Interest on Yoga seems to be on an all time high if the 6 Yoga Mats delivered by Flipkart on International Yoga Day at the courier desk at my office were any indication. Karan Bajaj's latest novel, The Seeker could not have come at a time more apt than this. 

I have very fond memories of reading Karan Bajaj's two earlier books Keep Off the Grass and Johnny Gone Down, both of them I was able to finish in a single sitting, something that hasn't happened again since. So when I heard of this book, I ordered it immediately though it took more than two weeks to arrive and I read it only a week after getting it. I didn't finish it in a single sitting either, it took me longer than I thought it would.

His two earlier books have shown glimpses of the author's leaning towards the spiritual, his propensity to leave everything and travel around the world seeking answers to existential questions, but they were interwoven into relatable settings, and had interesting characters all along the narrative. With The Seeker, however, Bajaj takes a complete plunge into the spiritual, abandoning any subplots or characterizations that let him deviate from his quest. To that effect, as the author also claims, the book seems autobiographical, and far less interesting than his previous works.

Max, unlike Bajaj's earlier protagonists, isn't a person of Indian origin, but when a personal tragedy strikes him in the form of his mother's death, a chance encounter with an Indian Vendor in New York leads him on to the path of becoming a Yogi, and seeking answers to pain and suffering in the world. Though he is traumatized by his tumultuous past, Max's single minded focus on Yoga makes him transcend everything in becoming a true Yogi and being one with the universe.

Max travels from Haridwar to Gangotri and beyond to Bhojbasa, seeking spiritual enlightenment from a Brazilian doctor he read about online. These were easily the best parts in the book as they make for a fascinating read with the people Max meets enroute to his travails in finding his way and getting lost in snow after Gangotri. The pages rush through with action but when he is redirected towards a Yogic Ashram in Pavur near Madurai where he starts his learning in Asanas, Bandhas and Yoga, the pace drops considerably and the book becomes a long eulogy to Yoga.

The second half of the book provides lengthy passages explaining different asanas, how they are to be held and how they help the human brain to remain clear amidst chaos. For people who are already into Yoga, these may prove to be the reassurance they might be seeking in their path, but I feel there isn't enough in them to convince the skeptics. I'm not in any way questioning the veracity of the author's feelings and experiences, it's just that walking on water, and knowing people's thoughts seem implausible to me.  Does the book provide any answers to the seeker towards the end? May be, may be not, but I could not relate to the answers at all. May be I wasn't a true seeker after all.

I skipped through a lot of pages towards the end when I couldn't find anything of interest, and when I reached the last page, I heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that this is not a trilogy.