• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n • #nonfictionnovember
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Gokhale writes in a manner that appears to be like a conversation between two friends with a cup of coffee warming their palms. There's no judgement nor any sort of hurry in narrating it but only a deep silence that is occasionally broken by the listener's laughter which is entirely due to Gokhale's refreshing sense of humour. I was often surprised by how wittily she addressed certain difficult incidents, halting the readers from feeling too morose. Her incredible idea of writing this autobiography by keeping her body in the spotlight by moving the mind into a shadowy corner shifted the book's success many inches up the ladder. We don't have to look elsewhere for a role model when Gokhale is right here.
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Born in a middle-class family with open minded parents, Shanta and her sister Nirmal were brought up differently. They were asked to focus not only on studies but also in sports of all kinds. The Gokhales' believed in expressing love through actions and it is evidently clear that the author had a lovely childhood. Her parents believed in transparency and she gives an example about how her mom taught her menstruation when she was about ten. Their support even sent her to England to study further where she made friends with a varied set of people. She enjoyed plays, acted in them and participated in debates. She speaks of unexpected friendships with people away from her home and even of her romantic relationship with a man named Otto. When she flew down to India, she dabbled with many careers including that of a columnist, writer, teacher and a relations executive. Through all this Gokhale addresses her marriage(s) candidly, about her body growing old and even about her regrets.
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Gokhale is a mind-blowing writer, whose work falls along the lines of being perfect. There's the right amount of seriousness coupled with humour and wit. She lays down her life as an open book through this autobiography and it inspired me to read about a woman who is unapologetically herself, breezing through all the challenges life throws at her. Although I struggled a bit with the endless names of friends and family that made an appearance in the book, this was in no way a difficult book to read. Gokhale has an innate knack of luring in the readers and leaving them thinking about her writing long after they finish the book. One Foot On The Ground turned out to be one of my favourite non-fiction books of this year and I wouldn't be surprised if you feel the same way once you read it too.