Highlights
Writer and founder, Aparna Piramal Raje struggled with bipolar disorder for two decades. While people raised doubts over her motherhood and work-life, she proved them wrong by thriving in both. And now, she shares her journey in the book 'Chemical Khichdi: How I Hacked My Mental Health'. The book is also Shortlisted for AutHer Awards 2023 in Non-fiction category.
'Chemical Khichdi' is not just a memoir but also a self-help guide for anyone who is dealing with mental health issues or is a caregiver to them. The book is divided into three sections. In the first part, Raje throws light on the condition, identifications, triggers and also shares her personal experience. In the second part, she narrates how she tackled the disorder holistically, and how to see mental health and well-being as one. The last part is filled with resources, reflections, and recommendations. In this book, Raje also shares the 'seven therapies' that have helped her hack' and manage her mental health, leading to a balanced life over the years.
Through this book, the author gives out the message that those suffering from mental health disorders can live with a vulnerability and yet thrive in life. In her candid and empathetic style, Raje has tried to bring down the stigmas associated with bipolar and mental health issues. The statistics, toolkits, helplines, extracts from her personal journal entries, poems, dos and don'ts, testimonials from family, friends, doctors-- all of these make add value to the book. This is an important book for anyone struggling with mental health or for those who know them.
How critics view the book:
Anand Mahindra, Non-executive Chairperson- Mahindra Group, said, "A story of hope...I salute her courage and her resolve to help others."
Author Jerry Pinto said, "The price of our silence about mental health issues is the loneliness and isolation of those who suffer from them and the mystified sadness of those who love them. Aparna Piramal Raje's book will throw light much-needed light upon an area of darkness."
