Random Thoughts

Dr. V. Irai anbu, an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1988 batch, is a knowledge pilgrim. The experience gained in his quest is shared with his fellow pilgrims in the form of prose, poetry, short story, novel, debate, discourse and dialogue. With his natural ability to electrify any situation with wit and wisdom, Dr. Irai anbu makes himself affable to anybody. Though his head is in the sky, his feet are entrenched firmly in his native soil.

Random Thoughts' is a collection of 51 essays written by Thiru. V. Irai anbu, a senior IAS officer of Tamil Nadu, under a fortnightly column in the Madurai edition of THE HINDU Metroplus over 100 weeks.

For V. Irai anbu who is famous for his writing and oratorical skills in Tamil, this was a maiden sally into popular English writing. He chose his topics at random, from nature and human behaviour. Each essay of about 600 words contains words of wisdom from a man who has an unquestionable depth of knowledge. Random Thoughts' is not an exercise in pontification but a portrayal of human behaviour and beliefs.

V. Irai anbu in 'Random Thoughts', attempts to help the reader visualize abstract qualities through appropriate use of metaphor and imagery. All the essays are laced with subtle humour that has a functional use. They need not be read as a philosophic treatise but as a common man's observations of human nature. It is like standing in front of a mirror and laughing at one's own deficiencies.

Each work carries a distinct stamp: alliteration. A person famous for the musical use of Tamil in speech and writing has attempted it in English too, with considerable success. "When the mundane disappears, the sublime surfaces. We smell the extraterrestrial aroma and hear the extraordinary concert. We stumble upon super consciousness and communicate sans words, signs and gestures."

**Contents and Sample Pages**