Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

© 2020 Penguin India

Meet Eight Youth Leaders of India and Know their Aspirations

Posted on by Penguin India

The Young and the Restless by Gurmehar Kaur, maps the journey of eight youth leaders, their aspirations for the country’s youth, their goals for themselves and their ideas for the nation. While giving a comprehensive understanding of the ideas and motivations of these leaders. The book explores whether these leaders are influenced by the shadow of their older party leaders.

Giving a clear narrative of the new-age politics of the country and where it is headed, the book provides a fresh view on the political sphere of the country.

Here we list the aspirations of these inspirational youth leaders for you:

1. Omar Abdullah

The ex-Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Omar Abdullah, is a driven politician with a zest to advocate for the peace of his native state. He talks about the Kashmir of his boyhood with its pristine beauty and the changes that have come about in the past few decades. Talking about the Kashmir of yesteryears, he shares what he believes is the best course-of-action for the state.

“That’s why I always say, for me, if we could restore Jammu and Kashmir in some way back to the state we grew up in, that would be the biggest service we could do to the younger generation.”

2. Sachin Pilot

The young Indian politician, puts forward his views about the importance of education in the the country. He believes that an educated society would do well to ward off the many evils of today’s world. With an insight into the many advantages of an educated society, Sachin Pilot explains how this nurtures people in the right direction.

“It’s not just educating children on an academic level, it’s about imparting ethics, values, history, our culture, not in a political way but to understand where we come from.”

3. Sowmya Reddy

Being an environment and animal activist, Sowmya Reddy ,an MLA from Karnataka, has always raised her voice against injustice. When speaking about the the many issues regarding animal cruelty, climate change and social inequalities, she stressed that one can only be more perceptible to social issues when they don’t limit themselves to formal education and have the freedom to learn from outside the world. She believes it is through this freedom that one can bring about a change in the society.

“With that, Sowmya confirmed to me that freedom was important to her and it showed through in all her actions, whether it was her choice to be vegan in a household that enjoyed non-vegetarian food or whether it was studying environmentalism away from home or whether it was to take the road less travelled and start an activist centre and cafe on her own.”

4. Jignesh Mevani

This young political activist and an MLA of Gujarat is known to have had a long history of political struggles during his initial years. Being vocal about caste discrimination from a very young age, he believes in working towards an egalitarian society.

“And what does working for the Dalit community mean? It means to stand up for them when they are oppressed and subjected to violence. that is what I learnt about leadership growing up.”

5. Shehla Rashid

An activist since her student days, Shehla Rashid has been actively supporting the cause of Kashmir and its people, gender and other social issues. She talks about the struggle of getting into the political sphere and hopes to one day be instrumental in bringing about a change for the country.

“I don’t know, there is bad in everything and we need reform everywhere, especially in politics. We need reform in marriage and we need more progressive institutions than marriage; similarly, we need better politics. Otherwise everything is bad.”

6. Aaditya Thackeray

The twenty-eight-year-old political leader from Maharashtra has ushered in a trend of new-age politics. Going against the grain in the political sphere, he has taken actions that represent a progressive understanding of the current world.

“I don’t think it plays much into my politics because the way I see politics or the things I’m doing in politics right now, be it the plastic ban or electric buses or trying to reform education, all of these issues are not only very important for me, it affects everyone.“

7. Madhukeshwar Desai

The promising young politician,  has proved to be a dynamic leader over the years. As a leader, he is aware of the responsibility he has towards the people and hopes to show people the right path.

“I think regardless of what I do, it’s about doing justice to what I do and making sure I don’t bring disgrace to something he did.”

8. Raghav Chadha

The twenty-nine years old leader, is a confident politician who strongly believes in his ideologies. Originally a chartered accountant, he realized the important for a corruption-free India, and hence decided to join politics.

“Therefore this thing has always been inside me. how can we actually get rid of corruption?… The common life is of an ordinary person who doesn’t know how to pay for his child’s next meal and that is because there is an unfair distribution of wealth due to corruption. Corruption is at the root of all causes.“

The Young and The Restless follows the journeys of eight youth leaders, their aspirations for the country’s youth, their aspirations for themselves and, most importantly, their aspirations for the nation.AVAILABLE NOW!

Step into the Wilds of Satapur with Perveen Mistry – An Excerpt

Posted on by Penguin India

India, 1922. A curse seems to have fallen upon the royal family of Satapur, a princely kingdom tucked away in the lush Sahyadari mountains, where both the maharaja and his teenage son have met with untimely deaths. The state is now ruled by an agent of the British Raj on behalf of Satapur’s two maharanis, the dowager queen and her daughter-in-law.

Here’s an exciting excerpt from The Satapur Moonstone!

————————————————————————-

As she walked, keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her, she saw how many roots there were—how many holes and ridges and places to trip. So many depressions were filling up with water, it was hard to know how deep the water was until she stepped in. If she twisted her ankle, she’d become an impossible burden. The men who had jogged so sure-footedly with the heavy palanquin weren’t singing any more; she imagined it was because their songs were fast-paced and she was forcing them to walk slowly. Or maybe they hated the rain, too.

She wondered if Colin had ever endured a failed palanquin ride. The ordeal of slogging through mud might be impossible with a wooden leg, but if he chose not to use it, his cane would also get stuck. Thinking of this made her step a little more quickly.

Eventually, her journey would end.

The dark rain cloud was both in front of them and behind, and rain continued falling in tiny, cold knife-pricks. She imagined it was probably raining at the circuit house, and that Colin was worrying about her.

When they came out of the trees, her boots were filled with mud. But the journey appeared to be almost done. Ahead lay what looked like a sentry’s tower.

‘We’re almost there!’ Perveen said, pointing to it.

‘No,’ Lakshman said. ‘That’s an old hunting tower.’

‘Should we wait there for the rain to stop?’ she asked hopefully.

Lakshman wiped water from his face before answering. ‘TheSatapur royal family used to hunt here because it is a good place for tigers and leopards. We are not so far from the palace. We should go on.’

Lakshman wanted to protect them all from predators and naturally wished to finish the job. She tried to form a picture in her mind of a bright, comfortable palace filled with lights and warmth. She had everything to look forward to, if she could just keep her feet moving.

After some time, she saw, through a break in the trees, a faraway wall. The wall stretched on. It looked like a walled city, but she was afraid to hear it was another place they couldn’t stay.

Lakshman smiled for the first time. ‘That is Satapur Palace! This is the place where you wished to come.’

She was too fatigued to answer, but his words made her legs move faster. As the fog cleared, she saw the wall was the facade of a giant grey stone palace punctuated with a series of towers topped by onion-shaped domes. The palace was so huge that it was surprising to see its massive arched entry protected by only two durwans. She
guessed they were guards from their blood-red livery, although they were not standing at attention but squatting under the entry’s filigreed brass roof to shelter from the rain.

It took fifteen minutes from first sight to reach the palace wall.

With a wide smile, Perveen rushed the last hundred feet to get underneath the entryway roof. But she realized that her movement looked like an affront, because the durwans cried out and grabbed their bayonets.

‘Do not worry, brothers! She has come to visit the maharanis,’ Lakshman said quickly. He had run up behind her.

‘It cannot be.’ One of the guards spat sideways as he regarded their party. ‘Who are you?’

Perveen realized that she was too bedraggled to look like anyone’s idea of a lady lawyer.

Resolve the mystery along with Perveen Mistry in Satapur Moonstone

First Mover Advantage? How Star India Beat Its Competition

Posted on by Penguin India

The Making of Star India by Vanita Kohli-Khandekar is the story of an audacious bet on an unknown market by one of the most colorful media owners in the world. When Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman, News Corporation, bought Star TV in the early 1990s nobody knew that it would become one of the three largest media firms in India with revenues of over $2 billion. Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation was the first major global media firm to showcase the potential of the Indian media market. Many other companies then followed his lead.

 

This book maps the ups and downs of Star India with interesting anecdotes. These feature a host familiar names – Richard Li, Rathikant Basu, Peter Mukerjea, Uday Shankar, Sameer Nair and both Rupert and his son James Murdoch.

 

Here are a few interesting firsts from Star in India:

 

  1. Star’s first big success in India was the creation of Channel [V], which created a buzz all over the world. It was also India’s first music channel.

 

  1. Star commissioned its first Indian show in the year 1993, called The India Show by Mr. Raghav Bahl.

 

  1. Star appointed Mr. Rathikant Basu as its first CEO of News Television India in the year 1996. This was also Star’s first senior appointment within India.

 

  1. Star’s first big success in the news industry in India was through an English news bulletin, Star News, in the year 1996. The show featured Mr. Prannoy Roy, whose rising popularity helped in the promotion of the news bulletin.

 

  1. In the year 1998, Star came up with India’s first private news channel Star News.

 

  1. The year 2001, Star launched India’s first private radio station – Radio City.

 

  1. Star recorded its first successful year in India in 2003 on the back of popular shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, on Star Plus.

 

  1. In 2014 Star revived and put on the world stage an ancient Indian game called kabaddi, through the Pro-Kabbadi League. It is now the second most viewed game on TV after cricket.

The Making of Star India tells the thrilling story of Indian television through its most notable protagonist: Star TV . The book is available now!

How Social Media Manipulates You

Posted on by Penguin India

A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence by Kartik Hosanagar, is a relevant read in today’s world. Surrounded by technology in various devices, the book informs about how the algorithms and the artificial intelligence underlying such technologies robs us of our power to make decisions. From what we see in the form of news, to the products we purchase and where and what we eat, our daily life decisions and routines are now greatly influenced by the huge developments made in the technology sector. Thus, the author talks about many more potentially dangerous biases which could emerge and how we can keep it in check and control it.

Here are a few instances of how social media is slowly coming to dominate our real lives:

As various social media feeds and its layout are programmed on the basis of an algorithm, it is widely known to be a catalyst for encouraging fake news. This fake news then helps in propagating misinformation amongst people, making them move further away from real issues.

∼

Social media has become such an intrinsic part of our lives that it has now evolved to control and hinder our daily routines. App notifications and the phenomenon of gamification, takes advantage of the human need for immediate gratification and be socially accepted, hampering certain habits such as, sleeping early, impairing one’s judgment to use their time in a better way, etc.

∼

The algorithms operating in various social media also influence our choices. While purchasing an item, the recommendations provided are known to gently push a buyer into buying certain things.

∼

Many social media platforms have their algorithms programmed so that the content one sees on it is personalized and filtered. Studying the pattern of the content which a user generally prefers, the algorithm makes decisions on what is to be shown to the user and what is to be left out.

∼

Social media is also known to affect people’s moods and emotions. In a research conducted by Facebook in 2012, it was found that people posted more positive posts when they saw posts that had positive content on their feed, selected by their news-feed algorithm. The opposite is also true.

∼

Many dating and socializing applications control the way one networks with people, as their algorithms look for people with similar interests or simply recommend a person to another solely based on the mutual friends they might have in common. This does away with the scope of connecting two people with differing interests, who might get along quite well too.

∼

The capability of such media platforms to filter our preferences to such an extent of specification creates a “filter bubble” which leads to a high degree of polarization regarding aspects such as music or even political ideologies.

A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence is an entertaining and provocative look at one of the most important developments of our time

6 Reasons Why Digital Transformations Fail

Posted on by Penguin India

Digital technology frees workers from tedious tasks, allowing them the opportunity to migrate to higher value-added responsibilities. As with any new powerful technology, there is indeed the potential for destructive applications. As with the prior three industrial revolutions, individuals and societies will be affected significantly, and companies will either transform or die.

Here’s a list of reasons why digital transformations fail:

  1. “Part of the issue is terminology. Most people don’t realize that digital disruption is the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The term “digital” is very broad.”

  2. “Transformation during industrial revolutions demands a different game plan than innovation within the current business model.”

  3. “True transformation must include building capabilities to stay ahead of your competition long term.”

  4. “For an industrial revolution – driven transformation to take off, you need a different, disciplined, new business model game plan.”

  5. “The transformation is incomplete if the new business model cannot be built with an eye toward perpetual evolution.”

  6. “The underlying cause of why 70 percent of digital transformations fail is a lack of sufficient discipline. There’s insufficient rigor in both digital transformation takeoff as well as in staying ahead.”

Using dozens of case studies and his own considerable experience, Tony Saldanha in his book, Why Digital Transformations Fail ,  shows how digital transformation can be made routinely successful, and instead of representing an existential threat, it will become the opportunity of a lifetime.

7 Things to Add in Your Beauty Regime to Stay in Your A-Game

Posted on by Penguin India

Roots to Radiance by Nikita Upadhyay is an anthology of wholesome beauty solutions for everyone. It is a self-care Bible to good skin, hair, teeth, nails and most importantly good health. With numerous hacks to enhance one’s system inside and out, the book talks about a mix of traditional Indian recipes and home remedies. These tips and hacks will leave you with a radiant skin and a healthier lifestyle.

Here we give you a few tricks to keep up your A-game:

Mix the coffee grounds with coconut oil and gently massage your body to exfoliate dead skin and get smoother body texture. The coarseness of coffee grounds helps exfoliate and polish your body.

∼

Sapodilla, also known as chikoo, is such a humble fruit! It tastes yummy, but your face will love it too. Peel the chikoo and take the seeds out, crush the fruit and apply to your face to scrub and mask at the same time. This is quite a multitasker.

∼

If your face gets dehydrated quickly after you leave your house, pour some distilled water in a spray bottle and add rose petals (desi gulab) to it and carry it in your bag. Spray on your face every once in a while to hydrate your skin on the fly and on the go instantly.

∼

Apply kiwi peel to your face to cleanse and keep acne at bay. Kiwi is rich in Vitamin C and is great for rejuvenating the skin and keeping excess oil out of the picture.

∼

Just apply mashed avocado on your face and hydrate, reduce pigmentation, reduce puffiness around eyes and get even skin tone by doing this twice or thrice a week.

∼

Add cucumber slices, lemon juice and mint leaves to water and drink it every morning to detox and get clearer skin.

∼

Mix water and apple cider vinegar in a 1:1 ratio to come up with the easiest solution that’ll tone your skin in no time. Using this in the morning and at night before sleeping will energize your skin.

Discover more such secrets in Nikita Upadhyay’s Roots to Radiance

Chilling Lines from your New Favourite Thriller ‘The Whisper Man’

Posted on by Penguin India

Still devastated after the loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the sleepy village of Featherbank, looking for a fresh start. But Featherbank has a dark past. Fifteen years ago a twisted serial killer abducted and murdered five boys. Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as ‘The Whisper Man’.

Here are a few quotes from The Whisper Man that will make your hair stand on end:

“The man’s heart, beating more quickly now, ached at the thought of that. He stepped silently out from the bushes behind the boy, and then whispered his name.”

~

“He couldn’t know for sure – not through reason. But his instinct was telling him that Neil Spencer wasn’t going to be found here. That maybe he wasn’t going to be found at all.”

~

“There was nobody there, of course, but he seemed so intent on the empty space that it was easy to imagine a presence in the air.”

~

“There was also a more general sensation – a tickling at the back of the skull. At first glance, the house had unnerved me.”

~

“The name alone conjured up such horror for him that it always felt like it should never be spoken out loud – as though it was some kind of curse that would summon a monster behind you.”

~

“A noise from above me, the sound of a single footstep. I looked up. It was Jake’s room directly overhead, but I’d left him in the front room playing…”

~

“And beside him, he’d drawn another person in his bedroom. A little girl, her black hair splayed almost angrily out to one side. Her dress was coloured in with patches of blue, leaving the rest white. Little scrapes of red on one of her knees. A corkscrew smile on her face.”

The chilling must-read thriller of summer 2019, Whisper Man is now available!

Know All about AI in ‘A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence’

Posted on by Penguin India

Kartik Hosanagar’s  A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence is a phenomenal book that notes how algorithms and artificial intelligence are shaping our lives, and what can one do to stay in control. As they are embedded in every popular tech platform and every web enabled device, these algorithms and artificial intelligence carry out a plethora of functions for us, from choosing what products we buy to how we find a job.

Kartik Hosanangar through his book tries to explain how and why we need to arm ourselves with a better, deeper and a more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon of algorithmic thinking. He examines various episodes of such algorithms going rogue and why one needs to be more cautious while using such technology.

 

Here are some facts about AI from the book!

Match.com, one of the most popular dating website in the United States was launched in 1995 and aimed at finding the perfect partner for people. However, in 2011, a Financial Times reporter exposed that although the company’s algorithm asked people to list the characteristics they would want in an ideal partner, these lists were ignored. Rather, the people that the website urged the users to reach out to, was based on the profiles the users had visited previously.

“The conventional narrative is that algorithms will make faster and better decisions for all of us, leaving us with more time for family and leisure. But the reality isn’t so simple.”

 

∼

 

The feature of autocomplete on Google, which was first introduced by Kevin Gibbs, is something that we now take for granted. There have been many instances where this feature has proved to reiterate the prejudices that are assumed regarding certain subjects.

“But it’s far more disturbing to ask if Google might have unintentionally led impressionable people who did not initially seek this information to webpages filled with biased and prejudiced commentaries, effectively delivering new audiences directly to hate-mongering sites.”

 

∼

 

The algorithms used by Netflix, Amazon, and other online firms through collaborative filtering produce a biased range of shows or products that are popular, rather than promoting obscure and niche items. This is primarily because the algorithms of these online firms tend to recommend things based on what others are consuming.

“We developed simulations of several commonly used recommendation algorithms to test the theory, and they indeed demonstrated that these algorithms can create a rich-get-richer effect for popular items.”

 

∼

 

Following the introduction of Google’s famously talked about ranking algorithm, which was made public in the year 1999, it resulted in various website owners creating “shadow” websites which would link back the users to their primary domain. Similarly, in the present age, Instagram and Twitter are working hard to minimise the presence of bot and spam accounts that are made to like and repost other accounts, thereby boosting the spammers’ rank on the platforms’ ranking algorithm.

 ∼

“And manipulability will only become an increasing concern as algorithms come to be used in other domains with more serious consequences. Suppose a fraudster knew exactly what rules credit card companies used to flag suspicious activity, or a terrorist knew exactly what TSA screening systems were looking for in their image-processing algorithms. With that knowledge, it would become easy to avoid detection.”

 

∼

 

Various social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and also search engines such as Google have become a great source of information and news for people over a period of time. However, concerns over the use of personalization algorithms have come to grab the attention of many, as the algorithms of such tech companies access information about our preferences over time, creating a “filter bubble” which only shows things that relate to our preferences. This results in the barring of alternate perspectives.

“As we engineer our algorithmic systems, the algorithms themselves certainly deserve a high degree of scrutiny.”

A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence is an entertaining and provocative look at one of the most important developments of our time and is a practical user’s guide to this first wave of practical artificial intelligence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight Reasons Why Every Parent Needs to Read Flyaway Boy

Posted on by Penguin India

Spirited and powerfully imaginative, Flyaway Boy is a story about embracing everything that makes you uniquely you.

Kabir doesn’t fit in. Not in the wintry hill town, he lives in, and not in his school, where the lines are always straight. Backed into a corner with no way out, Kabir vanishes.

With every adult’s nightmare now coming true, finding this flyaway boy will mean understanding who he really is. Or is it too late?

With her imaginative, lilting prose, that seamlessly follows the contours of a child’s imagination. Jane D’Suza gently but powerfully peels back the layers and reminds us what it is to navigate problems from a child’s level. Every parent needs to read this, as to truly help and guide our children, we need to alter our own labels and expectations rather than altering their personalities to suit us. Sometimes, the best form of nurturing is to let children be who they really are!

Here are eight reasons why you must pick up this book!

It offers a whimsical yet poignant exploration into a child’s imagination

“Then, during one push, some egg curry slopped over and fell on the table cloth. It made a shape like a bull with his horns lowered. ‘Pshooooo!’ said the bull, kicking up dust, and charging at the offending bitter gourd which was the root of all evil. Kabir ‘accidentally’ slopped some more curry spots around his plate . . . and some more . . .

AND THEN THE DRAMA BEGAN!”

∼

It reminds us that children don’t always follow our expectations, and that’s alright!

“But then Kabir always does things that aren’t expected. He should stick to the rules. His curly hair should stick to his head. His white socks should stick to his skinny legs. His ‘shoulds’ should stick to what ‘shoulds’ should do.”

∼

It takes a fascinating look at the trajectory of childrens’ thoughts and the fact that they don’t always move in an ‘acceptably’ linear pattern.

“But this line zoomed across them all and across the corner, almost knocking down someone. And that someone was Principal De. ‘Kabir!’ Kabir looked up and saw the maths teacher looking quite annoyed. ‘Have you drawn your line?’ ‘Yes. Oh no.’ Kabir looked at the blank page in front of him. ‘It ran away.”

∼

It suggests that a slower academic performance needs to approached with empathy and understanding rather than being dismissed  as  ‘laziness’ or ‘foolishness’

“‘F!’ She pointed out his mark. ‘In fact, if I could grade it any lower, I would give you a . . . a . . . G . . . lower than F. The school should allow Gs for children who are obviously not even interested in studying. What a Great waste of the money your parents are paying for you, and what a Great waste of my time and what a Great waste of any Godgiven intelligence you have.’ Kabir kept focusing on the way she grated out the Gs while she spoke. So very interesting.”

∼

Labelling people is tempting and convenient for us, but can be incredibly limiting and suffocating for children to conform to.

“Kabir’s sister Kavni lived in a neat little box which announced, through its flawlessly printed labels, ‘Class Topper’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘Hope of the Family’. Kavni used to be fun, but now she was a tenth grader and disappeared into her box to study all the time. No-fun no-more!”

∼

It reminds us that we need to stop comparing and pitting children against each other. This affects not only on the child being compared, but also on the ‘paragons of perfection’ who are held up as examples!

“Chinmoy slammed his fist on the table. ‘Don’t you people get it? It’s not fair! His face was now red and he was close to tears. ‘I do everything right, I get the highest marks and yet, Kabir has only got to do something wild and everyone surrounds him.”

∼

 Amidst all of the discipline, perhaps we ought to remember to praise a little more. A little gesture of acceptance and comradeship can change a bad day

“Josh’s hand—on his shoulder! Trumpets blared and drums rolled. Kabir puffed his chest out. He began to smile. He was walking on a cloud. Higher and higher. And higher. Right up there in the sky near the yellow smiley sun, from where he could look down at the school ground and all the children down there were just dots.”

 ∼

 Its essential message is to accept children’s’ differences as an acknowledgement of they really are

“Why can’t you be more . . . . . . quiet? . . . disciplined? . . . normal? . . . studious? All the ‘Why can’t you be more’s’ actually meant ‘Why can’t you be less like you?”

 

Get your copy of Flyaway Boy today!

Meet Zoya and Kabeer, the Starry Couple from ‘Love Knows No LoC’!

Posted on by Penguin India

In Arpit Vageria’s debut book, Love Knows No LOC, passion, stardom and international borders are about to collide in a spectacular fashion!

Zoya, a twenty-five-year-old Pakistani pop star, meets emerging Indian cricketer Kabeer while he is on tour in the country to play a match to promote Indo-Pak friendship. One thing leads to another and soon Kabeer and Zoya are inseparable. As their love for each other grows stronger, Zoya leaves Pakistan to be with Kabeer, only to return a few months later following a misunderstanding. In Pakistan, Zoya is gloomy and sulking, rethinking her connection with Kabeer. In India, a confused Kabeer is still hopeful of meeting Zoya.

As their relationship is put to the test in the wake of mounting tensions between the two countries, they both stumble across a long-buried truth that will forever change the course of their lives.

Here are the characters from the book!

Kabeer

‘Considering his loathing for the country, its principles and politics, it was ironic that Kabeer’s international debut was in Pakistan’. However when this debut brings the Indian team’s newest young all-rounder face-to-face with the stunning Zoya Malik, he there ensues a love story that seems to have been written in the stars, but jeopardises their careers, their families and everything they hold dear, including their notions of what constitutes national pride. Can Kabeer overcome his temper, his explosive reactions to being needled about his love and his ideas about the divisions between nations, to come to love the best and accept the worst of his relationship?

 

“The news of his scuffle with the reporter spread like wildfire and Kabeer was suddenly daubed with the dubious distinction of being the prime target of the Indian media. A public outcry was raised against his treachery for dating a Pakistani. Some senior cricket experts even took to a newsroom debate, advising him to stay grounded and not let fame and success go to his head. Despite the prevailing chaos around him, Kabeer felt calm and at peace.”

∼

Zoya Malik

On the face of it Zoya Malik has everything going for her-she’s a golden-voiced beauty with an impressive musical pedigree, as the granddaughter of the maestro Amaan Ali Malik, and daughter of a powerful politician. However behind the façade of her perfect life, she must deal with the weight of the past and a controlling father who abused her mother, conniving uncle and the loss of the people she holds dear amidst the furore that erupts when her desire to see harmony between the neighbouring nations and her relationship with an Indian cricketers seems to brings out the worst in the media and the people around her.

 

Zoya paused for a bit, ‘It’s about amicable relations between the two nations.’ The interviewer didn’t bother to disguise his scepticism, but Zoya rallied and continued, ‘I feel that performing in India could go some way to bridge the ever-widening gulf between Pakistan and India. Music is an art that unites people, regardless of nationality, and I would like my art to be an ambassador for peaceful co-existence.’

 ∼

Arko

Kabeer’s teammate from Team India A, he plays for Mumbai Riders in the T20 tournaments. His straightforward intelligence and unforced humour is the base of a friendship between him and Kabeer and his quiet support and relaxed advice helps Kabeer through difficult times.

 

“Arko was an opener from Bengal, famous for his summary responses to fast bowlers. He revered Sourav Ganguly like a God, and one of his most well-talked-about eccentricities was his never-ending recitation of the ‘Ganguly Chalisa’. Although he had met him only once, he informed every person whom he met about it and every time with a new twist—like a director taking shots from every possible angle to get the best result.”

∼

Ghulam

A young shop assistant in Lahore, he is one of the first people that Kabeer feels a connection with, in Pakistan, and makes Kabeer feel at home in what he considers an alien land.

 

“Ghulam picked up a couple of T-shirts, one of Tendulkar and another of Afridi.  ‘Take these as a small gift from a Pakistani,’ he said. He wrapped them up and put them into a paper bag. ‘We’ll come to watch the match tomorrow and for the first time in my life, I’ll cheer for an Indian in Pakistan.”

∼

Amaan Ali Malik/Naanu

Amaan Ali Malik, the maestro loved India unconditionally even after the Partition. He is also Zoya’s beloved grandfather who brought her up after rescuing her mother from her abusive husband.

 

“Just close your eyes, Naanu, and imagine walking with me on the beach where you taught me how to take my first steps. It was such a beautiful day when you held me in your arms. But do you know what moved me the most? It was your belief in me whenever I fell and failed in certain portions of this chapter called ‘life’. You were brave and courageous.”

∼

Yashwant

Kabeer’s grandfather, his feelings towards the country of his birth, Pakistan are rather complicated after the difficult wrench of Partition.

 “Then why doesn’t he listen to me! It’s a dangerous state and the people there are even more treacherous.’  ‘You too were born in Pakistan, Papa.’ ‘It was India back then. Pakistan is this new and strange country that sponsors terrorism, hate and deaths.”

∼

Vishal Sharma

A particularly vicious reporter who seems out to present both Kabeer and Zoya in the worst possible light.

 

“Vishal Sharma was the journalist standing in front of the crowd, waving a placard with a #shameonkabeer poster. He rapidly spoke into the camera, pillorying Kabeer and inciting the crowd. Kabeer thought he looked familiar and then he remembered. This was the same reporter who had questioned Zoya’s priorities and suggested that her avarice trumped her affection for her grandfather.”

∼

Danish

Zoya’s father, he is a prominent Pakistani politician. Having abused her mother through their unhappy marriage, his attitude towards Zoya is somewhat inscrutable.

 

“Danish sighed and raised his hands in a gesture that said, God, give me strength. ‘You know, for more than a decade now I’ve wondered what would happen if I admitted to you that I was wrong to treat your mother the way I did. But I was always there, supporting you from behind the scenes—when your visa needed to get cleared, when your Mamu jaan tried taking advantage of your situation, and whenever you needed any kind of help.”

Read Love Knows No LoC for a cross-border romance like no other!

 

error: Content is protected !!