Life Finds Its Way: Reflections On Reality with Sabyasachi Guha

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Life Finds Its Way is a fascinating account of Nandini Kapadia's close association with Sabyasachi Guha. Her lifelong passionate interest in spirituality as well as her many years as a devotee of Ramana Maharshi led Nandini to the writings of that most radical sage of the 20th Century, the late U.G. Krishnamurti. In no time, she learned of the existence of his close friend Guha, who as fate would have it, lived only a few miles from her home. The two first met in my apartment in 2013 and since then I have personally witnessed Nandini's transformation and blossoming connection to Guha. Her detailed accounts of their conversations, intimate interactions and impressions which led her to travel with him extensively across continents make for engrossing reading. Her self-analysis is unflinchingly honest and her observations about the people she meets and the places she visits are remarkably astute. A gifted writer and seeker, Nandini's insightful words cannot but help inspire a deeper interest in Guha's radical approach to spirituality and life.

I had had the privilege of knowing U.G. Krishnamurti, the most subversive human being ever who shot down the very idea of individual existence as an independent entity entrenched in the colloidal mix called society. Conforming to live in society means living in fear and extending that fear by propagating its norms, foundation of which is born of human thought.
Whenever I was in the proximity of U.G., the feeling of being choked by the pressure came to the fore and a sense of seeking freedom from this stranglehold was felt deep down in my gut. I wondered if there was anyone who was able to benefit from his proximity by way of breaking this barrier which is so deeply hardwired. During the course of my long association with and multiple visits to U.G., I noticed that, at times, there was a jovial gentleman called Guha sitting by his side. He happened to be not just thoroughly enjoying U.G's presence but remained a silent and a laughing spectator to the drama unfolding day after day around U.G. as people came to see him and display their wealth of information in matters esoteric. He was so immersed in the energy field of U.G. that nothing mattered to him other than U.G's closeness and his words. There was a definite attraction and a seemingly unquestioning submission. After U.G. passed away, I had an urge to meet Guha in the U.S. and soon realized that he had indeed disentangled himself from this stranglehold. It is this freedom that has become the attraction and I can unequivocally state that anyone seeking freedom from the depth of one's being would also be attracted.
One such seeker is the author of this journal, which has now seen the light of day as a full-fledged book, Life Finds Its Way. In the first couple of meetings itself, I noticed that Nandini was addressing this same stranglehold of which she is a captive and is ever ready to admit her vulnerability. In Guha, like most of us, she saw no agenda, imposition, abstraction, exploitation or manipulation, all of which are so rampant in the thriving holy business. Upon entering the real world of hard-core spirituality, those seeking equilibrium-imbuing qualities must look at life with utmost honesty, uncolored by the glares of conditioning. It is then that one sees the simplicity and purity of life.