Roshini's second book focusses on saving marriages

Date: 23 October 2021 By: Andries van Zyl

Following shortly on the heels of her book A Life Altered: My journey from tears to hope, local author Roshini Pakkiree released her second book, entitled Pieces of Us: How our marriage healed from the loss of a child.

“So guys here I go again. I am extremely humbled that I found strength to author my second book. Four years ago around this time, I didn’t know my fate. The last thing I thought about was writing, let alone publishing. My guardian Angel did not allow me to shred away, since he now works for the almighty. He kept me on my toes,” wrote Roshini in a Facebook post announcing the release of her new book.

Regarding the events of four years ago, Roshini was referring to the death of her and husband Mark’s only child, son Sanjit at the age of only 16. Despite their sadness, Roshini and Mark decided to turn their tears into hope, establishing the Sanjit Pakkiree Train of Hope Awareness Project in 2019, a charity in honour of their son that motivates and supports others experiencing similar trauma resulting from the loss of a loved one.

A Life Altered: My journey from tears to hope follows Roshini’s journey to recovery and healing. The road was a long one for her and husband Mark. Her second book also touches on the couple’s healing process, but focuses on the strain the death of their son took on their marriage.

“The inspiration and motivation for the story, was that my husband and I have experienced that the loss of a child can put a strain on a marriage as both partners grieve differently and that characteristic of grief should be handled supportively. The norm is that most couples do not survive the loss of a child. In my book I wanted to show society that a marriage can be sustained through the loss of a child. I demonstrate the measures we took to help us heal together, even though the odds against you are heightened. The child is the fruit of your marriage not the glue that keeps you together. You both need the will, the need and support both ways to continue your vows together,” said Roshini.

Pieces of Us: How our marriage healed from the loss of a child is probably best summarised in the synopsis of the book on the back page: “Marriage, in its entirety, is constantly under scrutinization from both the internal and external environment; the former being the couple themselves and the latter being society at large. Losing a child further places an inevitable and uncontrolled strain on the already challenging relationship. The couple must have the willpower and desire to save and heal their relationship from the fated tragedy. There needs to be a committed effort and support by both partners in order to survive together through the rest of the journey; where the vows they had pledged can still be sustained.”

As with her first book, Roshini’s aim is not to make money out of the sale of the book, but rather to help support others experiencing the same trauma. Regarding this, Roshini is especially excited about how well her first book, released in July this year, is doing. “My first book has gone so far, now being used digitally by a church in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). It is also being used at a rehab centre,” said Roshini.

Pieces of Us: How our marriage healed from the loss of a child was released October 14 and is currently at the printers. It will be available from 31 October. The price is R50 per book.

For more information, send an e-mail to Roshini at [email protected].

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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