Word!

The Storyteller’s Tale

By Omair Ahmad

While Afghan warlord Ahmed Shah Abdali plunders 18th century Delhi, a wandering storyteller fleeing the carnage happens across an isolated casbah a day's ride from the city. When the beautiful and lonely lady of the manor invites him to stay and share a story, his grief at the destruction of his glorious city spills forth in a story of two brothers, Taka and Wara - wolf and boy - a tale of love and loyalty, hurt and distrust. The storyteller is amazed when the lady, or Begum, responds with a tale of her own, of Aresh and Barab, and a friendship that transcends death. Transfixed by their storytelling duel and shocked by the discovery of forbidden love, the pair draw out their stories in order to delay the moment of their parting.
 
Part fable, part fantasy, The Storyteller's Tale captures the twilight of the Mughals and transports the reader to the stunning setting of an unforgettable brief encounter. Adapting ancient traditions of storytelling, skilfully weaving history and the lives of ordinary people in a landscape of war and devastation, Ahmad's finely drawn tale draws from the great folklore traditions of One Thousand and One Nights and the Tales of Genji.
 
Omair Ahmad studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Syracuse University, New York. He has worked at the Central & South Asia Division of Voice of America, as Political Adviser at the British High Commission in New Delhi, and is the author of one previous novel, Encounters.

Click HERE fore more information.

Bollywood in a Book: The Reluctant Matchmaker

By Shobhan Bantwal

When petite Meena Shenoy finds herself irresistibly attracted to her strikingly tall boss, Prajay Nayak, a man who's determined to find a statuesque bride to complement his remarkable height, how can Meena convince him that she is his perfect soul-mate? Is Meena tough enough to make some sacrifices to win over the giant she loves?

Award-winning author Shobhan Bantwal calls her brand of fiction "Bollywood in a Book," romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of Indian culture - stories that both entertain and educate. To date, she has six novels published by Kensington Books and one anthology. Her debut book, The Dowry Bride, won The Golden Leaf Award in 2008. The Unexpected Son won the National Indie Excellence Award in 2012. Her short stories have won awards and honours in various fiction contests.

Click HERE for more information.

Glittering Decades: New Delhi in Love and War

By Nayanthara Pothen.

New Delhi was purposely built to trumpet the supremacy of the British Raj and inaugurated in 1931. Instead it came to represent a fading imperial dream in the two decades that followed.
 
In the heyday of the British Raj, strict social and racial hierarchies governed the social life of the city's ruling elites. And the frivolity of New Delhi's high society was kept in check by a faithful adherence to etiquette and protocol in everyday life. For example, the sixteen-button glove at a formal viceregal dinner party was of great importance as a means of maintaining the authority of the Raj. But the 1930s and 1940s were a period of transition. The political shifts associated with India's journey to self-government echoed in the social codes of conduct adopted by the Indian elites of New Delhi, and undermining the Raj's pomp became a legitimate means of challenging its authority.
 
Closely examining the role of social ritual, interaction and behaviour in the shaping of the city and its elite groups, Glittering Decades tells the story of New Delhi and its privileged inhabitants between 1931 and 1952.
 
Nayantara Pothen was awarded her PhD in History from the University of Sydney in 2007. Her current research interests include the impact of social life and culture on diplomatic relations specifically in the formulation of the Australia-India relationship in the 1940s—and decolonization, the domestic sphere, and New Delhi in the Nehruvian era. She has contributed to City Improbable: Writings on Delhi, a collection edited by Khushwant Singh and published by Penguin India in 2010.

 

The Invitation

Author: Anne Cherian

A moving story that redefines the meaning of family, friendship, and success among a group of first-generation Indian immigrants.
 
When Vikram invites three of his college friends to his son’s graduation from MIT, they accept out of obligation and curiosity, viewing the party as a twenty-fifth reunion of sorts. Village genius Vikram, now the founder of a lucrative computer company, is having the party against his son’s wishes. Frances and Jay regret accepting: Frances, a real estate agent, hasn't sold a house in a year; Jay’s middle management job isn't brag worthy; and their daughter is failing the eleventh grade. Lali plans to hide the fact that her once-happy marriage is crumbling because her American husband is discovering his Jewish roots. Each had left UCLA expecting to be successful and have even more successful children. At Vikram’s Newport Beach mansion, the showmanship they anticipate dissolves as each is forced to deal with his or her own problems. The follow-up to A Good Indian Wife, Anne Cherian’s novel resonates with the poignancy of real life colliding with expectations unmet.
 
Anne Cherian is also the author of A Good Indian Wife. She lives in Los Angeles, California.