Gulab

On a warm, muggy summer's day, Nikunj is at the cemetery to attend Saira's burial. Saira, the long-lost love he has been searching for, even though he is married to another woman now. But what are Usman and Parmod doing at her grave? Who are these women - Gulab, Mumtaz - that lay claim to her resting place?This is a love story. But what sort of relationship can you have with a dead person, what sort of future? Ghosts don't grow old. Or have children. But do we really know? If they can reclaim a body for themselves, perhaps they can cover that body with stretch marks. In the afterlife, possibilities stretch into infinity. Gulab tests the limits that our mind sets upon a ghost's powers. If you see her as a woman clinging to life, there is not much to fear. Yet: what if she wants to return to your life? And what makes you think you can make her leave?Annie Zaidi brings her characteristically clear-eyed exploration of love to this beguiling, hair-raising ghost story.

About the Author

Annie Zaidi writes poetry, essays, fiction of varying lengths, and scripts for the stage and the screen. She is the author of Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales, a collection of essays shortlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (non-fiction, 2011), and the co-author of The Bad Boy's Guide to the Good Indian Girl. A series of illustrated poems, Crush, was made in collaboration with artist Gynelle Alves. A collection of short stories Love Stories # 1 to 14 was published in 2012; and an e-single Sleep Tight in 2013. Her work has appeared in various anthologies, including Mumbai Noir; Women Changing India; India Shining, India Changing, and literary journals like Pratilipi, The Little Magazine, The Missing Slate and Out of Print. She currently lives in Mumbai.

Reviews

News