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Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
Anuja, the dhobi girl, is the central character. Her life intertwines with that of Ratna, her childhood friend. Starting from a colony of labourers, Anuja and Ratna make it good in life, both becoming reputed doctors in different fields. Developments in Ratna’s life have far-reaching consequences on that of Anuja, though she has chosen to tread a path of her own. The kaleidoscope of life draws many people into the ambit of the lives of Anuja and Ratna. Chief among them are Anuja’s professor, Ratna’s wife Devi, Jay, the young woman he tumbles into love with, and the children he has through them both. And all through their lives runs the evil presence of Nathaniel.
Divided into three parts, this book tells the story from the perspectives of Anuja, Ratna and Devi. The author takes us from the struggle for life in the labour colony to the professional successes in Chennai, from the peace of an Edinburgh hideaway to the deathly cold of the Swiss Alps, from the mystical piety of the banks of the Ganga to the tension-filled operation theatre.
There’s murder, there’s rape, there’s sacrifice, there’s scheming, there’s forgiveness, and above all, there’s love. The details dovetail to make a comprehensive, comprehensible plot of the joys and sorrows of life, of despair, resilience and resurgence.
Radha Venuprasad
Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Radha Venuprasad did her schooling at the Holy Angels Convent and attended All Saints College. After her marriage to Venuprasad, the couple lived in various parts of India.
Always fond of visual art, Radha took to art restoration at the Madras Museum and trained at the National Museum in New Delhi to restore oil on canvas. She curated two successful art exhibitions where prominent South Indian contemporary artists were showcased. She is also a voracious reader and an avid traveller.
Dhobi Girl is Radha’s second work of fiction and first novel. Her first book was a collection of novellas, titled Shifting Sands.
The stories in Shifting Sands are about relationships — not only between men and women, but between families, extended families and even cultures. Radha explores frankly and with sensitivity life situations not commonly talked or written about.
Radha is widely travelled. She and her husband are now settled in Chennai. They have two sons.
These days, Radha best likes to describe herself as ‘grandmother to bubbly seven-year-old Tara.’
