Frontlist | New book looks at Lutyens’ Delhi politics and a family caught

A debut novel by Shivani Sibal takes readers back to the 1980s – to the politics of Lutyens’ Delhi, to the story of a traditional family caught in the throes of change. “Equations” is the story of the change that is sweeping the new India, seen through the lives of a traditional Delhi family, publishers HarperCollins India said. “Reading ‘Equations’ is like seeing the drama of a now lost time unfold before our eyes frame by frame,” according to Udayan Mitra, publisher (literary) at HarperCollins India. Shivani is author Namita Gokhale’s daughter and Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s daughter-in-law. Prerna Gill, editor (literary) at HarperCollins India said “Equations” is “nuanced, evocative and beautifully written”. “Equations” follows childhood playmates Aahan Sikand and Rajesh Kumar. They have been brought up under the care of the same woman, living in the same house, but with starkly different realities – Aahan is the only son and heir of the wealthy Sikand family, and Rajesh is the son of his father’s driver, who lives in a tiny staff quarter on the grounds of the sprawling Sikand House in Delhi. As Aahan and Rajesh grow up, the natural friendship they shared as children reaches an uncomfortable end, as both become aware of their places in the world. While Aahan is expected to keep what he has inherited intact for the next generation, Rajesh, in the eyes of the world, can, at best, hope for a life better than his father’s, free of domestic servitude. But he has much larger plans for himself. Source: Indian Express