Title: Gulmohar Dreams
Author: Dharshana Bajaj
Publisher: Soulful Art Gallery
Genre: Contemporary, Epistolary
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: Gulmohar Dreams by Dharshana Bajaj
Gulmohar Dreams is an epistolary novel that explores the spiritual journey of a young writer as she moves through unexpected personal changes that compel her to redefine the meaning of her life. In an idyllic setting of a writer’s retreat over a month’s stay, the protagonist explores in depth her fears, her feelings, and her failures, in the end to successfully transmute pain into power, via a series of letters to the Universe.
This is a novel set in contemporary times, dealing with contemporary realities, but timeless truths. It captures the coming-of-age moments and the journey of self-discovery in the life of a young woman, and touches upon various facets of modern life, including the strife between the old and the new, and the heart and the mind.
Book Review: Gulmohar Dreams by Dharshana Bajaj
Gaia’s Own was a fantastic book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, so I was thrilled to discover that Dharshana Bajaj had written another one. While Gaia’s Own was a non-fiction book for preteens and young adults that focused on climatic changes and the environment, Gulmohar Dreams is a work of fiction that takes place in contemporary times and chronicles the personal journey of a young writer.
Lively, lyrical, and never pretentious, Gulmohar Dreams by Dharshana Bajaj is a charming and whimsical character study of a wonderfully artsy girl. The story centres on Kamia, who keeps a diary in which she reflects on her life. Her marriage to Palash is on the verge of dissolution, and it ultimately ends in divorce. She is, as she mentioned on the first page of the book, deeply, hopelessly in love—not with any of the men but with the universe, nature, and the world. Kamia is, in essence, passionately in love with life, and what kept me turning the pages was her absolute and insightful connection with the universe that she cherishes.
Kamia’s voice is kind and self-deprecating, generous and wondering. The humans she observes are all seen through this well-meaning gaze, and even terrible events are coloured with love. Her story is told in the form of her journal entries as she practises her writing skills to become an accomplished author. Her insights into her own and others’ personalities and motivations are sharp and witty, and occasionally even a little prophetic. I think the symbolism of her name is deliberate: she’s really like a flower, a flower that blooms with the right amount of love and care. The characters are believable and human, sometimes frustratingly so with their flaws.
The protagonist in the tale undergoes a series of epiphanies about herself, her life, and the world around her as a result of what she sees, does, and feels over the events of the plot. These are the insights of a young woman who is still quite idealistic about life and is oblivious of some possible challenging alterations that lie ahead in the course of her journey. Gulmohar Dreams reads like a dream, and Kamia’s narrative flows easily throughout, giving the impression that you are her closest friend and sharing dreams and secrets with her. The reading experience felt more intimate due to her strong presence, which was alive with emotions and curiosity. She was vivacious and found solace in her writing, her solitude, and her love of nature.
The novel was written in the form of a very self-aware narrator’s journal, and the author wrote it with a firm eye on the kind of story-telling qualities that brought her there. Both of these things anticipated my needs and wants as a reader so quickly that I felt both excited and satisfied at all times. The character development unfolds with the grace and beauty of a blooming flower. Similarly to how the seasons change, the plot unfolds imperceptibly but inexorably. The passion was authenticated in a way that was both heartfelt and, at times, exasperatingly genuine. That, in addition to the fact that it deals with universal themes, is, in my opinion, what has allowed it to stand out.
