The author, Duvvuri Seetha, was a young woman from a village in East Godavari. The first entries were dreamy, full of monsoon clouds and the scent of mamidi (mango) flowers. She wrote of her bava (cousin), a boy who taught her English under a tamarind tree, and of her secret ambition: to write a Yakshaganam (a traditional poetic drama) that would be performed in the Raja’s court.

The final entry was dated 1952, just a few lines scrawled in a shaking hand.

"I held a pen today for the first time in two years. My husband caught me. He tore the paper and said a wife's palm is for grinding pappu , not holding ink. I laughed. A hollow laugh. He slapped me. I did not cry."