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Parable on modern Indian absurdities

A parable rooted in the absurdities of modern India, this novel takes a lighthearted dig at the pretensions of people who matter.

Published on: Oct 27, 2010, 06:52:12 IST
Soumya Mukerji, Hindustan Times | By
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Seemingly above such mundane concerns, India's elderly Prime Minister, devoted to movies, scotch, and late mornings, adds to the confusion with random utterances and occasional temper tantrums.

HT Image
HT Image

His official factotum, a bureaucrat named Swami, plays the confusion for all it is worth, attempting to advance his career and settle old scores. Old rivalries between the Foreign Service and the domestic bureaucrats flare up as the day of the Pakistani Premier's visit approaches.

Matters get stalled as rival departments choose to hide behind arcane laws. Conscious of his place in history and of the damage a botched visit would cause, the Prime Minister stages his own protests. Swami is forced to chart a treacherous course between his political and bureaucratic masters...

A parable rooted in the absurdities of modern India, this novel takes a lighthearted dig at the pretensions of people who matter.