Bahrain resident Rohini Sunderam has written a book that focuses on the parallel yet very different lives of people in the kingdom.
Five Lives One Day in Bahrain is a piece of general fiction that traces the lives of a Sri Lankan housemaid, a municipal garbage truck driver from India, a British banker, a Filipina beauty salon worker and a young Bahraini boy.
“I have lived in Bahrain for a long time and I wanted to write a story that represents us, our diversity and differences, our hopes and dreams and our humanity and caring nature,” Ms Sunderam told the GDN.
“It really is about the extraordinary capabilities of ordinary people. Perhaps true anywhere but I feel particularly so here.”
Having initially written the book as part of a Bahrain Writers’ Circle (BWC) competition in 2012-2013 that didn’t come to fruition, the author who has already published three books approached her publisher and it was released in August 2016.
“I had no idea when I decided to write it that it was going to be about these five people,” said Ms Sunderam.
“It was November 2012 and I was near Bab Al Bahrain when I heard the Adhaan from the mosque.
“That triggered something in my head.
“By the time I reached home that evening I sort of knew that the story was going to represent the residents of Bahrain.
“I also knew that the time-frame was going to cover one day and it would use the five prayers.”
Having based the characters on people she has known over the years, the author described how the booked developed in a linear fashion where she didn’t know the ending.
“The people were so disparate and had such different lives that I kept wondering how and what would bring them together,” explained Ms Sunderam.
“Then I read about a rather horrendous accident in the GDN and I knew that only something as awful as that could bring my characters together.
“But I didn’t want them to die – so I had to ask a few people whether and under what circumstances would or could someone survive an accident as horrendous as I have depicted.
“They said it would be a miracle, so I decided it was going to be a miracle.”
Although the book was written with no conscious message, Ms Sunderam wanted to share a story about “the basic goodness that exists in most people”, because she believes in it.
“I hope they (readers) will be able to look at their fellow residents with more compassion and acceptance,” she added.
“Even the young Bahraini boy who causes the accident is essentially a good kid and the accident occurs because he tries to save a pedestrian.”
Currently, the book is available for BD4 in a Kindle edition or PDF on www.amazon.com, Smashwords and www.ex-l-ence.com.
Ms Sunderam also hopes to have copies of the book in Jashanmal soon.
As a member and director of BWC, Ms Sunderam encourages budding and well-established writers to join the volunteer group which she describes as a “nurturing environment”.
“The BWC has been the spur that has prompted me to discipline myself as a writer, inspire me to write, explore my inner poet and opened my mind – at this late stage in my life – to different ways of looking at writing,” she said.