PVLF 2025

Interview with Ida Jo Pajunen, Author of "Strong Woman Reba Rakshit"

Discover Reba Rakshit’s inspiring journey of strength and resilience in this interview with Ida Jo Pajunen, author of Strong Woman Reba Rakshit.
on Mar 21, 2025

Frontlist: Reba Rakshit’s life was filled with extraordinary feats of strength and resilience. What was the most striking moment in her journey that inspired you to write this book?

Ida: I came to this project while helping Jerome Armstrong work on his book Calcutta Yoga. That book was full of incredible yogis from Kolkata, but all of them were men. As Reba’s name came up over and over again when I would speak with people from the area, it became clear to me that she was alive in the hearts and minds of some many. Yet, her story was not being told. Beyond her incredible athletic achievements and barrier-breaking life, it stood out to me that history can be alive in people yet still not be recorded. I felt it was important that her life was documented in written form. This became more and more important post-Covid, as many of the interviews I had taken about Reba were with people who sadly passed during that time.

Frontlist: The book beautifully captures early 20th-century Kolkata. How did you go about researching and recreating the historical and cultural backdrop of that time?

Ida: The first thing was to draw on my time in this area. I have spent many hours and days walking the alleyways of North Kolkata— and even lived there for some time— and this gave me a feel for the place. This is also a time period I am interested in so I spent a lot of time reading about and studying the histories and philosophies that were shaping the beliefs and practices of Reba’s period.

Frontlist: What was the most challenging part of writing this book—was it uncovering lesser-known facts, bringing Reba’s personality to life, or balancing historical accuracy with engaging storytelling?

Ida: Both of those were challenging, certainly. I think the most challenging thing also surrounded the fact that very little was captured about her life and she left behind very little documentation about how she felt about her life. Many biographies draw from journals or diaries the person left behind, but I had none of that. I wanted her humanity to shine in the book, but that was challenging since I didn’t want to assign her my version of her personality. This was a balancing act that did mean that for brief moments, I had to draw from my own experience learning these same asanas at Ghosh’s College where she learned, or touring and performing on stage which I’ve done as a musician. I wish I knew more of what she felt during these periods, but as is common with many histories of women, very little was left behind!

Frontlist: Reba’s journey was not just about physical strength but also mental fortitude. What lessons from her life do you think are most relevant for women striving to break barriers today?

Ida: The journey has many aspects to it. While I know Reba was tremendously successful externally, I don’t think her life was always bright and hopeful. I think we have to remember that success is measured in many ways, and usually it’s personal. What appears on the outside outside barriers or external success-may internally feel very different from satisfaction. It’s important to take seriously both the external results of the actions we take and what we go through. Both are important.

Frontlist: Strong characters make for compelling storytelling. How did you shape Reba’s character in a way that does justice to her legacy while also making her story accessible to readers today?

Ida: I essentially wanted the book to feel like a circus performance. That was what guided the writing. She was a public figure who entertained. I wanted the book to reflect that- I wanted it to entertain and be accessible. I wanted to attempt to capture the awe and drama of a stage show. She was not a historian or an archivist, so to me, it didn’t make sense for the book to read that way.

Frontlist: Reba challenged societal norms by stepping into a male-dominated field. How do you think her story resonates with the struggles faced by women today?

Ida: Let’s face it— any woman who wishes to be taken seriously has the experience of barriers, struggles, or frustrations. Yet, I think her story is a source of hope. If she could stand on stage in a leotard in the 1950s and display incomprehensible strength, certainly anything is possible. The elephant stunt was no trick of the eye. She was capable of the impossible…. Sometimes she proved that three times per day!

Frontlist: As a writer, how do you balance staying true to historical figures while also making their narratives engaging for modern audiences?

Ida: This gets back to the tone of the book. Some stories are ok if they are more dry and historical. Reba was not that figure so I felt this book would not be appropriate as such. In the end, I had confidence that she had entertained audiences for decades and that her story could do the same now.