A senior civil servant mandated with seemingly drab policy-making on land holdings is least likely to have the bandwidth to touch upon matters of spirituality. Right? Wrong. Balvinder Kumar, presently the Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), has used the very challenges his high-stress job poses, to embark on a journey as an author on spirituality.
“I have been suspended or transferred so many times for not towing the politicians’ line. I decided to channelise that time and energy into creative pursuits of painting and writing,” says the 1981-batch UP cadre IAS, known for steering the Noida Authority through the land acquisition crisis two years ago.
“I penned down my thoughts on the meaningful purpose of human existence, aligned with scientific logic,” explains Kumar, whose book — Man’s Spiritual Journey (Full Circle; Rs. 250), hit the bookstores recently.
Divided into 17 short chapters, the book touches upon aspects such as the human mind’s in-built tendency towards negativity, relevance of God in new-age spiritualism and conflict of self with the inner self. Kumar, a transcendental meditation expert, is also an avid painter.
Divided into 17 short chapters, the book touches upon aspects such as the human mind’s in-built tendency towards negativity, relevance of God in new-age spiritualism and conflict of self with the inner self. Kumar, a transcendental meditation expert, is also an avid painter.
“I started painting as a hobby, but have now made over 100 abstract artworks which found their way to the Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi and Lucknow. Whether it’s my paintings or my book, the idea is to delve deep into understanding the purpose of human life, and understand how science and spirituality are deeply intertwined,” says Kumar.