Australia is Shown its Destiny
DALMENY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, November 2, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Raja Arasa Ratnam’s ‘The Dance of Destiny’ was intended to be his second memoir. It would record his travails through a strangely complex and quite stressful life, mainly in a foreign country to which he had been hijacked by the spirit world. Yet, it left him unscathed (no recriminations, no fault-finding), sane (no one has suggested otherwise), and spiritually at peace.
The metaphysics of Hinduism, especially the Upanishads, accompanied by a substantial period of contemplation – not only of his Creator, but also of the salient events and personal relationships of import in his life – provided him with an understanding of all that had happened, and why.
Through an intuitive grasp of a personal destiny as it affects individuals (operating within a complex of nested destinies involving their Significant Others), he has identified the clear, but confusing pathway which had been set out for him.
Understanding how Destiny (not Fate) impacts upon us, he wrote in Part 2 of the book (headed ‘Of holes which were not there’) about the reciprocal impacts between his efforts to achieve a career in Australia (while contributing substantially to civil society) and the culture-related denials and barriers befalling him.
Although he did not achieve his potential, he retired most knowledgeable about the issues and policies relating to immigrant integration – and with a record of achievement (not just contribution) in civil society.
This highly interactive and contributory life, including holding leadership positions, enabled the author to realise that the host people of Australia would have benefited from his involvement in Australian life. That interchange would have been one of the tributaries re-locating the bed of the Australian river of life. Near the end of the 20th Century, Australia’s borders became truly open, with skin colour irrelevant. Part 2 of ‘The Dance of Destiny’ ends on a spiritual high.
Part 1 of this book sets out the author’s background. The title of this part is ‘The wheels fell off.’ He was born gifted (so they all said), and acquiring a sound education in British Malaya when the Japanese military occupation began. That led to his first upheaval; it was followed by a major tragedy which ended all prospects of cashing in on his abilities. Throughout his subsequent life, the wheels of his life-chances cart kept falling off.
In hindsight, he realised that his spirit guide had kept him on the track he did not know he was on. During the war, he had read some of the English classics (writers such as Dickens and Austen), with evident benefit. During his first foray into Australia, an Anglo-Australian girl married him – with implications for his future as a cultural change-agent in Australia.
He stopped saying ‘Why me?’ to the spirit world when, ultimately, he realised that his destiny (and that of others similarly hijacked) was to show Australia its destiny – to be colour-blind!
The book is available as an ebook at Amazon at $US 2.99. The pre-publication endorsements are as follows.
Part 1 – THE WHEELS FELL OFF
” … an extraordinary piece of work. … it is unique because not only does it evoke in a rich fashion a life that has been extraordinary … but is also deeply reflective about what it means to be human. … an account of a journey of a soul, an account that enriches us as we continue on our individual pilgrimages through life.” – Dr. Greg Melleuish, Associate Professor, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, Australia, and author
“As one might expect from a Tamil-Malayan-Australian, Raja Ratnam offers cross-grained reflections on his early life. Here is anecdote and analysis from an author who resorts to quotation despite sharpening epigrams of his own. Whether grieving or jocular, he is, by turn, percipient and puzzled, sceptical yet superstitious. The wheels have not fallen off his humanity.” – Humphrey McQueen, historian and author, Canberra
” The witty, bittersweet reminiscences of a man travelling between cultures, observing and questioning systems and beliefs around him … This intriguing saga, packed with information on Tamil-Indian-Malay customs, offers a cosmic worldview with a twist.” – Dr. Anne-Marie Smith, President, Multicultural Writers’ Association of Australia
Part 2 – OF HOLES WHICH WERE NOT THERE
“Here is a unique picture of Australia over the past 60 years by one who is both an outsider and an insider. It provides a picture of this country that may be uncomfortable to the reader at times because it tells truths that they would rather not hear. It is written by a man who not only has a soul but is willing to share his spiritual insights with us. If you wish to understand Australia as it really is, you must read Raj!” – Associate Prof. Dr Greg Melleuish, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, Australia
“Thought provoking! Reflections based in sixty years at the heart of Australia’s post 1945-immigration process raise disturbing but necessary questions. Optimism tinged with realism prevails. Most strongly recommended.” – Dr. John Atchison, Honorary Fellow, School of Humanities, University of New England, Australia.
“A gross understatement of the author’s achievements. A coloured immigrant, having been denied equal opportunity and fair treatment, in spite of proven managerial skills, became a prominent leader and an agent of desirable changes in civil society. With his insights, he offers hope for a racially diverse Australia.” – Danny Ronis, retired Commercial Manager (treated as a ‘wog’, in spite of being born in Australia, because my father was a European.)
The metaphysics of Hinduism, especially the Upanishads, accompanied by a substantial period of contemplation – not only of his Creator, but also of the salient events and personal relationships of import in his life – provided him with an understanding of all that had happened, and why.
Through an intuitive grasp of a personal destiny as it affects individuals (operating within a complex of nested destinies involving their Significant Others), he has identified the clear, but confusing pathway which had been set out for him.
Understanding how Destiny (not Fate) impacts upon us, he wrote in Part 2 of the book (headed ‘Of holes which were not there’) about the reciprocal impacts between his efforts to achieve a career in Australia (while contributing substantially to civil society) and the culture-related denials and barriers befalling him.
Although he did not achieve his potential, he retired most knowledgeable about the issues and policies relating to immigrant integration – and with a record of achievement (not just contribution) in civil society.
This highly interactive and contributory life, including holding leadership positions, enabled the author to realise that the host people of Australia would have benefited from his involvement in Australian life. That interchange would have been one of the tributaries re-locating the bed of the Australian river of life. Near the end of the 20th Century, Australia’s borders became truly open, with skin colour irrelevant. Part 2 of ‘The Dance of Destiny’ ends on a spiritual high.
Part 1 of this book sets out the author’s background. The title of this part is ‘The wheels fell off.’ He was born gifted (so they all said), and acquiring a sound education in British Malaya when the Japanese military occupation began. That led to his first upheaval; it was followed by a major tragedy which ended all prospects of cashing in on his abilities. Throughout his subsequent life, the wheels of his life-chances cart kept falling off.
In hindsight, he realised that his spirit guide had kept him on the track he did not know he was on. During the war, he had read some of the English classics (writers such as Dickens and Austen), with evident benefit. During his first foray into Australia, an Anglo-Australian girl married him – with implications for his future as a cultural change-agent in Australia.
He stopped saying ‘Why me?’ to the spirit world when, ultimately, he realised that his destiny (and that of others similarly hijacked) was to show Australia its destiny – to be colour-blind!
The book is available as an ebook at Amazon at $US 2.99. The pre-publication endorsements are as follows.
Part 1 – THE WHEELS FELL OFF
” … an extraordinary piece of work. … it is unique because not only does it evoke in a rich fashion a life that has been extraordinary … but is also deeply reflective about what it means to be human. … an account of a journey of a soul, an account that enriches us as we continue on our individual pilgrimages through life.” – Dr. Greg Melleuish, Associate Professor, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, Australia, and author
“As one might expect from a Tamil-Malayan-Australian, Raja Ratnam offers cross-grained reflections on his early life. Here is anecdote and analysis from an author who resorts to quotation despite sharpening epigrams of his own. Whether grieving or jocular, he is, by turn, percipient and puzzled, sceptical yet superstitious. The wheels have not fallen off his humanity.” – Humphrey McQueen, historian and author, Canberra
” The witty, bittersweet reminiscences of a man travelling between cultures, observing and questioning systems and beliefs around him … This intriguing saga, packed with information on Tamil-Indian-Malay customs, offers a cosmic worldview with a twist.” – Dr. Anne-Marie Smith, President, Multicultural Writers’ Association of Australia
Part 2 – OF HOLES WHICH WERE NOT THERE
“Here is a unique picture of Australia over the past 60 years by one who is both an outsider and an insider. It provides a picture of this country that may be uncomfortable to the reader at times because it tells truths that they would rather not hear. It is written by a man who not only has a soul but is willing to share his spiritual insights with us. If you wish to understand Australia as it really is, you must read Raj!” – Associate Prof. Dr Greg Melleuish, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, Australia
“Thought provoking! Reflections based in sixty years at the heart of Australia’s post 1945-immigration process raise disturbing but necessary questions. Optimism tinged with realism prevails. Most strongly recommended.” – Dr. John Atchison, Honorary Fellow, School of Humanities, University of New England, Australia.
“A gross understatement of the author’s achievements. A coloured immigrant, having been denied equal opportunity and fair treatment, in spite of proven managerial skills, became a prominent leader and an agent of desirable changes in civil society. With his insights, he offers hope for a racially diverse Australia.” – Danny Ronis, retired Commercial Manager (treated as a ‘wog’, in spite of being born in Australia, because my father was a European.)
Raja RATNAM
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