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The Book of Faith is about many lives one master, says author
Vrinda Om has edited an anthology of 12 stories about healing, faith and compassion.
She is an award-winning author of a thriller, and her own lives have been nothing less than thrilling. Yes, she has had two lives. One, in which she was known as Ismita Tandon, and the second, her present, where she is Sadhvi Vrinda Om. Her lifestyle might have changed, so have her outlook and the colour of her clothes, but what has remained constant is her love for words. The author of Jacob Hills and Love On The Rocks , has edited an anthology of 12 stories, The Book of Faith. “It is a collection of real stories or incidents about my guru Om Swami,” she says.
Om Swami is a mystic and best-selling author of several books, including If Truth be Told. He renounced the world at 30, giving up his multi-million business as well. He has gone on to heal many lives. “Most people know him from the time he became a monk. But he has been helping people ever since childhood. These stories are from real people who knew him even before renunciation,” says Vrinda with her contagious cheerfulness, adding that these “stories are nothing but unalloyed truth”.
Read: Book review of A Monk’s Memoir: Truth be told, this is the monk who sold his Porsche
One of such stories highlights how just at 10, he had mastered astrology so much that he was called panditji by his neighbours as well as his own family, including his parents and two siblings. People would consult him and he had gained popularity for making accurate predictions. Through these stories, one gets “a glimpse into his previous life (or the life before renunciation)”. To the reader, he comes across as a healer, telepath, compassionate and kind soul. His neighbour talks about her grave psychological affliction that was cured for good after just one meeting with him. However, some stories might to be too miraculous to believe; like the one by a doctor who writes about how once when a stillborn baby was delivered by her, she took his name and the baby started breathing that very minute. The doctor writes that some might find this to be a coincidence, but she strongly believes that it was ‘his grace’.
“Some stories might appear too far-fetched by those who don’t know Swamiji,” accepts Vrinda, adding that “however, these are all true”, and some might have been toned down to make sense to a normal reader.
Read: In conversation with Om Swami: The monk who writes for a living
“The purpose is to tell people there is hope. They shouldn’t give up! He is here to help anyone and everyone. I was a broken person when I first got to know him. I was suicidal. And look at me today, I am a different person. My life has changed for better,” says Vrinda, who would often be seen sporting a short dress and short hair, before she took sanyas. “He is the master of many lives. I wrote a book earlier, Om Swami: As We Know Him, which was about my observation when I had just started to know him. Readers told me they loved it. I am going to write another one about him, this book is sort of to prepare the world for that (laughs),” she says.
Interact with the author @medhashri/Twitter
