There’s a woman you might recognize. At family weddings, she’s the one everyone’s whispering about: “What a pretty face… if only she could shed a few pounds.” At work, she’s the one putting up with the boss’s so-called “jokes” that just fall flat. And at home, she’s the one keeping everything together while quietly crumbling inside. But now, thanks to Rajani Tewari’s delightful debut, she finally has a name: Ladoo Singh.

Guilt Trip: The Weight of Being Ladoo isn’t just a book — it’s a reflection. A hilariously foggy reflection that captures the chaos of Indian family WhatsApp groups, rishta events that feel like livestock auctions, corporate hallways filled with mansplaining, and the constant guilt that seems to follow women like a shadow.

But don’t confuse this with a tale of woe. Tewari isn’t about the sob stories. She’s all about the sass. Her Ladoo tackles body-shaming with sharp humor, sexism with biting sarcasm, and the guilt of motherhood with a wit that’ll make you snort your chai. One moment you’re laughing out loud, and the next, you’re pausing to reflect, because beneath the cheeky comebacks lies a woman grappling with grief, burnout, and the quiet pain of being everyone’s support system.

And here’s the brilliance: Rajani Tewari herself straddles two worlds. By day, she’s the Chief People Officer at GreenCell Mobility, leading with compassion and (as she admits) the occasional Bollywood reference. By night, she’s transforming shame into satire and guilt into glitter, crafting prose that feels like a diary entry you wish you had penned yourself.

The book is epistolary, laced with poems and diary entries — part Bridget Jones, part personal revolution. It’s also unapologetically desi. The chaotic dining table, the unsolicited rishtas, the dietitian suitor (yes, that’s a thing) — it’s all painfully, hilariously personal.

What makes Guilt Trip so refreshing is its refusal to be polite about things we’ve normalised. Fatphobia at weddings? Check. Motherhood as martyrdom? Double check. The “good beti” checklist? Set it on fire, thank you very much.

In the end, Guilt Trip is more than just Ladoo’s story. It’s a rallying cry for every woman who’s been told she’s “too much” or “not enough.” It reminds us that healing doesn’t require perfection. It requires permission — to be messy, to be maddening, and still be loved.

Dr. Rajani Tewari isn’t your typical debut author. As the Chief People Officer at GreenCell Mobility, she already wears multiple hats with a mix of empathy and humour. Add to that her side gigs as a poet, philosopher, mother, and unapologetic people-watcher, and you can see why her writing feels so lived-in, so piercingly real.

She calls her book “a gentle rebellion against societal checkboxes.” Every pun, poem, and punchline carries that quiet defiance. She has written the kind of debut that isn’t just read, it’s lived. And somewhere between the punchlines and poetry, you’ll find yourself nodding furiously in recognition. Because let’s be honest: whether we admit it or not, we’re all carrying nine flavours of guilt. Ladoo just has the guts to serve them with extra sass.

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with NRDPL and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR