Twice Upon A Time

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I love Pakistani tales, the Urdu glossary in between. I just tend to fall for the words, repeatedly. And if it’s an Indireads book, double bonus. What can possibly be better than lounge with one of these books on a lazy Sunday? ‘Twice Upon A Time’ has two novellas- ‘Sunshine’ by Jazz Singh and ‘Yours Truly’ by Zeenat Mahal.

Zeenat Mahal deals really well with the subtleties of human emotions and sentiments. In just a few lines she creates the image of the deepest feelings of a character, bringing out the vulnerabilities in them. She lets the reader see the core of these characters and hook for them. She has a way with words which is rare to have. She creates simple and believable plots.

The plots are my favorite- set in Pakistan. She portrays the culture and custom of the society well. I loved Zoey and Sheru- such a deep, moving story of love and belonging. We see how miscommunication can spoil any relationship, however strong it might be. It is like a fairy tale with dreams, aspirations, love, trouble in the perfect world, but with a happily ever after.

I had loved ‘The Haveli’, ‘The Contract’, ‘The Accidental Fiancee’ and I love this novella too- ‘Yours truly’.

Jazz Singh’s ‘Sunshine’ was awesome too. This was the first work by the author that I read, and I’m already a fan. I loved the character Aanya who is such an optimist even though she’s an orphan and is so troubled for a job. She’s bubbly, full of life, full of gratitude for whatever meager life has to offer. I liked Gaurav Bhatia too- the knight in suits who was hooked to Aanya’s contagious laughter and lively spirit. I loved Ira too- the cupid in the tale.


Looking forward to read more of Jazz Singh’s works.

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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