Reflections from the Village Bard
/
The process
Here you will read my biography, published in 6 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese (in Romani) and, finally, in Russian. It is a complete biography of 17 chapters that vividly describes my life experiences, from my childhood to my education and work experience, starting in Vietnam during the war and ending in the Philippines, when I retired from Sudan in 1994.
It has been a long road, full of challenges and achievements. They will read about the dangers I faced in Vietnam, where the war broke out, and in Haiti, where I had to live through the violent revolution. Other countries where I lived and worked, such as Burundi and the Philippines, also suffered very violent revolutions that had a great impact on me and my family.
My biography will take you through my experiences in all the countries where I lived, worked and studied, such as the United States and, later, the Philippines.
I faced many challenges in India and other countries, but somehow I managed to overcome them and get my wife and children out of there so that we could all live a better, safe and peaceful life in the Philippines, where I retired and raised my family. Our two children were educated here and then moved to other countries such as the United States and Australia.
Finally, I must acknowledge the extraordinary effort made by our daughter Kim to make the biography suitable for publication on Amazon. He has spent countless days and nights formatting every chapter to make it acceptable for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
I am very grateful to you for your contribution to the publication of my biography as an e-book. We really appreciate her and her helpful nature.
Amazon will create e-books for you, no matter where you live in the world.
The reason for my biography
It’s very tempting to write something to share with everyone online, because it seems like the whole world is connected these days. Even so, I feel that it is an overwhelming task given the enormous responsibility that comes with writing and opening my soul to unknown people who I will never meet, but who might read what I write and form their own opinions.
But I also feel that I must do it, even if it’s just to say that I do it for our children, who have the right to know their parents better. I wish my father had done the same, because I know practically nothing about him, except that he was a very intelligent and peaceful person. I also don’t know anything about my mother, except that she was a loving mother who sacrificed a lot to raise us all. I think we all owe it to our children to understand us better and perhaps learn from our mistakes and successes.
So one day I started writing. This is not just a biography, but a look at the complex relationships that develop over time between the people in our lives and the consequences of those relationships. It is true that I have gone through difficult times and I have met very bad people who have disappointed me enormously, but I have also met wonderful people in different countries who are still my friends after all these years.
So the path of life has been very exciting for me, because I was lucky to live it the way I did and I learned many lessons. I have written extensively about these experiences, some good and some bad, but equally interesting. I have mentioned the good people in detail and the bad ones only in passing, because it is better to remember the good ones who cheer you up than the ones who disappoint you. My opinions are mine, but I understand that others may have different opinions. If my opinions offend those who disagree, I must say that my story was not intended to be so and should be read with an open mind, free of prejudice.
I thank all those who have helped me during my long journey through life, but above all I thank my parents, who raised me, gave me an adequate education and taught me values that last and have been very useful to me.
Finally, I will say that without Jasmine by my side, this trip would have been less colorful and exciting. She is extraordinary and I am very grateful to her. Our dear children are our blessing and joy, and have made this biography worth writing.
I wish you all the best.
your friend
Anil
I look back at what we have discarded in the process of development and remember many things the British brought to India that we do not see anymore. The modern era has ushered India into the computers and cell phones, digital world of TV and communication at a breakneck speed. No one can foresee what…
The countries fight wars for various reasons and to support the war, they set up vast military industrial complexes to make war materials that later become their prime export earners to fuel other wars. Such complexes were never dismantled after the war in the name of preserving jobs so it comes under scrutiny…
The poor and landless farmers are the hardest hit in India, who are exploited by the rich landowners in many parts. Now the government of India has come up with measures to help them so that they too can get some relief from their hardship. Recently a new bill was proposed in the lower house…
The role of international aid in the development of other countries has increasingly come into debate and soul-searching. Often such aid is hampered by the corrupt politicians and mismanagement so it is important to be self-reliant and seek aid only when new methods and technologies are needed, This is a topic that evokes strong reactions…
The historical Jesus and Mary Magdalene are of great importance to those who are interested in knowing who Jesus really was and why his wife Mary Magdalene was vilified by the Catholic church in the Bible as a mere prostitute. History shows that Mary was of royal descent and survived by escaping to France…
A great man was born in India who had the vision, the courage and the wisdom to steer the country in the right direction after its independence in 1947 so he was rightly called the Iron Man. This is the story of Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel whom all patriotic Indians venerate. The British did not…
The bushmen hunting in the Kalahari desert Some people call others primitive and treat them as subhuman who need to be shown what civilized people can offer them to improve their lives starting with a Bible. Such self-proclaimed people have brought misery to others who are not like them so they try to justify…
It is nothing new that unscrupulous people try to take advantage of simple minded people in the name of religion, giving rise to the industry of fake gurus. The post warns of such fake religionists everywhere and caution the gullible people to be more careful in parting with their hard earned cash. In todays…
Nadia Comaneci Nowadays we hear many scandals regarding doping in games to gain advantage which is very unfair to those athletes who do not take drugs. This blog focuses on this issue and gives good examples of Nadia Comaneci who at a very young age proved that one can achieve greatness without drugs.…
We know what democracy is but we do not see a perfect example of it in most countries including the United States so democracy may mean different things to different people. The most we can say is that it is in progress and may take a long time to achieve universal education and…
Imprinting a child with positive or negative thoughts can make all the difference between a good person and a bad person later when he grows up. The blog looks at the reasons why people tend to imprint a child negatively and how it impacts the child and the society in general later, sometimes…
We are now pressured to consume manufactured goods daily through the advertisements in the media 24 hours a day . The result is the shameful materialism that makes people live beyond their means in order to accumulate things they usually do not need but clutter their lives. Simple living becomes just wishful thinking. The…
The itinerant entertainers are slowly fading away because the whole world is changing through development and globalization of trade and commerce that is impacting everyone including the itinerant entertainers. The changes coming are inevitable but it is hoped that the poor people are given time to adjust to the new world by learning…
Vanity is found in all people everywhere. Only the method of showing the vanity varies that makes it interesting. From primitive adornment in Africa to expensive cosmetics elsewhere, vanity and what it attains is explored here. I am often amused at the sheer vanity of women in general and some men in certain…
The new technology of Virtual Reality is already available to the common people that allows them to see and feel something that is unreal but there is a hidden danger that can blur the line between the real and unreal in the mind of a weak person who can be affected. This focuses on such…
We often think of how to spend our remaining days after retirement.This looks at various options that can enrich your life and give you the satisfaction that you have lived well and have been useful to others in significant ways. One always gets to thinking about old age and what it means. The…
Ruins of Harappa showing meticulous planning 10000 years ago The household cleanliness depends upon the disposal of waste be it kitchen or toilet waste in a manner that is effective that does not spread disease and pollute the environment. So building toilets is a necessity and not a luxury anywhere. This post shows how…
We all want to prevent cruelty to animals but we see many are tortured or killed in the name of profit and greed. One day the poachers will make the beautiful animals extinct, making our world poorer so they must be stopped by any means. Compassion by the NGOs can help save the animals…
We are all fascinated by blood and gore and see it in the media everyday that has severe social consequences. This post throws some critical light on his subject and makes people think of the effect of all the violence in the media on our personal lives. We humans have a morbid fascination about…