When an author starts reflecting on their life experiences, they become a medium of enlightenment and awareness for their readers. More so because they help the readers get acquainted with a world that may be unseen to them or may share details that may be relatable to the readers. This makes them connect instantly with the readers and have a talk from the heart to their hearts directly. Dr. Ritu Sharma, in her book, “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions,” connects with the readers through her reflections on the incidents that occurred in their life and how they have been instrumental in teaching her life lessons as well as shaping her personality.
The book cover is interesting and attracts the attention of the readers in no time. It showcases the different stages of life, the past, present, and future. It also gives the readers an idea of how the reflections are going to find their way through the words in the text, which would be closely related to the author herself. On the other hand, “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions” as a title gives multiple thoughts and remains open to different meanings. It may imply the reflections of the author through her perceptions or how perceptions would find their reflection in the text. However, when the readers go through the book, they will find an interesting amalgamation of both aspects together at different junctures of the text. They would also be able to trace how these incidents have impacted the personality of the author and how they can learn from her experiences.
“Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions” is a product of the author’s life and the different situations she has been through. Whether alone or with support, she shows her unwavering confidence in herself along with the determination to succeed. The readers would find themselves relating to different instances in the text. There reading would be filled with various moments where they would agree that they have faced similar situations too. In this sense, the sociological relevance of the text can not be overlooked or ignored. It may also become a guiding light for readers to know what can be done to handle tough situations. They would also feel that they are not the only ones going through what the author shares with them. This would be a primary reason for the readers to develop a heart connection with the author by the time they finish “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions.”
Dr. Ritu Sharma’s earlier book, “Kuch Lafzon Kee Zindagani” explores the facets of life in an intuitive, comprehensive, and analytical manner. “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions” goes a step ahead and is in a more personalized style. It may for once seem a sequel or an extension to the earlier work, but “Reflections” has an identity of its own due to its being a direct record of the different stages of life the author has been through. In addition, her earlier work uses different styles of writing to express her thought. This makes the reader more of an observer and onlooker of what the author tells them. In “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions,” the personalized prose style ensures that the readers become involved in the content of the book as they get involved with the author’s narrative style. It is second in line with “Kuch Lafzon,” but the text is rich and replete with incidents that easily distinguish it from the former.
To make it more captivating, Dr. Ritu uses the technique of sharing different incidents in a brief manner. Although these incidents are excerpts from the author’s life, they keep the readers involved due to their being brief, quick in development, and presented in a narrative manner. Reading the book hence becomes a memorable experience for the readers. The language that the author uses also has clarity of thought and simplicity and strikes a chord with the hearts of the readers, keeping it intact throughout the text. Hence, reading “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions” becomes more than merely reading about certain aspects of life and their learning through the eyes of Dr. Ritu. It goes beyond in universality and bears the powerful impressions of reality.
Dr. Ritu’s defence background has a potent role in shaping her personality which also forms a significant part of the fragment of the text. One way or the other, there are always references that connect the incidents to it. These incidents also give voice to the many unheard who belong to the same background. In that way, the author becomes a representative of the many daughters, wives, and daughters-in-law who face similar situations but may not have expressed them through words so far. For this reason, “Reflections: Parchaeeyan Perceptions” by Dr. Ritu Sharma is likely to become an attraction among the readers, and they would be recommending it in their circles too.
Author Name: Dr. Ritu Sharma (PhD)
Book Title: Reflections… Parchayeeyan… Perceptions…
Publisher: Literatureslight Publishing
ISBN: 978-9391301538
Reviewed by: Criticspace Journal