An extraordinary mother

My Guru in disguise by Priya Mookerjee
Wisdom Tree. Pages: viii+209. Price: Rs. 245/-

Mother-daughter relationship is often more complex than the one between father and son. The emotional ties are stronger; the undercurrent of love, trust and jealousy can turn into an explosive mix or morph into a sublime equation – depending upon various factors. This book deals with the latter phase. The narrator and her mother shared an uncommon spiritual affinity – peppered with such temporal ingredients as love, anger, sadness and laughter.

Coming from a privileged and well known Tagore family the narrator’s mother had, as a child, earned praise from Rabindranath Tagore for singing his poems beautifully. Being a strong-willed person she chose her own life partner at the age of eighteen. But soon the marriage ended in a divorce. Her second marriage too was the result of a love affair. Although this one lasted she underwent spiritual transformation that bemused her husband and made her children emotionally insecure.

Several spiritual experiences narrated in this book depict the mother as an evolved person. She develops great healing powers and, in the process, gathers a large following of disciples and believers. One day she mysteriously catches fire. Instead of crying for help she walks into the bathroom and dowses the flames with water. Then she calmly combs her hair and goes to the hospital. She dies there a few days later after bearing immense pain stoically. Priya Mookerjee has a way with words that conjure up vivid and enduring images.

THE TRIBUNE