A poignant narration of a small town girl's memoirs, as she climbs up her career ladder and blossoms into a sought after and well known Landscape Architect receiving National and International tributes. The gripping story describes the turns and twists the Geologist's daughter faces and the stormy interludes and trysts with fate, climaxing with the loss of her budding "Teenage Engineer" to be son, to drop the curtain on a series of family disasters.
Manjula brings out in her memoirs the fact every fall in her life is an unfortunate episode and is thankful to God for making it least painful to get up and move on with life.
She is a shining example of a resolute, strong willed person, who did not perceive certain incidents and blows in life as crippling life sentences. She looked for another open door to carry on and reaped rich dividends.
The whole story revolves around Indian culture and tradition, with customs, rituals and festivals explained in detail. The book is a goldmine for all those interested in information on alternative medicine, yoga and nature cure. Lot has been revealed about horticulture, floriculture in India, Europe and US. Empowerment of women in Indian society has been analyzed and how ladies are coming out of the inner courtyard and assuming important positions has been explained in lucid detail. The joint family system, the arranged marriages and the importance of having extended family relationships has been emphasized. Rural India has been described in great detail.
This book is a wonderful treatise on the rich Moghul culture and subsequent Colonial influences of British Raj in pre-independence era of India. Asian, European and the US travel sites, the Buddhist Monasteries, Roman Cathedrals and the Temples of India makes the book interesting to men and women of all ages.