Beyond infinity as symbol

There is a strong linkage between science and religion, though not many are aware of it or even prepared to accept it. As Einstein put it, "Religion without science is blind and science without religion is lame." It is this relationship that Mani Bhaumik explores in his book Code Name God: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of Science. As the subtitle indicates, it is based on his personal experiences, a-rag-to-riches-to-spirituality story, to append a cliche.

A little bit about Mani Bhaumik and why he wrote this book, first. Bhaumik was born in an impoverished village near Tamluk, "not far from where the Bengal tigers roam" in his own words. His father, a schoolteacher, was actively involved in the freedom movement, and the family had to put up with a lot of repression as well as live below poverty level. Yet, "in the midst of squalor, the aromatic bouquet of spirituality rose from the ground like morning vapors". Bhaumik at this point makes spirituality seem something exotic rather than profound.

Bhaumik's account of his personal journey from his village to IIT, and then to the US, makes for interesting reading. He included this journey as his "editor thought it would be boring otherwise", as he said in a newspaper interview. True, the general reader would relate to the account of his life more than those chapters in which he talks about his work, which gets too technical for lay comprehension. To those unfamiliar with the name, Bhaumik is the man who discovered laser technology which made LASIK eye surgery possible.

Many scientists have written about their discoveries, even lives. So what makes Code Name God so special? In the words of Bhaumik, "There has always been a conflict between science and spirituality and this is the first time that a scientist has explained God's existence through the realms of science."

How did he reach this realisation? As said earlier, his early life was spent in penury; what kept him and his family going was a strong base of spirituality and faith, something that he imbibed unconsciously. He understood the significance of it much later, in America, when in spite of achieving everything that one could have hoped""success, followed by life in the fast lane with the beautiful Eva Gabor""he experienced a sense of emptiness and disillusionment. A question that recurred at this point: "Could science ... vouch for the existence of the One whose singularity seemed to anchor all great faiths... whose presence I had felt so keenly as a young man with his eyes on the dome of night?"

This led to a lot of introspection and research, the findings of which are recorded in the book under review. It took Bhaumik ten years to write it, and it became an instant bestseller in the US upon its launch in 2005""not unusual in a country where material wealth and spiritual vacuum often go hand in hand. The book sets one thinking about the priorities we set in life for ourselves, and one wonders whether they are right or wrong. In the final analysis, however, one feels that the book targets readers in the West rather than their counterparts in India.

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CODE NAME GOD

Mani Bhaumik
Penguin 2006
Price: Rs 150; Pages: 222