Manual for a Decent Life

The novel begins in 1996 when a principled and spirited woman sets her sights on becoming a member of Parliament. When and how does she get there? The story unfolds through the perspectives of two dramatically contrasting characters whose lives become tragically entangled. Waheeda is a thirty-two-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh who enters politics after her brothers are murdered. Monish, her secret lover, is a scion of a Delhi business dynasty, who is trapped in his bullying father’s empire. Their affair is set against the backdrop of a tumultuous time in politics--tumbling governments and three national elections taking place over three years. Their personal and public lives clash as they struggle to achieve their goals: power for her; fortune for him; unaware of the dangers that swirl around them. Everything is interconnected, not just wealth and politics, even if the characters are not fully cognisant of this.