By David Reddy, (Purushottam) Past President of the Students’ Council, Teachers’ College 1959 and my College and High School mentor.
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
― Nelson Mandela
I am pleased to introduce the readers to, Dr Ram Lakhan Prasad’s latest book “The Other Side”-a collection of his thoughts, because what he has written really resonates with me. We both hail from Fiji ,sharing similar backgrounds, growing up in sugar cane villages where there was a great support from extended families and in particular, our grandparents who not only cared for us but also, taught us some valuable life principles. Adopting their values of working hard, persevering in the face of difficulties and having an unwavering faith in God, these all have stood well in the tests of our times.
We were fortunate to attend the same high school and then proceeded to training college, where we picked up a few more good habits and values from teachers and fellow students. Our association continued after graduating from the training college, as we went teaching in Labasa, Vanua Levu and then other parts of Fiji.
Looking back, we all agree that our lives in various roles and in different occupations, brought us in close contact with a large number of people and we had become part of them, absorbing some wisdom on the way. Each of us has living experience spanning eighties and we know too well, the joys of good times and pain and disappointments of swimming against the tides.
During Dr Prasad’s last trip to the home land (Fiji), he took what turned out to be a momentous car journey of several hours. Seeing the familiar places and watching people in various activities, flooded his mind with some old memories which caused him to reflect deeply on his own journey of life thus far. This was no less an epiphany for Dr Prasad which resulted in compiling this book on the important lessons learnt to make his life meaningful. All the subjects covered are ideal for reading, meditating and hopefully cultivating good habits to succeed with the goals of life.
Dr RL Prasad also generously shares in this book, his own personal philosophy on what values to subscribe to in order to achieve a fulfilling life, living daily with confidence and with a sense of purpose. He encourages the readers to be courageous and follow their dreams.
Taking the role of a good guru, Dr Prasad also encourages the reader to lead a truly balanced life in developing our body, mind, soul and spirit. He has used quotes from some famous people to make his points in this regard. He exhorts the reader to observe the nature and focus on the Creator and His attributes, “love“ being the greatest. Dear reader embark on the adventure of thinking others better than yourself and also loving them as yourself.
This book is well timed for publication during the holidays (however, not in particular), when folks would want to use spare their hours in reflecting on their work, relationships, past experiences and future goals. These topics are covered in this book and would be useful for that purpose,
I recommend this book as I note, there is enough substance to use it as an addition to a daily devotional, irrespective of our faith.
David Reddy, Auckland, NZ
