Title: Gently Falls the Bakula

Pages: 176

Just before reading this book, I had read another book written by Sudha Murty - House of Cards. Honestly, the stories are similar. Two people falling in love, the husband working hard, earning a lot of money and fame, getting busy, neglecting the wife, the wife living in the shadow of the rich and famous husband, until she had had enough and decided to walk away to live on her own.

However, what still kept me hooked on this book was the beautiful writing style of Sudha Murty. The way she creates and paints the picture in front of our eyes using her simple language is admirable. In almost all her books that I have read thus far, she has always touched upon the simple village life. With that, she always manages to transport the readers to the soothing life of a village - the culture, the traditions, the dressing styles, and the food. 

In this book, too, Shrikant and Shrimati lived in a small town, and the Bakula tree and its fragrant flowers became the symbol of a simple love story between the two of them, which would eventually get lost with time. Many homemakers could relate to the character of Shrimati and would agree with the ending of the story, even though it may not seem like a happy ending.

I recently came upon this term (another modern-day term for the age-old situation) - Empty Nest Syndrome. This is when the lady gives up everything of her own - her dreams, aspirations, career, family, and even friends - for her spouse and children. She puts their lives before her own and works tirelessly to help everyone succeed in their own lives. And then as children grow, they start living their own lives. They go out for studies or work, they get married, and settle down with their own families. This is when the lady goes through the agonizing pain of suddenly being alone. No one to talk to, no one to take care of, and nothing else to do as she had already burnt down her dreams. It takes a lot of courage to pull oneself out of such a situation of emptiness. 

Shrimati too kept aside her love for history and her dream to pursue it further until she hit this Empty Nest Syndrome and met a very old well-wisher who reminded her of her lost passion. That is when she decides to get what she left behind, many years ago.

Her stories and the treatment of the female characters always reflect her own strong personality and individuality as a woman.

Rating: 4/5

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for Sudha Murty and her simple yet powerful writing. Otherwise, the story is not new. Even though the book was written many years ago, the story remains relevant today and will work wonders for women going through this phase of emptiness in their lives, helping them return to what makes them happy and content.