All ‘booked’ up on Valentine’s Day!
As we step into adult life from childhood, we develop a fascination for love stories. We read them during all our waking hours, during bedtime, at breakfast, in school, between classes, and during classes, hidden inside bigger books—and they make us dream and imagine beautiful things and take us to places we might actually never go to—literally and metaphorically! We all know our famous love stories—our very own stories of Shirin-Farhad or Salim-Anarkali, Shakespeare’s classic tragedies or the popular Mills & Boons. This Valentine’s Day let’s try looking at love from a modern perspective, and be aware of the concept of love in today’s world. Here are a few stories that encompass all aspects of love-longing, belonging, happiness, awe, separation, inspiration, and much more!
Done With Love by Shuchi Singh
After a riot of a vacation in Goa, and finding the love of her life in the very handsome Dr Vivian D’ Mello, Kairavi ‘Kay’ Krishna, a ditzy and dramatic travel journalist, is set for another laugh-a-minute romantic adventure.
Our delicious hero and sassy heroine are very much in love, and are just about to tie the knot when Vivian’s evil twin sister and his hot, leggy ex enter the scene. That, coupled with Vivian’s unexplained commitment phobia, threatens to throw their fairy-tale romance to rocky waters. As Kay struggles with heartbreak and jealous rage, she is faced with an unexpected question: will their love survive the odds? Will they make it or break it?
Done with Love is another delightfully irreverent story by bestselling author Shuchi Singh, who writes on friendship, romance and the world of women.
Everglow: A Romance by Nandita Bose
When her father’s unexpected death renders Disha homeless, she is brought to Kolkata by her father’s best friend, to live with them. Home is now a rambling joint family where there are more young men than Disha has even known in all her life. A far cry from the simplicity of her life back in Hamirpur, Disha sets about trying to fit in with the rhythms of this household and its members.
And then she meets the second son and star of the family—Siddhant. Sid is the lead guitarist of
the rock band, Derozio Dreams, and when he discovers that Disha is a classically trained vocalist, he brings her to his band to enhance their fusion repertoire. Music becomes their meeting ground and with Sid involving himself in her initiation into the band, they draw closer, to the chagrin of some family members, especially his mother, who thinks Disha, the outsider, has transgressed.
When Disha’s elder sister wants her to come back to Hamirpur to be seen as a prospective bride for her husband’s cousin, Disha’s fate hangs by a slender thread. Will the promise of love and the music that Disha and Sid make together triumph over all odds?
Dhruv: Love Story of an Alchemist by Karan Verma
Some love stories are cherished, some become folklore, but the saga of Dhruv and Emma marks the ascension of a man who goes on to become a legend. The holy ghats of Banaras are witness to the inspiring story of Dhruv, the proverbial shining star, who is destined for greatness, but ravaged by misfortune and deceit. Blessed by Goddess Saraswati with an indomitable spirit, Dhruv dares to dream and rise above, as he and Emma embark on a journey of passion, redemption and dharma.
Will Dhruv discover the higher purpose of his life?
Will the love of Dhruv and Emma be fulled, or is it destined to be a tale of pain and melancholy?
Can a man overcome misfortune and predestined hardships by the power of his will and karma?
Inside each one of us, there is an alchemist raring to come out and spread its magic.
Mehr: A Love Story by Siddhartha Gigoo
Mehr, a Shia woman from Pakistan, falls in love with Firdaus, a youngster from Kashmir. Sundered by an unforgiving border, Mehr writes to her beloved, begging him to meet her. Firdaus relents, not knowing that the two of them are consumed by something far more dangerous than love and passion. They have caught the eye of Indian Intelligence, and stirred the suspicion of one particularly tenacious officer. A deadly pursuit ensues. The lines between betrayal and revenge, deception and loyalty, love and madness, dream and reality stand blurred.
In Mehr, award-winning author Siddhartha Gigoo plumbs the depths of obsession in its many forms: love, patriotism, religion. Equal parts tragic and heroic, the novel explodes the boundaries between people and countries, finding peace amid the chaos of war, and love in the shards of desolation.
The Kaafir’s Love by Abhisar Sharma
Two dramatic incidents shake up the tenuous peace in an Old Delhi neighbourhood—a terrorist commits suicide in Jama Masjid and an influential trader is shot near the same spot. As simmer comes to boil, age-old antagonisms surface and sharp lines are drawn. Amidst these troubled times, Sameer, a Hindu boy, falls in love with a Muslim girl, Inara. Unaware of the consequences of his love that is considered forbidden, Sameer is dragged down the rabbit hole of intolerance, and as he sinks, he discovers a shocking truth—a truth that shall change many lives forever.
Restless and on the edge, The Kaafir’s Love is volatile and an intense love story set against our troubled and provocative times.
Half Girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat
Once upon a time, there was a Bihari boy called Madhav.
He fell in love with a rich girl from Delhi called Riya.
Madhav didn’t speak English well. Riya did.
Madhav wanted a relationship. Riya didn’t.
Riya just wanted friendship. Madhav didn’t.
Riya suggested a compromise. She agreed to be his half-girlfriend.
A simple and beautiful love story that will touch your heart and inspire you to chase your dreams.
****
Did we tell you these books also make for great Valentine’s gifts?