‘Devil’s Daughter’: Vidhie Mukerjea pens memoirs

PTI, Aug 17, 2021, 5:53 PM IST

”A journey to hell and not quite back yet” is how 23-year-old Vidhie Mukerjea, daughter of ex-couple Indrani and Peter Mukerjea, describes her memoirs released on Tuesday. The memoirs, titled ”Devil’s Daughter”, is published by Westland. It gives the readers an insight into her life, how she dealt with her parents’ arrest, and how she overcame her depression and anxiety.

Indrani Mukerjea, who was arrested in August 2015, is facing trial for allegedly killing her daughter Sheena Bora.

Bora (24) was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Mukerjea, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012. Her body was burnt in a forest in neighbouring Raigad district.

”This book is not a plea for sympathy, attention or anything else. I can’t put into words what made me decide to write this book, all I can tell you is that I did. Certain things happen in one’s life that you can’t quite anticipate or prepare for….At the epicentre of the whole fiasco were my parents, and what got lost in the chaos was me,” writes Vidhie in the book.

It all began unfolding in 2015, on the eve of Vidhie’s 18th birthday, when her mother was arrested for alleged murder of Bora.

”That day, I began to be seen as the child of the devil herself by so many people .. If losing one parent wasn’t enough, four months later, Dad was brutally taken from me and thrown into prison on aiding and abetting charges, which threw me off a cliff, one hand clinging on,” she recalls in the book. Vidhie’s father, former media baron Peter Mukerjea, who was arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy, is currently out on bail granted by the high court earlier this year.

”From being a sheltered, privileged and loved child, I was suddenly thrust into an unforgiving world, alone, confused and devastated,” she added.

According to the publishers, the book, which can also be seen as a ”self-help book”, is a story of ”resilience, of kicking this world right back in the face”.

”A cruel twist in reality that was both permanent and without warning. Vidhie wandered the globe in a bid to escape these surreal circumstances, backed by the unrelenting friendships of anxiety and depression. It was a journey that would lead to a profound appreciation for the beauty this world has to offer, even in the face of an ugliness no one should ever know,” they said in a statement.

Hubli: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said that India is self-sufficient to face the threat of cross border terrorism.

His comments comes mid the ongoing Afghanistan crisis.

“India is quite strong and self-sufficient to contain the situation, also to face the threat of cross border terrorism,” Joshi was quoted speaking to ANI.

He further said that India follows the policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism.

“They will try to create problem in other countries but as we in the last 7 years at least, we have approached the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism,” said the Minister.

Afghanistan government collapsed on Sunday with President Ashraf Ghani leaving the country and the Taliban’s entry into the capital, according to media reports.

They seized the presidential palace. Several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country. Panic gripped the Afghan capital and hundreds of people on Monday flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.