Book Review : Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitha by Neha Srivastava
This novel is an emotionally layered exploration of motherhood, vulnerability, class divides, fear, and the quiet strength that binds families and communities together. Moving between urban homes, landfill fires, modest shacks, hospital corridors, and wildlife trails, the narrative builds a powerful reflection on protection — who protects whom, and at what cost.
At its heart, the book examines instinct — maternal instinct, survival instinct, and even territorial instinct. Whether it is a mother battling anxiety over her child’s fever, a grandmother shielding her family with rituals and humor, a domestic worker risking her life to save a toddler, or a tigress guarding her cubs, the thread of fierce protection runs consistently throughout the novel. The human and the wild mirror one another, suggesting that love and defense are primal, universal forces.
The writing is simple yet emotionally charged, allowing the situations and characters to speak for themselves. The author blends realism with cultural nuances — superstition alongside science, privilege alongside poverty — without judgment. Instead, the narrative invites reflection. It gently questions arrogance, highlights gratitude, and reminds us that dignity and courage often reside where society least expects them.
More than a collection of events, the book becomes a meditation on choices: to fear or to trust, to judge or to understand, to control or to surrender. By the final pages, the reader is left not just with stories, but with a softened perspective — one that values time, love, humility, and the fierce, protective power of care.
A heartfelt and thought-provoking read.
