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In his memoir, “From Explorations to Enlightenment”, Awadh Jaggernath narrates vividly how he diligently freed himself from the mental abuse, social constraints and financial deprivation of his controlling father.

As a young adult, on realizing that he could not live and thrive under his father’s commands, Awadh re-engineered his career path and pursued the relevant studies that would fulfill the requirements for admission to any university.

With the achievement of higher academic qualification and his passionate interest in cricket, Awadh got a teaching position in a government secondary school in Port of Spain,Trinidad. At that school, several serendipitous life-changing events took place. He was privileged to work with three Canadian teachers, with whom he had developed amicable relationships and discussed his future career plans. They convinced Awadh to continue his studies at McMaster University.

While he was studying at McMaster he lived with Scottish, German, Italian and Irish families. Awadh describes the lifestyles and living conditions that he experienced with the families and his international house mates. He relates the exotic, erotic and romantic events he had witnessed and participated in while studying at McMaster, and during his summer employment at the famous Bigwin Island Resort on the Lake of Bays in Muskoka.

The magnificent Bigwin Inn, was formally billed as North America’s largest and most luxurious summer resort on the Lake of Bays, Muskoka. Once an elegant hideaway of the rich and famous, Bigwin Inn takes you back in time to the golden and fabulous Gatsby-like era. This Canadian heritage resort should be on your bucket list.

From Innocence to Impudence is the story of a family, the record of three generations, and the story of a young man growing up in Trinidad. The story begins with Awadh N. Jaggernath’s four grandparents, who desperately wanted to free themselves from the curse of the Indian caste system. They voluntarily indenture themselves to the sugarcane plantations in Trinidad with the hope of freedom after their five year contract ends. Living with his parents and grandparents, Jaggernath documents the struggles and way of life of his grandparents and his parents. He colours his story with vivid and compelling details of the vibrant multicultural society, the lives of his immediate and extended family and his friends and the discipline, joys and sorrows, the sexual exploits, early loves and intimacies of his youth. 

From Innocence to Impudence is more than a memoir, it is an intimate and vivid family history told in a remarkable language which captures the tonality and rhythm of Trinidadian speech. Nothing is left untold. This memoir, in terms of its honesty, finally pulls the curtain open on the real life of this man, his family, his village and his youth in Trinidad.

Awadh N. Jaggemath was born in Trinidad where he was educated under the British education system. He taught in elementary and secondary schools, as well as for the extra-mural department of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. In the 1960s, he immigrated to Canada to further his education at McMaster University, University of Toronto, Brock University and York University. For decades he taught mathematics and science at the collegiate level for the Toronto District School Board and the Halton Public and Separate School Boards. He is now retired and lives in Oakville.