Why I did not Die

For aeons, philosophers, seers, and mystics have contemplated upon Death, calling it an integral part of life, a culmination, an eternal disruption that gives way to the open vista of eternity and infinity, something we are unable to see. Until, we have someone like Dubaibased litterateur, Roxana Jaffer. A multi-faceted persona she is the poet, author, businesswoman and above all a humanist, who narrates a transformational account of her journey through life where she courted death no less than eight times.

Roxana’s book “Why I did not die” does not question the Almighty. In fact, the title is a rhetorical statement, an acceptance or acknowledgement of destiny where she was a hair’s breadth away from death and yet lived. Every experience brought her numerous lessons in its wake.

Defined by life’s experiences.

Speaking to Health, Roxana elaborated, “I never thought of these incidents as those evoking fear or anger. Despite my experiences, I never suffered from any fear of falling, pain, dying, because I was able to integrate the learning from each within me. These incidents define who I am today. When people are confronted by such crises they need to seize the bull by its horns, accept and assimilate it within oneself. My motto in life is Que Sera Sera.” Indeed, that is what the book conveys.

Scintillating narrative

The book is not a parable, or allegory or fable. It is hard as nails account of her dance with death.

From being scalded by a cauldron of boiling oil which triggered a 10-day coma, to going through the trauma of abduction, adoption, plunging down 20 meters that left her paralyzed, to life altering automobile accident and an ice cave mishap in the caves of Austria that required her to be air-lifted for surgery in an ambulance to UK, to a drowning encounter in the Indian ocean and the near fatal brush with death in the emergency room of a hospital with lifesaving surgery… there is never a dull moment in the book.

A miracle child

It’s not a mundane, everyday life that most of us lead. For Roxanne every single day has been a gift, and her life has been punctuated with such epiphanies where people around her marvelled at the way she dealt with it. If you look closely at the episodes one can point out that she had an encounter with all five primordial elements – earth, ether, fire, water, and space- and in every episode, there was always divine intervention that restored status quo in her life! It is not surprising that Roxana has been called the miracle child by her friends.

Roxana message for readers. “Most people fear meeting their end. Life is just one little dot in our journey to eternity. I had written a poem about this called Shoonya or Zero which signifies infinity. People need to experience real bliss, beyond the momentary pleasures. I have glimpsed that, and I think this should be the eternal quest for all.”

A must-read

What is truly endearing about the searing honesty of the narrative. The author’s voice is that of forbearance, wisdom, patience, and humility without a tinge of sadness or regret or ‘why me’ questions. Every chapter is framed by the learnings from each episode. It feels like the Pilgrim’s Progress chronicle where every little incident has a wider allegorical implication with a rich tapestry of profound takeaways. To say that the book is unputdownable is therefore, no exaggeration.