Amman: A Tribute to My Mother

by J.K. Sachin

Indian women are often referred to as manifestations of female divinity. The Goddess is said to have donned a battle gear and fought demons whenever a crisis situation demanded her intervention. Millions of Indian women represent and carry shreds of that divinity.

This story is about one such mother, who I know, has fought many such large and small and visible and invisible battles. I have seen the battles of my mother first hand because some were fought for betterment and happiness and some for wellbeing but all battles were fought with belief in goodness and faith in almighty.

Amman means Goddess or ‘ the mother’ in some Indian languages. I have no clue why my daughter’s first few spoken words coined the name Amman for my mother but then this was just one more divine signal or so I chose to interpret.

This book captures the aspirations and struggles of an average upper middle class Indian family. The bonds running invisibly through the pages of the book seem to have acquired a character of their own. It’s a story about an educated, intelligent and tough Indian woman who has been through struggles at various stages in her life be it her own education or her son’s.

The description of the life style, the virtues and qualities of typical Indian home stands out in vivid details and it could possibly be a family you know well.

This story may take you up nostalgia lane for nothing mentioned in this book is fictional or extra-ordinary. It’s a tale of self respect and love. Its also a tale about kind people who never make it to the lime light but end up performing far more stellar and braver roles, than one would imagine, to make their own lives and those of people around them happier.

Millions of households and families battle various setbacks and this book is almost a chronicle of how the much vaunted Indian Middle class goes about living its life.

Ordinary lives are a combination of extra-ordinary struggles that go un-noticed. This book could be a vehicle for your trip to your childhood or to the phase your parents once went through. Fasten your seat belts; the trip to nostalgia can get a bit bumpy.

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2006

About the author

JK Sachin lives in Mumbai, India. An avid reader, karaoke enthusiast and movie buff, Sachin brings into his storytelling a unique flavour of no-frills story telling. While his first book, Amman - a tribute to my mother was a sentimental journey acknowledging the trials and tribulations of his mother, his new book is a political fantasy.

The PM's Wishlist is a prescription provided to the government of India about the way the people want the country to be run. Sachin weaves an element of destiny by planting a thought that this leader could be the ' conquering scholar' from Asia. Sachin surely knows how to package dense economics and political imperatives into a regular thriller.