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A review by readsndrants
Gently Falls the Bakula by Sudha Murty
5.0
How long can you allow someone who is your first priority, to not make you a priority? How long can you sacrifice to only get negligence? How long can you love someone else more than you love yourself?
It is a simple and engaging story of an ambitious husband, a devoted wife, and the toll that time and neglect takes on their love. It starts as a breezy read but quickly becomes an emotional whirlwind.
It also tells the tales of multiple women characters, all having very different marriages but for each, the everlasting love remains elusive. These women come from all backgrounds, Kamala is a sole bread winner but lives with her husband's laziness and mother-in-laws taunts, Gangakka the matriarch who is okay with tricking her son to inflict pain on the daughter-in-law, Rama dependant on “status” to win over her in-laws, and Shrimati, who does everything under the sun but doesn't land the love and attention of her in-laws or later, her husband. The entire story depicts deeply patriarchal society where women, for generations, have been taught to put the needs of men first. Even young, dynamic, academic, and earning women, because of the pressures of the society or because of their upbringing, see a virtue an honour in suffering silently, letting go of their dreams, and in sacrifice for love and family.
The shackles break slowly and not with the dramatic bang you would like. I was at times frustrated with Shrimati. Why despite being so smart and capable did she chooses to go through all the pain and insult? But she was young and optimistically in love. The problem is never one big fight. It is incidents that might not seem to big at the time, but pile up. By the time she sees the trap, the problem, her unhappiness, it was probably too late to fix.
Despite being the "devoted housewife", Murthy’s rendition of Shrimati is that of a strong woman who knows herself. She has clear thinking, lot of patience, and remarkable intelligence. She gives her husband, and their relationship many chances, but at a point when she realises that the relationship is not salvageable anymore, she also has the courage to walk out, to start afresh, and to pursue her dreams. You might not agree with her choices, but Shrimati touches your heart.
This story is both cautionary and inspiring, to women, but also to everyone in so many ways. In a fast paced world as today, forgetting relationships and taking loved ones for granted is very easy. Priorities and habits in early career have a huge ripple effect in personal life in the long run. This book made me, a headstrong career ambitious woman, give a serious thought about valuing relationships and not forgetting family as I set out to achieve dreams.
It is a simple and engaging story of an ambitious husband, a devoted wife, and the toll that time and neglect takes on their love. It starts as a breezy read but quickly becomes an emotional whirlwind.
It also tells the tales of multiple women characters, all having very different marriages but for each, the everlasting love remains elusive. These women come from all backgrounds, Kamala is a sole bread winner but lives with her husband's laziness and mother-in-laws taunts, Gangakka the matriarch who is okay with tricking her son to inflict pain on the daughter-in-law, Rama dependant on “status” to win over her in-laws, and Shrimati, who does everything under the sun but doesn't land the love and attention of her in-laws or later, her husband. The entire story depicts deeply patriarchal society where women, for generations, have been taught to put the needs of men first. Even young, dynamic, academic, and earning women, because of the pressures of the society or because of their upbringing, see a virtue an honour in suffering silently, letting go of their dreams, and in sacrifice for love and family.
The shackles break slowly and not with the dramatic bang you would like. I was at times frustrated with Shrimati. Why despite being so smart and capable did she chooses to go through all the pain and insult? But she was young and optimistically in love. The problem is never one big fight. It is incidents that might not seem to big at the time, but pile up. By the time she sees the trap, the problem, her unhappiness, it was probably too late to fix.
Despite being the "devoted housewife", Murthy’s rendition of Shrimati is that of a strong woman who knows herself. She has clear thinking, lot of patience, and remarkable intelligence. She gives her husband, and their relationship many chances, but at a point when she realises that the relationship is not salvageable anymore, she also has the courage to walk out, to start afresh, and to pursue her dreams. You might not agree with her choices, but Shrimati touches your heart.
This story is both cautionary and inspiring, to women, but also to everyone in so many ways. In a fast paced world as today, forgetting relationships and taking loved ones for granted is very easy. Priorities and habits in early career have a huge ripple effect in personal life in the long run. This book made me, a headstrong career ambitious woman, give a serious thought about valuing relationships and not forgetting family as I set out to achieve dreams.