Becoming Farah

A very honest to God, well written book of a loving, caring and sensitive human being. Simple yet, elegently Farah recounts her transition from Farokh to Farah, and she also takes u through a journey of our city, from Bombay to Mumbai, as we know it today.

I could read the book at the final draft stage and I can tell you that this is thr book you should read, if you could read only one book this year. Thr author is an outstanding piano player and teacher and this book is her life account in India, including a gender realignment surgery - the very first in India. Yoy can not complete the book without shedding a few tear drops. Farah is an outstanding author, right from her very first book. Waiting for a sequel.

This book is simply un-put-downable ! Once you start reading it, you want to read .... "just one more chapter" !The language is simple, and yet, the memoires unfold so eloquently, so poignantly, so seamlessly. You start feeling what Farah feels !The book was all the more relatable to me, as the author wrote about the city I love so much and where I am lucky enough to live. The people and places are real and all so recognizable. The Memoires give you glimpses not only into Farah's own life, but also into the lives of the people Farah writes about.Coming out of the closet, even in today's emancipated world, is not easy for everyone. Imagine, Farah did it in the India of the 70s ! She underwent her gender reassignment surgery .... one of the first in India perhaps ... and not only did she not hide it, she flaunted it with flair and finesse !Yes, she rocked !The detail with which she narrates the pre and post surgery, would surely help guide other people trapped in the wrong body, waiting to get out !This book makes us feel less judgemental about those who choose a different path.Farah not only chose a different path; she beat it good and proper out of nowhere, so others could follow .... a wee bit more easily, a wee bit less painfully.At the end of it, you don't want the book to end. You want to know more. You want to ask Farah so many questions. Why she chose not to visit Bombay even once, even though her heart is so very much still here ! Why she didn't write about her life abroad .... I would really like to know what happened afterwards .... her struggles, her triumphs, her peace, her joys.Maybe, hopefully, there will be a "part deux" of her Memoires.Till then, à bientôt chère Farah et j'espère que tu puisses revenir visiter Bombay, cette ville qui t'est si chère !