Dr Haseena Chokkiyil, an author who has made her debut recently with the publication of The Kintsugi Moms: Transformative Insights from a Healer’s Diary, is an experienced holistic healer, a homoeopathic medicine graduate, a counsellor and a globally licensed Heal Your Life facilitator. However, besides being all these in professional and vocational spheres of life, she is a proud single mother! And this identity joins her with the women protagonists she has discussed in her debut book, The Kintsugi Moms. The book has two parts, with the first part having stories of single mothers who, with the help of Dr Haseena’s counsel, were able to get back on track in life after being broken on all fronts. The book’s second part deals with methods, tips, and ideas that can help anyone overcome a difficult phase in life and begin fresh, leaving negativity and burdens behind.
Dr Haseena’s journey as a single mother hasn’t been easy, and it may be one of the reasons she understands the trouble and pain women have to go through during their troubled phases of life. We can conjecture and debate the points of concern for single mothers in society for prolonged hours. In the words of Dr Haseena, it becomes difficult for a woman,
“Because, amidst the rat race to raise the children unscathed and whole, without the support of a partner, a single mother is left with an array of psychological and physical challenges requiring deep healing and revival as she readily compromises the most important person in her life: herself!”
Now, the fact quoted above is a big takeaway from the book by Dr Haseena. Women who leave everything behind and decide to raise their children alone, must understand that they have to take care of themselves not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. And that’s why the author has dedicated the entire part two of the book to the subject of well-being – ideas to keep oneself burden-free, guilt-free, worry-free and fresh with zeal for life ahead.
Not that Dr Haseena’s is the only book that deals with such issues related to single mothers, the approach by her, however, is different and peculiar. She has used Japanese phrases and words to name the tiles of the chapters in the book, as well as the title of the book itself. For those who know, Kintsugi is an age-old Japanese art of mending broken ceramic pieces with gold to add more beauty and worth to the piece. Likewise, Dr Haseena suggests that one must not give in to the pain and suffering but use the same to carve a new personality – stronger, subtler, and beautiful – better than ever. She has offered her opinions and ideas in the chapter Roadmap to Kintsugi: The art of transmuting your scars into adornments.
Dr Haseena Chokkiyil’s approach in the first part of the book is commendable. She begins the story with a neutral tone, develops it with a looming negative atmosphere that compels the women protagonists to slip into the abyss of helplessness and darkness, and ends it with a ray of hope transforming into energy and enthusiasm for life aided by her counsel but executed by determined women protagonists who are not ready to relent or yield against misfortune, misdeeds by others, injustice or any external force. These are some of the most heart-touching real-life accounts of some of the most courageous and brave women who have passed right through the storm and come victorious on the other side! Language, imagery, communication, and the narrative as a whole – everything about the book’s first part is commendable (along with the second which is rather factual and a self-help toolkit).
The beginning of the literary journey by Dr Haseena Chokkiyil has been on a pleasant note. Her expertise and experience have translated into the literary work in the self-help genre with most of the qualities intact and a piece. The Kintsugi Moms may help anyone who finds herself in situations that may cause emotional or mental breakdowns or just a few casual halts in the continuum of life. You can read more about the book here – The Kintsugi Moms by Dr Haseena.
Amit for The Indian Authors
