Ahalya's Awakening

"I fought, I struggled, I obeyed, I compromised, I rebelled, I surrendered, but above all, and at last, I think, I found myself. I found the truth that is me. I lived the life given to me as a woman with all honesty, true to my instincts and faithful to my impulses, eager and yearning, but always true to myself. Always."

There are books you don't just read, but books you have long conversations with. Ahalya's Awakening was one such gem. I immersed myself in it, read and re-read chapters to uncover the meanings they so beautifully hid. But most of all, I devoured it! 

The book tells us the story of Ahalya, born a Princess, married to be a Rishika, but destined to be every bit a human first. As a young girl, she had to fight with her family for her right to seek education and not simply be married off to the best suitor meant to be her destiny. She stood her ground even when all the odds were pitted against her. As she grew older, she kept evolving and surprising herself with new self-realisations. 

She fell in love, an emotion she never thought she'd ever befriend. When the time came, she fought her family to be with the one she loved. She struggled through the many responsibilities thrust at her in her marriage but never lost sight of her goal to pursue education. She compromised her dreams to support her husband's ambitions. When her marriage hit a rough patch and love seemed to lose all meaning, she did not hesitate to use her voice to ask for what she deserved. She was assailed by self-doubts, confusion, self-condemnation and guilt in the process, but in this journey of rebellion self-discovery was her reward. Eventually, she took charge of her happiness, her freedom, her body and her life. 

Ahalya's Awakening, in many ways, spoke to me. Some women, even today, are held to unreasonably high moral standards. They're rebuked at the slightest of deviation from what's considered "right". Since their childhood, they're conditioned to compromise and silence their voice in front of what's termed as the "stronger gender". They're judged for putting their choices, their desires before their "duty" as a wife & as a mother. They're invariably expected to adapt to whatever situation life throws at them and are easily dismissed as too emotional or too dramatic if they dare to express their emotions. Men continue to try to suppress them, rule them, subject them to their own whims and yet expect them to be the selfless care-giver women are "meant" to be. That's the reality of most women, if not all, even in these modern times. 

This has gone on for ages and still continues. But there are times when the world witnesses women like Ahalya. Women who find their truth in spite of misfortunes. Women who turn their lives into stories that young girls could seek strength from and could achieve salvation from. And then there are these beautifully written books that spread the message of self-discovery to the darkest of corners. 

For doing that and much more, this book deserves nothing less than high praises and five glittering stars. I hope it brings you as much joy and meaning as it brought to me. 

For my next read, I've picked up a rather fat book called Evening & Morning by Ken Follet. I do promise to be back with my review but looking at the size of the book, I don't think it'd be back very soon! Until then, happy reading! :)