I would first like to dedicate my work to Brahman with whose grace I was fortunate to be born to a wealthy family, have good friends, relatives, colleagues, employees, education, jobs and be blessed with an intelligence, reasonable looks, health and a life of great privilege and comfort that probably less than 0.0001% of the people in this world have or could even aspire to in 7 lifetimes.

I would next like to sincerely thank my mother who is the embodiment of Brahman to me and who laid the foundation of my character.

I would next like to thank my father for all his financial support to me. I would also like to thank my father who formed the fundamental basis for me to write this book.  Most of the books I read in my younger years came from my father’s library and most of my experiences in later years that I wrote in Things I have Figured Out came from interaction and learning from my father.

I would next like to thank my wife her undying patience with me and her complete and unconditional love and acceptance of me despite all my faults and sometimes the hurt I caused her because of my stubbornness.

Among all the people I have met in this world, my wife is most like me.

Like me she is interested in values, not material interests.

Somehow destiny has brought us together and I would like to think we have found the keys to a successful marriage, though my wife may have a different opinion.

However she has an advantage over me in these times because she is  a realist and I am an idealist.

A realist sees things as they really are. An idealist sees things as they really should be.

I hope a day will come when idealists trump realists, but for now my wife’s realism has saved me from disaster more times than I can remember.

I would especially like to thank my wife for willingly choosing to be one of the most important parts of my life and standing by me and having faith and immense patience in me despite all the troubles I have caused her.

I would next like to thank my sister for her love and support.

I would also like to thank my in-laws, and immediate family for all they have done for me and for the fact that they always go out of their way just to make me happy.

I would also like to thank my nieces and son from whom I have relived the joys have childhood and who also reinforce my view that young children are the true face of Brahman.

I would also like to thank my closest friends, whom are more close to me than many members of my family.

I would also like to sincerely thank all those who worked for me and continue to work with me without whose help I would not have been to achieve anything much on my own.

I would also like to thank my colleagues at the various jobs I worked with and also my  teachers and classmates at school and college.

I would also like to thank my pets and livestock from whom I derive simple and unblemished joy, sometimes much more than the humans I deal with including my family and who also reinforce my view that young animals, especially pets and livestock are the true face of Brahman.

I would also acknowledge some appreciation of those who caused me hurt either willingly or unwillingly, I may have not enjoyed my interaction with them, but I surely have learned from it and it made me a much stronger person.

Finally I would like to thank this great land of Bharat and all its people, especially in Bangalore and Kodagu, where I derive great joy everyday and see great happiness and hope even among the poorest of people  I deal with on a regular basis.

The real face of Bharat is poles apart of what both the domestic and foreign presstitute media portray.

For a good insight into all that is good and great and what is really going on in Bharat, read The Better India website.