IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD (HB)

 His autobiography is like him, no holds
barred and a racy read that makes us feel ‘wish we had a life like
this’.
—Sunil Gavaskar

In its broad, multifaceted sweep of events from his birth in Mumbai’s
poverty-stricken Madanpura to a father who started life as an orphan and a
mother from a penurious family, Khalid Ansari’s life has been an enjoyable
and purposeful journey in service of his fellow human beings. In this
‘donkey’s tale—upar wala meherbaan to gadha pehelwaan(When God smiles kindly,
the donkey thinks he’s a wrestler)’, Ansari has endeavoured to capture some
highlights of a splendoured life which he has been blessed to live, catching
stars while chasing rainbows.

From starting newspapers and magazines; representing his country at the
United Nations; accompanying dignitaries on state visits; covering cricket
Test matches, nine Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games; travelling the
world; being honoured with the Padma Shri award—it’s been indeed la vie en
rose.

In this memoir, the author has been at pains to prevent this from
deteriorating into a ‘I-did-this-did-that’-pat-himself, shabash!’ hagiography
or a dry-asdust pontificaltome, by ‘spicing’ it up with dollops of frothy
anecdotes and self-critical bon mots even as he has attempted a discourse on
the purpose of life, the ‘right path’ and the like.

Since charity and service to humankind are now the author’s obsession post
retirement, he has also dwelt at some length upon his private, selffunded
charitable foundation and on giving away whatever little material possessions
his wife Zeyna and he have acquired in his lifetime.