For some, being lost in a book is better than watching a movie. And as bubbly actor Akhila Sasidharan puts it, she belongs to this genre. “Reading has been my hobby right from my school days. My parents joke around that I spend the entire fortune on buying books. Though my choices are just varied from fiction and science fiction works to poetry, mythology and spiritual books, ‘Cry The Peacock’ from Anita Desai has all the while caught my likings.
A winner of the Sahithya Akademi Award, the author maintains an empathetic approach to the desires, trauma, thoughts and ambitions of every woman. She is undoubtedly a brilliant writer with sufficient qualities to glue the reader’s eye with her short and simple narration,” says the dancer-turned television anchor.
It was interesting to hear the vibrant young lady, with her bold ideas speaking about her book choices and reading routines.
Though the budding actress has a complete collection of Anita Desai’s works, she has her own reasons for picking out ‘Cry the Peacock’.
“It depicts the emotional trauma and conflicts endured by an Indian woman in her marriage. However advanced the fairer sex may be with all those elaborate qualifications and a well-paid job, she still remains subjugated by men. Unfortunately, even in today’s society of self-made and empowered women, we just can’t rule out the fact that there is a large proportion of women who finds it less easier to breathe the air of liberty. ‘Cry the Peacock’ speaks about such a female, explains Akhila who is a thorough reader of Dan Brown as well.
Speaking more about the work, Akhila says, "The protagonist of the fiction, Maya,is obsessed by a childhood prophecy of disaster that is likely to happen in her fourth year of marriage. As symbolized by her name she stands for the world of sensations. The excessive love Maya gets from her father makes her have a lop-sided view of life. Unfortunately she doesn’t receive the appropriate attention and care from her husband Gautham who is hardly aware of the emotional trauma that Maya undergoes under his ‘shelter’. Eventually the flood of indifference between the couple lead to an absolute tragedy with Maya killing Gautham.”
Akhila adds that the simplicity of the language authored by Anita Desai has added more charm to the work.
“I just loved the literature and the symbolic comparisons. The narration technique was so brilliant that I found it very tempted to scroll the next page which eventually saw me finishing the reading in a single sitting,” she adds.
A postgraduate in English Literature, Akhila says that it is her mad love for books that compelled her to pick up the subject.
“I just love books. Even works of poetry have also fascinated me. Be it Keats, Shelley or Wordsworth, I have personal copies of their works in my collection,” she winds up.