The Quest for Integrity

As Purshottam diligently works to improve performance and raise morale at the Bank of the Nation’s Amlawar branch, his attempts are hindered by a conspiracy of trade union officials, politicians, and even some of the bank’s senior officers whose ambitions are threatened.

Among those who align against the reformer is Neki Lal, whose rise from a life of poverty to become a union leader and vicious attack on Purshottam vividly illustrates how success all-too-often comes to be valued above ethics and morality in Indian society.

Another engaging character is Ramesh Trivedi. An ambitious bank officer who owes his allegiance to Lal, Trivedi is tempted into collaboration with powerful Public Party leader Gulshan Kumar. But when his conscience brings a change of heart, the results are shocking.

A riveting tale of power, corruption, and the need for social change, The Quest for Integrity is about the confrontation between confusion and clarity, shining a light on the culture of corruption and illuminating a path toward healing this terrible scourge on the human soul.

Jaswinder holds a master’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism, and currently lives in Canada.

Having worked in senior management of a bank in India for over eighteen years, Jaswinder had the opportunity to interact with different sections of people all over India and abroad, and was deeply affected by victims of misrepresentations, lying, faking, and cheating everywhere.

Jaswinder sees it as a disease of human society that dishonesty is accepted as a necessary value for living comfortably. This novel expresses the strong view that we must stop considering corruption as a value and recognize that through it, we are only torturing each other.