This is an autobiography of Mannu Bhandari, in which she sheds light on some of the incidents from her life. She gives interesting descriptions of the atmosphere in her home, the nature of her parents, the games she played with her siblings and friends, the nature of her principal Sheela Agarwal, and her involvement in the freedom struggle.

Mannu Bhandari was born in Bhanpura village of Madhya Pradesh in 1931. She was a dark, skinny and sickly child. Her elder sister, Susheela, was quite fair. Moreover, her father always praised her elder sister. Mannu had to face rude behaviour and was frequently insulted. Thus, her father’s behaviour often made her feel depressed. Yet, there was devotion in her heart towards her father. She always said that her father was dignified, well respected and had a good name in society. On the one hand, he was tender, affectionate and sensitive, but on the other hand, he was often angry and egoistic.

In her childhood, the author often played gilli-danda and langdi-tang, flew kites and played with dolls with her brothers. In most of her stories, the characters are based on people from her locality.

The author’s principal at school, Sheela Agarwal, introduced her to literature. She inspired the author to read the works of many litterateurs. Under her tutelage, the author developed a literary bent of mind.

The author’s father called the kitchen bhatiyar-khana’.According to him, staying in the kitchen was akin to shoving one’s ability and talent into a furnace. The mother was the exact opposite of the father. She was braver and more forgiving than the earth itself. Every tyranny of her father was borne and accepted by the mother as if it was her duty. She always gave and never demanded. Everyone was very attached to the mother.

Once, a very orthodox friend of the author’s father visited their house and made several complaints about the author to her father. The father was quite worried; however, upon the advice of one of his friends, Dr.Ambalal, he put his worry to rest.

The author also took part in the struggle for India’s independence and at last the day arrived. The author considers 15th of August 1947 as the greatest boon of the century.