A CLOWN FOR GOD A CLOWN FOR OTHERS RECOLLECTIONS OF AN INDIAN JESUIT

<p>Description</p><p>'When [my father] realized this was something I had to decide and try out myself...he</p><p>finally said: Well then become a clown if you must; only be the best Jesuit clown in the</p><p>world.'</p><p>When at nineteen Rudolf Heredia-one of India's foremost Jesuit scholars-</p><p>decided to join the priesthood it came as a shock to everybody around him.</p><p>His mother mourned as though she had lost her son while his father tried to</p><p>be understanding. That Heredia would be leaving his large Goan clan that had</p><p>loved and cherished him despite the mischief and mayhem he created through his</p><p>growing up years in Mumbai was reluctantly accepted. And thus in June 1960</p><p>he began his long and arduous spiritual journey one in which he found meaning</p><p>through academia and research.</p><p>In this insightful and engaging memoir Heredia recounts his life story from</p><p>being a restless college student who almost joined the Communist Party</p><p>of India to joining the Jesuits and immersing himself in academia. Like the</p><p>jester in a king's court he stood by the sidelines of the Church unafraid to</p><p>ask questions provoking students and superiors always graceful. Through his</p><p>teaching and research career at St Xavier's College-his alma mater-and the</p><p>Indian Social Institute he inspired young minds and aided the upliftment of</p><p>marginalized communities in the country such as the Kathkari and Warli people</p><p>of Maharashtra.</p><p>A Clown for God a Clown for Others is the story of a life led with conviction and</p><p>faith grace and wit.</p><p><br></p>