BOOK REVIEW OF “SHADES OF LIFE - SUBLIME JOY IS IN LIVING”:
VASUNDHARA RAMANUJAN & MOHAMMAD AKMAL, MD : WESTLAND : PAGES 160 : PRICE RS
195/-.
On the second day of this month, I was returning to Mumbai
after spending dawn to forenoon in Kancheepuram where I went to attend the
inauguration of the annual Brahmotsavam held in the Tamil month of Panguni
(March-April) at the Sri Yathokthakari Temple. On my way to the Chennai
airport, I stopped by at my cousin sister J’s home and shared the Prasadam that
I had received. My brother-in-law K had just then come home for lunch and we
discussed many subjects of mutual interest. When I was about to leave for the
airport, K suggested that I read a book which he said was truly moving. He
picked up the book from his library and presented it to me saying that the book
had made a deep and lasting impression on him. One quick glance and I immediately
decided to read the whole book during the flight of ninety minutes. The book
has a Foreword by R. Gopalakrishnan, a Director on the Board of Tata Sons and a well-known author of books on Management.
My father suffered from end-stage renal disease during his
last few years which really felled him. I could, therefore, empathise with the
author and the sufferings that she and her nuclear family of four went through.
The author in a simple and very readable style narrates the story of her son
Aditya whose recurring and severe headaches turned into a nightmare for the
family when his problem was diagnosed as failure of his kidneys. You feel a
lump in your throat when you find that a happy-go-lucky youngster has suddenly
to come to grips with a life-threatening disease. Full marks go to the author-mother
for the courage, commitment and never-say-die attitude to fight the disease
with her heart and soul. Aditya’s brother and father played equally important roles
and the family took a planned, systematic and step by step approach in order to
find a lasting solution.
It was a big setback when the author who had decided
to donate one of her kidneys was detected to have breast cancer. She had to
undergo mastectomy and treat her disease thoroughly before she could be ready
for donating one of her kidneys. That she did it in record time speaks volumes
of a mother’s love and dedication for her son. After the transplant was
successfully done and when it appeared that all was well, Aditya had fresh
complications with his transplanted kidney and another donor had to found as
soon as possible. Brother Dhananjay stepped in and decided to forsake one of his
kidneys for his younger brother. The parents were in a deep dilemma. However,
the family discussed and deliberated and
finally came to the conclusion that that would be the best course of action.
The boisterous and ever enthusiastic Aditya got a fresh lease of life.
Any family would normally have been devastated with the huge
setbacks that the Srinivasan family faced. But when a family is united and
well-bonded, courageous, positive, and takes medical advice from the trusted
and the best in the profession and goes about remedial actions with a
scientific temperament, the results are very likely to be favourable.
The book is remarkable. It is written by a remarkable lady alongwith a very illustrious doctor who is a specialist in renal diseases. It is
all about love, dedication, sacrifice, commitment, logical thinking, belief in
the Almighty and a positive approach..
I commend Ms Vasundhara Ramanujan for writing a very
informative and emotive book and for setting an outstanding example. Kudos to
the whole family for selflessly supporting one another and constantly rallying
around the young darling Aditya for his survival and happiness. The book is
also a helpful guide to those having renal problems for whom there are useful
and practical lessons to be learnt.
