The Pink White and Blue Universe

In this collection of short stories India is encountered from multiple viewpoints. Whether it is the newly arrived expat Louise in High Ideals, confronting the vicious reality of beggary and a culturally alien universe, or the unquestioning religious devotion of illiterate Mrs Jewani in Bhai Sahib on the Second Floor, the false piety of the Harjani family in The Pilgrimage, or the gullible disciples and their guru in the title story, The Pink White and Blue Universe, India is unflinchingly examined. Caught in the Taj Mahal Hotel during an infamous terrorist attack, Tilda and Blanche confront death in Territorial Rights, while in Monsoon Interlude the dying lawyer, Arvind Devnani is forced to look back at a painful part of his life. The shocking disparity and cruel inequalities of India, including the status of women in a highly patriarchal society are further examined in Shamefully Female and The Wedding. Whatever the viewpoint, child or adult, male or female, tender, poignant or darkly comic, these stories weave together the elements of faith, sensuality, hope and pathos that pervade the many corners of life in India.