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The delight of chaos

An acquaintance lasting 50 years, a friendship so strong as to have a transatlantic pull, a trust so deep that it does not think twice before summoning the other, a romance so special that it burns bright for half a century…but all of it unspoken, understood, and at times, defiantly misunderstood and blatantly insulting.

Originally written as a play, Anuvab Pal?s book is a series of brilliant dialogue

An acquaintance lasting 50 years, a friendship so strong as to have a transatlantic pull, a trust so deep that it does not think twice before summoning the other, a romance so special that it burns bright for half a century…but all of it unspoken, understood, and at times, defiantly misunderstood and blatantly insulting.

Mukesh and Sunita are two such friends. The sparks fly on their first meeting in the early 1960s; she matches him retort for retort, quote for Shakespearean quote, and he is left intrigued, flabbergasted even. After all, it was an age where men had the licence to do ridiculous things and women would smile and accommodate.

What follows is a long journey?across continents, in close campuses, adjacent classrooms, across cities?of the two trying to find ways to say what they really want to, but always ending up saying and doing the opposite.

The title of the book is Chaos Theory, and a loose connection is made with the mathematical theory of chaos. The way Sunita and Mukesh react to their emotions and to each other definitely does not prescribe to any pattern; it?s unpredictable and chaotic. Their lives also follow the same pattern?hasty marriages, divorce, relocation and Mukesh?s lonely death.

Originally written as a play, the book is a series of brilliant dialogue. The repartee Sunita and Mukesh engage in is funny and tragic, delightful and frustrating, but always entertaining, fresh and so crisp.

Chaos Theory

Anuvab Pal

Picador India

Rs.499

Pgp 211

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First published on: 27-01-2013 at 02:44 IST
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