Kaalachakra: The Wheel of Time

by Padmini Emmaneni

When Savitri is married against her wishes to a man twice her age, she is widowed at the age of twenty-two. Stripped of her identity, she is banished to an Ashram to live out her days. As the Wheel of Time turns, Savitri yearns to be reunited with her son, but like the colours of her childhood, her hopes and dreams are fading. India is changing. Gandhi is campaigning for the country’s independence. Can Savitri fight for hers?

226 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2017

Reviews

[Giles Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerfully evocative story of one woman's courageous struggle for her own independence at a time when the whole nation of India was struggling for its own, Kaalachakra is a vibrant, humane, beautiful novel. From the first page, I found myself transported to northern India in the early twentieth century, immersed in the country's sights, aromas, sounds and traditions. Through the eyes of Savitri, we experience the excitement of being a schoolgirl in a nation where girls have rarely had access to education, the fear and confusion of an underage arranged marriage to a far older man, and the curse of social ostracism that comes with widowhood. Yet ultimately, this is a novel which stirs the heart with its unflinching portrait of quiet courage and undaunted determination. Highly recommended.

[Sasha Keys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaalachakra The Wheel of time got me back into reading again. I was enthralled by Savitri's journey from start to finish. It was as if I were in her head. This book is beautifully written, rich in colourful descriptions of India. It is a deeply moving story.

[Dianne Wolfer]

This book gave me a fascinating glimpse into A challenging aspect of traditional Indian culture - recommended.

[Zaira Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, the author, Ms. Padmini, was my first official teacher. When I was enrolled in Nursery at Baldwin Girls’ High School, at the age of 4 with a limited vocabulary, she made sure I felt safe and understood. I continued to visit her class for years after graduating from nursery – just to talk to her and update her about life. She holds an incredibly special place in my heart.

To see her write her own novel now, brings me pride! It takes a lot of courage to write and publish a book. Reading and critiquing is the easy part. You can see the effort that goes behind writing the novel – right from formulating the ideas, creating the characters, and writing the chapters.

Things I enjoyed about the book was the detailed description of the child-marriage and widow-tradition that still exists in some parts of India. The story is about a young girl married against her wishes to a man twice her age and is widowed, of no fault of her own, at the age of twenty-two. The book touches upon stories of other widows who have faced their own ordeals in life. Stories of not consensual sex – all too common. Importance of education vs wealth was eloquently portrayed by showing the stark difference between how Savitri and her best friend Veena’s life turned out.

Overall, it was an easy read, and I could have finished it in one entire sitting if it were not for life’s distractions! The book is a good reminder of how far we have come as a nation and how our thinking has evolved with time. Some of the dialogues and transitions were not as real or smooth as I would personally like them to be, however, the messaging remained – which is the entire point, isn’t it? Looking forward to reading her next book on Transgenders in India!