I BELIEVE:

I do not see myself as a victim. I am a woman, who has come through, and the first step to coming through is having faith in myself - I know my faith will carry me through anything.

I believe in joy, in honouring, treasuring and cherishing every moment, and in truly living out every facet of life. I do all that my heart tells me to, and all that my conscience allows.

I have been through a lot in life but I do not believe that pain is unique to me – all of us suffer in different ways. It is just that my problems are more obvious than those of others. That is all the more reason for each one of us to find joy wherever and as often as we can.

Dedicated to every woman, Woman of the Elements is a series of songs – where each song is an affirmation of the strength, joy and power of each one of the elements that we women have within us – air, water, fire and earth. The book is divided into five sections – of the Woman of the Air, Woman of the Water, Woman of the Fire and Woman of the Earth. The book culminates in the Song of the Goddess. Through Woman of the Elements, I seek to bring every woman the joy and power she has within her. Four powerful women gave impetus to the book – each one unveiled one of the elements. They are Dr. Kiran Bedi (exemplifying Woman of the Air), Dr. Vandana Shiva (exemplifying Woman of the Earth), Meira Kumar (exemplifying Woman of the Water) and Abha Adams, (exemplifying Woman of the Air).

A verse from Woman of the Elements is a personification of my beliefs that led to my second book, A Heart that Honours:

The universe fulfils my every desire
My every effort does it support,
As I prosper so do all around me
And I burst on with joy and with hope.
I recognise all my resources
Joyfully I thank each one,
And I know I will receive tomorrow
When today’s abundance is done.
I embrace life in all its fullness
I embrace all it brings without fear,
I embrace the fullness of the moment
My destiny is now, is here.

A Heart that Honours is about the different things a woman honours in her life. It covers love, destiny, hope, courage of conviction, will, justice, roots, gratitude…. there are about 75 topics covered in all. The book is completely in rhyming verse. I still feel I have not finished… there is so much I have received in life, so much to honour. Through A Heart that Honours, I seek to bring to every woman the knowledge of the abundance that she has – within and around her. The four women who have honoured this book with their presence in it are: Justice Leila Seth: She honours Justice; Shovana Narayan: She honours the Arts; Indira Jaising: She honours the Law; and Ritu Kumar: She honours her Roots.

The peculiar thing about my books is the fact that though they are books of joy and strength, they have emerged from a background of sorrow and pain. Ten years of a violent and abusive marriage had shattered both my children and me. In fact, my son had completely stopped communicating. I left with my two children, out of the violence and grief, into my own world. That was six years ago. I am 41 today – and we have come a long way. My daughter, 15 today, is brilliant and sparkling. My son, from April onwards will be completely in the mainstream for his education.

Each book is a step ahead. I have joy today, and freedom – both of which I want to share with every woman through my writing.

Woman of the Elements was a journey in self-discovery, and A Heart that Honours is a song of gratitude. My third book is complete I am looking forward to its release by the end of 2008. I am simultaneously writing my fourth and fifth book. One is a song from my heart and the second is a humorous look at my own life.

These books are an extension of myself, my beliefs and value systems. The first was written in two months and my second book in three months. I feel I was so silent for so long – the songs just seem to flow now.

These are songs from my soul, and I don’t think I could change a word of the flow. One of the most beautiful things said to me – and one that will always stay with me was at Oxford Bookstore, Chennai. A very dignified lady by the name of Meera Raghavendra Rao came up to me and told me that she had connected so much with Woman of the Elements that she would let it fall open to any page – and felt that that was her message for the day.

Today my whole life is my children, friends and family, my writing and my cause.
I work with women undergoing violence. On any given day, I receive three to four calls from women seeking help. Mostly they seek emotional succour – just someone to hear them out. Sometimes they seek legal aid – and I guide them to the legal panel of Lawyers Collective, the Women’s Rights Initiative that drafted the Domestic Violence Act of 2005. We commemorated one year of the act in October 2007. My friend Rati Bawa and I designed a poster commemorating the act, which along with the book, Woman of the Elements, I have since presented to the President of India, the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi at functions held for the 34th Congress of the International Congress of Women.

Through my books I seek to empower women by helping them to discover the beauty, joy and abundance within and around them.

I have much to do yet and many songs to sing!
Thank you for walking my journey with me – by being connected with me through my books.

Warmest regards,
Rashmi Anand

Rashmi Anand is the author of two books, Woman of the Elements and The Heart that Honours. She is actively involved with women’s issues and their development.

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