2 very different women

On a recent trip to India ( to be with my dad on his 80th birthday. Yes, he is 80+ plus and truly rocking) - I read 2 books on the long flights to and back. Coincidentally both were stories of very strong women written in the first person.

On the flight to Bangalore I read "Provoked" the story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia . She came to England from India in an arranged marriage to a very strange man. Many years of abuse of every kind imaginable ended in her setting her husband on fire and causing his death. Apparently she remarks sometimes with macabre humor that she is a "self made widow" !
It was a case that captured the public imagination when it happened and finally resulted in an early release from prison for Ahluwalia because of the circumstances of the case.
It was an utterly depressing read. Made more so because I could imagine quite well what the journey for a girl from Punjab into a dinghy London home would have meant. As I crib about the
life of an expat myself - I must remind myself more frequently how much worse it would be to be an "expat" with no one to speak to while tolerating abuse and coming to grips with an alien society whose langauge you don't speak too well.
Ahluwalia still lives in England - employed by the Royal Mail.

On the return flight I read "Remembering Anne Frank" by Miep Gies , the Dutch woman who played a huge role in sheltering the Jewish family Frank from the Nazis during World War II. It all ended in tragedy with the family discovered by the Germans and sent to concentration camps where Anne, her sister and mother persished.

It is a remarkable book about this heroine who had a strong sense of right and wrong. And at great personal risk - she sheltered and cared for the Franks in a secret set of rooms on the top floors of Mr. Otto Frank's factory. Having lived in Amsterdam for 3 years and having visited the Anne Frank house( and of course having read the young girl's diary ) added a big layer of understanding and appreciation to my reading of this book.

 It struck me only after completing both the books that they were so similar in being the stories of strong women. And yet were so different. Would I say Kiranjit Ahluwalia showed greatness in her actions? She was a desperately wronged woman pushed to the wall ......who then took the most drastic action possible. A great story , a lesson to all of us, a great task ahead for women's rights campaigners but an admirable woman ? Not in my view.

 Miep Gies, on the other hand, was a truly outstanding human being - who showed strength of conviction in the face of adversity - many many times over. It's not easy to know that one could be safe by just keeping to oneself and yet court risk repeatedly to help people that are being unjustly discriminated against.
 I can't wait to go to Amsterdam again and revisit both the Anne Frank house and various other Amsterdam spots mentioned in " Remembering Anne Frank"....