I received a Ph. D. degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1969. But that is hardly relevant to this book.

The earliest memory  I have that is relevant to this book is as a young boy growing up in India, I longed to go to the Himalayas and meditate, seeking the “Ultimate Truth” beyond the MAYA (mere illusion). It was good that it did not happen. I doubt if anything significant would have come about from that experience, to share with my fellowmen.

In my middle school and high school years, I was fortunate to win many prize books in oratorical competitions, essay contests and academic placements. One of those prize books set my juvenile but fertile imagination on fire. The book was “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton. My high school years culminated with an award of  “Roll of Honor” as the valedictorian of the graduating class. The year was 1957 and I was 16.

At that stage, I was like any other 16-year-old boy, unsure as to which direction my life would take and what, if anything, I would accomplish. I was told that I possessed a rich intellectual heritage (my father was a college professor) and a meager financial base (I had lost my father when I was 5).

I have enjoyed a placid, healthy life of moderation with no flashy achievement to brag about. But, all along, tidbits of interesting ideas and experiences have been accumulating, albeit as an incoherent scatter of pebbles. In 2016, when I was 75 years old, the tidbits started to come together to form a vague outline, which resembled this book. In 2018, I sat down to write the subject book.