ONE POINT TWO BILLION

vivid and the writing so beautiful'-Bapsi Sidhwa'deft anxious and haunting'-Jeet Thayil'Varied in range concentrated in power'-Kamila Shamsie'subtle delightfully wry'-Mirza Waheed'a truly amazing achievement'-Sandra Newman'a wonderful collection'-Siddhartha DebThere are 1. 2 billion people living in India; more than 1. 2 billion stories in one country. A man living on a tea plantation in the Nilgiri Hills realises he's in love with his daughter-in-law; a young family eagerly awaits the launch of Shakti-Cola; a chronically anxious yoga retreat manager struggles with the demands of her enlightenment-seeking Western patrons; and a family legacy hangs in the balance when a horrifying discovery is unearthed on their Rajasthani estate. Traversing thirteen Indian states One Point Two Billion illuminates the exhilarating diversity of the second most populous nation in the world. Moving from towering megacity to remote detention camp from the canals of rural Punjab to an exclusive club in Delhi these remarkable stories offer glimpses into the loves triumphs and tragedies of everyday life in a world torn between tradition and the shock of modernity. In a mesmerizing collection laced with biting humour filled with danger and hope these stories from the award-winning author of Smoke is Rising portray the vast array of lives existing in the uneasy balance of Indian society.