HarperCollins Unbroken

Very intense, emotional, goosebumps giving & forces you to think that how come after so severe blows, someone can still remain unbroken, strong, balanced & emotionally stable & calm. Murder or no murder is a different tangent but hats off to Indraniji, she's truly a fighter & courageous soul. Just loved loved loved the book, its a super emotional roller coaster. Well written, very polished English & it's a very inspiring story. Waiting for 2nd book of yours ma'm. Also I am sorry as a news viewer that, I, too judged you for the crime which never happened or is yet to be proven.

This memoir by Indrani Mukerjea is a compelling account of her life, including the high-profile case involving her daughter, Sheena Bora's murder. Prior to reading this book, I had limited knowledge of Indrani and the case itself. However, after reading her memoir, I gained insights into the origins of the case and its subsequent developments. Indrani Mukerjea provides her perspective, spanning from her childhood in Guwahati to her eventual release from prison more than six years later.What sets this book apart is its unique structure, with chapters alternating between recounting events from the past and her experiences during her time in prison. This narrative style adds depth and intrigue to the storytelling.Throughout the book, Indrani maintains a straightforward and candid tone, making her narrative relatable and engaging for readers as she forthrightly shares both her professional and personal life experiences.Furthermore, it sheds light on the compassionate prison personnel, empathetic legal advocates, and supportive medical professionals, and, most significantly, it unveils the unvarnished reality of friends and family, exposing their true colors in the process.In all, this memoir is a candid version of Indrani’s side of the story that talks about a lot of issues in her life and how she overcame them all, made a path for herself, and became resilient in spite of all the hurdles that were thrown at her, the ultimate one being accused of murdering her own daughter!

A rich, powerful, beautiful, and opinionated woman is always an eye sore for society. All it takes is one weak moment for the forces to pull her down, and stamp her till she stays down – shown her place in the order of things. Indrani Mukerjea is neither down nor can be shown her place. She will rise like a Phoenix, to claim what is rightfully hers.Indrani’s memoir is a reminder of how lopsided the societal outlook about women is. A media baron who hobnobbed with the elites of high-society was thrown into jail, accused of a heinous crime, nobody had any clue about.A burnt body and a tip off were all that the police had to start this “witch hunt” and instigate a woman who was blissfully planning her daughter’s 18th birthday.Unbroken is about Indrani, her past, and all the people who made her who she is today.I found two contradicting views:Indrani once declared that Peter was her favorite husband.When she was arrested, she was devastated to learn how easily Peter and his family abandoned her. Deleted her presence from their lives.When I received the book, I had mixed feelings. Some excitement, some curiosity, and some skepticism. I wanted to read the memoir without any judgement. It is very difficult, to remain unbiased. As humans you tend to take sides. Or at least have more sympathy to one party over the other. Unbroken is Indrani’s explosive account of events that happened from her childhood till she was released from Byculla jail.As a common person, reading about Indrani and her past was an eye-opener. I went through several emotions. Actually, I took more than my usual time to complete reading the book. Indrani has laboriously captured each and every detail of her tumultuous past. Her abusive relationship with her Father that seemed to affect every relation she eventually has with men is something I could easily sympathize with. I understood her pain, her feeling of shame and the urge to flee her home. To a safe future.Indrani’s story is dotted with references of her troubled relationship with her aloof Mother who could have changed the course of Indrani’s life. If her Mother had taken a strong stance and stood up for her, maybe Indrani’s life would have been different. Who knows?A lot of emotional trauma that Indrani writes about seems to stem from her childhood that overtakes her present and clouds all her decisions. Be it leaving Sidharth, leaving her first husband, or even remaining with Peter despite all the red flags. The constant urge to have a “stable” family life, which her parents failed to provide, seemed to be the subconscious factor that propelled her towards doom and into the arms of men who were undeserving of her presence and affection. Be it Sanjeev or Peter.Some portions of the book made me cringe where Indrani chooses to describe in graphic detail about her intimate moments. I felt these descriptions kind of spoiled the effect that the beginning and the middle portions of the book had on me. I certainly wasn’t keen to learn about these details and was quite taken aback. Till here, the book was gracefully written, each line talking of the firm resolve of an ambitious woman who dared to stand up to the world.There is another portion that did not quite make sense to me. Is it even legal for a 16-year old girl to get pregnant and have a baby, just like that? Why did she become intimate with Sidharth if she didn’t love him? Even if she did, why did she choose to have the baby? When she did not have any plans for her own future, what was she thinking, having another kid? I felt really sorry for the two kids, left with her Mother back in Guwahati. But then, we all have such instances that we are not very proud of. Indrani is not immune to such decisions. As a woman and a Mother, I can relate to her angst of leaving behind her babies and her constant urge to prove herself and make a name in the world.While I do feel sorry for the kids, I do not judge Indrani’s flight to freedom. I am sure she assumed she would come back for her kids one day. Being ambitious is not a sin. An ambitious mother is seen as a criminal even before she commits anything illegal. Indrani, to my mind, was just seen as a gold-digger who wanted the easy way out to get what she wanted in her life. The fact that she was already established and was running a successful business when she met Peter Mukerjea escapes most scrutinies. There are references to the atrocities committed on under-trial prisoners in the jail that Indrani describes in detail. How she was considered a “laadli” because of her privileged background says a lot about how our system works.At 51, Indrani has come to terms with her life, she knows who her friends are. From this explosive and shocking memoir, I understood that it may be easy to rise to stardom, but to remain there is tricky. You can trust no one.

We have heard a lot over the years about a woman hailing from Guwahati, Assam who was said to have murdered her daughter; she remains in custody from 6 years and eight months; everyone cursed her, spread numerous rumors about her, she made in to many news headlines none of them in her favor but have anyone stop once to think what the actual truth might have been?What is the story of Indrani Mukherjea? Why was she taken to custody? Was she at fault? These are questions lingering in many minds including mine so it was a privilege reading her side of the story through her own voice.Reading through the book my heart broke for little Pari who was raped by her own father not once but twice and the daughter she allegedly murdered was the outcome of her father’s action. I don’t know how she survived that, I have to say she is a brave soul. Her boyfriend then abandoned her when she was pregnant, one of her best friends claimed her daughter as his own and they were to marry once she turned 18; she had a son with him but she never married him as she never loved him.She had a daughter with her first husband, whom she later divorced. At a business meeting she met her 2nd husband Peter, she was head over heels in love with him but the price she paid for that love was the highest.Indrani from her childhood was abandoned and hurt by her own, she was deprived of the love she truly deserved; misunderstood and judged by the entire world but just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, she too will rise. Returning from the flames, clothe in nothing but her strength, more beautiful than ever before.”This is one book that I could not put down once I started reading, a book we must all read so we all can know what the truth is, one book that is worth your time.