What do you think?
Rate this book
Punjabi Thali
It is a story narrated by the protagonist Shalini who is four years into her marriage in a Punjabi family. The story is a mix of satirical observations and experiences both before and after she gets married. Inspired by these incidents Shalini decides to pen them down into a book.
It begins with a character sketch of her in-laws and unfolds into a description of various funny anecdotes when she and her husband dated each other; her initial days after marriage, honeymoon and wedding anniversary; her vivid description of the prying relatives, nosy Buas, conniving Masis; the upmarket kitty parties and its participants; the series of not-so-welcome surprises that flood her life from her in-laws’ stable time to time; and the sudden change in her husband’s enthusiasm for life after marriage.
The story brings out all the nuances that a Punjabi household can offer. It describes the peculiar mannerisms, speech and dressing sense of her new relatives in a humorous fashion.
The chapters trace incidents alternating between the present and past, lending an interesting and unique rhythm to the novel. The story takes an interesting turn when the character named Sheetal is introduced. Sheetal happens to be Shalini’s younger sister-in-law. Sheetal is in love with her college batch-mate Siddharth. She can come out in the open about her relationship with him, but feels uncomfortable and shy in doing so.
Moving on, the chapters describe the introduction of Siddharth to Sheetal’s family, the bride-viewing day, the preparations that come along the way, the astrological angle that creates trouble for Sheetal’s family. But Siddharth and Sheetal have a different plan….. After tumbling over a succession of events both embarassing and thrilling, Sheetal and her lover finally get their due and reach out for their dreams.
While solving the case for Sheetal, Rahul, Shalini’s husband finds his true self again and speaks up for his relationship with his wife. He understands the essence of being married and the need to take a stand.
It begins with a character sketch of her in-laws and unfolds into a description of various funny anecdotes when she and her husband dated each other; her initial days after marriage, honeymoon and wedding anniversary; her vivid description of the prying relatives, nosy Buas, conniving Masis; the upmarket kitty parties and its participants; the series of not-so-welcome surprises that flood her life from her in-laws’ stable time to time; and the sudden change in her husband’s enthusiasm for life after marriage.
The story brings out all the nuances that a Punjabi household can offer. It describes the peculiar mannerisms, speech and dressing sense of her new relatives in a humorous fashion.
The chapters trace incidents alternating between the present and past, lending an interesting and unique rhythm to the novel. The story takes an interesting turn when the character named Sheetal is introduced. Sheetal happens to be Shalini’s younger sister-in-law. Sheetal is in love with her college batch-mate Siddharth. She can come out in the open about her relationship with him, but feels uncomfortable and shy in doing so.
Moving on, the chapters describe the introduction of Siddharth to Sheetal’s family, the bride-viewing day, the preparations that come along the way, the astrological angle that creates trouble for Sheetal’s family. But Siddharth and Sheetal have a different plan….. After tumbling over a succession of events both embarassing and thrilling, Sheetal and her lover finally get their due and reach out for their dreams.
While solving the case for Sheetal, Rahul, Shalini’s husband finds his true self again and speaks up for his relationship with his wife. He understands the essence of being married and the need to take a stand.
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Read
January 11, 2016The very thought of a Punjabi Family reminds me of a serene lake in the midst of a valley. Calm quite surface with no ripples is what meets the eye. But a peak into the under surface tells a different story. With the sheen of the marriage fading to a certain extent in a short span of four years Shalini was aghast to see the turmoil below. The entire range of relatives from her in-laws side, including the Buas and Massis were scheming, conniving, manipulative and devious to the extent that it left her perplexed every now and then.
The story revolves around the bragging Punjabi family creating sardonic situations out of routine day to day life. Their penchant for running everyone down for their speech and dress sense speaks volumes about their own mannerism. For Shalini who is observing all this from the calm water above feels the life unfolding in this Punjabi family as satirical and at times humorous.
In order to share her experience in the Punjabi family, Shalini decides to pen down her observations. Her task is made complex by the fact that her sister-in-law is in love, and had confided this to Shalini. This dilemma whether to help or not is further compounded by the fact that Shalini is not the favorite Bhau. It is a complex mixture...a Punjabi Thali.
The initial chapters are devoted towards the pre and post marriage period. Then it moves on to the relatives and the resultant personification of various relatives. The story also touches upon the sudden change in husband’s enthusiasm for life after marriage.
While solving the case for Shalini’s sister-in-law her husband finds his true self again and speaks up for his relationship with his wife. He understands the essence of being married and the need to take a stand.The climax was quite interesting with twists and turns as they unfold. For that you need to read this book.
Now my Positive viewpoints:
The positives of the story are the primitiveness in the narration that impressed me. The author narrated the story in a very unique way; it seemed as if she is talking to the readers personally. The author has been successful enough to connect with the readers, I loved it, and I am sure that the target audience will love this book too. Special mention how Rahul changed drastically and then took a stand in front of his family in order to save his and Shalini’s basic rights, and make Shalini feel important and precious for him.
Some suggestive points:
Although the narration of the story is wonderful but at some places the story becomes stagnant. When the story does move; it inches towards the end, to convey just a one line message that sums up the book. I feel the narrative was coming back to the same point after each change of scene without adding much to the story line. The author seemed confused in building the plot in initial few chapters. The way it ended left the reader cheated, because as a reader we always want to know the complete and proper end. Even typical melodrama of Saas Vs Bahus’ was too much to handle after a given point of time.
Final words:
Overall if asked I would say this is a light and simple book, perfect accompaniment to your weekend pastime. Overall I would say...this is a good job done by Author (Swati K Gulati ) I would give 3 stars to this book.
The story revolves around the bragging Punjabi family creating sardonic situations out of routine day to day life. Their penchant for running everyone down for their speech and dress sense speaks volumes about their own mannerism. For Shalini who is observing all this from the calm water above feels the life unfolding in this Punjabi family as satirical and at times humorous.
In order to share her experience in the Punjabi family, Shalini decides to pen down her observations. Her task is made complex by the fact that her sister-in-law is in love, and had confided this to Shalini. This dilemma whether to help or not is further compounded by the fact that Shalini is not the favorite Bhau. It is a complex mixture...a Punjabi Thali.
The initial chapters are devoted towards the pre and post marriage period. Then it moves on to the relatives and the resultant personification of various relatives. The story also touches upon the sudden change in husband’s enthusiasm for life after marriage.
While solving the case for Shalini’s sister-in-law her husband finds his true self again and speaks up for his relationship with his wife. He understands the essence of being married and the need to take a stand.The climax was quite interesting with twists and turns as they unfold. For that you need to read this book.
Now my Positive viewpoints:
The positives of the story are the primitiveness in the narration that impressed me. The author narrated the story in a very unique way; it seemed as if she is talking to the readers personally. The author has been successful enough to connect with the readers, I loved it, and I am sure that the target audience will love this book too. Special mention how Rahul changed drastically and then took a stand in front of his family in order to save his and Shalini’s basic rights, and make Shalini feel important and precious for him.
Some suggestive points:
Although the narration of the story is wonderful but at some places the story becomes stagnant. When the story does move; it inches towards the end, to convey just a one line message that sums up the book. I feel the narrative was coming back to the same point after each change of scene without adding much to the story line. The author seemed confused in building the plot in initial few chapters. The way it ended left the reader cheated, because as a reader we always want to know the complete and proper end. Even typical melodrama of Saas Vs Bahus’ was too much to handle after a given point of time.
Final words:
Overall if asked I would say this is a light and simple book, perfect accompaniment to your weekend pastime. Overall I would say...this is a good job done by Author (Swati K Gulati ) I would give 3 stars to this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review