Book Review Of Amidst The Sunflowers: Letters To My Grandchildren By Aabha Rosy Vatsa

Book review of Amidst The sunflowers: Letters to my grandchildren, a book that encapsulates the love and wisdom of a lifetime

You never know the love of a grandparent till you become one.

Indeed, grandparents are those entities in our life which make the world a little softer, a little kinder and a little warmer. A family’s greatest treasure, the founders of a loving legacy, The greatest storytellers, keepers of traditions that continue for ages as well as a family’s strongest foundation.

I recently finished reading a book which resonated with me on a truly emotional level. It somehow 

Made me go back to that special nook, that cosy corner of life which is my true haven of peace and solitude. “Amidst the sunflowers: letters to my grand-children “ by Aabha Rosy Vatsa is a series of chapters which actually letters the writer has written to her future grandchildren sharing with them the profound knowledge and wisdom she has accumulated over years of experience whilst living the course of an eventful and spirited life. 

The letters resonated with me deeply as they even contain poems as well as references to poems as a means to unwind and indulge in the joys of life. With beautiful illustrations alongside having been created by the multi-talented Australian artist Avijit Sarkar, this book is a treasure trove of love and wise anecdotes collected over a period of time. 

The book begins with a metaphorical reference to the sunflower being one such entity that relentlessly looks up to the sun, in spite of all obstacles, shining bright in all glory. 

Aabha has along with sharing the wisdom of the ages also shared the importance and joys of indulging in music via these pieces of writing. It is one of those life exercises which go a very long way towards helping us achieve that holistic well being we strive for. Aabha, through her letters and poems encased within them, tries to advise her grandchildren to first and foremost break from the clutches of demons of anger, hatred and resentment. She states that karma is there to balance out the equilibrium of all that is wrong and instead of mulling over it, bubbling up for no rhyme and reason, children must instead do away with such negative traits, setting themselves free in the process. 

She further iterates that we must not only learn to own up and accept our mistakes in life but also forgive others when they do so. Moving forward in a positive acceptable manner alongside learning from those mistakes is pivotal and the relief one gets upon forgiving is the true peace provider in life. Learn to let go and thus do away with the bundles of all that is unnecessarily pulling you down like a dead weight. Happier are those who have moved on after letting go of all that is negative and thus unnecessary.

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Thus, by giving a foray and insight into all aspects of life such as resilience, relationship management, forgiveness, karma, parenting traits, trust, truth, dreams, goal management, living with grace and other pivotal life concepts, Aabha has created a mine of to-do’s which are the perfect referral for the young generation as they can live a much better, happier life following the pathways laid down by her.

Aabha has also shed light on the work-life balance equations, thereby giving the next generation the perfect advice to ensure the optimum balance between their personal and professional lives.

What struck me was the alacrity and simplicity with which she has extricated the juice worth one’s entire lifetime of experiences and put it forth in such a prolific manner.

The book is a sheer delight and is surely not only for the younger generations as you may argue the case. A lifetime’s worth of experiences in this form is surely a treat for all to read and devour, not to forget the underlying benefits it offers in the form of infinite takeaways. A brilliant piece of writing, this one resonated with me as I could relate to the way in which Aabha has highlighted each and every aspect of life living, splaying it in a manner where she has imparted the message she wished to, in a beautifully enthralling way. Life experiences can be quite a bit tedious, kinda a bit of a monologue if you ask me. But Aabha keeps it brilliantly simple and indulging through her flow and narrative throughout the series of the letters. The illustrations add more richness and depth to already powerful content.

A superb book, a true slice of life if you ever want to visit those good ol’ days of nostalgia and love encompassed all together in one.

So, this was our review of Amidst The Sunflowers: Letters To My Grandchildren by Aabha Rosy Vatsa. Hope you liked it. Do let us know in the comments below which other books would you like us to review and we at Booxoul, India’s best book review and lifestyle website will be glad to get the same for you.

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