Learning to Make Tea for One is out now
Dear friends,
I was fortunate enough to launch my memoir Learning to Make Tea for One on May 10 at the gorgeous Champaca store in Bangalore. It was a well-attended event with friends, family and well-wishers showing up and it was moderated very well by Shrabonti Bagchi.
I had been dreading the event a little, particularly because the memoir itself was a difficult book for me to write. And most often, I have no control over my emotional state. Some days, I’m fine to talk about what happened, and some days, even now my voice cracks a bit.
But it was one of those days where everything was fine. Bangalore is unseasonably warm these days, unlike the days in May when I spent so much time in the hospital. But the bookstore, surrounded by all that greenery is a lovely space and I didn’t feel as warm and uncomfortable as I feel in most places these days. Shrabonti asked me about what compelled me to write the memoir, and a few days ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer the question. But now, the answer is clear.
Grief is often ignored and goes unacknowledged in our lives. But the further you move away from the event that caused you grief, the lesser it begins to matter. I also wanted a way to commemorate the lives of the two people I had lost. It took the form of this memoir.
I hope the memoir helps you grieve for those you lost too. I hope it helps you understand that grief is not ugly and doesn’t need to be stashed away. Talking about loved ones who have gone is the best way to keep their memories alive.
You can see some of the photos of the launch here.
Here’s the book cover in case you haven’t seen it anywhere yet:
During the cover design process, we debated a bit on what the cover should depict. We finally settled on these elements. I’m also very happy that the cover has elements of yellow which for some reason has been my favourite colour for many years.
I feel the cover has the right amount of melancholy but it also has a quiet sort of happiness. Somewhat like my life right now.
If you read the memoir, please do leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It makes a difference.
Thank you for reading!
Love
Andaleeb