Dr. CL Patel

But an important characteristic of this extraordinary
man is that he always refers to
himself, in all humility, as an ordinary man.
Therefore, it was all the more difficult to
have an up-close glimpse of the inner reality
of his mental make up. In a sense, hardly
anyone knew him. Till he agreed, as a part of
the Platinum Jubilee Celebration, to give an
extended interview. And, equally, important
aspect of it is, till Tinaben unearthed the
treasures lying within his outer shell. This
book is the result of several hours of
authoring of the whole text in an exquisite
style that brings out the real personality –
which gave us the Gujarati version, ‘So Touch
nu Sonu’. In the past, Mrs. Parul Tina Doshi
Desai, who is an eminent writer herself, has
interviewed some prominent personalities
like Dr. P C Vaidya, Shri Makarand Dave and
Shri Raghuvir Chaudhari, and created lively
pen-pictures bringing out the significant but
less known aspects of their lives. But this
biography of Dr. C L Patel comes as the
crowning glory of her literary achievement.
The original Gujarati text is a marvel in itself.
It is a marvellous account of a great life;
authenticated at every step by the actual
words used by the real characters depicted
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