Greatness in Hindi

Mahanata ka chap, the Hindi edition of Russi Lala’s A Touch of Greatness — Encounters with the Eminent was laun­ched by the President of India Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 3, 2004 in the presence of 20 eminent members of the community, notes a press release. When Lala expressed his inten­tion of bringing out a revised edition, incorporating more per­sonalities, the President tapped his copy of the English edition with his notes and commented, "No, keep it as it is.” Kalam best liked the chapter on Acharya Vinoba.

Being a prolific writer, Lala sought suggestions from the President for the subject of his next book. "Intellectual cour­age,” was  the prompt response. Having interacted with 400,000 children in the last few years, Kalam said, "I ask children to change their parents.” Outgoing and caring, the President was desirous of bringing about a transformation in society with faith in God and individual effort.

A Touch of Greatness — Encounters with the Eminent was published in 2001 by Penguin Books India (Private) Limited and reviewed in Parsiana (see "The wealth of the worthies,” Books, June 2001). As reviewer Burjor Karanjia had then written, "A book like this, a breath of fresh air, can be a fount of inspiration. If we learn by example, this book offers 26 examples to humble us with the thought of how much we have yet to learn.” The five Parsis who find mention in the book are J. R. D. Tata, Nani Palkhivala, Field Marshal Sam Manek­shaw, Dr Banoo Coyaji and Minoo Masani.

L to R: President Kalam, Lala, Premji and Ashok Maheshwari of Rajkamal Prakashan, publishers of the Hindi edition

Known to live in a sprawling bungalow, The Cairn, JRD himself was content with his small room that accommodated two chairs, a sofa cum bed, two telephones, a bookshelf and a desk which served as his study cum bedroom on the rationale that "It suffices me.”

Azim Premji, one of the personalities referred to in the book and present at the launch of the Hindi version, observed that he found the book "easy to read and enjoyable when there is such heavy stuff to read.” He also referred to the author’s questions which helped to bring out the character of each person­ality. Being one of the richest men in India did not deter Premji from leading a simple life — traveling economy class by plane, avoiding five star hotels and wearing only clothes made in India. He enjoys a reputation for preferring to lose money for 20 months rather than give a bribe for a power connection.

Explaining his purpose of focusing on such eminent yet worthy lives, the author had expressed in his preface, "Some quality in their lives, or a sentence or two which I have quoted from them, has returned over the years to enrich and heighten my own life or helped me at a crucial moment. It is this wealth which I would like to share with others.”

P. M. G.