Delhi Is Not Far

<p>The residents of Pipalnagar a dull and dusty small town hope to one day leave behind their humdrum lives for the thrills of Delhi. Deep Chand the barber dreams of giving the prime minister a haircut; Pitamber wishes to ride an autorickshaw instead of pulling a cycle-rickshaw; and Aziz will be happy with a junk-shop in Chandni Chowk. Sharing their dreams of escape is the narrator Arun a struggling detective fiction writer. As he waits for inspiration to write a blockbuster he seeks and discovers love in unusual places-with the young prostitute Kamla wise beyond her years and the orphan and epileptic Suraj surprisingly optimistic despite his difficult circumstances. <br>In <i>Delhi Is Not Far</i> one of his most enduring novels Ruskin Bond sketches a moving portrait of small-town India with characteristic sympathy and quiet wisdom.</p>