Dear Manusha
Author
Anupama Ravindran Menon
Born and brought up in the humble suburbs of old Seremban town, Anupama Ravindran Menon, @Anu, is your regular girl next door. Having graduated from the prestigious Manipal University under the Malaysian Defense Ministry Scholarship, she started training as an intern shortly afterwards & began serving as a doctor in the Malaysian Armed Forces. As much as Anu is a passionate young doctor blooming in her field, she awes art in its every form, be it music, dance, writing, painting or creative work. After obtaining a Distinction award in the University of New South Wales English Assessment at the age of 13, she began exploring into the writing part of herself. She was apart of multiple national essay writing competitions and privileged to be shortlisted for the Prestigious Dublin Literature Writing competition in 2004. After winning her first prize in the International Notion Press Short Stories competition 2017, she was published as a joint author alongside 19 other writers in Plotpourri, an anthology of short stories. As an upcoming painter, she had also successfully done her first solo painting exhibition entitled Hridhaya:Language of Heartbeats in 2018. As medicine is her ultimate field of passion & to answer her call of duty, she was given the opportunity to serve under the United Nation’s (UN) flagship in a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon in 2019-2020 (UNIFIL). She was a part of an entourage of the Malaysian Battalion 850-7 who actively serve in this region over decades. Apart from being a United Nations ambassador & a doctor in field, she was also the Gender Focal Point representative of the nation & become an active part of the COVID-19 crisis team under the tutelage of UNIFIL Medical HQ & WHO. She represented Malaysia in a few international virtual symposiums to present regarding the adversities & challenges of COVID-19 in operational areas, namely by Vietnamese Defence & UNDPKO & CUNPKO of India. To honour the contributions, she was awarded with the United Nations Peace Keeping Medal and other honorary certificates. She is also currently a nominee for NE8x ® Litfest 2023 Award & Author of the Year 2023 award. She also won first runner up in the recent 7th Indie Author’s Championship 2023 by NotionPress publications.
Description
Dear Manusha” was written in memories of loved ones, an ode to love & loss and the enigma of its memories. This book is a compilation of various ideas that were mostly recalled everyday. Most of the quiet & forgotten lanes of our memory groves have all the modest & lovely moments of one genuine love. The book teaches its audience that it is acceptable to cherish & pay tribute to a lost loved one. Giving what you have without expecting anything in return takes guts. I have read a lot of love tales but this one stood out because I could sense the character’s feelings. The narrative was a direct emotional roller coaster trip that everyone could relate to. An entirely new world of self discovery & empowerment is made possible by ups & downs, thorns & blossoms & silent love. A bird’s eye perspective of what love means to many people who stay and love in silence, although having different destinies is highlighted in the book’s daily episodes. The novel also serves as a meditation on memories & loss. The book’s premise is astounding whether or not a person is present in your life, if you truly love them, apart of your soul will always belong to them. The author’s writing is excellent particularly in the vivid descriptions of the events that allow readers to visualise them. The beautiful spread of 13 heart capturing chapters were comprising of multiple shades of love & a plethora of emotions. The plot is incredibly lovely & the entire perspective on love is moving. The author finds consolation & comfort in her recollections. The narration is flawlessly maintained throughout & the prose is very captivating. Her stories capture everyday routine moments that define the very essence of love with a dash of poetry, a tonne of feelings & a drizzle of dreams. From the first page, you are drawn into the plot & the author keeps you there throughout the book. Try it, you will love the way she writes. It’s a strong recommendation to everyone.
Book excerpt
It took a few seconds for those words to travel through my fast paced auditory nerve fibers and etch on my frontal cortex, hence to be interpreted as “Walk up to the stage and take over the microphone!!!” My heart began to race so rampantly that the palpitations were thudding drums beneath my chest wall. I wanted to run and find a hiding spot. First and foremost, I hate being the center of attraction and tremendously shun the idea of being a focus point. I played scenarios of smashing cake on the bride’s face for this abrupt move of purely prenotioned sabotage. I glared at her hoping the electricity gets cut and she trips over her long dress. It will be quite a fun to watch all that. Since I loved her very much, I decided to take back all those mean thoughts. With not much choice left, I buckled up every last drop of courage I had and took the dreaded steps towards the decorated stand. I was supposed to talk about love and all I had was drowning thoughts of fear and self embarrassment. I stood there numb,not knowing what to say. God knows how much I hated being put in that sticky situation. As I stood there closing my eyes,in search of final strand of hope to carry me across the finishing line, I was greeted by a familiar gentle caressing breeze. I was instantaneously sucked into a memory void, beginning to visualize the images of the other beloved soul that dwelled within every corner of my heart. I sensed the memories of my favourite person flowing through the gushing blood in vast connecting veins of vascular empire. The beating heart to which my heart rhythm syncs, the tiny eyes and double dimpled smile that never fails to set flower twirls and butterfly flutters deep within. As his memories flooded out and faint echoes of laughter pumped through me, I grabbed the microphone and began ….. “ Hi everyone. First and foremost, I have no idea why I am standing in front of you but bear with a bit of my fumbling blabbers. As a starter , I am no expert in love or so. Yet today I witnessed something spectacular happen. Apart from the beautiful people and ceremony that took place, I had one precious moment that lit sparks of undying hope within me. As I watched our beautiful bride take her precious steps down the aisle, I could not help but sneak a glimpse at the groom. The smile that carved through his cheeks and film of tear that enveloped his glistening eyes, shone through happiness of a long awaited dream come true,to share a whole new voyage of life together. That stood out to be my most favourite moment of the day, reminding each and everyone of us, that the blessing of true love remains a gift always. So for me love is….. Love is patience.. Love is hope… Love is tolerance.. Love is a sense of belonging.. Love is anger and temperament.. Love is staying and holding on even when all hope is lost.. Love is waiting and a battle worth standing up for.. Love is giving with no expectation.. Love is wishing for only smiles and happiness for the other, although you may not be apart of that epitome.. Love is nothing but a pair of eyes, strong beating heart and deep engulfing double dimple smile that awaits to met you halfway through. It is the soul that syncs and awaits to dance along the intrepid rhythm of your heart and life. Love is the shoulder that carries you through highs and lows and grows stronger as more and more memories are etched in the treasure grooves of the heart… Love need not be entirely physical but its strength moves boulders, engulfing mountains and seas more rampant than any other form of energy.. Love is spiced by different shades of smiles and tears and love always remains to be truthfully love… Coming from a person who knows how it feels to be defeated and fights her own battles, never forget to cherish this precious gift of life with every ounce of you that lives… Because the pain of still being in love and living by mere memories as the pillars of strength, is a pain that I pray even my enemies shall never be inflicted upon. So, love and live life always. Go and shout out how much they mean to you, smile just a tad more and laugh at every instant you can, make every moment count… “ It was pin drop silence throughout the session. As I moved away from the podium, I heard screaming cheers and rains of applaud from the floor. I had spoken from my heart, I had spoken what love had taught me. These were words that were echoing within me always, rightfully belonging to the one favourite person of mine, “ Manusha” (as I called him). As I was moving across the wave of newly made fans, I could only smile with glistening teardrops, imagining him standing at the door,just looking at me and breaking back with a smile,like how he always did. But the imaginary image began to fade as the surge of reality sunk into me. I know we have set forth in two perpendicular path and the chances of crossing destiny shimmers like the dying sparks of a final flame. Yet again i was convinced, no matter how far my journey brings me, my heart and soul will always belong to him, a home then, now and always. Yours truly now and forever.
Genre Fiction
Author Website
Best place to buy your book https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Manusha-Yours-Truly-Forever/dp/1646786130
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