Vaishali Roy (Ritu)
Daastan-E-Dil :
Story of the Heart
A Woman's Journey from First Love to Self-Love—Written in the Language of the Heart
Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you forgot to love yourself?
Have you ever called someone "जान" (life) while slowly dying inside?
Have you ever believed their promises so completely that you ignored your own heartbreak?
If you've ever been the one who loved more, waited longer, forgave endlessly, and still wasn't enough—this poetry collection is your story too.
"Daastan-E-Dil" is a raw, emotional journey through 36 Hindi poems that capture what happens when a woman gives her heart completely—and then has to piece it back together, alone. This isn't just poetry—it's the story every Indian woman knows but rarely speaks aloud.
★ Written in accessible Hindi with beautiful Urdu influences
★ For readers who love Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, and contemporary women's poetry
This book is for you if you've ever:
- Called someone's broken promises "waqt lagega" (it will take time) and believed it
- Made his comfort your priority while your own dreams gathered dust
- Heard "I love you" but felt alone in a crowded room
- Turned yourself into exactly what he wanted, forgetting who you were
- Accepted "time pass" when you deserved "ज़िंदगी भर का साथ" (forever)
- Been told you're "too emotional" for wanting basic respect
- Watched him choose someone else after you gave him everything
The Journey Through Six Powerful Parts:
PART 1: आग़ाज़-ए-इश्क़ (The Beginning of Love)
When love felt like magic and promises felt like forever
PART 2: इश्क़ की आज़माइश (Love's Trials)
When "I'll never hurt you" turned into daily heartbreak
PART 3: जुदाई और तन्हाई (Separation and Solitude)
The unbearable weight of missing someone who's already forgotten you
PART 4: आत्म-चिंतन और जीवन-दर्शन (Self-Reflection and Life's Truths)
Looking in the mirror and barely recognizing who you've become
PART 5: उम्मीद और पुनर्जन्म (Hope and Rebirth)
The first breath after drowning—learning to dream again
PART 6: नसीहतें-ए-दिल (Heart's Counsel)
The wisdom that comes only from surviving what almost destroyed you
What Makes This Collection Different:
This isn't romanticized suffering. This isn't "pyaar mein dard toh hota hai" (pain is part of love) philosophy.
This is the truth about:
- One-sided love that society calls "sacrifice"
- The loneliness of being with someone who's emotionally absent
- Rebuilding yourself after betrayal
- Finding your voice in a culture that taught you silence
- Choosing yourself when everyone expects you to choose him
Written in the lyrical beauty of Hindi-Urdu poetry, each verse captures the contradictions Indian women live with—the girl who writes love poems and the woman who finally learns to write her own ending.
Whether you're:
- 23 and heartbroken after your first "serious relationship" ended
- 32 and married but feeling more alone than ever
- 45 and wondering when you stopped recognizing yourself
- 55 and rediscovering who you were before you became someone's everything
These poems will remind you that:
भरोसे का क़त्ल (the murder of trust) doesn't define you.
बदनसीबी (misfortune) wasn't your destiny.
And the love you so freely gave to someone undeserving?
That same love, turned inward, becomes your crown.
From the Collection:
"तु मेरा वो चाँद हो.. जिसे मैं पाना नहीं चाहती"
(You are that moon I don't want to possess)
"मैं रितु हूँ.. बादल की बदलती आवाज़ से वाक़िफ़ हूँ"
(I am Ritu... I know the changing voice of clouds—and hearts)
"इश्क़ का कोई अफ़सोस नहीं"
(No regrets for having loved)
Daastan-E-Dil doesn't promise you'll forget him.
It promises something better:
You'll remember yourself.
Your story doesn't end with heartbreak.
It begins after it.
दास्तान-ए-दिल - क्योंकि हर टूटा हुआ दिल एक कहानी कहता है।
(Because every broken heart tells a story.)
