The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad Review

It is not often that we get to meet an author of a book.  I had the opportunity to meet Twinkle Khanna - the author of "The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad" - at Crosswords, Pune, as part of the promotional event of the book.

I had been an on and off follower of her Sunday column in The Times Of India. I found her columns to be a witty and satirical take on the goings-on in the society. When the opportunity to meet her at the social gathering presented itself; me, my wife and sister decided to tag along to meet her.

The bookstore insisted that people buy one copy of the book for Rs. 299, or a voucher of Rs. 300, for every two people entering the store ! The event turned into a money spinner for Crosswords before the author had arrived at the book store.

The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad is a collection of 4 short stories, all of them based in India.

The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad

The first story is about Lakshmi Prasad himself. In our fast moving world, the story presents an interesting idea about long term investments in building a long secure future for girls. The story highlights one key theme - we, often, have a lot of time at our hand to build things, if we start early !

The next one is about two sisters, both of them older than 50 years under their sun. The story explores their laid back lifestyle in suburban Mumbai, with the emphasis on their young minds.

The third story is about a young lady, Elisa, and her travails as she seeks matrimonial happiness in the complicated world of Indian matrimony. I distinctly remember Robert Galbraith's (J K Rowling) superb concluding line in the Career of Evil - “I do," said Robin in a ringing voice, looking straight into the eyes, not of her stony-faced new husband, but of the battered and bloodied man who had just sent her flowers crashing to the floor.” Twinkle Khanna's last line in this story was equally superb - "Here lies Elisa, she briefly belonged to many, but truly to herself." What a poignant finish !

The last story is about Bablu and his travails, as he pursues his aspirations of manufacturing low cost sanitary pads. He fails and he falls, again and again, until he succeeds in style. This story is the longest of the book, and underlines a critical idea - though certain ideas are considered taboo by the society, they do have the effect to transform the world !

Overall, the book makes for an interesting reading. Twinkle's writing style is fluent and effortless. The stories make a genuine impression on the readers. And they are short, small and sweet.

If you are wondering about your next reading, don't think twice about picking up The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad.