In Free Fall – Mallika Sarabhai

In this frank portrayal of her extraordinary life, Mallika doesn’t hold back in talking about her ‘thirty-year obsession with being thin’; her addictions like smoking and how she ‘hypnotised’ her way out of it; her fascination with alternate therapies like Pranik healing, Ayurveda and colour therapy, and the beauty treatments she uses for ‘future-proofing’ her body so that she can continue to dance and perform for years to come.

She speaks with equal candour about her battles with grief and depression— when she lost her beloved father, the space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, in 1971; a painful break-up with a man she loved; and her ups and downs with her children, due, in part, to her own relationships. The loss of her mother, dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, in 2016, left her bereft; yoga, dance, transcendental meditation and NVC—Non-violent Communication—were some of the ways that she coped.

Laced with humour and an earthy wisdom, In Free Fall is all about coming to terms with yourself and your body and finding the lifestyle that works for you. And how to make mistakes, pick yourself up and carry on. Never preachy, this ‘self-help’ memoir delivers an immensely useful message for anyone who wants good health—and happiness.