Saheli (a support group for Women), and The Cambridge Library jointly hosted this event. Saheli, Friendship for South Asian Women is a group dedicated to helping South Asian women in Boston and surrounding areas. Saheli was founded in 1996 as an affiliate of the India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB). It provides friendship, support, guidance and resources in the areas of career and economic empowerment, physical and mental health, legal and immigration issues, support for families, and social and cultural volunteer opportunities.

Shona Ramaya, a talented author held a reading of her new book, “Operation Monsoon” on December 13th in Cambridge. Ramaya who has written two previous books, “Flute” and “Beloved Mother, Queen of the Night”, is also the co-founder and senior executive of a new literary magazine called Catamaran: South Asian American Writing.

I had not read Shona's book and saw no reason to try to. There were just too many new South Asian authors and I could not figure why I should read hers. I had braced myself for a ho-hum reading.

The crowd drizzled in to the small, yet cozy room. Since it was a blend of exam and winter season we expected a meek attendance, but a surprising number of people turned out. I was trying to spot the author and nearly missed her, as her diminutive form was almost lost in the crowd. This led me to believe her to be soft-spoken and not a “sit up and take notice” type of person. She managed to make me eat my thoughts a short while later.

After welcoming and praising introductory remarks by Soumya, a fellow Saheli, Shona seemed almost too shy and reluctant to accept the acknowledgement. She insisted on forgoing the stage and podium to be closer to the audience. She began talking and at first it sounded like rambling as if she was trying to get a feel of her audience and did not know whether there was going to be a click, or not. Then she began reading, and Shona turned into totally different person. She read snippets from her stories and I could see the strong connection she had fostered in her audience. I realized that Shona was in her own world now. She was allowing us in and we followed unassumingly. It was so mesmerizing that at times it was frustrating when she skipped bits, I mean I really wanted to know “what happened to Mohit” (a character in the story re:Mohit). This was a unique story as the entire story was in the form of emails. I knew right then I had to buy the book.

Speaking to Shona later I found out that her favorite author is Lawrence Durrell who inspired her to write. The marriage of fiction and reality is masterfully tailored in Shona's stories. World issues like terrorism and exploitation, and their impact on people, weave themselves into her tales. No judgment calls, just the sensations they deliver. That she has passion in her writing is beyond question, as only passion could drive that power.

I was struggling to find words to describe Shona (and those who know me know I never have a shortage of words), when Shona shared with me a description of her by another fan as a “literary activist”. Who could argue!

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