The Lost Identity

Disha is a timid girl, brought up by her parents as a homely, quiet girl, trained to be seen rather than heard.

She marries Giri, a man her parents choose for her. She goes on to be the ideal Indian wife—barely questioning or rebelling, and catering to the needs of her husband and an insecure mother-in-law.

Despite her constant inner conflict arising out of introspection, observation, and education, she remains largely silent and unheard in her marriage, as she was during her childhood.

Taunted and belittled by them, her individuality slowly disappears, at least to the viewer’s eye.

Will she ever emerge out of the shadows?

The Lost Identity is a must read for teenagers and parents, reflecting untold and little understood problems of millions of Indian girls through the protagonist, Disha.

Rita Joshi, born in 1953, resides in Jaipur with her husband, a retired Army Officer. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. An English Professor for the past thirty-six years, she is now retired.

Although she has taught all levels-from kindergarten to senior-secondary-, working with teenagers is her first love. The time spent in handling this age group has given her good insight into the working of teenagers' mind and the communication gap that often occurs between parents and their children of this age group. The sheer helplessness and frustrations of this age group, especially girls, was what motivated her to write this story.

Rita enjoys gardening, painting, and reading.