Ravindra Kishore was born in Patna in 1951 to Suraj Prasad Sinha and Annapoorna Sinha. Suraj Prasad was a promising government official, erudite, fluent in English and well versed in the Vedas. He had topped the entrance exams, and got a posting in the coveted commercial taxes department. Coveted because an official could easily supplement his official income with some help under the table. Just that Suraj Prasad was not one of those. In fact, he abhorred it. He would constantly write to the chief secretary of the state, requesting a transfer. ‘This is a very corrupt department and I can’t sustain myself in this kind of atmosphere,’ he wrote.

As it happened, Bindeshwari Prasad Verma, the first speaker of Bihar’s assembly in independent India, was translating the Bhagavad Gita into English. He wanted help from somebody who knew English and Sanskrit equally well. One day, he called the chief secretary and asked if he had anyone who could do this. The secretary immediately thought of Suraj Prasad and said, ‘Yes, there is a young man who keeps writing to me that he doesn’t want to remain in the commercial taxes department, and his English is very good. In a few of the letters, he has quoted some shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita also. I think I will send him to you.’

Suraj Prasad happily moved to the state legislature. In the assembly, his reputation grew as someone who was excellent with parliamentary affairs. Senior politicians would come to him for tips on how to ask questions in the assembly, how to participate in debates or how to introduce various kinds of motions. At home too, he began getting visitors from all walks of life, including monks. They used to come either for spiritual discourse or help with editing their writing. The young Ravindra Kishore was deeply influenced by his father and by the discussions he had with his visitors. In between serving tea and biscuits to guests, Ravindra Kishore would hover around, listening to his father explaining the finer details of a law to a politician or discussing the philosophy of a shloka with a sadhu.

Suraj Prasad also led a disciplined life. He would wake up at four in the morning, performing the Vedas and other rituals. Ravindra Kishore and his siblings would accompany him. There were eight of them, four brothers and four sisters. Ravindra Kishore was the fifth child. The government quarter they inhabited was a modest three-room house. Often, guests would stay overnight. Suraj Prasad, Annapoorna and the children would sleep on the floor, keeping the beds for the guests.

As much as Ravindra Kishore soaked in the atmosphere at home, he was equally influenced by........

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