Tailwind Tales -Lalita Anand

Lalita Anand has a PhD in Finance from IIT Madras, MBA from Kakatiya University, MSc in Math from Omania University, has recently a Bharatanatyam artiste who has recently completed her arangetram, a ghazal singer, founder of the Teenage Foundation, an institution for holistic development of teenagers, a devoted daughter and wife, a loving mother and much more. Her life mission broadly has been in the areas of education, research and societal betterment. This book, her maiden foray into writing which adds the author tag to her impressive list of accomplishments, is mainly an effort towards helping teenagers navigate their increasingly complex lives which itself makes it a noble and praiseworthy endeavour. Her concern for teenagers comes across as does her primary worry that there is a gap between how we should be supporting our teenagers and how we actually are. 

121 p, Rs. 200

'Tailwind Tales' is a collection of 13 uplifting real life stories - each chosen with a specific theme to help teenagers (and even adults) - in moments of indecision, moments of truth - with the hope of nudging them in the right direction. 'Awe Inspiring' is a tale of how Mrs Vimala, a senior police officer's wife and the niece of famous cartoonist RK Laxman, encouraged Lalita to trust herself and complete writing her stories, just as Mrs Vimala had done with her book 'Mangalapuram Tales'. Sometimes all it needs for a doubting mind is a word of support, a look of encouragement. It also highlights the many talents we have that we do not explore or take seriously. Finding the right mentor or support system will help uncover our true selves. 'The Right Time' reassures every teenager that everything will happen at the right time - what is right for you will happen at the right time if you do not doubt the process - so just clear your mind of worry and angst and focus on whatever job is at hand and be clear about what you want. Her colleague Kartika Nair from IIT, Madras, who was unhappy at not being able to find the right partner benefited from this timely advise from Lalita and lo behold, she got a bargain better than she imagined perhaps - the perfect husband, a comfortable life and triplets! Life surprises you when you trust it. 'First Crush' is a story of misplaced labels of 'love' where two youngsters fall in love with their classmate fight and land in the police station while the girl they loved was blissfully aware of their love. Lalita sums it up well and says - you don't find love, love finds you..don't be in a hurry to find love. Makes one wonder - one must make oneself worthy of love, of anything at all, first.

'Mother's Mother' is a modern story of a young girl Trishala who takes it upon herself to initiate, interview and and select the right husband for her single mother.The happy union of Rishi and Sunayna is a result of the daughter's pragmatism and love. You are never too young to take up bigger responsibilities if you want to. A little initiative and clear thinking is all one needs. 'Adrenaline Rush' is a story that most youngsters need to really heed to - a combined studies night ending in a night ride in a car, an adrenaline rush and a crash that could have killed them. The boys lose an year, suffer fractures, end up in the police station just because of an adrenaline rush. Being clear about our boundaries, being able to say NO and not succumbing to peer pressure can be practiced. 'Girl on the Bicycle' is the famous real life COVID incident of fifteen year old Jyothi Kumari Paswan who undertook a 1300 km bicycle ride with her ailing father Mohan Paswan on the pillion -from Delhi to her hometown in Darbhanga district. It highlights the power and strength we have once we make up our mind - we can surpass the biggest obstacles. If she can, so can anyone of us. 

'Give Back to Nature' is about two young brothers Prasoon and Prashanth Trivedi who conceived a beautiful pool in a barren space in their colony, went about making it real by working on it, and created this lovely water body (two pools) on the hilltop where the most amazing sunsets, sunrises, natural ecosystems have formed - so much so that it has become a spot for film shootings. The boys conception of the idea itself requires imagination and courage, reflects hungry minds which thought of making things better, worked with diligence and ownership to make their vision come true. If they can, you can too. 'Konda and Kutty' is about two young men studying for a course in a Canadian University during COVID times. They find their friendship tested when they have to go to Canada for offline classes. Themes of loyalty, diligence, attention to detail are addressed here as the smallest of mistakes can ensure a big slip up.

'Myra's Odyssey' is a theme of displacement - young Myra is uprooted from her school to a new place in the US, finds herself being ignored in the new school, suffers isolation and self-doubt in the process, and through the love of her parents, friends and the right company and therapy, finds the strength to come back and achieve her potential -  securing admission to Carnegie Mellon University. 'Echoes of a Lost Son' is another classic story of a young man's life gone wrong - a promising medical student who goes to Russia to study, discontinues his study, falls into bad company, returns to India with a Russian girl friend, pesters his parents for money to support his alcoholism and drug addiction. His pregnant girl friend escapes him with her in laws help, and the story ends tragically with the boy dying in a bike accident. A happy family torn to pieces, a full life cut short because of wrong choices. The right company, right mentors and guides will help. 'Drug Bust' is another typical case which is on the rise - young children of busy and wealthy parents falling prey to drugs thanks to access to money and no guidance. Anika, a sixteen year old, gets caught in a drug bust along with many teenagers and is released with a warning by the compassionate police officer. A lesson to parents and to children - keep an eye always, look out for warning signs, for changes in behavior and take action before its too late.

'Bougainvillea Blooms' is Lalita's own experience of wanting to grow bougainvilleas in her home environs and struggling to get the right results despite her best efforts. Advise comes from an elderly gardener - the shrubs will not grow under the shade of the huge sal trees in the area. As luck would have it the sal trees get removed for some reason and the bougainvilleas bloom. Many times we feel we have done everything we can without getting the right result - there could be something greater at play which we can perhaps influence with our acceptance, resilience and never-say-die spirit. Instead of feeling victimised we can reach out for help to identify the problem and find out what else can be done. The result - bougainvilleas in bloom which is always a pretty sight. 'From Rush Hour to Solitude' is a short essay reflecting on the ephemeral quality of life, of whether we have lived mindfully, and how we can make a difference by coexisting with nature and living lightly on this earth that sustains us. Be aware of needless consumption, reuse, recycle and reduce.

'Tailwind Tales' is a noble endeavour aimed at teenagers and the youth and is executed with all honesty, humour, empathy and compassion. This effort is clearly about the teenage audiences and not about her and that's what makes it even more endearing. At no point does Lalita preach or lecture and it is her love for the young, her desire to guide and support them that comes through in every line - not like a strict headmistress but more like a caring well wisher. The writing is simple, clear and focused on delivering the message more than impressing the reader. The stories are crisp and short which is perfect for today's audiences. Most teenagers would identify with one or more stories and will surely benefit from them. 

I am certain that 'Tailwind Tales' is the first of many such books from Lalita, more so because the book is brought by the Teenage Foundation which would benefit with more and more inspiring real life stories. It has the potential to go the 'Chicken Soup' series way. I am also hoping the Foundation will invite each of these heroes for a talk or a session with teenagers which will inspire them even more. We need more such uplifting, real stories. There are so many around us.

Congratulations Lalita on a solid, noteworthy debut and here's wishing you many more. For those interested in buying it, its available on Amazon.