Dear friends,
A Kindle Countdown Deal will be on for this e-book at www.amazon.com from 18th to 25th May, 2025. It will be available at a discount for just $1.99. Do consider purchasing it and perusing it. Don't forget to post your reviews online at the Amazon website!
Thanks in anticipation.
Priya
You could also preview it for free at www.amazon.com.
Here's the link:
Neha's Quest (Life's Topsy-turvy!)
Much as we like to call ourselves progressive and our society civilized, often we deviate from the rightful path to indulge in wrongful or immoral activities, to satiate our greed and lust. To feel alive!
We also have double standards wherein we treat men and women differently and expect women, the so-called weaker-sex, to conform to societal mores, without a murmur. Of course, we frown when anyone terms it hypocrisy! This is our culture; we say with self-righteous pride and revel in it.
Woe betides any woman who dares to stray off the beaten path! The path carved out for her by society, on which she must walk demurely, looking straight ahead without a side-ward glance! Following all the stringent rules to a T!
And lo behold! Every once in a while, comes along a gutsy girl like Neha who breaks every rule in the book to follow her own path in life, braving the storms with grit and gumption.
A breath of fresh air or a tempest? Who are we to judge her? She doesn’t need our judgment!
Why not just let every girl follow her heart and carve a niche for herself? See how far she goes in the journey of life? Is it too much to ask for?
***************
Dear friends,
A Kindle Countdown Deal will be on for this e-book at www.amazon.com from 18th to 25th May, 2025. It will be available at a discount for just $1.99. Do consider purchasing it and perusing it. Don't forget to post your reviews online at the Amazon website!
Thanks in anticipation.
Priya
You could also preview it for free at www.amazon.com.
Here's the link:
This year, my dear mother-in-law would have been 95! Today is her 4th Death Anniversary. She left us for her Heavenly abode at 91, leaving behind a lifetime of fond memories.... My novel titled No Mother-in-law, Please! is an ode to all mothers-in-law, in all their myriad forms!
No Mother-in-law, Please!
By
Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan
The copyright of this novel is with
Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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| My MIL, at her 80th Birthday Celebrations! |
No Mother-in-law, Please! (www.wattpad.com)
This book is humbly dedicated to my mother-in-law, Prema Nathan. She is a simple, talented and god-fearing lady. After her husband’s early demise, she single-handedly and ably brought up her two children.
Among her noteworthy talents are singing, steno-typing, playing the violin, embroidery, tailoring and cooking.
She is a stickler for time and tidiness. She loves to regale us with mythological stories and anecdotes from her family’s history. At 90, she’s a bundle of energy, bustling about the house with élan.
Above all, she has a mind of her own and doesn’t hesitate to call a spade, a spade!
Here’s wishing her a long, healthy and peaceful life!
One word that strikes unimaginable terror in a young bride’s heart is ‘mother-in-law’. It is not surprising, as a lady who is utmost loving and compassionate as a mother, often becomes a despicable ogre as soon as she becomes a mother-in-law!
The reasons could be several, such as a difference in opinions, points-of-view, temperaments and attitudes; ego, one-upmanship, bias, prejudice, greed, jealousy and hatred.
Often, life after marriage becomes a continuous tussle between the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, with the husband/son sandwiched helplessly between the two warring ladies. Each lady tries to exert her control over the man and the household and establish her supremacy.
A lady, who has been tortured by her mother-in-law as a newly-wed bride, viciously and gleefully takes over the onerous mantle effortlessly, when she becomes a mother-in-law!
No wonder then that many a young girl these days has a strict (often unspoken) rule when she decides to marry. ‘No mother-in-law, please!’ Obviously, she wants to live peacefully and happily with her husband, without the baggage of a nagging mother-in-law!
But there are always exceptions to the rule!
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| My Dad and MIL at his 80th Birthday Celebrations! |
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| Amma, enthusiastically serving snacks to our students during the party hosted by Priya's Vision Academy |
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| In her later years... |
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| Yummy murukkus made by Amma! |
Here's my poem, published in the 'Excellence' magazine of L.I.C of India.
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| My Mother (Amma) - Mrs. Sharda Sharma |
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| My Mother and Mother-in-law (Amma squared!) |
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| My Mother-in-law (Amma) - Mrs. Prema Nathan |
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| Amma and I! |
Dear friends,
“Aai, Baba, I’ll come back soon, rich and prosperous.
I’ll buy back all our rightful land from the Patil and give my siblings
a better life. I promise that I’ll never forget you. How can I do that, after
everything that I’ve seen you undergoing, just for the five of us?” He lovingly
embraced and caressed each of his siblings, touched his parents’ feet, took
their blessings, and set off for his new and exciting sojourn.
All along
the way, in the ST bus, his parents’ words played on in his mind and the sad
and wistful faces of his family members skipped across his mind’s eyes. He
silently vowed that he would fulfill all their desires and only then return. It
was going to be “Do or Die,” henceforth for him!
When he reached Mumbai, he immediately
felt home-sick and yearned for the green, open fields of sugarcane swaying in
the breeze, the fresh unpolluted air, his parents and siblings; and his innocent
students. When they would next meet him, he often wondered uneasily. He also
realized that life would not be a bed of roses in Mumbai.
End of the excerpt
What happens in Mumbai? Intrigued? Kindly purchase a book and read on....
The copyright of this book is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
Dear friends,
Unconditional Love in Exchange
Foreword
The importance of hard-work can’t be over-emphasized. It’s imperative to diligently struggle to make our living. Along the way, we could face countless obstacles, some daunting, some trivial! What matters the most, is our courage in surmounting them and not giving up our cherished desire of a comfortable and meaningful existence.
Sometimes we get more than what we bargained for; due to sheer luck or the blessing of destiny; at other times, we may even risk losing all that we have!
Honesty and virtue ably support those who strive for success. In the end, we could do well to remember what the sacred Bhagavad Gita propagates,
“Keep doing your duty, without expecting any rewards!”
When we do accomplish our goals, we must be grateful towards those who wittingly or unwittingly helped us in reaching that zenith of success. This acknowledgement of gratitude will always hold us in good stead as it will prove that we have our soul in the right place!
When we share our compassion and love with others in need; with a clear conscience and without any expectations, our Creator will lead us forth to our desired destiny.
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| Paperback's front-cover |
On Sunday, Surekha woke up early
and prepared the entire meal for her guests, with great care, and after
considering each one’s personal likes and dislikes. Supriya hated brinjals, Shrikant loved kheer.
Padma loved papads and Param
adored her pulav. Hence every week, it was a balancing act for
Surekha as she tried to juggle all their likes and dislikes and come up with
different menus. The outspoken Param
would tick her off saying “But we had this last Sunday too!” Padma would be
diplomatic. She wouldn’t say anything,
but wouldn’t touch food items that been ‘repeated’ that consecutive Sunday.
She had finished all her work, set the table with her finest cutlery and table-cloth, changed into a crisp, cream-colored cotton sari, combed her hair into a bun, and walked out into the porch to see whether her guests were arriving. She walked back and forth, touching the fronds of her green palms potted in huge containers, smelling the fragrance of her roses, and then sat down on the garden chair strategically placed in front of the gate, to look out for her visitors.
End of the excerpt
The copyright of this book is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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| Paperback's back-cover |
