Indiyaapa is Vinod Dubey’s debut novel, originally written and published in Hindi and later translated into English by Aditi Jain. Published in English in 2022, the novel is a work of fiction in the romance genre. The story follows Sagar Shukla, a young man from a small village near Varanasi whose life takes him from his childhood home to the Merchant Navy and eventually to Finland. Indiyaapa_prf
At the heart of the novel is a story about love, memory, choices and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present. Sagar’s life appears ordinary on the surface, shaped by family expectations, career, responsibility and circumstances. Yet an unexpected phone call brings back memories that he has spent years trying to leave behind. His journey back to Varanasi becomes both a physical return and an emotional journey into his own past.
The novel moves between Finland and Varanasi, creating an interesting contrast between a quiet life abroad and the familiar chaos, warmth and memories of home. The ghats, narrow lanes, rooftops and everyday life of Varanasi form an important part of the story. Through Sagar’s memories of Bhakti, the novel explores how love can remain alive in memory even after people and circumstances have changed.
Book Excerpt
A mighty moment has the power to transform your life.
That day I had gone to the Nokia service centre to get my phone fixed. In those days, a touch screen mobile phone was a luxury that only a few people enjoyed in a city like Benares. I was waiting for my turn at the service centre with the token receipt. I had no idea that a mighty moment was about to play its part in my life.
I was sitting quietly, ignoring the hustle-bustle of the service centre and tapping my foot fiercely as if it could help me skip the long queue. I cast fleeting looks at the people drinking water from the water filter, the moustache of the security guard and the guy sitting at the customer care desk. And suddenly, more by accident and less by design, the mighty moment played its cards.
Nothing was like the movies! No violins played, no flowers bloomed, no angels sang, no rain, no butterflies and rose petals. In short, nothing dramatic happened on her first entry in the movie of my life. To be honest, if any of these would have been there, still, I would have been unable to pay attention as I was enchanted by her.
People change with time. Sometimes we lose them but the image we have of them, never changes.
I checked her out and that moment was hammered in my memory forever. I didn’t have the slightest consideration that this moment was going to change the course of my life. She was clad in a blue kurta, white churidar and a zari dupatta. Her pretty face illuminating everything around her, her hair tied in a braid and her golden earrings kissing her earlobes, those enormous eyes looked beautiful without any artificial adorning.
Her silver nose pin shimmered like a star and a thin gold chain in her neck segregating her fair face and her long curly hair like a flash of lightning. Her lips were as pink as the rose petals. Perhaps she was wearing some lipstick but my heart had accepted that it was the original shade of her lips.
She was a natural beauty. She did not require any makeup to enhance her looks.
The description might sound prolonged today but that day all these details were surveyed in a few seconds. You fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. It is beyond your control.
She entered the service centre and I got a closer view. My heart started pounding like a racing train. I stopped tapping my foot. I lost authority over my senses. Every now and then my eyes were stealing glances at her. The memory of her first entry in my life and her angelic face is still fresh in my mind.