I have very recently joined Blogchatter community. While surfing through the website, I stopped on “Book Review” and the title “Neena Aunty” caught my attention, Neena being my only sister 😋. I offered to do it’s review. I received the book just a few days back.
Author –
It’s written by Anukrti Upadhyay. This is the first Hindi novel by Anukrti is set in contemporary times. Technically, since the book is in Hindi, it’s review should also be In Hindi, but just as Neena Aunty broke every written rule , I also thought of breaking the rule and am writing the review of the Hindi novel in English. I guess, it’s a kind of cool stuff.
As the title suggests , the main protagonist Neena is a nonconfirmist woman throughout her life. Through her, the author has created a strong character who is vocal and strong enough to speak out her mind and has the guts to take a decision and abide by it. A woman who is in complete command and control about herself. I fell in love with Neena Aunty, and mind you, I am not a teenager who is looking for some role model.. I am a contemporary of Neena Aunty and can relate a lot with her. 🙂
Story :
At the onset, the details about Neena Aunty’s garden in her big bunglow in some hilly small town had set the tone. The character of Neena Aunty has been brought to life through the eyes and experiences of her niece Sudipta. She has never followed the normal path but had followed her heart. One thing, which she has emphasized off and on is that one must identify the problem and solve it to the best possible way available under the situation. Here I would like to mention an instance – Her father was a very successful lawyer and very strict too. The daughters in the family were told to go to college in saris only. But Neena found it very difficult to walk in a sari. She found out a simple solution. She wore the saree on salwar kameez and as soon as she comes to college, she used to keep the sari in bag and be in college in salwar kamiz, which was usually worn by other girls in the college. Her father came to know about this and Neena was summoned. She coolly put her point of view – You told to go to college in a sari but not to wear sari in college. Also, it’s difficult to play badminton in sari. Through intricatly woven story, Neena Aunty is the epitome of a new imancipated woman. Thus she became the favourite aunt of next generation of the family .
The sequence of the last conversation with her mom is also worth mentioning and oozes out the
The language is easy to understand and the storyline is captivating. It took me only two long sittings to finish this 112 page novel as I was not able to leave it.
Lessons :
The conversations between next generation of the family and Neena Aunty are great learnings for the new generation. One major take away for all the children from this novel is that no one knows their moms. If she has been there at the centre of the household without thinking about herself, do not undermine her sacrifices and capabilities. She has kept her dreams at the backburner to support every one in the family. Treat her as an individual. Renew your relationship with your parents . Treat them as individuals.
You can buy the book by clicking on the following link –
Paper back – https://amzn.to/2PUokH3
Kindle – https://amzn.to/2PS2Vye
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