Code Name God
Mani Bhaumik
• Price — Rs 195
• Publication — Penguin
How do you integrate science with spirituality? How can one find the deep-rooted connection between faith and scientific formulae? Author Mani Bhaumik, one of the pioneers of laser technology, explains in detail the perfect balance between religion and science.
Reading a piece of non-fiction is like watching parallel cinema as the narrative is slow and most topics are talked about in detail. But the author needs to be commended for effortlessly intertwining two complex subjects even as he provides a brief glimpse of his own life.
Born into a poverty-ridden family in West Bengal, Bhaumik charters his odyssey to Bel Air, California, in a rather remarkable fashion. The way the villagers donate money to fund Bhaumik’s travel abroad for Sloan Foundation Fellowship at the UCLA is touching.
Having arrived in Los Angeles with just three dollars, this young scientist works tirelessly to strike a perfect balance between his quest for education and the accomplishment of a spiritual heritage.
The book must be credited for exploring diverse areas like India’s fight for freedom, Gandhiji’s influence on young Bhaumik, his quest for knowledge and above all, his successful scientific contributions.
When the author raises some pertinent questions like following one’s faith over the other, the readers are left to marvel at his sublime writing. The way in which the essence of science is portrayed along with the need to re-affirm our belief in the existence of a powerful energy resonates the fact that nothing is above the Supreme Lord.
This book is not just a rags-to-riches story or a plain spiritual odyssey. It has many interesting nuggets of information on the way science has progressed over the years.
At first go, the book may seem uninteresting but even as you reluctantly read ahead, you will be transported into a world where science and spirituality merge together.
You don’t have to be a hard-core science student to enjoy this book. Those from a non-science background will get to learn a lot more than Newton’s law of gravity.