Magic Moments

Book Blurb: “I’m not drunk – just a litt-le high.” On a magical moonlit night,  Jai  and  Anusha  meet and fall in love. When they meet again however, they discover that Jai is the crass capitalist developing Rasa Vihar, the heritage building that Anusha and her NGO are fighting to protect. Inevitably they clash, with neither willing to concede to the other. The problem is that although publicly they are enemies, in private, they are wildly attracted to each other. – but when secrets and betrayals enter the equation – things really begin to get out of control.  Will the Activist and the Capitalist ever be able to find common ground? An exciting love story, set in Chennai from the best-selling author of Sweet Sixteen. I liked the lead characters so much- Anusha and Jai. Anusha is an introvert, a twenty four year old who finds it difficult to open up to people easily, and let them get close. She goes into a defensive state and retreats to a shell whe...

The Contract is yet another bestselling Indireads novella by Pakistani author Zeenat Mahal. Her works- Haveli and The Accidental Fiancée are my favorite. Like always, she has created another impressive story here with just the right ratio and proportion of tradition and contemporary that every South Asian can well connect to. Shahira is a divorced single mother who teaches Urdu to school children to earn a living and cater to her eight year old son, Shahaan’s needs. Though she’s independent and can make ends meet, the patriarchal Pakistani society won’t let her live alone without having second thoughts. The society where only the women under the ‘protection of a man’ are respected, a secure marriage is the only safe haven. But Shahira’s traumatic marriage experience with her abusive ex-husband and ill treating in-laws make her apprehensive every time she considers giving marriage a second chance. In an unexpected turn of events she agrees to a marriage of convenie...

Torn between her unrelenting father and the man she loves, Piali Roy can take it no more. She’s sad that her loving father upholds his principles more than he cherishes her, his beloved daughter. She’s disappointed that her mother never takes her side and no one understands her. Neither can she marry Sathya against her father’s wishes, nor can she forget him. Eloping is out of question. She therefore decides to go away from everything she holds dear- away from her parents, away from the memories of love, away from the quaint township of Jamshedpur. She joins the Christ Church School in Mussoorie, willing to live a simple life, with minimal contact with everyone she knew and wishing Sathya would never find her. And then one day after several months of frantic search, Sathya finds her. Piali Roy is a headstrong woman in her early twenties, belonging to a traditional Bengali family. She’s a very talented English teacher in a reputed school in Jamshedpur. She easily gets the ...

Set in the 1970’s in the town of Jalalabad, Pakistan, ‘Haveli’ is a witty humorous contemporary novella by Zeenat Mahal. It narrates Chandini’s story from her point of view- her childhood and upbringing at her strict influential maternal grandmother Zaitoon Begum, the widow of the last Nawab of Jalalabad; her romantic fantasies for Kunwar Rohail who is almost twice her age; her war of words with Taimur, the guy she’s attracted to; the return of her estranged father after 20 long years and the change of all her beliefs, values and events. It’s a roller coaster journey as Chandini eventually realizes who’s her own, who actually cares for her and where she belongs. Chandini’s mother had secretly married and fled with her lover who abandoned her when she was pregnant with Chandini. She died after Chandini was born, leaving her under the care of the grandmother, Bi Amma. Being from the upper class society she received home schooling, learned a couple of languages, read every p...

‘Butterfly Season’ by Natasha Ahmed is the story of Rumi- an unmarried Pakistani girl on a vacation to England, visiting her married younger sister Juveria, after dealing with her mother’s sickness for years and her eventual death. It is also the story of Ahad- handsome, charming, perfect Pakistani bachelor settled in England. When their mutual friend Mahira sets them up, they get along well without complain. But as likes match and getting to know each other the intimacies increase, Rumi’s conservative family, especially her sister closes in on them. Along the journey of over a couple of months, we follow Rumi and Ahad from England to Karachi, as they understand their values, their worth in each other’s lives. We see the love that transcends all differences as they make sense of their own mistakes, handle their present, and choose the happiness that they most rightfully deserve. I liked the story, and  empathized  with the characters. Even though I dis...

Stories of love, connection, and friendship that transcend the physical divide . Compiled by Naheed Hassan and Sabahat Muhammad, the book contains tales of love, connections, and relationships across the Indian –pakistan border. Every story tugs at the heartstrings in one way or the other, and aims at reviving the days of that shared past, shared history and shared territory. The stories by the Indireads authors, aim for a better tomorrow bringing about a conscious effort to empathize with emotions and sensibilities of people on both sides of the great divide, and understand sentiments beyond the borders. Words here are aimed to create that vision, bring about a change- in both perceptions and perspectives.     ‘ One Stupid Commment’ by Shuchi Kalra and Sabahat Muhammad takes on a journey with Aryan and Jahaan in their world of post nuclear disaster. As a peace negotiation of their respective tribes goes on, fate has them abandoned in a desert wi...