Once There Was Me by Bobby Sachdeva is a semi-autobiography
sharing the candid-est account of the true events, long and short battles
against disgraceful circumstances and some victorious and joyful moments that
are entrenched in the author’s heart; narrated with a touch of fiction, it directs
your attention to the more serious problems of the Indian society and
exterminates the silly notions we are holding on to for so long unnecessarily;
exposing the ruthless & corrupt institutions, leaders and con men, it
brings us closer to the idea of rationalism; this truly extraordinary journey
of a commoner will entertain you and more importantly, will help you as a
mirror to this world.
***
Once There Was Me is obviously narrated in first-person POV
by Bobby AKA Gurvinder Singh Sachdeva. The language is very simple and
consistent throughout the book. The writing style is densely informative,
evocative and funny at the moments. The events in the author’s life are
portrayed chronologically, divided into plenty of chapters with appropriate
titles.
***
The story starts with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following the
assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. It gives you a closer look at the lives
of Sikh people in Delhi at that time. What all it took for innocent people to
survive. The mass murders, burning of the properties owned by Sikh people,
sexual assault, lootings and acid attacks. This all brings back memories
associated with one of the darkest times that India has witnessed, the partition
1947. Jasbir Singh, Bobby’s father recounts the horrors of the partition.
The author narrates his life before 31st October,
1984; his school life in Delhi and Amritsar and the kind of treatment he
received there; categorically for being a Sikh, financial crisis and the gentle
Harbir (one of my most favorite chapters), his friend. After the riots,
restoration of self-esteem becomes a prime necessity. Hence, Bobby gets
influenced by the Sikh hardliners and believes that the extremist Sikh movement
will bring back the dignity and identity of his community.
The mental conflicts begin when in his teenage years, Bobby
notices that the caste system is prevalent in every community including his own
but he also knows that Sikh gurus always preached oneness and love for all. The
author send across this profound message that the true meaning of any religion
can only be attained by learning its history and origins.
The perceptions change and the hatred offered by the
preachers and the separatists find no space in the author’s heart anymore. On
the other hand, militancy is at its peak in Punjab and has made it very difficult
for businesses. And to top everyone’s miseries, politicians decide NOT to
end this violence. Divisive politics is nothing new to India; it has been in
practice since British Raj and quite recently we have seen the repercussions
that how commoners, especially the poor ones fall prey to this filthy politics
and the fight between two ideologies (mostly the religious polarization).
Bribery
We may cry at the top of our voices that corruption needs to
end but somewhere deep down we all know the reality. Currently, we often see
the media exposing government officials, police and so on, but is that all?
Sometimes, people (especially the ones who can afford it) feel the need to get
things done via such means because they don’t find it feasible to abide by the
rules. As the author encourages you to ask questions, why is it like that? What
about the people belonging to the lower socioeconomic classes? Apart from
bribery, what about the big scandals of rich people? We know enough causes and
consequences of the corruption to start contributing towards the lower Corruption
Perception Index (CPI).
The American Episode
Here, Bobby has narrated his journey to the US quite
elaborately. America might seem to be more acceptable, but even there discrimination
existed on the basis of race. Although, on the other hand, people are treated
more equally at the workplace irrespective of their role. The author frequently
compares and highlights the major differences between the US and India and their
citizens based on his experiences, which help us determine what are our
collective strengths and weaknesses as being Indians.
Unethical Medical Practices
This one is a very important subject that the author has
addressed. As there are always some defaulters in every profession, medicine is
not an exception. There are a lot such doctors who run their hospitals just for
money and patients’ health is their last concern. They hide the real situation
and keep hoarding money until you run out of cash. This is scary enough that
you won’t want to trust doctors so easily. As we are in the middle of this
pandemic, several cases have surfaced where the reports were manipulated so
that they can loot and mentally torture the families to death, just because
they’ve got enough money to pay the bills? Just imagine what all could be going
on right now as you read this, how many lives would be lost by now
unnecessarily?
Obviously, all doctors are not the same. It’s just a few
greedy people who are generally evil-minded. I totally respect all the Covid-19
frontliners who at the risk of their lives, are working hard and fighting
against all odds. And I would request you all that don’t add to their
difficulties. Stay Safe.
Fraudulent Godmen
Last but not least. I completely agree with the author
when he says ‘Where there’s money, there’s a Guru.’ We all are aware of these
types of fake babas who have accumulated a large sum of money over the span of a
few years, who have neither done well to their followers nor the underprivileged.
The author proposes that this excess money should be used for the country’s
development. However, there’s another concern that the leaders to whom they
help create vote banks; how to trust them with this money?
***
Bobby Sachdeva has successfully sent across the message. All
the above-mentioned issues badly impacted the author’s life, but he never gave
up. The book comprises a lot of intimidating details (including financial
details), which makes you think why are we not getting taught this in
academics. The book has the potential to initiate discussions on numerous social
issues. I would recommend this book to every Indian, for it will change your
perceptions. This book really brings about a good change and encourages you to
ask questions, which is the most important take away from the book. Besides, it’s
too adventurous to miss out on.
