Mala Mahesh Iyer Padma Paperback – Import, 23 June 2022

A good read for me after long time ..excellent writing .. 👍👍👍

This book was an incredible eye opener to Indian customs and their purpose. It is a story of two beautiful and accomplished women living 100 years apart in India, but with many of the same restrictions and circumstances that apply to all women today. The comparisons were striking in the significance of patriarchal influences on their lives. I particularly loved the writers beautifully descriptive writing illuminating the lavish customs, rituals, decorations and symbols and their significance in daily Indian life. A truly great read.

Should be on must read list for all book lovers.

Padma by Mala Mahesh is a bold story of two women – Padma and Naina – who are endowed with beauty, wealth, and intellect. But the only thing they are deprived of is children. In 20th Kerala, Padma was married to a loving husband, Seshdhari. But their childless state forces him into a second marriage to continue his bloodline. Padma unwillingly makes peace with the situation but for how long would she be able to fight against the patriarchy?In present-day Mumbai, Naina has an amazing partner in Naveen. However, when their efforts to conceive fail, Naina looks for surrogacy and finds a suitable fit in Naveen’s colleague, Vinita. Vinita agrees to the plan but this arrangement brings in buried trauma and insecurities in Naina that challenge the peaceful status quo.Mala has written a wonderful story in two separate timelines, connected by a painful issue. It is a story of maintaining the pride of womanhood and craving for motherhood. It is a story of deep-seated patriarchy and insecurities borne out of the stingy words of society. It is a story that reminds us how women have to bear the brunt of infertility while attempting to maintain their identities.I loved the strong women in this book. In fact, I liked the portrayal of each character. Mala has a knack for weaving a genuinely vivid storyline that completely pulls in the reader and keeps them hooked until the very end. Be it Kerala or Mumbai or the intricacies of developments in human relations, each detail gets attention in the book and that precisely makes it a good read.The cover is beautiful and the writing is breezy with no beating around the bush. It is certainly a meaningful tale that underlines the plight of women bringing out their inner demons and strengths equally. I recommend this book to all!

Insecurities really are the end of everything. But are they always entirely baseless? Padma (maybe very rightly so, in my opinion) shows that a woman’s instincts are seldom wrong.This is the story of 2 women, Padma and Naina. Padma’s story is set in the 1900s, while that of Naina’s in the present day. Both the women are ambitious, smart, enticing and living a happy married life. But then…enters the other woman.Oh, by the way, did I mention yet another commonality between them? They are both infertile.Given so, Padma’s husband (though he loves her very much) resorts to a second marriage. And rifts start cracking in when Naina and her husband, Naveen, decide to opt for the IVF treatment. In their struggle to get out of the emotional labyrinth, what all havoc will these 2 women wreak on themselves and the world?Honestly, when I started, 400 pages seemed very daunting. But once I began reading, there was no stop. Some may disagree with me, but I think that this was a blend of 2 contrasting women, who were tied together just by their circumstances. While Padma commanded my respect and captivated me, Naina wanted me to scratch out my skin. And yet, I loved all of it because it made me realise how women are always expected to behave a certain way and any selfish behaviour on their part is scorned upon. So scorned upon, that at one point I wanted to close the book shut.And this was when I saw hypocrisy staring back...Padma is one back that performed beyond my expectations and I earnestly believe that it needs to go out more. If you are into domestic fiction, do give it a try. I promise you will love it!