Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table

As you read the stories which are backed by wonderful language, you are pulled into the life of these people and their thoughts. Whether it is battling loneliness to rising above obstacles or trying to make a difference during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic; these stories offer a glimpse into the lives of real and very relatable characters. These are heart-warming stories of people who can be your neighbours, your friends, your acquaintances, your relatives and yes, even you.

Under the apple boughs is exactly what it promises to be – a volume of poetry that you wish you could read sitting under an apple bough in the scenic land of Kashmir.  Prefaced by Bob Dylan’s iconic song – blowing in the wind – this book is a compilation of poems, nay, it is a compilation of emotions that blow in the wind like dandelion seeds, seeking and searching for the elusive land that calls to their heart.

The book is set in Ooty or Ootacamund as the hill station was known at that time and explores the life of four friends who band together and choose to call themselves the Zenana. This is one part that I am sure most of us will identify with – friendships and coating ourselves in a faux sense of security by giving the relationship a name. Haven’t we all done that, at one time or the other, in our school lives? But, does that faux sense extend to envelop us in security, in reality? Well, that is what the book explores via tragedy and helplessness over that one tragic incident.