ABOUT THE BOOK
This book is a harmonious blend of genres, offering a profoundly fulfilling reading experience.
From the tale of five-year-old Raju in 1950s India, grappling with the mysteries of mortality, to Anil Chatterjee, a cub reporter in pre-independent India who dares to transcend class boundaries in pursuit of a princess’s love, Menon weaves evocative stories with striking imagery and minimalist prose. In another poignant narrative, Krishnakumar meets his never-met uncle on a bustling Bombay train, but before they can reunite and bond, destiny intervenes cruelly, snatching away the older man.
Menon’s characters are often swept up in the relentless currents of time and fate, caught in circumstances beyond their control. These deeply human tales evoke a bittersweet sadness that lingers long after reading.
The collection also features a stirring play about the supreme sacrifice by an INA operative, incisive essays and articles on parochialism, corruption, poverty, economic disparities, sexual harassment of women etc. and concludes with a poignant poem that illuminates the harsh realities faced by the faceless millions living on society’s margins.
The book is truly a moving meditation on the fragility and resilience of the human condition—one that will resonate with you long after the final page is turned.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
G.G. Menon (Gopal Gokul Menon) was born in 1951 in Pulankinar, near Udumalpet, in the Coimbatore district of present-day Tamil Nadu, where his father worked in a spinning mill. In 1956, the family relocated to Odisha (then Orissa) when his father secured a better job there.
Menon completed his B.A. (Honours in Economics) from G.M. College, Sambalpur, Odisha, in 1972. Soon after, he joined LIC of India as an Assistant. Following a stint at LIC’s Rourkela branch, he transitioned to a role as a probationary Sub-Editor-cum-Reporter with the Press Trust of India (PTI) in New Delhi. In 1974, he began his career with Syndicate Bank as an Officer Trainee, eventually retiring as a Chief Manager in 2011.
