Ramona by Manoj V Jain is short and crisp like Balraj. No extra content
just to extrapolate to 250-300 pages novel. Rather, I would call it a
novella or novelette. The cover image goes well with the theme of the
fictional story. You actually need to push the curtains aside to face
the light. For that something has to strike within to prompt for the
action. Else keep living in the dark. Like the title character. Until
someday some words stir your soul and you start questioning yourself.
That self-probing or intriguing, in fact, is very important in life. As a
matter of fact, both the books, Balraj, and now this one leaves readers
with a bundle of questions. While it is true that writing a story is a
handshake between the key character and author but then each reader has
its own role to play.
That's the beauty of the author
characterizing the story so well that instead of asking author you start
probing or questioning the characters of the story. At that moment you
forget that these characters are fictional. But the moment you find a
connection between the characters of a story and people in real life,
that gap starts shrinking. And at times it gradually vanishes. That's
how you find yourself as a reader standing face to face with those
characters and interacting or arguing with them. This book is just 101
pages. But it relates well to the modern day life. In fact, both the
books, Balraj and Ramona, are two parallel sequences happening
simultaneously in the life of the two at two separate locations. The
story, in fact, begins after Inder, her husband leaves the house.
Inder
and Ramona are, in fact, quite successful in their respective careers.
But all of a sudden Inder starts a new journey of life, leaving Ramona
at home. While it shocks Ramona she initially believes that Inder will
come back within a few days. Shaurya, their only son who works in an MNC
in Bangaluru and Ameeta, Inder's sister living in Pune are the only two
persons in the family whom Ramona shares this incident. The author
questions the society through this book why a woman has to prove herself
in every walk of her life as a wife, sister, mother, and daughter. Why
is it the man who decides benchmarks for a woman to qualify for these
roles? When Inder leaves Ramona, he mentions clearly in the letter he
would come back for sure some day in the life.
But if Ramona
finds someone else in her life during that period, he wouldn't mind.
Then why Shourya tries to show Ramona the right path? And by the way who
decides this right path? Moreover, why a man always decides a right
path for a woman.
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