“God flipped me off” is a work of fiction, a chronicle inspired by the events happening in the lives of many persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a complex disorder affecting many human faculties, especially those of the brain. The personal and social impact it has on the lives of these persons and their families and friends over the human life span has been elegantly described by the author who has probably faced many of these challenges himself. It is this personal experience which undoubtedly lends credibility to much of what he has written.

A good mix of pathos and humour makes this book easy reading, even for people not familiar with the disorder and the disability it produces. Just like the author has met the various challenges of this daunting problem and emerged a winner, the protagonist also displays tenacity and strength in trying to cope with the myriad issues in his family life, marriage, employment, and social relationships.

It is indeed very heartening that Ganesh Rajan has chosen to defy stigma in his life, but through this book has infused hope and optimism.

Founder, Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF); Special Award of the International Association of Psycho-Social Rehabilitation, Boston; Former Head, Institute of Mental Health, Chennai; Recipient - Avvaiyar Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu.

GFMO took me to my first ever emotional experience of a strange kind, ineffably heart-breaking, startling, and inciting anticipation, in a world so very realistically Indian! Ganesh literally weaves a world of the chaos in the human mind and articulates from within the perspective of the person experiencing it. And that engages me, my heart, to empathize with the protagonist Uttam so well that I start to anticipate for him, either the fear of losing him or the hope of finding him back.

Through Ganesh’s impeccable narrative of the seamless, yet unpredictable events in Uttam’s life journey, I get an unimaginable revelation of human frailties and capabilities to struggle with the obscure causes of schizophrenia, and finally, get an insight of life that corroborates what Dr. John F Nash’s character in “A Beautiful Mind” announced at the Nobel ceremony: ‘I've made the most important discovery of my life. It's only in the mysterious equation of love that any logic or reasons can be found.’

This novel gives me an amazing reading experience - unparalleled!

Writer of 'Guna,' (1991) the hit Kamal Haasan film based on mental disorder; Chief Mentor, ScreenWrite. In, India's only Screenwriting Studio and Online Master Class; Ex-Professor and Head of Screenwriting at L V Prasad Film and Television Academy (2009-2018), Business and Academic Coach, story-based-learning-teaching and scenario-planning practices.

Ganesh has outdone himself with his second book, a work of fiction – God Flipped Me Off.

Unputdownable, especially for those engaged in one way or the other with the creative and mysterious journeys of the brain and mind.

Uttam, Neetu, Amil, Raghav, and Maya…. Each of them has a distinct personality and is sketched with care, to come alive in ways that help advance the plot. The flow and form of the narration are light and easy despite the central theme being complex and dramatic.

Schizophrenia takes centre stage, no doubt, but love, loss, belongingness, and connections are really the soul of the narrative, firmly establishing the interplay between one’s social context and mental ill health. The downward slide into a state of homelessness and hopelessness layers up what may have otherwise been a linear account; making one cognisant of the vulnerabilities that surround all of us.

My favourite part was the unconditional companionship and healing that the dog offered Uttam! If only life and the world would be kinder, if only we would learn from lived experiences; approaches to mental health care would probably be a lot more robust and humane.

Co-Founder, The Banyan and The Banyan Academy in Leadership for Mental health (BALM); Recipient of the Penn Nursing Renfield Foundation Award for Global Women's Health- 2018;WHO Public Health Champion Award - 2017, Justice J S Varma Award for Women’s Empowerment – 2016; The WHO and Swiss Foundation Award for Excellence in Mental Health Promotion – 2012; Sat Paul Mittal Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity.

This book, written by Mr.Ganesh Rajan, lucidly describes the various stages and ups and downs in the journey of a person with schizophrenia… The dialogues between the members of the family make it an engaging read. These happenings are so realistic that any person with mental illness can relate them to their individual life experiences.

(GFMO)…is written in an interesting style and will be appreciated by people from all walks of life. I am sure that this book will increase awareness and understanding of mental illnesses in general and schizophrenia in particular. All life experiences, positive or negative, are learning experiences.

I congratulate Mr. Ganesh for not only recovering from schizophrenia and leading a successful life but utilizing his personal experience creatively for the benefit of the masses by writing this extremely important book.

Founder of Eklavya self-help group; Ph.D. in Mental Health Economics from the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics Pune; Former Vice President of Schizophrenia Awareness Association; Former Vice President of the All India Federation for Mental Illness.

Though “God Flipped Me Off” is a work of fiction, it is very true to life. It is written by a brilliant individual who fought the disease. Ganesh has come out to help demystify the condition and clear ignorance and stigma. He has discussed the improvements in treatment and attitudes over time, sharing the hope that trends will deliver broader and better outcomes not too far in the future.

As one of the founders of SCARF, I am very proud of the efforts made by Mr. Ganesh Rajan, who indeed has a ‘Beautiful Mind’ and a creative passion for writing. I wish the book all the success and ask every member of society to read it to rid oneself of the archaic ideas about schizophrenia.

Founder Member: Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) India; Author of “My Beautiful Journey: Kashmir to Kanyakumari” (2016)

It is not easy for anyone to go through a devastating illness like Schizophrenia and come out triumphantly. I’m not saying it is impossible, but it takes a lot of effort, resilience, commitment to treatment, grit, and determination to triumph over this chronic malady.

Ganesh Rajan has overcome this problem with appropriate treatment over the years and has penned down his learning in “I, Me and Us,” [Being Here Now] an earlier book. “God Flipped Me Off” is a story woven around a person with this illness. With his personal experience behind him, the author has created an interesting narrative of an individual with Schizophrenia. In addition, he has brought out some fascinating and intricate details I am sure all of you will enjoy.

I wish Ganesh many more years of creativity and success.

Honorary Advisor, Richmond Fellowship, Bangalore, and Principal RF PG College for Psychosocial Rehabilitation.