75 Years: Reflections of my Life and the World around Me | S. Krishnamoorthi | Book Review

SUBJECT: 4/5
CANDIDNESS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5

Someone has rightly said that when one door closes then another door opens but we look at the closed door so often and so regretfully that we often fail to notice the open door.

But such is not the case for those who hold an undeterred faith in God such as S. Krishnamoorthi.

Dedicated to everyone and everything around him, Krishnamoorthi notes that “God shuts one door and he opens another” and “God has a place where you can be your best for Him.”

A staunch believer in the miracles of prayer and God, Krishnamoorthi presents his autobiography from his birth to 2018 in this book – 75 Years: Reflections of my Life and the World around Me.

Born amidst World War II and growing up during the British Raj in India, Krishnamoorthi lived to become a citizen of the Indian republic who has a myriad of experiences to relay in his tryst with life and its never-ending ups and downs. Turmoil never leaves him but neither does his stamina that cannot be easily done away with.

Losing his father to tuberculosis at a very young age, 75 years is the story of a man born on 24 August 1943 and brought up in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

Apart from being a researcher and able administrator, he was also a man of many talents. A teacher of civil engineering by profession, his research studies on water conservation through non-ponding and sewage effluent irrigation for paddy crop, will be beneficial to mankind facing a water crisis.

Living through the Indian independence, Krishnamoorthi is a person who has a lot of life experience.

75 Years: Reflections of my Life and the World around Me mentions the events in his life from his birth in August 1943 to the present day in 18 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue.

Every chapter follows a particular pattern. Firstly, it presents an abstract of all that is to follow ahead in the chapter. It then presents questions and answers about the author’s personal life and ends with the major national and international political and scientific events that occurred during his lifetime. There are even charts about the tournaments he played and the positions he won. He has an international win against Sri Lanka in the game of bridge.

Despite his myriad achievements, Krishnamoorthi comes across as a simple man at heart for whom family and love matter the most.

A major climax of the autobiography is his love affair and marriage with his wife June. He is a Hindu and she a Christian but their interfaith marriage was an intrepid move during a time when such marriages were not frequently accepted. His love for her is passionate and pure even while he reminisces her last breaths while lying in his lap.

The book is presented as an interview format in the form of questions and answers which is perhaps a real downside of the book. Another problem is that the book has excessive information. Krishnamoorthi charts down each and every detail of his life which can get a bit tedious for readers who do not enjoy non-fictional works.

However, on the upside, this pattern also allows for an organised flow of information that is systematically relayed and properly placed. It is this manner of proper presentation that makes the book so very meticulously written.

Nonetheless, there is a lot to learn from a man of such stature. Two chapters My Failures and My Views on Major Events Around Me are particularly intriguing in summing things up.

The book ends with Lord Krishna’s Gitaupadesam from the Bhagvat Gita.  

This book will appeal to lovers of non-fiction especially autobiography, students of civil engineering and history buffs.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of 75 Years: Reflections of my Life and the World around Me from the link below.