About the Book

After a sedate introduction to her forebears ,we have to buckle our seat belts and let the author guide us through the roller-coaster of her life. Our heroine fearlessly negotiates the complexities of life in multicultural Singapore and India, tackling the foibles of each society and takes her huge extended family in her stride. We go beyond the usual familiar and touristy India to remote areas of India, Nepal and Bhutan, working with leprosy patients, dealing with wide array of curious cases and rubbing shoulders with with dignitaries and royalty amidst mudslides and all kinds of disasters. How she managed a husband and two children is a mystery, although she acknowledges various helpers, always bringing them to life in fascinating detail. Many vignettes of people have been described in a manner not to be forgotten.

About the Author

Dr Susie Baboo Samuel
Dr. Susie Baboo Samuel grew up between India and Singapore carrying with her the stories, languages, and traditions of many worlds. A physician by training and a storyteller at heart, she writes with tenderness and humour about the ties that shape families and the journeys that define who we are. The Bear Wore a Swimsuit is her first memoir — a heartfelt exploration of memory, belonging, medical service and the enduring strength of love across continents and generations.

The author's royalty is pledged with a tripartite agreement between the publisher, the author, and the beneficiary to The Banyan, an NGO based in Chennai that rescues destitute women from the streets and offers them comprehensive psychiatric cover when needed. www. thebanyan.org.

The Banyan Story :
Vandana Gopikumar and Vaishnavi Jayakumar, two students from the Women’s Christian College Chennai, were walking home from college one day when they saw a scantily clad disturbed young woman running down a crowded street in a busy part of Madras. Without a thought they rushed forward spontaneously and flung their dupattas over her, to whisk her away from the curious spectators who stood motionless and watched. After they bathed, clothed, and fed her they phoned around for a safe rescue home for the lady and found, to their utter dismay, that only a handful of places were equipped to work with this vulnerable group in ways that focussed on community inclusion and agency. Undaunted, the young and enthusiastic duo started The Banyan in a rental in 1993 as a haven for homeless, destitute women with psychiatric overlay in Chennai. Over the years, it has grown into a massive, well-oiled ship manned by trained healthcare professionals providing comprehensive mental health services to those rescued from the streets–not just women, but virtually anyone who needs help. With multiple centres in different states all over India, The Banyan is a living testimony to two youngsters who allowed compassion to fuel their courage and vision.