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What sort of sinister mother would forsake her daughter? What would drive a woman to hurl invectives at her growing daughter, annihilating her innocence, childhood and all of her adult years? For wealth, which mother would trade her daughter's happiness and obliterate her presence from the family tree? A stepmother perhaps, but it is unbelievable of a mother who bore you; the one who was meant to protect you from the world.
In the fight between the Dharis and the Sharmas, it is Arnie who suffers the blows, oblivious of the decade-long legal battle over her grandfather's estate. Lengthy court procedures ensue and murky family secrets tumble out. The only two people she finds on her side are her estranged husband and "chhoti phua". Sensing her defeat, fair-weather friends turn their back on her, making her situation feel like, "A fall from a social and professional hierarchy, where I have been thrust out of a revolving door and on to a pavement, for I no longer belong". After much emotional upheaval and mudslinging — and in spite of all the manipulation and clout-wielding by her family — Arnie is declared the natural daughter by court. A victory that has come at a cost; but a validation of her being. For Arnie, it is not just a fight for money, "It is a fight for my dignity as a daughter and granddaughter `85 it is a struggle for my rights. Parts of me are being stolen this very moment, as my soul watches in disbelief and despair". The issue Ratna raises is real. Across the economic board and social standing, families do underplay the rights of a daughter, especially in property matters. And then there are some women who stand up for themselves and take legal recourse. Daughter of journalist Nalini Singh, Ratna writes with such fierce passion that makes one mistake the story to be hers. Such is the conviction and capitalisation of feelings. In that, she has done a great job. But for all this, the book tends to drag in parts. Thoughts find recurrence, wearing thin a reader's patience at times. However, the latter part picks pace and packs a punch.
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What Ratna does in her
book is shatter primordial stereotypes. Relationships are stripped of
their halo, revealing the dark underbelly suppurated by greed, power
and ambition. The diva mother is a witch reincarnate, the can't-falter
"mama" a schemer, the trusting brother a usurper, the father
a mere spectator. To Arnie's mother, all she is, "an irritating
cockroach," that must be pulverised. How does one get past
such betrayal?And so, after years of verbal violence, brutal attacks,
badgering of her self-esteem, Arnie must fight her "dear
ones" and extended clan in court to prove her existence, and for
what is her rightful due. At stake are her beliefs, the security of
her children and her life itself.