Sari Shop

This is a great debut for a writer. Rupa Bajwa weaves a nice tale around Ramchand a worker in Sevak Sari House. It is all about one modest person, with small dreams. Ramchand does not dream of being a great owner of a sari shop larger than his boss. He does not dream of breaking away from the shop and getting out of the daily routine. This is an amazing case where he actually celebrates his work and would carry on - with a small side hobby - of mastering the English language.

I found the book very endearing because, it does not sell any idea vehemently - romanticise on any aspect but continues with a thick description of the life in a sari shop, without any melodrama. The joy of having small aspirations, small dreams is contrasted with the P3 society, but well, that is life and the contrast is there for all of us to see. No major "statements" made about the P3 society, but sheer awe from the eyes of Ramchand.

Amidst the clutter of "Indian English" writing, this book stands out - because it never made any big news for large signing amounts, the author comes across as somebody who just wants to narrate a good story, not make great news. I really liked the simplicity and hope more books have soft-launches and allow the content to speak for itself, rather than the media.