Defying the set norms Last Updated : 20 Mar 2012 10:13:23 AM IST By Zoya Philip BANGALORE: With his

latest book, Blissed Out, MC Raj is all set to break the tra ditional and societal barriers that have long existed. After publishing 15 other books, his latest book challenges what is considered normal and abnormal by the social environment that the entire world lives in. Blissed Out was launched at the Reliance Timeout in the presence of a few eminen t personalities and his family members. It is the search of a woman, Helen, for her true identity. As she seeks her true self, the story takes the reader on a voyage through the UK, US, India and Aote aroa, the land of the long white cloud. Aotearoa is the most widely known and acce pted Maori name for New Zealand. A couple of months ago I was in New Zealand for a conference on indigenous knowle dge. It was there that the idea to weave a plot that had a strong presence of a Maori came to my mind, says Raj. The story line dwells on Helens quest to discover herself after the death of her Maori husband. It also sheds light on the strugg les that the Maori faces in a bid for self-determination and realisation. As Helen gets entangled in the struggle, sub-consciously it turns her into a lea der of a sort. As her search continues, she encounters intriguing aspects of rel igions like Buddhism and Hinduism, before finally uniting with a professor in In dia. While Helen seems content with the end product of her quest, a young man en ters the scene. His entrance in the story gives the plot a whole new dimension a nd turn. Blissed Out is a book that was an outcome of various real life experiences that m y female friends told me about. It is a reflection of their lives, at some point of time or the other while they searched for themselves and true love, he inform s. In fact blissed out was how one of my friends described one of her relationships as , reveals the author. He further adds that any woman could relate to the book as it is influenced by real life instances and stories. Helen was adopted by her unc le after her parents died. While her uncle was a strict disciplinarian, Helen wa s hell bent to rebel and break away from the set norms. After her husbands death she leaves the Maori community to find herself. Though it is a novel, there is a n underlying message in the book. It urges every girl, every woman to discover h er true identity and rebel against the norms, he says while clarifying that by de fying norms he is not trying to persuade them to go against anyone. It is only to encourage them to stand up for themselves, he says. The book is written in a non-unitary directional manner. What the author is tryi ng to imply is that instead of only moving forward, the storys direction often re verses along with a number of events that occur simultaneously. This as a result gives birth to curiosity which keeps the reader glued on. Meanwhile another sensitive aspect that the book brushes is, sex and relationshi ps. Why should it be alright for men to have multiple relationships and a taboo f or women. How is that justified? he questions. This is not to say that promiscuity is the order of the day, but to say that how one lives ones life is solely their prerogative. No one has the right to question or raise fingers at their decisio ns, he asserts. In his words, the book, Blissed Out is all about getting over your inhibitions.

Topics: Blissed Out, book