Title : Rainbows in the Desert
Author : Archana Pant
Publisher: Lifi Publications
Genre: Fiction, Short story

This book depicts the life of women which has the effect of inspiring someone. Her life is composed of elementary joys and sorrows. Her day to day experiences have helped her to grow and made her the kind of person she is today. It happens when she goes through numerous ups and downs in her life in which she suffered, laughed, cried and finally developed herself through it.
Summary
The first story i.e. Rainbows in the desert deals with a woman named Malati who has something in her which sets her apart from others. Gradually she becomes indispensable to the author. Their conversations often lead to the burdens of womanhood and her rights and demands in the society. Malati’s marriage becomes drudgery for her but she refuses to loose her faith in sanctity which I felt is an exceptionally unique quality of hers. To keep your belief and be hopeful, at the most difficult times is what which makes your journey easier. I liked the way ,the author through her eloquent words represented a very grand essential thing of life. Through hope one can blossom even inside the abysmal abyss. In even the dark times, when you’ve lost everything one thing always remains throughout the journey and i.e. hope which guides you to do the right thing.And this influenced me to a great extent personally. Malati never give up and always tried to look beyond sufferings & pain. Her dreams couldn’t be fulfilled and so she wished to educate her daughter and make her independent in life. Instead of being totally disheartened from her life, she believed that one day all her miseries and adversities will pay off. And her hope was only the sole reason behind her optimistic approach towards life.

The second chapter i.e. lessons of life which is a story of a simple boy Vishnu. At every point of his life he faces rejection and is cursed by the people around him. Yet he manages to love life and is immensely devoted to work. While reading his story, I perceived that sometimes the most important lessons of life are learned through sufferings and agony. As when he confronts the harsh realities of life of which he never imagined in his wildest dreams, made him assimilate the facts of real life. For him, pain proves to be a great teacher.

The third story i.e. Lucknow mail presents the life of a woman named mrinalini. Fate decides his course for her when she meets Aditya who was a fine student of his father(Prof. Joshi). They both loved each other. But, Life plays its own truants on her as through all these years she was married to an another man. Her reminiscences of her early days always stayed with her through these years. The story outlines that love is the beauty of soul. Their love was beyond reasons and was all about nearness. Real love is all about giving not saying. Love is not about possession but it’s associated with the person’s affection and care. Their love depicts the warmth, tenderness and sentimentality for each other. Love is not about conquering or losing someone. Besides, it’s about appreciation & feeling grateful of someone or something in your life. It was justified on mrinalini’s part that she was completely broken when she saw the glimpses of her past. I realized the true meaning & aspects of love. The simplicity & profundity of love was beautifully represented in the story.

The next story i.e. mirages of heart which is a story of a woman who has her own expectations from life. She is a spontaneous woman and works tirelessly at all times. Like every woman, she’s full of enthusiasm and love for her family. But unfortunately there comes a turning point in her life where her husband turns down to her. He refuses to support her decisions due to his own reasons. As a mother the author completely described that to a great extent it was not totally wrong for her to expect from her children. However, I felt that the author is able to put forward the aspects of both of woman and her husband. In life, when expectations are not fulfilled it gives you pain and turn into disappointments.

The next chapter of the book i.e. Reasons of heart describes about relationships. There’s a boy who shifts into a new city for his job establishes a relationship with a lady named Devi which proves to be enduring and soul stirring for him. The author is successful in describing that it is a kind of relationship that our heart finds & seeks. She beautifully represents the feelings & emotions of both of them. It seems as if they both found their essence of life again. Their souls are jubilated and they felt as if an invisible void is filled in their lives.

The next story(justice for janaki) revolves around a woman named janaki who is filled with inquisitiveness & always questions sharply about the norms of society. She often shares her childhood experiences with Uma(An assistant professor in a college) & told that how her dreams & aspirations couldn’t be fulfilled. The author very beautifully shows a different meaning of justice. I felt that the author is successful in bringing a practical approach in people’s mind when it comes to provide a just behavior for an individual. I loved the way a woman helped & supported an another woman & she took a firm & a strong step for her. This also showed that a strong woman is capable to take a stand for herself as well as for others. It emphasized about the male chauvinistic society which makes it almost impossible for a woman to lead the life she has imagined for herself. The high point in the story is how beautifully justice has been delivered to janaki.

The last chapter(i.e. wind beneath the wings) deals with the life of two women who were best friends. Their life entirely differed from that of each other. Pallavi, a young ambitious girl faces failures in her life which made her strong & determined enough to confront each and everything what life offers to her. I liked the way her brother supported her to fulfill her dreams even though their parents didn’t like it. I liked that instead of loosing her belief on herself , she decides to not to give up and move forward in her life. She didn’t let her yesterday take too much of today. Instead of being shattered by the situations one should stand up and be ready to face the complications of life. This is a certainly a sign of a strong lady.The story highlighted the urge of a woman to be an equal human being, transcending all limitations of gender, to earn her dignity and pride in life.

My Review
The thing which I liked about this book is how simply the author has put forward the most sensitive issues of our society. All stories portray that from struggles, comes strength. The author has been successful in representing the image of a woman as strong, independent and free. Through an unwillingness to give up, a woman can achieve goals of her life. If she has the entire conviction in herself nobody can put her down or make her feel inferior from the entire world.

This book shows beyond doubt the various twists and turns of life which shape you the person you will be. It is capable to galvanize you through the simple tales of people. This book influenced me to a great extent and made me aware of several strands of life. If you are interested to read a book based on the current matter in question then this book will work for you. As this will drive you and can change your perspective of life. The thing I loved about the book that almost every individual would be able to relate themselves to author’s words which is very rare.You will definitely enjoy the author’s style of writing .
Rating: 3.9/5

Happy Reading! :D