Not so Long Ago, Not so Far Away

Book excerpt: A heartwarming collection of short stories from towns within India, possibly from a place near yours and about someone familiar.... The sisters in Benares, whose fate led them to different cities, one to mercurial heights of stardom and the other to the depths of misfortune. Now, thirteen years later, they are back in the same city where they started; will the ghats change the course of their lives? Sethji had been an astute and successful diamond merchant, and his grandson’s passion for “paper money” or stocks was wiping the family fortunes. Ironically, he learnt the most valuable lesson of his life from the old, toothless, homeless, flower seller. Too late or just in time? Where was the property, which the whole family was searching for, hidden? Who was the mysterious old man that Raghu had seen from the train? Will Anirban get away with murder? Why was Priyanka dreaming of her dead daughter’s blue stilettos? Will the women in Kumaon save the trees by “hugging them?” Would the ghosts who lived in the library let the young couple in love live happily ever after? Find the answers to these and many more…. These fourteen delightful tales may end with a twist, but they bring with them the powerful lessons of Hope!