Coming from Kolkata, West Bengal, Avantika Debnath currently
stays in Hyderabad and professionally works as an HR. She has also been a
regular contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul series. She can be
reached at Avantika.dg@gmail.com
About The Book
The Blurb says
"Girls need to adjust a little after marriage."
Said her mother. And she obeyed her mother's words. She gave up on her
dreams... her hopes... her happiness... her self-respect... her father's
dignity... her mother's honor... and herself. But she couldn't give up on her
child. The child whom she never saw, named, or held close to her heart...The
child whom she couldn't give birth to. She obeyed her mother's words but
then.... Her own motherhood was taken away from her. She blew the conch shell
and declared a war. She stood against all, the husband, the society, the law of
the land and the leaders of the people. The local goons....politicians
...corrupt police officers and lawyers...irresponsible judges...the opportunist
media...the futile judicial system...wasted legal system...no one could stop
her. She feared none. She could not be broken or be burnt....And they said even
the holy Ganga would refuse to immerse her... She was no more a body with a
soul. She was a soul with a body. And the soul doesn't get torn, doesn't get
drowned, and doesn't get burnt. She sat on her pyre and set it ablaze....The
Bridal Pyre....but, Nainam Dahati Pawakah
Cover Page
'A beautiful bride with curious looks inside the blaze of
havan kund' is near to perfect for the subject of book. Good job done by the
designer.
What I Felt About the Book
There is a general misconception that physical and verbal
abuse at home is only faced by uneducated women. Society very easily and
wrongly assumes that an educated woman would never let such things happen to
her. "The Bridal Pyre' makes all
these myths stand in queue along with corruption and politics prevailing at all
levels.
There are some sections in the book would make the reader
nod in agreement to their conclusion. Like-
-End of first chapter itself. It’s so bitter to read a
daughter thinking those things for her mother, but they are all true at the
same time
-Helplessness of parents in our society when it comes to
their daughter and her life
What I Liked About the Book
1. Poems - Kudos to Avantika for brilliant effort on poems
every now and then. I absolutely loved them and might even dedicate some post
to the same.
2. The end - I like a story when the end is unexpected.
What I Did Not Like About the Book
1. Daily soap saga - Unfortunately, at many points I felt
that I am reading a printed version of some typical daily soap where the cruel
mother in law is not leaving any stone unturned to torture her poor daughter in
law at the back of her dear son. I so wish the author was able to script those
sections minus this effect.
Below are some lines to be marked as quotes from the book:
She sat on her pyre and set it ablaze….The Bridal Pyre….but
“May be I am not a man, but what made you think that I am not strong?”
**All The Poems**
The author has once again brought one of the ever 'In News'
topic under crime against women in limelight with her debut novel. Best of luck to her future endeavours.
Note: A PDF copy of the book was sent by the author in
exchange of honest review.
The book can be brought from following Amazon or Flipkart links:
Flipkart:
The Bridal Pyre - Nainam Dahati Pawakah (English)
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