'Women fail to live their lives fully because...': Swastika Mukherjee unveiling Sreemoyee Piu Kundu's Memoir 'Everything Changes'

In an interactive session with veteran journalist Monideepa Banerjie, Swastika reflected on her own life in sharing how women often fail to live their own lives.

Speaking at the book launch, Swastika said, "We women constantly tell ourselves that 'Let me change this part of mine' then things will be alright. So we keep changing those little parts and eventually we lose ourselves. We feel hollow and empty from within. I was the one who used to laugh a lot, make impromptu decisions, and never say 'no' to anyone. I was 'okay' with everything and with anyone.

"I have always been very enthusiastic about anything. I probably got this trait from my mother who never used to say 'no' to anything. Even after being party to anyone's plans, one starts hearing 'no' from the person whom you want to do things with. Everything I wanted to do then, I couldn't. I felt I was not leading the life I wanted to live because my decisions were dependent on someone else's 'yes' or 'no'."

(From L to R) Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Swastika Mukherjee and Monideepa Banerjie

The Bengali actress, who is very popular in the Hindi film industry, shared how she now goes on to fulfill her own wish even if no one agrees to join in.

She says, "Now if I want to do something and not get anybody to be a part of it, I do it by myself. This is because when I look back, I see in various points of my life, the energy and excitement to do a certain thing left me for not doing it at the time of wishing for it. Now it doesn't matter whether I want to do it or not."

"As women, our happiness and decisions become very dependent on others, whether parents or children or partners or somebody we look upto. We, women, fail to live our lives because we depend on others and prioritise their wishes more," the actress adds.

The memoir chronicles two instances where the line "everything changes" played a transformative role in the author's life. The first occurrence took place during her time as a journalist in Bangalore, when she found herself at a crossroads after a life-threatening accident and a devastating break-up pushed her into a spiral of self-doubt and sorrow.

Fast forward to the present, Sreemoyee's younger sister, Sreelekha, inadvertently reiterates the same line, completely unaware of its history. At a time when the author was grappling with her lowest moments, Sreelekha's encouragement served as a guiding light, motivating Sreemoyee to gather the shattered fragments of her life.

(From L to R) Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Swastika Mukherjee and Monideepa Banerjie

Speaking of the book, Sreemoyee shares, This memoir is a labour of love, a reflection of the myriad experiences that have shaped me into who I am today.

"Through this book, I hope to connect with readers on a deeply personal level and inspire them to embrace change as a powerful force for growth."