Author Turns COVID Loss Into Gift for Grieving Thousands

When Andaleeb Wajid lost her husband Mansoor to COVID after 24 years of marriage, she made a decision: he wouldn't become just another number. She would write him back to life.

Her memoir, "Learning to Make Tea for One," began as something deeply personal. At The Hindu Lit For Life event, Andaleeb shared why she felt compelled to write about Mansoor, the fun parent, the exasperating partner, the man who loved branded shoes and made friends everywhere he went.

"I wanted to make sure that he did not remain just a statistic," Andaleeb told journalist Soma Basu. "It was important for me that some of it was saved for posterity."

The writing process was anything but easy. Andaleeb, who had spent her life writing fiction, found herself wracked with self-doubt as she poured her grief onto the page. She even asked her editor what the point was.

But when the book published, something unexpected happened. Readers began reaching out with messages that transformed her understanding of what she'd created.

People told her that reading about her grief gave them the language to talk about their own. Years of unspoken loss suddenly found words through her story.

"It was not an intended result," Andaleeb said. "I just wrote it for myself, but I'm glad that it helped people."

Why This Inspires

Society often treats grief like an uncomfortable secret we should hide away. We rush past it, change the subject, or offer hollow platitudes instead of honest acknowledgment.

Andaleeb's willingness to share her raw experience has created permission for others to do the same. Her book has become a bridge between isolated grievers, proving that speaking our loss out loud can lighten the weight we carry alone.

During the session, Andaleeb also spoke about losing her father at age 12 and her mother-in-law alongside her husband during COVID. She described how she and her two sons have become a team, their relationship evolving into a new dynamic she genuinely likes.

Writing the book served another purpose too. "I think one of the reasons for writing this book is to put all of that here, put it aside and not think about it too much," she explained with a smile.

From one woman's need to preserve her husband's memory has emerged a gift for thousands: the words to name their pain, the courage to speak it, and the comfort of knowing they're not alone.