Author: Sudha Menon
Publisher: Random House India
Pages: 272
Price: Rs 399
Genre: Non Fiction / Essays / Letters / Journals
Rating: 9/10
Format: Hardbound
When I
first read about this book, I was instantly drawn to it. Distinguished people
writing letters to their daughters; the concept appealed to me dearly. It held
a lot of potential to learn and be inspired. I was also curious about what lessons
or advice these high achievers would pass on to their daughters.
The
book lived up to its promise.
I
loved the cover page instantly. It has a warm appeal to it. Foreword is by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. It
is inspiring to read her write about her unconventional choice of career, encouraged by her father, and struggle during the initial years as a lady
brewer in a man’s world.
Notes by Deepika Padukone and Nandita Das to
their respective famous dads, on the insides of the cover, are heartwarming.
The
book is quite well-organized. The writers have been featured in the alphabetical
order of their names. Each letter is preceded by a note about the person writing
the letter, which beautifully sets the mood for the letter and helps the reader
relate to the letter in a better way. Each letter is a reflection of the letter
writer’s own journey through life, his learnings and values that he or she
holds close.
Ajay Piramal,
Amit Chandra, Capt. Gopinath, Chanda Kochhar, Deep Anand, Ganesh Natarajan,
Jatin Das,, Kishore Biyani, K.V. Kamath, Mallika Sarabhai, Narayana Murthy,
Pradeep Bhargava, Prakash Padukone, P.P. Chhabria, Renuka Ramnath, Sanjeev
Kapoor, Shaheen Mistri and Zia Modi make the 18 personalities who have
contributed in this book to pass on the legacy of learnings, values, beliefs
and wisdom, not only to their own daughters but to inspire all the Indian women
at large.
Chanda Kochhar thinks adaptability is a great
quality to possess, while Captain Gopinath demonstrates by his own life to
reinvent oneself constantly; Amit Chandra highlights the power of wealth and
how not to get carried away with it, while Kishore Biyani stresses on the importance of
people, relationships and human behavior; Mallika Sarabhai advises her daughter
to be fearless about what she can do while Shaheen Mistri crafts a beautiful
poem for her daughters about empathy and equality – there are several such gems
in the book.
Though
each letter is a lesson in life-skills, my personal favorites are letters by
Captain Gopinath and Kishore Biyani. I was pleasantly surprised at the modern
outlook of Mr Biyani when he is perceived as rooted in traditions. He came
across as a very open-minded individual who held both his daughters in high
esteem for their capabilities. Captain Gopinath’s ability to rise from the
ashes every time as a phoenix comes across very clearly. The way he reinvents
himself constantly is exemplary for everyone.
What
stands out is that each one of them is rooted in their past, stress on the
importance of giving back to the society, the need to be there for the family,
and shower love and respect on their daughters as independent and capable
individuals.
It is
easy to get intimidated by these stalwarts for their lofty achievements but
when they write to their daughters, one gets to know their real, warm
personalities and concerns of an ordinary parent.
I certainly recommend it wholeheartedly.
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