Publisher's Synopsis
This book is a collection of glimpses into the lives of ordinary women from West Bengal, a province in the Eastern part of India, the author had seen, met and connected with, at various times in her life. In between there are, also, glimpses from author's personal lived experiences. Both poetry and prose have been used in this collection to paint a picture of their lives. In the glimpses both genres have been used because, according to the author, not all images can be described in a story; similarly, not all lives can be conveyed through a poem. However, both needs to be told. The painful confusion and hallucinations and the inability to articulate her feelings is conveyed through the poem "Dementia - My Mother's Silence". The life of an ordinary woman Maya, stuck in a loveless arranged marriage, describing it as 'soulless bodily desires consummated for procreation not pleasure', stifled by her everyday poverty ridden existence and her desire to get out, is conveyed through the story "Maya - Her Story". The poem, "Cancer - Her Courage", describes the courage of a woman, her body ravaged by the progressive terminal illness and how she endures the pain to lovingly arrange the gifts for her daughter's wedding. The last story, "A Miracle - My Mother's Last Story", is from the author's diary of lived experiences of miracles in her life. To her, this story is a miracle; something inexplicable, at least to her. For many others they maybe just series of coincidences. "Who was the man who appeared out of nowhere ......? A simple coincidence, or a plan orchestrated by a power beyond my comprehension. For me, I thought that it was a miracle." Whatever one wants to label the experience, it is still beautiful and gives us all hope.
