Advaniji's revisiting Pakistan was in 2005. One can understand the nostalgic memories that would have haunted him like a flash back in films. The province of Sindh which was once part of our Bharat is now called Pakistan. This cradle of Indian civilisation was the homeland of Advaniji. Approximately 1.25 million, constituting more than 90% of the Sindhi Hindu population left their Hindu land which was their home for thousands of years. Advaniji describes the uniquely synchronic culture and the Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity that existed in Sindh. Suddenly, their ancestral homeland became part of an alien country. When you think of it, we must accept that it is not easy to shift even from an apartment or a house in one street to another. The book is a wholesome amalgam of history, political science and culture in the sense of universal human values. In short, all this reflects the total personality of our revered Advaniji.

His love for his birth place is understandably not easily erasable from his mind even after sixty years. In Discovery of India, Pandit Nehru wrote "the word Hindu is clearly derived from Sindhu, the old as well as the present Indian name for Indus. From this Sindhu, came the word Hindu and Hindustan as well as Indus and India". Sir! Unto your personality as well as that of your respected and dear wife Kamalaji who also crossed the border as a refugee, I offer a thousand Pranams to our ancestors who fade back into the dim past of the vedic times. I can understand your longing for and dreaming of Pakistan as at least a Federal State. I can understand your revisiting your birth place with your family with sincere harmony in your thought and the nostalgic memories that danced before your mind. Pakistan which was Sindh does enjoy a common ancestry with India. When I read your book, I came to know that Larkana which is just 20 kms from Mohenjodaro is the home town of Benazir Bhutto and her father, who were both Prime Ministers of Pakistan.

Reading this struck a chord in me and I realised a special dimension to what Pujyasri Kanchi Mahaswami asked me to do about two decades ago. I was reporting to him about my visit to a 5000 year old pre-Islamic Siva temple in Bahrain through the help of the local Department of Education and Culture. Paramacharya suddenly asked me to send a letter to Benazir Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, suggesting that a joint venture of excavation with regard to Indus culture must be undertaken by the officials of India and Pakistan and a report jointly prepared by them must be made available for the public in both the countries. This would help in recapturing the common ancestry and help in a psychological gelling of the people of India and Pakistan. Paramacharya added that I should send this letter to Benazir Bhutto through our Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. His Holiness did not want his name to be mentioned but wanted a non-political cultural personality like me to be the motivator. Of course with his permission, I orally conveyed to Sri. Rajiv Gandhi that it was the idea of Paramacharya. I am happy to report that the excavation was undertaken though the report material never got percolated.

After many years of this incident in my life, I read from Advaniji's book just a couple of days back, this information regarding the birth place of Benazir Bhutto. I can now see more psychological layers attached to this extraordinary idea of the Mahaswami.

It is hard to find a holistic personality like Advaniji. From the age of 14, his body, mind and intellect had acquired strength from the RSS. Having listened to Swami Ranganathananda from his young age, we can understand how Advaniji has imbibed the practical orientation that was given for the Bhagavad Gita for the first time in the modern times by Swami Vivekananda. Advaniji's life has been full of adventures. His entry into politics has not been a continuous path of peace. The book mark that I find in the English version has a beautiful free verse under the name "foot prints", where we see the very significant lines which read thus, "I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of foot prints. I don't understand why when I needed you the most, you would leave me. The Lord replied, my precious precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of foot prints in the sand, it was then that I carried you".

Yes the trials during the emergency period included the imprisonment for Advaniji when he shared a cell with Sri. Vajpayeeji for 19 months. I must confess that I am not a political historian. But the book truly reveals how much of ignorance and irresponsibility regarding our national matters generally loom large in our society. The book reveals many publicised and unpublicised matters so beautifully woven that, it is as gripping as any best selling novel. Mind you, I am a voracious reader. I am sure it is going to be extremely popular in the book stands.

The 15th chapter heading is "I have no regrets". How can Advaniji have regrets when a great lady who personifies ideal Hindu womanhood is his wife ? When he was the Union Home Minister for sometime, Kamalaji has been the permanent Minister at Home sharing pleasure and pain and hosting hosts of his friends untiringly. I must confess with gratitude that I have also enjoyed her Rotis served with love when I had dinner at their residence. Kamalaji's mother had been a great composer and the whole family has been deeply involved in reading the Guru Granth Sahib and singing the Shabad. It was interesting to note that a whole evening of singing Shabat was organised for Advaniji's birthday in his home when his daughter Pratibha also sang in the presence of our present Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The musical evening was followed by dinner. What a wonderful sense of harmony beyond politics that this incident is radiating, is a matter of example for other political leaders to emulate. Advaniji is quiet fond of films and was very happy to be I&B Minister. He has himself been a flautist in his younger days in Karachi when he used to accompany the Bhajans in RSS meetings.

Advaniji's life has been full of meaning and contentment. He mentions many of his contemporaries whom he describes as those who have made valuable contributions to India's development. The list includes names like N.T. Rama Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, I.K. Gujral, Ramakrishna Hegde, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Murasoli Maran and of course Dr J. Jayalalithaa. The large number of names vouchsafes his large heartedness. I am proud to say that the book mentions among the distinguished members of the media, a few names from Chennai – Ramnath Goenka, N. Ram, Cho Ramaswamy, Manoj Kumar Sonthalia and of course S. Gurumurthy who is mentioned in quite a few pages.

Finally we are able to see from his own words that he is "anguished and alarmed at the rapidly spreading degeneration of politics into crass commerce, with the attendant ills of individualism, groupism, dynasticism, deceit and various forms of criminalisation in this decadent environment which has given rise to the image of the ugly Indian politician. I have striven to practice politics of service and probity as a mission. This too has given satisfaction". This is Advaniji. I wish him a long life and pray to the Almighty and Bharat Mata to make our country and people deserve a Prime Minister in him.