A visit to Madam Bedi

I read an article with this title written by Tara Westover in a recent edition of the weekly "The New Yorker" dated 24th February 2025. It has come under the head "Personal history". The article has the above picture of a sari clad woman at the start. The obvious Indian connection attracted me to the article and I started reading it.

The story goes thus :- The author is a graduate student at the University of Cambridge in USA. She has formed a close friendship with a student named Sukrit. She has come against the wishes of her father who stays in Idaho and is not on speaking terms with her. She carries the hurt with her all the time and the bitterness sometimes spills into her conversation with her fellow students. Sukrit is aware of her pain. He suggests that she visit his mother in Delhi for a few days. She finds it absurd initially but later on agrees.

Sukrit's mother, Satbir Bedi, is a divorcee. But she is also a high ranking government officer enjoying all the privileges of power. When the author visits Delhi she is treated royally as a guest. When Sukrit's mother learns that there is only kinship between Sukrit and the visitor she feels relaxed and the two women begin talking more freely. Sukrit's mother tells her about how her wedding crashed and she got a divorce despite opposition from her father. She tells her that she got over the pain when she went over to Benares to her friend and cried her heart out. It cleared her pain once and for all and gave her strength to face life. The author finds it astonishing and wonders how this could be a solution for the pain in her heart. The article ends on this note.

After reading the article, I thought that this fascinating story could be converted into a good film. I hope someone does it.

Ravindra Shenolikar