She

The book #SHE authored by Vandana Arora delves deep into the different aspects of a woman’s life. This book is a collection of microtales, each beautifully depicting the circumstances and situations a woman goes through during her entire lifetime. #SHE brings forth the theme of Eco- feminism. Woman is likened to Mother Nature. The book reflects the author’s personal perception of varied situations and conditions in the life of ‘she’ in the society, based on her own views.
The title #SHE itself speaks volumes about the book and its content. The book has beautifully presented the importance of ‘she’ in the life of ‘he’ and the society as a whole. #SHE has such an impact on its readers that while reading, one is transported to an entirely another world. The best thing about this book is that it does not demand a superior status for women, but rather aims at an equal status for women as well as men. #SHE has exceptionally articulated all the emotions, sacrifices and compromises made by a woman in her life for which, unfortunately, she is seldom valued. After feasting on this truthful saga of tales, you will be able to discover ‘she’ in yourself, your mothers, sisters, daughters, wife, colleagues, leader, domestic help, etc.
When for the very first time I read this book, I was moved to tears. Every ‘she’ can relate to this book and so did I. It is thought provoking and seeks to challenge the conventional boundaries set for women in this world. It becomes clear from the following lines from #SHE:
“She worships the goddess religiously, yet doesn’t like the birth of a girl child.”

“She was warned of not giving birth to a girl child, but she resolved to bring the little angel into the world.”
#SHE also clearly expresses that a woman is not only limited to the curves of her body. She is much beyond that, but the narrow and petty minded will never understand this. ‘She’ is an individual who has her own desires, ambitions, aspirations like any other human being and the shackles of typical minds cannot stop or bar her. ‘She’ is ready to compromise everything, even herself, but in return ‘she’ just hopes for a little respect, which ‘she’ is worthy of.
In my opinion, the book enunciates about the roles, status and phases a woman finds herself in. ‘She’ has been compared to Mother Nature, who also sacrifices everything but in return gets nothing, not even the reverence she deserves. The narrations in the book convey the spiritual values and thoughts a woman holds, which seemingly remain unacknowledged by the world. The author has dedicated the book to the divine feminine but has not hesitated to write about the not so divine attributes of women, thus celebrating women as a human.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone, but to be specific, it is a must read for every woman as ‘she’ will be able to resonate better with it. The way the author has expressed the journey of ‘she’ right from her birth is quite impressive. Readers may initially think it is a collection of quotations, but that is not exactly what it is. With just a few words, the author

tries to present the phase or situation ‘she’ is going through in each microtale. The main reason why I am in love with this book is that it gives the privilege to its readers to think about what ‘she’ must have gone through and this propels the reader to visualise the situation and then understand the intensity.
To sum up, #SHE is just about ‘she’ and her world. So powerful is this book that it leaves an imprint on everyone who reads it because ‘she’ is both savage and cultivated, a recipient and a giver, an angel and a devil. After reading #SHE, I feel empowered as well as helpless to some extent. Empowered, because I realised what all a woman is capable of doing, but at the same moment I felt weak and helpless too as I also learned that ‘she’ herself wrongs womanhood at times. Every night I dream of the dawn when women will reunite for interpersonal peace and global harmony, where one ‘she’ will stand for another ‘she’ fearlessly and selflessly.