Having read almost all of Usha Narayanan’s books I found this one different from her other books. This is not a story based on mythology, but a book that relates mythology to life today.

In this book, the author has blended the stories of the goddesses from Hindu mythology and the conflicts that women go through today. She shows us how we can learn from them and be a Durga in our own lives.

Though I absolutely believe that the Goddess dwells in all of us, I was a little sceptical about the book. I mean, Indian scriptures and society are both patriarchal and have always advocated that a woman is a subordinate being, who should defer to her father, husband or son. So how could the goddesses teach us how to stand up for ourselves in today’s world?

This book was not like her other books which I finished reading at one go. This book took time; it irritated me and made me uncomfortable. It made me pause and made me ponder. It pushed at my beliefs. But isn’t that what a good book is supposed to do? Push you, prod you, change you?

While addressing the woes that all women face in today’s world, Usha Narayanan talks to three different groups of women, the home maker, the career woman and the young adult. She tells each group how they can apply the three Cs of choosing what you want to change in your life, changing our behaviour and reaction to things that are happening around us and creating a new happier self.

The content matter of the book is well thought out, urging women to be assertive rather than passive or aggressive. The tone of the book is not one of blame or angst, but of positively taking onus not to just create a better world for yourself, but by default creating a better world for everyone.

I loved the way she tells lesser heard stories of the goddesses and their spouses. Of how they were never less than the gods but were true partners in the creation and preservation of the world.

As she says when you fight for your rights, it is not an over the top manifesto to kill all men…but rather an expression of your rightful desire to be respected as a significant, equal human being.