The Guru Who Came Down From the Mountain

DEV, CHARISMATIC AND POWERFUL, A GURU with thousands of followers around the world, and a string of ashrams fuelled by a flourishing business in drugs and gun-running. Ashrams that bring him the power and wealth he craves and fulfill his desire for women. But of all the women he knows-and at times, loves-there are three who play a pivotal role in his life: his wife, Gita, whose death is shrouded in mystery, and Cynthia and Madge, who unwittingly launch him into his career as a guru.

Nitya is Dev's complete antithesis-pure of heart and deeply spiritual. He comes to Dev as a disciple, and for years his devotion to his guru makes him blind to his failings. But when the truth can no longer be ignored, he is disillusioned.

Though he escapes charges of rape and murder, Dev does finally receive a death sentence-he is fatally afflicted with AIDS. As he lies on his deathbed in Rishikesh, Nitya comes to see him, unable to turn away from him completely. Dev tells him his story, and what compelled him to make the choices he did. Nitya also uncovers the truth about Gita's death. When the end finally comes, Nitya has a deeper understanding of the man he once loved so blindly, and realizes how ultimately, the quest for perfection can be marred by human frailty.

In this brilliant psychological interplay between two men who are complete opposites, and yet complement each other, Roshen Dalal keeps the reader absorbed till the end.

ROSHEN DALAL is the author of the best-selling two volume Puffin History of India and The Puffin History of the World. Her other books include The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths, Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide and India at 70: Snapshots Since Independence. She lives in Dehradun and is currently writing a sequel to The Guru Who Came Down from the Mountain.

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