearly everything that I “do”, there is resounding, stunning silence!
***
India had to go back to war, in 1999, with part of itself, Pakistan, over control of
Kashmir. This was the “Kargil” war. It was fought over the most inhospitable
terrain. It was short. The deaths of many hundreds of young men and exemplary
Army officers, children of Bharat Mata, served at least one purpose: to make it
clear that no resolution would ever be reached by either devious treachery or by
the threatening of terrible force.
In Auroville, through K.T, a highly respected retired Major General, and his family –
my friends – I was privileged to be in close contact with some of the finest emotion
and aspiration Mother India inspires and draws in Her children.
In homage and deference to this experience, I tried to write something.
Living on the land of India for many years, I have become aware of the many
divergent pulls that tear at Her children. The policies and politics of the country
have not so far been worthy of the vastness, profundity and immeasurable richness
of Her being.
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have all along maintained that India must somehow
recover the integrality of her physical being before it can truly fulfil its role as the
guru of the world; the partition that occurred in the wake of the British Raj’s
withdrawal, and created Pakistan on the basis of religion alone, is a lie and can
never become other than a lie.
India must find the means and ways – whether through the forming of a federation
or some other arrangement – to undo this division and resolve it within a greater
vision.