The soul of the Delhi that is old

There is a warm feeling I get reading Indian authors writing about Delhi. Makes me proud of my home. Feels like going through an old family photo-album where everything is familiar - and where there is a hope that somewhere, in some corner, amongst these known places will be me.

I finished reading Anita Desai's "Clear Light of Day" last night. It was a tough task keeping up with the environment of the depressed household but also a true pleasure. The details were magical. The childhood was so real. Bim and Raja's relationship effervescent with the idealistic potion that comes with youth. Tara's loneliness and her need to escape it. Baba's invisible presence. Mira Masi's life and her death. Dr. Biswas! Hyder Ali Sahib! Even the dog! All intricately designed characters participating in a most moving tale of familial love.

The references to Old Delhi especially during the Partition were interesting pieces of information.
I could relate to the painfully slow pace of childhood and the insignificance of the parents in the children's worlds.

This was my first complete Anita Desai book - and I hope there will be many more.
For now, it's over to Vikram Seth's "Two Lives"!