LIFTOFF!

DON’T STOP UNTIL YOU ARRIVE

The road out of poverty is strewn with challenges. Butterflies of Success by Ranga Iyer chronicles a migrant family’s struggle to lead a better life. Image credit: JOELVALVE on Unsplash.

Ranga Iyer is a debut author with a background in English literature from the University of Mumbai.

She has worked as a lifestyle journalist at Bombay Times and Bangalore Times in India. After moving to Canada, Iyer continued contributing to online magazines including Suhaag while working in various industries – from the fast-paced environment of restaurants and retail to assisting in a photo studio at Amazon.

Butterflies of Success unfolds in Thakurli, a rustic suburb near Bombay, where a sliver of historical British colonialism merges with the vibrant lives of the Agris and Koli communities amid the British Bara bungalows and Chola Power Station, a coal-based power plant built in 1932 powers suburban trains. Thakurli’s residents live a life of hard work and hope.

The story follows the lives of Mukta and Prem, a migrant couple determined to uplift their family, including their four daughters, from the grip of generational poverty in this underdeveloped town. Together, they embark on a strenuous journey of struggle. Mukta, resourceful and unwavering, starts a boiled chickpea stall to supplement the family income. It grows into a full-fledged eatery, and eventually expands to include a tailoring unit. Her efforts help provide the family a chance to enjoy a better life.

Prem, a man haunted by his past, grapples with personal demons and family responsibilities, adding another a complex layer to their story. Through it all, Mukta’s strength carries her family through ups and downs, holding them together.

Each of the four daughters defies societal expectations in her own way, showing traces of their mother’s spirit.

Butterflies of Success is available on Amazon.

The heart of Butterflies of Success lies in the family’s hidden values of hardship and perseverance. While traversing the rocky path from poverty to prominence, Mukta and Prem’s family realize that true success comes from courageously facing life’s greatest challenges and continuing to move forward.

“Readers can expect an inspiring journey filled with life lessons about hard work and the power of perseverance,” says Iyer. “Butterflies of Success encourages readers to embrace both the highs and lows, because success is not about achievements alone, it is also about the courage to keep moving forward, regardless of the hardships.

“I wrote it because I am drawn to stories of strong women. Over the years, I’ve met many women who held onto their self-worth while becoming the glue that held their families together. As ‘caregivers’, women don multiple hats: they’re the managers, administrators, judges, nurturers, and even the ‘doctors’ of their families. Amidst all this, they find ways to retain their strength.

“This novel is my way of saying thanks to the quiet courage of all women, including my mother, sisters, aunts, and many, many women.”

Currently, Iyer is busy working on her second book. She also posts videos on her YouTube channel to share her experience as an author and to show how others can get their books reviewed.

Butterflies of Success is available on Amazon. Kindle Unlimited is $0, or $9.99 to buy, and Paperback is $16.50

Debut author Ranga Iyer.