BENGALURU : Even as actor Kubbra Sait’s book Open Book: Not Quite a Memoir has just hit stands, her mother Yasmin Sait is getting ready for the release of her book, Manan. Even after decades of effort for gender empowerment, women still juggle multiple responsibilities while placing their emotional needs on the back burner. And the book addresses this predicament.
The mother of actors Danish and Kubbra Sait hopes to empower women to find a purpose through her book. Manan will be launched by Roopa D Moudgil, Inspector General of Police, on July 9. Sait is collaborating with Shoma Kaikini, founder, Nrityanidhi, who will present the book’s essence through Kathak. The sexagenarian started writing the book when the pandemic first hit.
“That was when I started to think about how I’m going to make my journey and that I should put it all down in writing,” she says. Talking about the role her children Kubbra and Danish Sait played in her writing, Sait says they were clueless about it. “Although I have always shared my life with them, I kept this private. They were more than happy when they learnt about it.
Along life’s journey, my children have been anchors in my growth,” she says. According to Sait, the book is not age-specific and bringing it together required a lot of research. “I spoke to many women to learn about their experiences. Manan can be enjoyed even by a 20-year-old who can learn how life unfolds. This book will guide you through those challenges,” she adds.
Sait draws from her own experiences while writing her book. Touching on them, Sait explains how each of the difficulties in her life, including being a single mother, was as painful as labour to deliver a child. “But once I fought through them, the lessons were as fulfilling as holding a newborn. At that moment, one only feels the joy and forgets the difficulties,” she says.
Sait quickly clarifies that Manan is not yet another self-help. “When I first held my book, I broke down. I never expected myself to reach where I’m today,” she says, adding that she didn’t want an English name for the title of the book. “Manan means meditation, thoughts, and a process of delving deeper into oneself. I believe the name has a certain depth to it which no English word could do justice,” she adds.
This book is dedicated to women alone. While writing the book, Sait says she learnt about herself and found her true self. “In the book, I’m Yasmin, an author and an independent self. That is an identity I have struggled with all my life. I have wanted to write for 11 years, and now I know everything happens when the time is right,” she says.
Just as actor Kubbra Sait releases her book, mother Yasmin Sait too is releasing her debut novel this week which talks about her journey as an author and how she hopes the book will empower women, one chapter at a time