“Tender Wings of a Burning Bird” is a translation of my Gujarati short novel, “Pankhare Bali Vasant”, published in 1999. It is based on a real life tragic incident of a rural teenage girl “Devki”, published in The Times of India.
Devki is an elder daughter of Ganpat and Ganga, living in a village called ‘Bhilad‘, near Dahanu, Gujarat. Ganpat is a fram labourer and Ganga tries to earn something by doing household work.
Devki is good in her studies, but she is suffering from psoriasis and feels that she is being neglected by her parents.
Novel begins with the description of Devki‘s suffering. Dr. Ajay Kothari is treating her in his hospital. Dr. Kothari is aware of the fact that Devki is not only suffering from severe psoriasis but also starving for her parents love and affection.
The novel describes how Devki‘s craving for the love of her parents, is Dragging her deep into the depression. It gives us a true picture of a rural India — how people are starving, how children grow up without nourishment.
This is the story of poor Devki who is asking the society for happy days of her childhood. Do we care togive her Right to Live?
Longing for love and affection is a universal phenomenon and my novel stands for this phenomenon.
I am thankful to Dr. Arpan Desai for translating my novel into English language. I also express my heartfelt thanks to my friend and welknown Gujarati – writer Shri Jayantibhai M. Dalal for taking keen interest in the publication of this book.
I am equally thankful to my husband Shri Jitendra Dave for his continued support. I am also thankful to Shri Karuneshji of Cyberwit.net for bringing out this novel.
May this novel enable us to convert our compassion for poor children
Like Devki, into healing hands. |