For over the centuries, the world has produced many writers, authors and literatuate, who had penned down their thoughts and ideas of life, history, reality, surreal, and many others. However, it is rare to have a curator or an originator penning down a philosophical novel for God.
In a rare feat, a young Indian IAS officer, Haulianlal Guite, who hails from country's most remote areas of Manipur state has recently published a book titled "Confessions of a dying mind: the blind faith of atheism" in New Delhi.
The book was unveiled by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in presence of David Syiemlieth, Chairman, UPSC in august gathering at Civil Services Officers' Institute here.
"An administrative officer going so deep about a subject which we normally don't dare to venture about it and especially people like us, to read something which is very philosophical yet non-fictional is very unique combination. I think if we go into the deep of this book, it will leave into certain stage where you will start questioning about many things and lots of questions will emerge out of this book. It's very interesting," said Kiren Rijiji.
A tribal boy and a young astute Administrator Haulianlal Guite, IAS and author of the book "Confessions of a Dying Mind" has rise to the ranks of greatest Philosophers of all time the world had ever known.
The book billed as "the world's first philosophical novel for God", whose author is arguably the first Indian civil servant to write on philosophy since John Stuart Mill published On Liberty way back in 1858.
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The book explores the nature of science, religion, evidence and even love in light of leading developments. It makes use of the latest findings of modern science and the most solid theories in philosophy.
Confessions of a Dying Mind" also presents some interesting arguments against atheism by using the theories and findings of atheists themselves.
"The book title is directly related with the contents of the book itself and inspiration come from one philosopher who actually had a near death experienced. And upon his revival, his first sentence was I have seen the divine being. He made that confession. I am basing my character of my book as well as title of the book on his confession. So it is called Confessions of the dying mind," said Haulianlal Guite, the author.
He further add on that "First of all, out of sheer, this thing just thinking letting out whatever was inside because I have been thinking about this issue for such a long time and secondly, it is to bust stress from work also because the stress of work and daily life are much and when I do philosophy I feel calm. So I decided to put it in words and hope will benefits humanity somehow."
The event witnesses the august gathering of prominent personalities from varied discipline on the occasion that mark a milestone in the life of this young IAS officer.
"He's a born writer, as I should say because right from class 9, he started writing of his own, telling his own story, so I was expecting something from him but this one comes out to be beyond my expectations. One incident, I would like to say is when we were travelling once in a Sahara Airlines during his college days, he felt that they (airhostesses) are very polite, so he wrote a poem dedicated to them and just to praise their hospitality on air," said the brimming author's mom.
The title, "Confessions of the dying mind" alludes to the story of the main protagonist, the atheistic journalist, Albert Dyers, who undergoes a life transforming near-death experience. The book is presented as a series of novelized discussions between Mr. Dyers who is in a coma and experiencing the effects of a near-death experience and a mysterious Mr. Walker, either a figment of his imagination, or a divine figure sent by some force unrevealed, or a distillation of his own inner contemplations, to teach him the meaning of life, religion, and all the rest. What makes this book distinctively different from others is that all the arguments and questions are presented through stories woven into the plotline of the novel itself.
"It is not often that a young officer has the time amidst all the works they do to put pen and paper together and publish a novel. Haulianlal Guite has achieved the feat and he synergized his academic studies and philosophies and projected his thoughts in the form of a novel. Confessions of the dying mind, the blind faith of atheism is sure to be imaginative, perhaps in part drawn from the personal experiences of the young officer as I gathered in my discussion meeting with the author and which he explained a short while ago," added David R. Syiemlieh, Chairman, UPSC.
"Confessions of the dying mind" is the first of the three volumes and arguments and storylines of the novel are yet to be completed, the author disclosed.
The book is published by Bloomsbury Publishing, a British independent, worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction.
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