One Foot On The Ground: A Life Told Through The Body is a fearless, intimate memoir by Shanta Gokhale that traces eight decades of a life through the arc of the body. A thoughtful blend of biography, cultural commentary, and personal reflection, it moves from a birth in 1939 through youth, motherhood, translation, illness, and aging. Written for adult readers who love literary memoirs and Indian cultural history, the book carries a warm, candid, and quietly adventurous mood that invites empathy and curiosity.
In One Foot On The Ground: A Life Told Through The Body, the narrative unfolds as chapters built around the elements and processes of the physical self—tonsils and adenoids, teeth and weight, childbirth and cancer. This unique structure offers a powerful, tactile lens on memory and meaning. The journey is enriched by vivid scenes: a childhood in a progressive Marathi household in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, the joys of badminton, Kathak, and hairdressing in adolescence, the warmth of friendships and a stint in cold England, and the challenges and rewards of raising children as a single parent. Through it all, Gokhale’s effortless humor and candor make a life feel as universal as it is deeply personal, linking everyday minutiae to larger questions of identity, culture, and resilience.
- Eight decades explored through the arc of the body, from birth to old age
- Chapters organized around physical experiences—tonsils, teeth, weight, childbirth, cancer—that illuminate memory and meaning
- Rich settings and intimate portraits—from Mumbai’s Shivaji Park to England and beyond
- A warm, witty, and candid voice that blends memoir, cultural history, and feminist insight
- Accessible reflections on aging, illness, motherhood, translation, and the craft of writing
Reading One Foot On The Ground: A Life Told Through The Body rewards you with a vivid portrait of a life lived with curiosity, humor, and grace. It invites readers to see how the body carries memory, how resilience is forged in daily life, and how storytelling can illuminate both ordinary moments and profound transitions. This is a lasting, uplifting exploration of identity, memory, and the art of living well through all stages of life.
