"Ramesh Chandra Shah's is a rare intellect, perfectly at home with the tradition and at the same time contemporary enough to engage in a dialogue with the outsider. His insight into the twin worlds of the East and West afford him the unique vantage point of an insider-outsider who can raise crucial questions regarding civilization and cultures.

This is also well reflected in his present novel, Poorvapar, wherein he addresses the eternal dilemma of the Indian mind--the acceptance or rejection of the world. It is a difficult theme explored in a novel way though the schizophrenic characters of Bansi and Bantu, one passionate about life and the other disillusioned from it.

Wading through the inevitable self-doubt, dilemma and self-critique, the novel arrives at the acquiescence of the unbroken flow of life--inherent in the beauty of Karma. As Bantu experiences, the dichotomy after all is not so discordant to him -- "I felt there was something of me in Bansi, there was a part of me sitting in penance with him in the wilderness. Our paths were different, yet both necessary"." (jacket)