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Bipolarity and baggage: Steering through the storm with Shreevatsa Nevatia (Book Review)

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How to Travel Light: My Memories of Madness and Melancholia by Shreevatsa Nevatia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher: Penguin Random House India
ISBN: 9386815885, 9789386815880
No. of pages: 256

I remember reading about the book back when it released in 2017. Since then, it's been at the back of my mind. For some or the other reason, I could not lay my hands on a copy of it. And now in 2021 at a book fair, the moment I saw it, I knew I had to pick it up. 

4 years later, when I finally completed reading it last night, I knew that the universe was conspiring for the right moment for me to have it. The complexities of one's mind and the daily battles one is a part of has been described to the tee. Four years back, it may have been a little difficult, considering the phase of life I was in. But today, I can say I had a ringside view of being bipolar in India. 

Having known someone who has been a part of the ups and downs of being bipolar, and having had first hand experiences, it was more like living the same through Shreevatsa, once again. 

I admire the fact that the author chose to wear his heart on his sleeve when he decided to write this book. It isn't an easy task for someone to write about their experience while strapped to the bed at a mental health centre. 

As a reader, I travelled with the author through his bright and dark days. There were moments I felt helpless; moments of melancholy and at times, even wry humour. 

It remains an essential read for anyone who wants to understand what being bipolar in India could entail. It's not just about a mental health condition, though. It's a tale of how a person learns to swim when thrown into the middle of the sea. Not everyone can do it but Shreevatsa Nevatia did and lived to tell the tale. 

I wish more people read this to understand how people around us could be in the middle of thousands of battles while we may hardly be aware of the murky surface. It's not an easy read, but definitely a worthwhile one.

Comments

  1. SumeetNovember 27, 2021 at 10:21 PM

    Wow! so impactfully expressed and that too with just the required number of words.
    This one is certainly going to be next on my reading list, thanks to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Divya NambiarNovember 27, 2021 at 11:25 PM

      Thank you, sir. Looking forward to your review. :)

      Delete

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