•Novels
by Mrs. Suchita Malik
•Poems
by Dr Deviyani Singh
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Mrs. Suchita Malik is the wife of Mr. Yudhvir Malik of 1983 batch of Harayana
cadre and has published two novels. ‘Indian Memsahib’, published in 2008 by Rupa
& Co., was her debut novel, followed by ‘Memsahib’s Chronicles’ in 2011 |
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Indian Memsahib : The Untold Story of a Bureaucrat's Wife
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Debut novel by Suchita Malik;
Published by Rupa & Co.; Released in December 2008
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The novel is the untold story of a bureaucrat's wife, which provides an
unconventional look into the world of Indian Bureaucracy. The ever-widening gap
between the public persona of a memsahib (as it inherits from the Raj) and the
elusive reality continues to remain intact. Being a VIP spouse is like a
finished product of the cinematic world where the glamour is reflected on the
screen while the grind is relegated to the background. 'Indian Memsahib' lifts
the veil of ground reality a little bit, it is a peep into the life of a
bureaucrat's wife, a life that is full of excitement, struggles, challenges,
apprehensions and all the ups and downs that define the nuts and bolts of
babudom.
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| The novel take one through the fascinating life
journey of a bureaucrat's wife through bewilderment, confusion, culture shock to
the scintillating corridors of power which Sunaina (the female protagonist)
treads cautiously without stifling her voice of conscience. In the process, the
female protagonist runs her full gamut of emotions, evolves and emerges stronger
in her own right as an individual. She wants to be more than a trophy wife of a
civil servant and struggles to come out of its shadow. Ultimately, she is faced
with an identity crisis as she asks herself as to which world she belongs to ---
her own career or that of her husband. |
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"Memsahib's Chronicles: A
Story of Grit and Glamour"
Memsahib's Chronicles: A Story of Grit and Glamour" Published by Rupa & Co.
Released in Feb. 2011]
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Raghu and Sunanina, the protagonists of ‘Indian Memsahib’, continue to retain
the centre-stage in this book, being a sequel. The female protagonist is also
the narrator of the story knitted through a number of episodes. It is a bit
different from her debut novel as it alternates between the comment on serious
business as she learns around her and the glamour of the better-halves as she
observes. The book is an attempt to present the amazing world of these civil
servants as it is – full of grit, glamour, tensions, temptations and privileges.
From garden parties to picnics and fashion shows, the memsahibs sometimes enjoy
the freedom to be themselves. Glamorous and gutsy, the highly adaptable
memsahibs constitute the backbone of the world of sahib-logs without letting
them bother much on the domestic front. Sunanina, despite being a part of the
system, looks at this world with dispassionate eyes and provides a peep into
this zealously guarded world. She takes the reader along her journey with the
ease of a garden walk.
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