Patriarchy isn’t just about men; its roots are dug deep in our psychologies from the day we are born. At times, it’s our parents who sow the seeds of patriarchal traits in our belief systems, and at times, the society takes it upon itself to teach us its codes with the To-Dos and Not-to-do’s. Right from the dresses we are ‘supposed’ to wear to the ‘old-world- charm’ we are to imbibe – how often do we question these societal sacraments?

‘Even A Caged Bird Sings’ plants a sublime speck of thought in our so-called ‘modern’ minds – it urges one to think and question our perfectly defined lives. As you sift through the pages, you connect with each character because it has been all of us at some point in life – all of those times when we muttered in between our breaths while we actually wanted to shout out our lungs but couldn’t – because a woman isn’t supposed to, because a woman is supposed to be resilient.

What caught my fancy is the elaborate description of the settings. The sprawling gardens to the lone corner of the protagonists’ rooms – everything spans out vividly before your eyes. I am amazed at how the author penned down the moments of conflicts as if her own. She must be one of those silent observers you find on the corner seat of a public transport, intently reading people with her veteran eyes – savouring every detail of their behaviour, analyzing their tensed smiles, or their lonely gazes.

For me, the book ‘Even A Caged Bird Sings’ is a catharsis of my own emotions because I found myself gritting my teeth when Eva is taunted, Sujata is belittled, and Puja is caught in her own emotions while I took a happy swirl when they finally decided and did break free.