Actor Naseeruddin Shah on Monday released novel “The Glass House: A Year of Our Days” recounting a couple’s search for a house in Delhi and also read some of its excerpts…reports Asian Lite News
Advertising professional Chanchal Sanyal’s debut novel about the “thriving, bustling, modern megapolis” of Delhi, the book, (184 pages/Rs 295/Rupa Publications) has the tale of Delhi running parallel to the account of a yuppie couple’s pursuit of a home they could call their own.
Written from the perspective of Monojit Bhaduri (abbreviated as MB in the book), a Bengali college professor in his 30s, it is a story that is a dark, comical take on the city.
“The book looks into the ‘makaan’ part of ‘roti, kapda, makaan’, and how we equate a house with achievement and happiness,” Sanyal said at the launch.
The book traces the downhill journey of MB’s life, as unable to afford a house in the capital, he zeroes on one in Gurugram but is construction screeches to a halt.
The fragility of his dream, and its unshielded truth, creates a house of glass for the protagonist — utterly transparent and threatening to break at the drop of a hat.
The Gurugram-based Sanyal described the housing situation in the adjoining Haryana city as “a stage that has been set; but while it’s halfway done, the curtains have been raised.”
Shah, who was a resident of Delhi in his student days, recounted his experience of the city, while reading his favourite excerpts from the book.
The book meanwhile looks into the ideals of middle-class urban happiness, and leaves the reader with the question: Has Delhi had enough?