Life of a Twentieth-Century Adventurer

During his long life (1909-2000) G.V. Desani partook of, and commented upon, much of the intellectual, religious, political, and mystical world that was available to 20th Century adventurers.

Considered unteachable by grammar school instructors and a naïve dreamer ("Boy, you don't understand!") by his merchant family, Desani arrived in Great Britain, penniless and not knowing English, at 17.

In the next decade Desani moved frequently between England and its largest colony, sending dispatches back to England and, on occasion, collecting on debts owed to his family.

In the 1930s Desani was a sensation among the British intellectuals of his day. Attractive, brilliant, he was often called upon to personally explain India and the Orient to the ruling class, despite his lack of formal education.

During the war Desani worked as BBC-sponsored lecturer and experimented with more serious writing. The results were a "Gesture" but, as Desani dryly observed in an later introduction to All About H. Hatterr, there was no market for gestures, only for novels.

Brief History of All About H. Hatterr

Hatterr was finally published in 1948 and was an immediate hit (a notable exception was George Orwell, author of 1984). Over the next 40 years, Desani was to revise or expand the book at least four times.

Although hardly a commercial success, the writing greatly influencing such contemporaries as Saul Bellows and later writers such as Salmon Rushdie. In recent years, Desani's writing has been compared favorable to another well-known gesturist, James Joyce.

Hatterr made grand fun of all manner of social structure and religious instruction. Yet it also offered glimpses of a man seeking to interpret the human condition —-- despite its obvious shortcomings -- — as having a higher purpose.

H. Hatterr's hilarious, occasionally pathetic attempts to reconcile East and West foreshadowed the contemporary challenges of maintaining true faith in a pluralistic world.

After publishing a critically acclaimed but challenging epic poem -- Hali -- Desani returned to India where he spent his most productive years in urgent, highly personal spiritual pursuits.

A Spiritual Quest

In a sense, having written the novel, Desani proceeded to live the life. Supported by a well-off cousin, Desani scoured the Indian sub-continent in search of a proof of a spiritual world with the zeal of an investigative reporter. He earnestly sought out local mystics and -- using a combination of bravo, devotion, and charm -- collected all manner of tantric yantras and mantras. In one memorable incident, Desani had himself "buried alive", a favorite trick of local yogis. His conclusion: to avoid panic you must have complete confidence in those who remain behind.

Desani delighted in debunking teachers and teachings that he considered "beneath contempt", a favorite phrase. Yet he had the utmost respect for genuine spiritual teachers -- Hindu, Moslem, Jewish, and Christian -- and their craft. He was keenly interested in still little-known Nari texts, old books based on Indian astrology that were handed down from guru to guru.

In a climax worthy of any adventure, in the early 1960s Desani embarked on the most rigorous of spiritual disciplines: pursuit of Enlightenment. He first attempt -- a Japanese Zen monastery -- was not a success. Subsequently, however, he spend time in a Theravada Buddhist monastery in Rangoon, Burma. After first shocking resident monks by asking the Abbot -- Mahasi Sayadaw  --  of Enlightenment, "How much does it cost?", Desani's settled into a tiny room where his assigned practice was 22 hours a day of intense walking meditation with the instruction "observe".

After six months Sayadaw told him, "You may go."

At age 53 or so, Desani began writing again for something other than his journal. Over the next three decades he produced a significant amount of world-class fiction and commentary. Many of these writings can be found in Hali and Collected Stories, available from McPherson & Company. Others -- including a series of columns under the title "Very High and Very Low" -- appeared in the Illustrated Weekly of India and are currently only available on microfilm. Many of Desani's powerful essays written in the Sixties and Seventies are also unavailable.

Texas Years

Professor Desani, as he came to be called, first came to the U.S. in 1967 as an exchange scholar. Within a few years he settled in Austin, Texas where he held a shared  a full professorship in Oriental Philosophy at the University of Texas with Raja Rao. He retired in 1978.

As an instructor Desani exuded great confidence, uniquely combined a highly competitive, — if not combative, — persona with a deep bow to the great religious traditions of the East. His teachings might be summed up as follows: the ancient goal of Enlightenment is attainable in modern times, the quest is not for everyone, and genuine spiritual guides in all religious disciplines are rare, but exist and should be honored.

Desani spent his last years in relative seclusion and failing health, cared for by former students. He died at 91 in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Effects

The Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, in 2007 acquired Desani's papers, including the original manuscript of All About H. Hatterr. A few other documents were donated to Boston University by Desani during his life. Desani left his estate and any future royalty earnings from his writings to UNICEF.


Editor's note: Over the next several years we hope to provide further insight into Desani's teachings, and to offer examples of his world-class fiction and commentary. Our goal is simply to chronicle, as fully as is permitted, the legacy of a man whose teachings and writings have, if anything, greater relevance today than they did during his lifetime.

In the meantime you are cordially invited to post comments in the Visitors section or send questions or comments to mail@desani.org

January 1, 2008


Site contributed in memory of Mrs. B. Burns and Ila Maberry.