The Book

When a life of luxury and ease suddenly crashes for Maharshi Patel, an Indian-American Economics student at Duke University and son of a nationally regarded oncologist, the wealthy adolescent descends into dark cycles of self-destruction that culminate in attempted suicide. In his darkest hour he seeks the help of Bhogi, his grandfather in India, and through his life story, one that includes the struggles of orphan hood, stark poverty, droughts, alcoholic sons and forced marriages, Maharshi realizes the many mistakes he made and the triviality of his fatalism, and how to go about setting his life on track Again.
  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins India (July 18, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9350291150
  • ISBN-13: 978-9350291153


Reader Reviews

Excellent account of trial, tribulation and resurgence. Phenomenal story! Started reading a Tale of two Indians and literally couldn't stop! It's a really moving account and I almost felt tears at some portions of the story (thankfully a happy ending! :) It was honestly much more than I would expect from a writer barely out of college. Reminded me a lot of the alchemist! But a true version! Highly recommend it for people who like that genre! Or for anyone feeling down in the dumps. If it comes out in hardcover I'm def getting it as well!

Kashyap B. Patel (Charlotte, NC)
August 3, 2011

Highly Recommend This Book! An excellent story from cover to cover. As a first generation Indian born in America, I truly connected with the main character of the story. His journey through hardship is compelling and genuine, quite rare for a writer this day and age. Usually you find books about the struggles of life motivating but detached from your own life. Patel's story is different. The reader can actually see him/herself in the main character's shoes. The story is about real life with actual problems where the ending of the book leaves you understanding that success through hardship is attainable, not just to superman, but the common man. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any reader. The writing is quite impressive and I was surprised when I found that the author wrote the book right out of college. I've already bought one copy and plan on recommending it to many of my friends. I especially recommend it to first generation born students of all backgrounds such as myself.

Priyam Vyas (Richmond, VA)
August 6, 2011

I would love to post your reviews of this book. Please email a short review to
maharshi.k.patel[at]gmail.com. Thank you.

Where to buy?