THE BANDIT QUEENS
By Parini Shroff
HARPERCOLLINS
Parini Shroff's debut novel The Bandit Queens tells a rousing tale of female solidarity, albeit one manifesting in an unconventional form-bumping off useless, abusive husbands-packed with the right measure of wit, hilarity and irreverence. A word of advice, though: for best enjoyment, leave incredulity at the door.
Geeta has something of a reputation in her unassuming village in western India. Her husband Ramesh disappeared five years ago, and rumour has it that she killed him. Spoiler: she didn't. But being reviled as the local churail has its advantages. No one messes with her; village busybodies give her a wide berth; men avoid her. Geeta can't complain-she loves being an independent woman, with a thriving business selling her handmade jewellery. Also, Phoolan Devi is her hero.
When a fellow villager asks her to help with husband-disposal services, Geeta's carefully curated world starts to unravel. Her efforts to nip this nonsense in the bud blows up, instead, into a Bollywood-worthy chain of events. Complete with a bumbling crime lord, corrupt policemen, an irrepressible pup, a secret romance-of-sorts, and the rekindling of lost friendships.
Esta historia es de la edición June 12, 2023 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 12, 2023 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Delhi's Belly
Academic, historian and one of India's most-loved food writers, PUSHPESH PANT'S latest book-From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi-delves deep into the capital's culinary heritage
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
Hemant and Kalpana Soren changed Jharkhand's political game, converting near-collapse into an extraordinary comeback
THE MAHA BONDING
At one time, Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit Pawar were seen as an unwieldy trio with mutually subversive intent. A bumper assembly poll harvest inverts that
THE LION PRINCE
A spectacular assembly election win ended a long political winter for Kashmir and his party, the National Conference. But Omar Abdullah now faces crucial tests—that of meeting great expectations and holding his own with the Centre till J&K gets its statehood back
TRIAL BY FIRE
Formal charges in a US court, an air marked by accusations of bribery and concealment of information, the attendant political backlash, pressure on stock prices, valuation losses. Yet the famed Adani growth appetite and business resilience stays
'Criticism has always been a source of motivation for me'
It’s just day five since he was crowned 2024 FIDE World Chess champion (which he celebrated with a bungee jump), and Gukesh Dommaraju is still learning to adjust to the fanfare.
THE YOUNG GRANDMASTERS
GUKESH DOMMARAJU IS NOW THE YOUNGEST EVER WORLD CHAMPION, BUT THAT IS JUST ICING ON THE CAKE IN INDIA'S CHESS STORY. FOR THE 'GOLDEN GENERATION', 2024 WAS THE YEAR THEY DID IT ALL
SHOOTING QUEEN
Manu Bhaker scripted a classic turnaround at Paris 2024, putting the ghosts of the past behind her through sheer willpower to engrave her own destiny
THE COMEBACK KING
It was in no one's script: Naidu's standing leap from near-oblivion, to a place where he writes the destiny of Andhra—even New Delhi
HALTING THE BJP JUGGERNAUT
A roller-coaster year saw the Opposition coalition rebound with bold moves and policy wins, but internal rifts continue to test its durability
