The Ashram (novel)
First published in January 2005, The Ashram A Novel by Sattar Memon has since won the award for second place in the Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards, under the “inspirational books” category (winners appear in the March 2006 issue).
Cancer specialist Memon wins award for “The Ashram”
The Ashram is a novel that "awakens the consciousness" and “immerses the reader in a sensory bath that is India.” The Ashram is a beautifully written story, which touches on the subjects of spirituality, grieving for the loss of a loved one, violence against woman and the journey of learning to love again. It will touch the heart of anyone reading it, no matter what culture or background you come from.
Sattar Memon says, "Hopefully, readers will enjoy the story and it will have a positive effect both on their view of death and their ideas of women’s emancipation. Those readers, who find themselves like Dr. Kingsley, battling with the demons of losing a loved one (in this case, his wife) to suicide and going through the process of learning to love again or the women of this saga who are victims of abuse will find a healing and a voice. The Ashram takes this fear and oppression and shows how such trials can lead into happiness and fulfillment."
It has also been refered to in the article Women's Abuse in India, America and Elsewhere: An American Woman's Perspective by Judi Silva
"A 22-year-old widowed teacher in India is forced to climb upon her husband's funeral pyre and burn alive. Not far from where this is taking place, a young woman is found, still alive but blinded, eardrums perforated and her nipples and genitals torn away with a pair of pliers."
These bone-chilling words constitute the opening of a new novel "The Ashram" authored by the novice Indian writer Sattar Memon.