The Chronicles of a Gynaecologist underlines the struggles of a woman even as she tries to hold on to her balance while passing through the various phases of life, coping with the demands of society, in addition to the ones her body places upon her.
Pregnancy is not only an altered physiology, but also has profound psychological consequences. Occasionally, these changing body dynamics are far reaching. The author tries to decipher the conundrum of a woman’s life as she pauses at each step.
The book is also a reflection of the author’s journey as a doctor. The stories have been inspired by real life incidents. The author has indulged her imagination to turn it into a soul stirring fiction. It explores issues ranging from something as important and largely preventable as medical complications of pregnancies, to touching upon the rampant superstitions and myths surrounding them, to the influence of quacks and preachers on a woman’s psyche.
It also deals with postpartum depression, things still regarded as taboo such as altered sexual orientation and intersex, as well as delving into shocking and serious eventualities such as rape, incest and perversions that always have the potential to tear apart the spirit of any human being. We live in the era of changing morality and social values. Every story raises a curtain and promises to be a revelation.
Some deeply entrenched beliefs, some dogmatic attitudes – the stories largely speak of the trauma and struggles of women from various walks of life, the concomitant defenses commonly resorted to, and not infrequently, the mounting retaliatory offences.
Women across the globe continue to suffer from pregnancy-related complications. India has an astoundingly high maternal mortality rate – a staggering 174 per 100,000 live births (2015).
As Mahmoud Fathalla, past president of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) said: ‘Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.’
It’s the time to take the wake up call. A smiling woman is the face of a vibrant society. A vibrant society is a proof that civilization is still alive. Let’s shed off age-old beliefs and bias, some taboos and some trials, and spread a smile on her face.
About the Author
“The most fundamental principle of medicine is love.”
– Paracelsus
Tripti Sharan is a medical doctor. She’s a gynecologist and obstetrician by profession, and a writer by choice. She works as a senior consultant at BLK Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi, India.
An ardent swimmer and a fitness freak, she learned the value of healthy eating and physical exercise when she lost her mother to a lifestyle disease four years ago. Observing and interacting with people is one of her favourite pastimes
Health, gender and socio-political concerns are issues close to her heart. She is actively involved in social work and in promoting creativity among the masses. Reaching out to people and inspiring them through her writings is her way of giving back something to the beautiful world that she lives in.
She’s married to a pediatric intensivist, and is a full-time mother to two adolescent boys. Pursuing her passion and profession together, is akin to constantly living on the edge, but it only serves to inspire her to write more and share more. When she is neither writing nor practicing in the hospital, she loves to listen to music, read books, or spend some time idling with her family.
According to her, she doesn’t see ‘patients’ in her clinic, she sees ‘emotions.’ Behind every emotion breathes a story, and every story deserves to be told.
As a doctor she gets to see them at their most vulnerable times, and these moments are both inspirational and revealing. It is her utmost desire to share with people the myriad issues that plague women in India.
Though it is ‘motherhood’ that draws a woman to her clinic, it is ‘womanhood’ that inspires her to write. In a country where a ‘mother’ has always been celebrated, she seeks out the ‘woman’ who suffers in anonymity. For ages, the mother-son relationship has been revered, and daughters ignored. No wonder the present is scarred by the wounds of the past.
As she tries to pen down the different hues of women, a question boldly stares at her – is a woman’s sexuality indeed her nemesis? It rises to taunt again and again. She searches for the answer in every story, but fails. She leaves it to the readers to make their own interpretation.
Maybe the reader can identify with someone in this book, or the characters may sound familiar. For in here, one meets the most sacrificing and most loving of species that God has ever made. They are called women! Yet, for the majority of those who suffer from complexities beyond comprehension, this book is just a feeble attempt to touch their lives.