For Lalitha with Love

This is a family memoir, a work of creative nonfiction covering the period from 1910 to 2013, which is more than one hundred years. Gitas father, Ram, a recently qualified doctor, leaves the shores of his birth place, India, for the first time. He leaves together with her mother, Lalitha, to look after him and the children-to-be. During this period, both India and Malaysia get their independence from the British Raj. Malaysia suffers the Japanese Occupation and is under the threat of communism. Chin Peng, the leader in guerrilla warfare brings havoc to Malaysia. Besides telling the story of her mother, Gita touches on these aspects as well. She also brings out the traditions and culture of this Hindu family and how it affects the running of the family, the welcome of sons, and the role they play in the rituals especially the funeral rites.