Review: Does he know a mother's heart?

One book that made me cry while reading it? It would definitely be Arun Shourie’s ‘Does he know a mother’s heart? How suffering refutes religion’. The book actually made me question my belief in god. Yes the book is so well written with convincing arguments and proofs as to why he says what he does.

Aditya, Arun Shouries’s 35 year old son was declared as suffering from an injury to brain, Cerebral Palsy at birth, that prompted his wife and him to move back to India from US so that Adit could be brought up surrounded by the love of his grandparents, cousins and family. It deals with all the trials and tribulations they as a family have gone through in bringing up Adit. Their struggle to find a good school for Adit, their love for him taking them to various gurujis and ashrams to help him. It narrates many incidents that will tug any person’s heart. Every episode narrated is a lesson on love and patience that one can have as a parent. I have many a times as a mother been frustrated at the situation I find myself in and go into the feel sorry for myself mode, but this book turned out to be an eye opener and made me believe no struggle is big enough to handle and handle with love and tolerance.

What is clear is the father’s immense love for his child. The book written straight from the heart makes him question god’s ways. Why does god choose to give suffering to some? Why does he subject children to sufferings? What makes god make someone perfect while some grapple with imperfections? Aren’t we all equal in his eyes as is universally known? Isn’t his love for all the same? Then why are some discriminated…

Some serious questions the book throws up and with equally valid proven explanations. The book takes the reader through the holy texts of various religions to prove his point.

It is a book which I would highly recommend all to read. If philosophy and religion is something you like reading then this is a book worth picking up.

Hats off to Arun Shourie for coming up with a book which is straight from the heart. A book that has no qualms in refuting some well known religious texts. Well researched and well argued.