The Candid Life of Meena Dave

by Namrata Patel

Identity is something most of us examine at some point in our lives. It is universal to feel comfortable or uncomfortable in our bodies, our skins, our commonness, and our otherness.

The Scarlet Letter: “She had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom.”

You haven’t lived if you are not trying to forget.”

“I have scars as my memories. To fear is to torture yourself.”

What would it be like to belong?

There is no order to life. While time is linear, we do not have to live within its confines.

Aloneness was a choice, but loneliness felt different. A disconnection from others that felt more like a condition of how she lived her life.

Once you are over the age of 30 you can no longer blame the past or your parents for the way you are. Fix yourself, it’s within your control.

Meena was amazed that these women continued to learn, to improve in ways they believed made them better. It was never too late to fix yourself.

“I mull. When I’m putting together a story, trying to find the right angle, I let it all swirl around in my head. Even when I was young, I’d have a history paper due or an essay to write and I’d wait until the very last minute, until the whole thing was laid out in my head, before I’d start writing it. Usually in the middle of the night.”

I write down notes, but if I need to put pieces together, it has to connect in my head.”