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Book Review: The Private Life of Mrs. Sharma

Written by Ratika Kapi, this is Mrs. Renuka Sharma's story of getting out of her limits as a good wife, mother to a son and a daughter-in-law, which leads her in a trap who's shadow could not be denied.




Working as a receptionist for a very famous Doctor, she was the one from her family to burden her shoulders with responsibilty of her son, Bobby and in-laws. With her husband working in Dubai to make their financial condition better, there was no one she could have shared her heart to.  And one day,while travelling to her work, she meets a man named Vineet. They talk a few times but they won't tak much. They meet each other sometimes here and there for causal outings and became friends. 

Renuka starts to find comfort in Vineet's company. She meets and calls him whenever she can sneak out from her family. It is not that she hates her responsibilities but at times, she, like each and everyone of us, wills to sneak out of her real lives and be absolutely the person she is. Also, the fact that he was not informed about her personal life and family she had, made it easier for her to leave them behind for he short puting durations she had with Vineet. She says, she feels like she is on Vacations with she is with him.  No matter she knew a lot about Vineet's life,  she never got a chance to tell him aout herself. She felt guilty for not telling her truth of being a married women with a son to tag along and when she attempted to volunteer the information, the reply she recieved was

"Stop,  I don't need to know anything more about you than what you want to tell me ."

 She was absolutely clear in her mind about how she sees her relationship with Vineet. Being on a vacation, she would say. 

The friendship from her side wasn't recieved in the way it was meant to be. Vineet wanted to get along with her, the thought she got intolerant about. With the persuasions of acceptance and rejection, a crime is commited. The freedom and company that she craved for was now on a turn she wasn't ready to accept.

She was an ambitious women. She wanted her son to get an M.B.A. so that he works in a Multi National Company and look better than the men in the Raymond's advertisement. No matter living in Delhi, they were doing okay financially, she repeatedly asked her husband to get a job that pays off well. After 8 months of struggle, her husband agreed and got a very well paying job in Dubai which meant, he had to leave his family. He wasn't ready for this. His family mattered to him more than the surplus money he would make while working in Dubai.  Mrs.Renuka Sharma describes his relationship with his son as it won't take him a days time to reach India if he got to know about the troubles Bobby was facing. She didn't want that to happen. The better financially condition would help her accomplishing her dream of having her own business, to see her son settled abroad and her future-daughter-in-law  cook warm food for her when she travels from a flight to meet her son.  Hence, she kept Bobby's troubles to herself.  

Poverty is a punishment. She says.



Yet, till how long she would be able to do that? Her husband's annual leave were around and he was to come India.

Coming from a respectable women with sharp eyes, this is a story of a women's quest to find freedom and small patches of time without responsibilities and yet, getting trapped in the consequences of her actions.

The Book is short, around 180 pages in and could be finished in one sitting. Also, the language is simple to understand and is good to go to anyone who can connect with the feeling of being alone, burdened with responsibilty for caring and being available and the purpose of having some time to oneself to commit the actions for ourselves ( the legal ones, ofcourse), which may or may not be perceived well by the society.

More book reviews to explore !

You Only Live Once

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

The Secret Wishlist

400 Days


Thank you.

ANU.

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