The Swinging Pendulum - Selected Eassays on Contemporary Affairs

Bijay Kishore Sundar Ray was born in 1949 and belongs to Bhubaneswar. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1972 and retired in the rank of Chief Secretary to the government of Chhattisgarh."The Swinging Pendulum", selected essays on contemporary affairs, reveals Ray's scholastic and analytical approach to internal and external affairs sweeping the country as well as the globe. As an essayist, Ray is critical of hypocrisy and falsehood and standing beyond an ideological world, tries to find solutions to contemporary problems. While the corruption-ridden politics of India and the pseudo-spiritual practices of fake godmen trigger his anger, he doesn't miss the opportunity to provoke the right-thinking people to struggle for a better order. Regarding the global situation, he exudes optimism and draws inspirations from the life of Nelson Mandela. While he attacks Putin for his authoritarian politics, despite his opposition to the one-party rule in China, goes out to support Xi Jinping's crackdown on corruption. An author of 25 books, Ray is also a novelist, short story writer and a poet. "As a writer, I'm unstoppable", says Ray. Ray lives in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) where he intends to pursue his scholastic and literary activities.

Writing on contemporary events without ideological prejudice has obsessed me for a long time. In my earlier essay collections, I had tried to be as objective as possible and I firmly guard myself against any uncalled for deviation. I write both on internal and external affairs and the search for a global solidarity against injustice and falsehood is a passion that fuels my creative strength. Whil Sweeping changes are taking place across the globe. While ideological barriers are breaking down, the human quest to reject irrelevant dogmas is on the rise. Everywhere there is a protest against terror and authoritarianism and thanks to a powerful and vigilant media, one can see young protesters like Alexei Navanly in Russia braving a freezing weather to speak in defence of freedom and democracy!.When the French writer Albert Camus speaks about "human sólidarity for freedom", I instantly think in terms of our youngmen and women who are prepared to suffer for truth and honesty. I take this opportunity to express my thanks to all my friends and well-wishers whose constant encouragement to my creative drive can't be forgotten.

**Contents and Sample Pages**