The Eleventh Kilometer: A Carmel Author’s Story of Loss, Resilience, and Hope

At a time when our world seems increasingly divided by differences of religion, culture, and identity, a Carmel author’s remarkable life story offers a powerful reminder of what connects us as human beings.

In his newly released memoir, The Eleventh Kilometer, Carmel resident J.R. Sandadi takes readers on a deeply personal journey from his childhood in India to his life in Indiana. Along the way, he shares experiences of immigration, family, profound loss, faith, and the resilience required to keep moving forward when life takes unexpected turns.

The title comes from the extraordinary determination of Sandadi’s father, who, as a young boy growing up in rural India, walked eleven kilometers each way to attend school. That daily journey became a symbol of perseverance, sacrifice, and the belief that education could open doors to a better future.

For Sandadi, his father’s footsteps became the foundation of his own journey, one that would eventually take him from India to the United States, where he built a career, raised a family, and became an active leader in the Carmel community.

But The Eleventh Kilometer is much more than an immigrant success story.

With remarkable honesty, Sandadi shares the challenges of adapting to a new culture, wrestling with questions of identity and belonging, and experiencing profound personal loss.

One of the most moving dimensions of the memoir is his reflection on the loss of his son, Rishab, and the deaths of his parents. He does not offer easy answers to suffering or suggest that grief simply disappears with time. Instead, he shares the difficult journey of learning to live with loss while continuing to embrace life, family, and community.

Running becomes an important metaphor throughout the book. Having completed all six World Marathon Majors, Sandadi understands that endurance is not simply about reaching the finish line. Sometimes it is about finding the strength to take one more step when the road ahead seems impossible.

A guiding theme of the memoir is the Sanskrit expression Charaiveti, Charaiveti, meaning “Keep moving. Keep moving.” Yet the book also explores an important question: What are we moving toward, and when do we learn to simply be present?

Beyond his personal accomplishments, Sandadi has become a respected voice in Central Indiana’s interfaith community. As Board Chairman of the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, he has helped build relationships among people of different religious and cultural traditions.

I have had the privilege of knowing J.R. since 2018 through our shared commitment to interfaith understanding. What has always impressed me is his genuine curiosity about others, his willingness to listen, and his commitment to building friendships across religious and cultural boundaries.

Those same qualities are reflected throughout his memoir. His Hindu faith and Indian heritage provide a foundation for his understanding of life, but the lessons he shares transcend any single religious tradition.

Having spent decades working to build relationships among people of different faiths, I believe stories like J.R.’s are especially important today. They remind us that beneath our differences are shared experiences of love, loss, struggle, and hope.

Perhaps the greatest gift of The Eleventh Kilometer is its reminder that resilience does not mean avoiding suffering or pretending that life is always good. It means finding the courage to continue, carrying both our joys and our sorrows, and discovering that even our most difficult experiences can deepen our compassion for others.

The eleven kilometers his father walked so many years ago became far more than a journey to school. They became the beginning of a story that now reaches across continents, generations, and communities.

The Eleventh Kilometer invites readers to reflect on their own journeys, the challenges they have overcome, and the footsteps they will leave for those who follow.

The Eleventh Kilometer by J.R. Sandadi is available on Amazon. To learn more about the author and his journey, visit www.jrsandadi.com.

Jerry Zehr is a retired Carmel minister, author of The Peacemaker’s Path and Sacred Rebel: Fierce Love in a Fearful World, and a longtime advocate for interfaith understanding in Central Indiana.