// A Path and Many Shadows & Twelve Stories by Rajelakshmy

From the time I learnt that Rajelakshmy was the first woman to win the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, I knew I had to get my hands on this one and when i eventually read her stories, I knew why she won the prestigious award. It's such a tragedy to come to terms with the fact that she shall write no more, that as a reader one cannot possibly understand what went on in her mind, and to learn about what inspired her to write in the very first place. At the age of 34, this magnificent woman took her own life leaving no answers behind. She was way ahead of her time, what with procuring a Master's degree in Physics and her eccentricity appears in her stories.

This edition comprises of 12 short stories that carry different themes, almost all of them with women at the focal point. It's important to notice how Rajelakshmy shines light on certain issues, one of them being gender discrimination. The women who star in her stories are bound by duty to serve their families, while having to keep aside their own wants. It is no wonder that Rajelakshmy came under the spotlight for her short story named 'Daughters', because it eventually ended up being my favourite too. This book also has a novel in it; A Path and Many Shadows, one for which she eventually won the Akademi Award. Remani, the protagonist is seen living in patriarchy and later as a grown woman, she must choose the right suitor for herself. It's surprising to see how she ends up settling for something unexpected. All of Rajelakshmy's stories carry a certain kind of heaviness to them. Could one dare to associate Rajelakshmy's personality with her stories? But one thing becomes abundantly clear. Rajelakshmy was s prolific writer, one who knew the ways of the world and didn't refrain from writing about it no matter how bold it may have seemed back in the '60s.

Thank you for the copy @orientblackswan