I am a Sudha Murthy fan. So when I saw this interesting title bearing her name, I had to give it a go-through. The title Mahashweta was curious, conservative and non-revealing. The dedication at the beginning of the book gave a glimpse: "To all those women in our country who suppress their emotions and suffer silently because they have leukoderma. May they be imbued with hope and courage." And what a read it was! Having gone through the 150 pages, one realises that it has all the ingredients to make the reader richer.
Anupama, coming from a very poor family, is an extremely talented stage performer, educated and blessed with extraordinary beauty. A very rich and successful doctor Anand falls in love with her and they get married. Everything goes on like a love story until Anupama discovers a white spot on her leg. She was suffering from a skin disorder called leukoderma where skin loses colour and becomes white. Though it is curable but not all cases can be cured with surety. Her mother-in-law sends her back to her village, after accusing her of betrayal of trust and lots of curse and insults. The uneducated village thought that the skin disorder was a curse from God, . Her husband was abroad and chose to remain silent and leave her aloof with her curse. She writes letters to him and he never replies and then she hears about his plans to remarry. And this was the same man who had followed in love with her and married her despite opposition. At one stage, with the stigma and personal life becoming unbearable, she goes to the commit suicide.
The next part of the story is one of inspiring portrayal of strength, courage and resilience. She goes to live in Bombay with a female friend and finds a job. In a city like Bombay where no one cares for her skin colour or her past, she leads a life of self respect. Though she gets to see the negative face of the city too. Later on she gets a good friend in Dr. Vasant and meets some very nice people when she becomes a Sanskrit teacher in a local college. After a turn of events, her husband who had left her to perish alone, realises her worth and comes to her asking for an excuse for his mistake. Does she play all merciful Devi and grant him pardon? At this point, Sudha Murthy presents a very different twist. She sends him back and alone. Again, her noble friend Dr. Vasant proposes to marry her. Did she agree and sacrifice herself again on a man's love and desires? No doubt, Mahashweta is a story of great courage and character
The language is simple and flow enjoyable. A very good read for anyone to enjoy light fiction with a good message.
