In the recesses of my mind, there resides a story from one of my English books, a tale that has lingered with me for an extended period. It is none other than Gandhiji's "The Story of My Experiments with Truth," where he candidly recounts the narrative of his life, chronicling his formative years, educational journey, myriad experiences, and his unwavering struggle for independence. "Bold Steps and Brave Choices" serves as a poignant reflection of that enduring contemplation.
Within its pages, my experiment stands as a testament to my resolute courage in embracing formidable career choices and unfurling my latent potential, page after page. It was a quest to unearth the truth about the depths of my capabilities, a venture I approached with unshakeable confidence. However, none of this would have been conceivable without the unwavering support of my parents and siblings, who stood by my side, an unyielding bulwark.
Vivid in my memory are the days of my scholastic journey, where the luxury of new textbooks remained just beyond my grasp. Instead, I settled for well-worn, annotated, second-hand volumes. When it came to notebooks, my father ingeniously transformed reams of ruled paper into makeshift ones, a more economical alternative to the pricier hardbound versions from the school bookstore. Oh, how I yearned for the pristine pages of new books and the sturdiness of hardbound notebooks!
Even during my engineering studies, amidst a sea of required textbooks, I managed to navigate the entire program with only three volumes, procured in the final year of college. From an early age, I was an avid devourer of books, particularly novels, yet I relied on the generosity of friends to satiate my literary cravings. Thus, when I finally began to earn my own livelihood, I resolved to amass a personal library. To some extent, I achieved this ambition once I attained financial independence.
I recount these anecdotes because, upon gaining sovereignty over my livelihood, my mind teemed with dreams and aspirations. I embarked on this odyssey armed with a salary modest enough to sustain my aspirations. Despite my constraints, I managed to allocate some savings towards my cherished books, initially acquiring them secondhand and eventually brand new. Yet, even with these modest means, I found myself compelled to provide for my wife and her siblings.
From the very inception of my career, I confronted challenges reminiscent of those earlier years, all contingent on my ability to secure a significant position within an organization. The arc of my career mirrors my unrelenting pursuit of financial stability in order to realize my fundamental desires.
Now, as I stand at the twilight of my career, having retired and nearing seventy, burdened by various health ailments, I strive to cast my gaze back and reflect. Independence, unburdened by constraints, was always my fervent yearning, a desire to chart my own course. Midway through my career, I took the audacious step of relinquishing a lucrative position at Maruti to embark on my own venture, buoyed by the support of friends. Sadly, both endeavours ultimately proved detrimental to my entrepreneurial aspirations.
As mentioned earlier, my love for reading stoked a long-standing aspiration to teach at a college, a dream I eventually realized post-retirement, albeit for a brief two-year span.
In the end, this book encapsulates the voyage of my career, a mirror to the passage through life in the context of my professional pursuits. I earnestly hope that readers engage with it wholeheartedly and, if so inclined, offer suggestions to enrich its content in subsequent editions.
Wishing you a profoundly enriching reading experience!
Udayan Banerjee