Title : Against the Tide

Authors : Lt Cdr Bijay Nair & Dr. Aparna Salvi Nagda

Genre : Autobiography

Publisher : Srishti Publishers and Distributors

Can one look at neatly polished shoes and a pristine white dress change someone’s life forever? The answer is Yes, it can! Lt Cdr Bijay Nair, whose story runs through the pages of Against the Tide has such a story to tell. 

Bijay talks about his family and his life laced with humour and music. His family, the tedhi medhi one makes the reader fall in love with them. I really want to meet his mother for the grit, courage and presence of mind she has. 

Friends are more or less family for everyone, especially the ones with whom you grow up. I loved the way chapters have been dedicated to friends which shows how they are important to the author.

The chapters that talk about transition from a slum dweller to trying out the defence services and later enrolling in college tugs the heart. The hardships, the tough decisions and the author’s struggle over English, can you believe that? 

Then comes the filmy style of romance. I loved the sections where he talks about Mala, his friend and now his wife. 

My eyes were filled with tears, ready to pour down in the sections where he completes his training at the Indian Navy and his parents come over for his ceremonial march. The bewilderment and astonishment on the faces of his parents, his mother doing the stripe-stripping, Bijay and Aparna, so eloquent and poignant presentation. I literally cried with Amma there. Such a proud moment for them.

As much as the pages were high on emotions, the stories from his training days and postings at various naval bases bring in the much needed laughter. Be it the conversation between his head chef and the former defence minister late George Fernandes or the orderly with Bijay, hilarious. Well.. read it to figure out what I am talking about as I don’t want to reveal much here.

Hanging the boots is always sentimental. The way the authors have spoken about the gates and his entry into a civilian life makes the reader ask – “Why? Why did you hang your boots so soon Bijay?”

Coming to the later part of the autobiography, his runner avatar. This section is a testimony to the discipline that the armed forces instill in you and post that how it affects you. Giving up on oneself and reclaiming after a health scare, Bijay’s this section is an eye opener to all of us.

What I loved about the book is the simple language infused with humour. There are no ornated words and it literally feels like a conversation with Bijay over a cup of coffee. I would like to applaud the authors for writing vivid and eloquent narrative.

This book is an inspiration to all.

The book can be ordered from Against the Tide