Day 31 - Chandra

Chandra, a biography of S.Chandrasekhar by Kameshwar C Wali  is one of the most absorbing books I've ever read.  I've already spoken about this book twice this month (1, 2), and I promise this will be the last time I'm going to talk about it.  But this time, I'm really going to make a strong recommendation - do read it.  For several reasons.  My father has listed all his reasons here, and mine are more or less the same. 

The book is as much about Chandrashekhar and his life, as it is an account of several worlds, and the intricacies of how they work.  After you read the book, you are left with so much knowledge and understanding of varied things, people, establishments, societies. 

I find it both surprising and sad that the common man in India doesn't know more about this remarkable person.   The number of things he has done in his life will leave you dumbfounded.  And there are several tasks that he has taken on in tandem, each one of them a mountainous task of its own, and accomplished them all with elan.   

Such a determined, meticulous, organized person!  And what pleases me most that he commanded universal respect and affection from everybody he interacted with.

And of course, huge credit to Kameshwar C Wali, who has done a superlative job, writing intimately about Chandra and his life, making the reader feel that she knows Chandra personally.

Somewhere in the middle of the book, I got the feeling, "Isn't there a limit to what this man can do?"  And just then, the author writes about someone who says, "I've come across the term Chandrasekhar Limit quite a few times, but I don't think there is a Chandrasekhar limit."  Exactly my feelings!

Btw, I promise that you don't need to know astrophysics, or even physics, to appreciate this book!

And that brings me to the end of January's one-post-a-day.  I enjoyed it more this time than when I took on this challenge the last time, in June 2013.  And thanks for being by my side, and cheering for me. :)