Insignificant Me by Dr. Prathima is a collection of short stories. I have just finished reading it. The joy of completing a book is incomparable. Only a reader can understand it. It gives a sense of achievement. More than that, it leads to inner peace. I am an avid reader and used to read novels a lot. But lately, I have shifted my focus to short stories. It is mainly due to the tight schedule I live on. It doesn’t give me the liberty to freely sit and read hundreds of pages. Also, I don’t leave a book half-read. It doesn’t bode well with me. Whilst, short stories are quick to read. The exciting part of these short story collections is that you can start with any chapter as they are not interrelated. So, whenever you pick up the book, you can always start afresh. You don’t need to recall the incidents and characters. How convenient it is! It is how I tried to keep the reader in me alive.

Coming back to the book, this offers 12 short chapters based on vivid themes of life. They are not mere chapters of a book but the reel of memories that the author has experienced in her life. And anything that comes from the heart directly touches the soul. It is the USP of this book. Despite being the first book by the author, her writing captured my attention, made me engrossed in its depth, and helped me see things in the real world. And when I came out of the world of Dr. Prathima, I found myself surrounded by thoughts. With your reading senses, this book serves your mind as well. Out of all the 12 chapters, I like Insignificant Me, the title story, Science and Spirituality, and Online more than others. Let me offer you all glimpses of them.

Insignificant Me, what a captivating title! And it is a motivating story too. This signature story of the book, I am sure, would relate to each one of us. It might not strike the chords a hundred per cent. But, it is a fact of this world. I might be insignificant to him. I might be insignificant to her. I might be insignificant to them. But, I know myself, my qualities, capabilities, and potential. Who are they to judge me? And how does it matter to me what they think about me? Sadly, knowingly or unknowingly, we do judge people. We get affected by their opinions. It eventually weakens us. It makes us incapable of taking correct decisions whenever the situation demands it. This story comes out alive. The author has narrated it in a significantly lucid manner. It touches the innermost of the readers’ hearts. You will feel it as you read it.

Science and Spirituality is another chapter that levels up my excitement. The simplicity and beauty with which Dr. Prathima has shown the interconnection between science and spirituality are awe-inspiring. We all are aware that science and spirituality are interrelated to each other. But how? Rarely do people know about this. We need to look at the microscopic level to understand the concept. But in most general terms, science talks about and discusses the outside world while spirituality focuses on the inside world. Our earth has five elements. A slight imbalance in any one of these elements disturbs the entire ecosystem. The same goes with the human body too. In this chapter, the author has tried to establish a correlation between the mighty Goddess Kali and the human body. She also compares different parts of the human body with Goddesses. It becomes interestingly engaging for the readers.

There is another chapter in the book which I liked. It is titled Online. This specific chapter shows how our doctors worked day and night after the outbreak of tragic coronavirus. They were in our service without any breaks. And we should be grateful to them. This story might be inspired by the author’s occupation – Dr. Prathima is a dermatologist.

To sum it up, Insignificant Me lived up to my expectations and even journeyed beyond. I did not expect to find a book that offers depth and still be fun to read. You will notice the same. However, there are inconsistencies in the writing style. At times, this might surprise a reader. However, let’s not forget that it is the first book by this author. Her writing will rise in a better direction. All the best to her! All the best to the readers planning to read this one.

Get a copy from Amazon India – click here to go to the Amazon book page

Review by Nidhi for Active Reader