She Slipped Beyond the Edge: A Book Review and a Tribute

Tish Malhotra reviews a recently published book that is a deeply personal and moving tribute to Shreeti Yadav, daughter of senior journalist Shyamlal Yadav, who passed away at the young age of 20 in November 2023 due to fulminant hepatic failure. Written with love and grief, the book seeks to preserve Shreeti’s memory and share her light with others. In his heartfelt review, Tish reflects on how the book captures Shreeti’s life, spirit, and the family’s emotional journey of loss and remembrance.

She Slipped Beyond the Edge

*Tish Malhotra

You must have read obituaries written by journalists in newspapers and magazines. But alas, have you ever heard of a journalist father, along with his family, writing the heart‑rending account of how their own young daughter slipped beyond the edge of life and passed into the invisible but ruthless hands of death? This tragedy confronts you in full fury when you read the most unusual book, Shreeti: A Light that Still Shines, written by Shyamlal Yadav (father), Renu Yadav (mother), and Shikhar Yadav (brother), and published by Prabhat Prakashan. The pain becomes all the more excruciating when you approach it from the point of writing this piece. But life is like that: one has to carry the burning coal of grief while trying to maintain normalcy, however difficult the task may be.

You will find yourself stepping into the shoes of fatherhood while reading a hapless family painfully narrating every detail of how the cruel hands of untimely death took away their dearest Shreeti in the prime of her youth. Only the other day she was hail and hearty, before a seemingly ordinary illness turned fatal. Her life was cut short at midnight on 29 November 2023 at AIIMS, New Delhi. She succumbed to fulminant hepatic failure caused by acute viral hepatitis. She was just 20 years and two months old.

The book is a moving tribute, bringing together heartfelt memories from Shreeti’s family, teachers, mentors, classmates, friends, and neighbours. These poignant reflections paint a vivid portrait of her warmth, intelligence, and her dream of serving family, society, and the nation in pursuit of a better world.

The touching stories and personal accounts acclaim Shreeti’s spirit — her infectious energy, kindness, courage, creativity, compassion, and determination to make a difference. Each voice captures the inspiration she offered to those around her and the legacy she left behind.

“Shreeti” is a Hindu feminine name of Sanskrit origin, commonly interpreted to mean compassion, kindness, optimism, and positivity. All these qualities were beautifully pronounced in her bubbling personality.

Apart from being a memoir, the book has an educational purpose. With vital insights from the medical community that tried relentlessly to save her life, it discusses the causes of acute liver failure and advises preventive steps to protect others from such devastation. That is why the book is dedicated to all medical professionals striving to save patients with acute viral hepatitis progressing to acute liver failure. It deserves the kind attention of all caring and loving parents.

The book carries a foreword by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with touching tributes by Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and veteran journalist Sheela Bhatt.

The park in front of her home has been named Shreeti Vatika. The blooming nature of this space will forever remind visitors of her chirping, charming presence.

****************

Book Overview
Title: Shreeti: A Light That Still Shines

Author: Shyamlal Yadav

Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.

Format: Available in both Kindle Edition and Paperback

*A Delhi-based freelancer.