Sayonara Namaste (Paperback)

Sayonara Namaste(c) is a novel based on a true story. At a career crossroads, Gavin O'Connell, a Canadian live entertainment industry executive based in Tokyo, becomes more and more frustrated as he is sidelined at work by his Japanese boss and chief accountant. Gavin decides to take the plunge and travel to India to pursue his dream of finding and studying with India's most celebrated Bansuri (bamboo flute) guru. Gavin finds that making his own melody won't come easy, but that refreshingly his hero is worthy, even up close. Guru-ji accepts Gavin into his Gurukul where he practices for hours on end, hand washes all his own laundry and finds that in addition to music, Guru-ji imparts many valuable life lessons, applicable in a wide range of situations. While Sayonara Namaste(c) is a story of impeded love, it also offers cultural insights and comparisons between India, Japan and the West while most importantly telling the story of a protagonist coming to grips with material versus spiritual/cultural satisfaction as a means to pursue happiness and fulfilment in life.