The Times They Are Changing

Bhiwadi—a small sleepy town in Rajasthan. Well sleepy almost, if you don’t count its proximity to Delhi and the various industries which have been dotting its landscape. Apart from these two factors, it is a replica of any non-descript Indian town. Devoid of mall culture, glitzy European showrooms and the pot holed roads being shared by rickshaw, cyclists, truck, tractor, pedestrians etc.But then this morning something made me think otherwise…of this town and our great country; India. On my way to Delhi, I was surprised to see a yellow and red McDonald’s signage. ‘Holy cow, what would a Mcdee be doing here?’ I thought to myself. Out of caffeine, I decided to take some from this outlet, which had both; a ‘dine in’ and a ‘drive thru’ option.
It was close to 11 am. The parking was deserted. I thought to myself what would have taken the American brand to invest in Bhiwadi. But then I remembered a conversation with one of my friend who told me that it was run on a franchise model. I could not help but pity the guy who would have invested in fortune for the red-yellow color franchise.
The restaurant was uninhabited. The counter guy told me that they would take five more minutes for the first order. I took a corner seat, looking out of the window. It took five minutes to change my perception. One girl walked in. Then a family. Then another. And another one, and it continued…
10.45 am, the outlet had around fifty people of all shapes, age and background.  Before I could grab my coffee and leave in semi-shocked state, the parking had some fifteen odd cars. Residents of Bhiwadi walking to a Mcdee for a Sunday breakfast/brunch? But then the times they are changing.
My recently released, Love Is Vodka, A Shot Ain’t Enough is doing well. The reviews, which are coming in, from professional reviewers, are quite encouraging. If you are on to my page, you can read the reviews. You lazy bum, I know you wont do it. Let me paste the links here.

http://bookmarkks.blogspot.in/2013/06/love-is-vodka-amit-shankar-book-review.htmlhttp://shilpaagarg.blogspot.in/2013/06/love-is-vodka-shot-aint-enough.htmlhttp://nandinireviews.blogspot.com/2013/06/love-is-vodka-book-review.htmlhttp://iamagreedyreader.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/love-is-vodka-a-shot-aint-enough/http://vaultofbooks.com/a/review-love-is-vodka-a-shot-aint-enoughhttp://sankshvet.blogspot.in/2013/06/book-review-love-is-vodka-shot-aint.html[image error]
The pre-order figure from Infibeam and Flipkart are also reassuring.  Fingers crossed. From chic-lit to erotic, the title is been placed under different genres. However, the good part is that everyone is liking it. Well, I am not counting the spillovers.
What else…order your copy of Love Is Vodka if you still haven’t. I am sure you will love it. Maybe I will do a sequel to it. What say?
And yes, Modi is making the Congress nervous.