Never Mind Yaar

The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems, circumvent them rather than meet them head on and console ourselves with a “never mind”. Yaar, a common term used in India, simply means “friend”. . When longtime friends Binaifer and Louella meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, Gyan for knowledge and Shakti for strength, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.. The novel’s main plotline surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension. . “The author’s perspective and insider information draw in both the Indian and Western reader. Characterization is competently handled. Conflict, both ideological and physical, is constantly present, lending tension and drama to the narrative.” Graeme Lay, reviewer, “Write Right, NZ”.. To me the book is a mixture of history, cultural information and a lovely story rolled into one. Unique and compelling - Sarah, UK. I read, I related, I loved - Benifer, Mumbai