Aruna's Story: The True account of a Rape and its Aftermath

by Pinki Virani

A remarkable work of investigative reporting and non-fiction writing in the tradition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.Journalist Pinki Virani recreates the real-life tragedy of Aruna's Stories Shanbaug, who was attacked with a dog chain and brutally raped in the very hospital where she was a nurse, and abandoned by her family thereafter.Brain-dead for sight, speech and movement, yet hopelessly alive to pain, hunger and terror, she now lies, barely alive, in the hospital where she once treated patients back to health. Virani’s investigations also unearthed the crowning tragedy: while Aruna has been in coma for over twenty-five years, her rapist, a sweeper in the hospital, walked a free man after a mere seven years in prison for robbery and attempt to murder.Vivid and gut-wrenching, this is a book that will haunt the reader long after the final page has been turned.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Abanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

a spine chilling incident narrated with such detail , it makes your blood bubble and leaves a scathing impression behind with you. Vivid and heart wrenching, an extremely sharp and thought provoking book.

[Ruchita Gupte · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is must be read by everyone. the story of Aruna tought us many things
that story frame a question that are womens are sequre on thier work places?????

[Yatikesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had read this book some years ago and I still remember the anger and utter disgust, I felt after reading this book, at the treatment meted out to this woman. Pinki Virani is a journalist who has seen, first hand, the miserable life that Aruna has lived for almost four decades. Sometimes, writers tend to spice up the real life events in their books to make the story more interesting to the readers. But Pinki Virani has been brutally honest. After reading the book, I myself was firmly determined that euthanasia was the best way out for Aruna. But the Supreme Court decision and the arguments from the nurses who have been tending Aruna all these years has made me a little confused. The book can be a bit biased in this regard as the author tries to make her point about euthanasia. Nonetheless, a must read and something that would make your stomach turn.

[Laxmi]

This book is about a nurse at KEM hospital who was raped by a sweeper at the hospital because she had complained against him for he did not do his work properly. He choked her with a metal chain and as a result she went into a coma and remained in a vegetative state for the rest of her life, while he got away with a 7 year sentence since no one took any interest in registering a genuine complaint/case.
The book is quite well-researched and has three parts of which the first part is quite a painful read as it narrates the sequence of events after the crime.
Also, it's heart wrenching to learn that none of her family members or fiance took up the responsibility to take care of her and ended giving excuses for their lack of concern to the author. And so she lived 37 years after the crime in KEM itself.

[Crystal John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Aruna's Story" is a compelling and deeply moving memoir that left a lasting impact on me. Authored by Pinki Virani, this book tells the powerful and tragic story of Aruna Shanbaug, a young nurse who was brutally assaulted and left in a vegetative state.

As I read through the pages of this book, I was struck by the raw and honest portrayal of Aruna's life and the immense challenges she faced. Virani's writing is both captivating and compassionate, bringing Aruna's story to life with great sensitivity.

What deeply affected me is the destruction of the life of a well accomplished, confident, honest, efficient and determined young trained medical woman from the state of Karnataka. The book will bring tears to the hardest of hearts!

Virani's meticulous research and attention to detail make this book an invaluable resource for understanding the legal and ethical implications surrounding Aruna's case. It provides a comprehensive account of the legal battle and the subsequent changes in legislation that her case sparked in India.

I followed her life till she passed away and the way she was abandoned by her family but looked after so well by the hospital where this tragic incident occurred. Aruna Shanbaug died of pneumonia on 18 May 2015, after being in a persistent vegetative state for nearly 42 years. :(
A must read by every person who is interested in reading!

[Vishnu Vardhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly remarkable book about survival of the human spirit. A true story of Aruna Shaunbaug, a nurse, who was attacked viciously with a dog chain and brutally raped by a sweeper working in the same hospital. Brain-dead for sight, speech and movement, yet alive to pain, hunger and terror, left to die by her family members. She has since been in this state for 37 years, taken care of by the doctors and nurses in the hospital. Her lawyer's plea for euthanasia was rejected. She is an example of how horrible the judicial system is, and how strong human spirit is. Her rapist, walked a free man after a mere seven years in prison for robbery and attempt to murder (the case for rape was never mentioned).

[Samir Dhond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book long time back. I had heard about this person from my mother and from a doctor friend. I have also heard that she is still there locked up in one room. I picked this book many years ago because the funds from the sale of this book were being given for her welfare. The book is a piece of investigative journalism and is well written. Some of the chapters seem a little melodrmatic. Read it if you like to read on investigative journalism related topics.

[Keya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The True Account of a Rape and its Aftermath.

This is the one about Aruna Shanbhag, a nurse at the KEM hospital in Bombay, and the story of how things just got left to wither away and die - evidence, family support, sympathy, even Aruna.
spine-chilling and disgusting and shameful with more and more truths that surface as I am reading.

[Kuldip S Attalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a True Life of a Young Indian Girl.

[Shweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Heart rending tale!

[Swagatika Mohapatra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst brutality penned in the most reward-able way.

[Nikita Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully narrated book..... Every emotion shown perfectly which touches the bottom of heart

[Deepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know if this book needs to be rated. Rated for what? This is based on a real life story. The incidents are very depressing and disturbing. It is heart wrenching. It made me obnoxious. It made me angry. It made me cry. It haunted me for several months and I hated mankind. The gore truth about rape victims. I doubt any person could read this book in a single sitting. Aruna's story is truly sad and can't believe she had to suffer her remaining life silently. These are the things that make me question the existence of god. Not for the faint hearted.

[Sujay Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This incident caused furore in the country in sporadic intervals. And rightly so. Aruna Shanbaug's heart wrenching story is a testimony of depravity and excruciatingly dismissive attitude of bureaucracy and legal and procedural ineptitude that this country has always been subject to. At the same time it echoes the universal sentiment of love, care and empathy for a patient who breaks into peals of laughter as quickly as she can break into an avalanche of screams; vicious, scary, hair-raising. The cotorted blindness and ibtermittent moans make you shudder. And to think that this is a true story makes me want to tear my hair out.

Pinki Virani's book is investigative journalism at its best. She has done thorough and meticulous research and finer details of Aruna Shanbaug are eternally captured in the story.

I felt angry, not just at the perpetrator of the dastardly, inhuman and devilish act, but also at the authorities, the people, the relatives, and most of all the complainants. How can our country even think of disseminating justice when cases like this exist in the very recent history. It is simple. It is no one's problem!

The story is masterfully portrayed, but I also like the finer nuances and characterisation which the author brings about with panache. The red tapism, corruption, voyeurism, legal frailties, orthodoxies, Aruna's romantic side and yet the power of humanity spills over in most parts of the story. Although the author's view on euthanasia is well-known, it is commendable how balanced she is when she speaks from both sides of the opinion. It is a pity that lawmakers continue to dawdle over this but that's been happening since so long now. This is a disturbing tale and one you can't miss. You feel devastated for Aruna and simply furious at everything else that prolonged her agony. Salute to the nurses and staff who took care of Aruna relentlessly. Humanity may be scarce but it isn't dead yet.
This one is a must read.