Atom to Cell to Idea

This book has come about serendipitously. A heart surgeon suddenly decides to write after Covid Pandemic. He writes on no particular thing, but on the generality of life. This comprises a series of essays on a variety of subjects which include philosophy, cosmology, religion, culture, science, travelogues and other subjects. Of the big questions of life, he volunteers no answers, apart from framing the questions in his own way, believing questions to be more important. There are a few essays on anatomy, surgery and medicine, but, apart from cross-circulation and his late “chief”, Stanley John, who he calls the “Saint of Vellore”, very little on heart surgery. This is deliberate, as he intends to devote his next book to his experiences in heart surgery. All through these essays, the author’s respect for all life, and human life, in particular, shines through: “Having beaten 1 in 400 trillion odds of being born on earth, each one of us is lucky to live and lucky to die”. History, religion, science and philosophy walk into a bar and spend the night defining the “truth”. The result is 101 provocative essays, commentaries, poems. Here, questions are more important than answers and thinking takes precedence over knowing. No verdicts emerge, either. Not surprisingly, curiosity surpasses certainty and reflective wonder is of more value than conclusions