Indian-American girl pens a book to seek a change

RAMESH SOPARAWALA

CHICAGO: Shalini Patel may well earn the distinction of being the first Indian-American high schooler to pen a book touching upon the sensitive subject of gender inequality and finding one’s strength in a society affected by this phenomenon.
A senior at Sage Hill High school in southern California, Shalini has just published a book titled “Find Your Spotlight: A Girl’s Journey To Discovering Her Inner Voice” that talks about a young Indian girl finding her inner strength through her love for dance. The larger context is about empowering little girls to succeed in the face of cultural biases against girls compared to boys existing not just in Indian society but also in many other cultures as well.

Speaking to India Post, Shalini said that she wrote this story to showcase her passion to inspire change in modern society while tying in aspects of her own life. She has been studying Bollywood dance since the age of five at the nationally acclaimed NDM Bollywood Dance Studios located in Artesia, California, known as “Little India,” attending endless practices and performing in recitals and competitions.
She said that she hoped her book can raise awareness as to how the girls in our society could be empowered in finding their own spotlight, especially within those families migrating recently to this country.

“My mother, my aunts and my grandmothers candidly shared with me their experiences and stories about their upbringing. And so also many girls of my age talked to me about their experiences during my Bollywood rehearsals which indicated many things that the girls are not allowed to do. These scenarios inspired me to strive for or create a change and gave me the idea of writing this book” she said.
It is her firm belief that many of the girls will find for the first time a chance to achieve something that their mothers did not.”I am excited as a community member to help foster their potentials,” she added.

Interestingly, Shalini confided that the sale proceeds will be donated to Sahara, a not-for-profit organization in the area that is devoted to providing support to survivors of domestic violence among South Asian communities in Greater Los Angeles.
The initial response and reviews of the book seem very positive and encouraging. The paperback and Kindle versions of the book are available on Amazon.com.