Gambling with Life

This book is an amalgamation of a travelogue with the story of Tarun Chatterjee’s personal and professional journey. It starts with chronicling the life of a middle-class boy from a small town who at a later date grows brilliantly to touch many coveted peaks of professional excellence as a chemical Engineer. His professional journey gets interwoven with his gradual blooming as a doting family man. Through light-hearted chat he reveals the intricate technical know-how of making steel with the consummate ease of a master. At times he dives deep into philosophical thoughts lamenting about the vanishing rich tribal culture and forest wealth in the jungle of Bastar. He has no qualms about exposing his vulnerability and tells how he almost gets cheated in a deal while buying an old car. In Benaras he gets accosted by an unscrupulous holy man. His frustration is palpable when his pocket gets picked in the melee of a crowd of cine-goers. As a movie-bug he interviews luminaries like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. This book never has a dull moment with one incident following another incessantly. The picture of his zestful life emerges in clear light and shade of genuine human emotions.