Married at the age of eight, Roheeni had no one who could look out for her. She learnt to survive an evil mother-in-law, an absent husband, back-breaking work, heat, and a ghunghat (veil). After twenty years when her daughter faces the same fate; will she finally speak up or let the story repeat itself?
Set against the backdrop of the freedom struggle and partition, Daughter of Luharu is an extraordinary story of survival as Roheeni navigates issues of self-worth, love, marriage, parenthood, and most importantly, her identity. Relevant even after seventy-four years of India's independence, the story gives a rare insight into a woman's struggles in a pre-independent Haryana of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s and raises the burning question: Has anything changed at all?
Transcending limitations to overcome adversity, Roheeni and her likes are India's very own A Thousand Splendid Suns.
When Monica approached me to write the foreword for her book. Daughter of Luharu, I was overwhelmed by the honour because as an author myself I know what it takes to put your trust into someone with your book baby. The connection became even stronger when she told me that like my book, Hiraeth-Partition Stories From 1947, hers also had partition as the backdrop. Like me, she too has grown up on these stories and they have left a strong influence on us which is clearly evident in our choice of topic for our books.
Having said that, Monica's book goes beyond partition and is a story of a girl named Roheeni. Spanning over six decades, it traces her entire life. All her characters are beautifully built up including Roheeni's Gandhian husband, Vishnu Das, her cruel mother-in-law or for that matter even her brother-in- law.
The book is an ode to the spirit of a little girl, with no formal education, who grows up to be a strong woman who stands up for herself and her daughter. India's freedom struggle and its partition form an interesting background narrative in the book and play a pivotal role in the protagonist's journey.
My heartfelt gratitude to my family and friends for their support, love and indelible faith in me. When I was researching for this book, it was the elders in my family who helped me out immensely by sharing their life experiences and anecdotes. I will be ever grateful to them for their input.
Thank you, Amrita Mukherjee, my dear friend for the numerous brainstorming sessions and expert feedback on writing skills. I owe you Amrita!
Rachna Gupta, your review at many stages helped me beat self-doubt. Thank you so much for your timely assurance.
A big thank you to Renu Kaul Verma for having faith in my work, to the entire team of Vitasta Publishing for making the book a better version of itself. You all rock!
Thank you Sudhir Gupta and my boys, Anant and Vivaan for keeping me motivated with your pampering and praises.
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