The book opens up the author’s heart in the form of poetry on different issues – people she has come in contact with, places/ institutions she has visited, festivals she has witnessed, relationships she has observed, life’s twists and turns and even self-introspection.

The sheer variety of subjects covered in the writings jotted down during the last 25 years is immense – from sickness to celebrations, gloomy weather to enthusiasm, coolness to tension, peace-loving people to vigorous adolescents, loneliness to crowded gatherings, subtleness to pomp and show and what not.

A brief preview of the author – Meena R. Shankar is a home-maker, married to S. Ramesh Shankar for 26 years, has a 25-year-old daughter Aparna and 21-year-old son Vignesh. She enjoys the simple nuances of life – like arts and crafts, gardening, learning new languages, nurturing relationships, looking after her rest-house-like home in Kengeri, Bangalore. She leads a contented life, carefully looking after home affairs.

An obedient daughter, a dutiful wife, a wise mother, a simple mother-in-law and now going to be a grandma, she has balanced all relationships with elan over the years !! She did her Masters in Social Work from the prestigious Madras School of Social Work and met her life partner there. She then passed the National Eligibility test for lecturers and worked as an Asst. Professor for some time before discovering the joys of being a home-maker.

Having lived in Chennai, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Indore, Delhi and Bangalore – she is conversant in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. An avid reader, nature-lover and art enthusiast, she enjoys driving down to different places with her husband during their free time.

The book is a tribute to the author by her daughter on her 50th b’day - a simple attempt to compile the author’s writings– and surely is a feather in the cap for all the subjects involved!! A must read for everyone – go grab your copy today and be the next one to write a review !!

-Aparna Chandra
June 2010