Karunashtak by Vyankatesh Madgulkar

This is the story of a family. Dada, Aai, six sons and two daughters. Dada called his wife ‘fauzdar’ as she was a very strict and curd lady. Once she started shouting, no one would be able to stop her. But the house which had provided shelter to all, burnt one day. Dada lost all his strength, he surrendered to the cruel hands of death and that left Aai speechless, literally. Now she was pulling on but she was nowhere into any of the activities. She now had to tackle eight problems in the form of her eight children. Life had left her alone to deal with these eight puzzles, the ‘ashtak’ full of pity and compassion. Each mother has to face this puzzle; full of pity and compassion. Since the ancient age, each woman is destined to carry burden, one or the other…Since then she has to bear the fruits that her femininity has bestowed upon her… her children…a burden, it seems