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Pavitra in Paris: stories for life
Greengardens Media is proud to welcome Vinita Kinra, whose story “The Curse of a Nightingale� shook the world and gave her a staggering fan following. Pavitra in Paris is a powerhouse collection of 11 short stories crafted with unparalleled genius that take the reader on a roller coaster journey from dazzling New York City to remote Indian villages with stopovers at Seattle, Vancouver, Paris, Bamiyan, Jaipur, New Delhi, Patna and Mumbai. In the title story, a poor old Indian farmer is travelling to Paris with his masters. The author brilliantly unveils the emotional upheavals of this savage human in the midst of cultured urban travellers who mock him as a brute primate. The 10 other stories are 10 captivating worlds of arranged marriages, lone journey through Thar desert, finding a groom in an open bazaar, desperation of a snake charmer, falling in love with a high school student while being his mother’s age, finding lifelong friendship with a parrot, committing suicide to teach your family a lesson, and coming face-to-face with your mother’s turbulent past during your own engagement dinner. Vinita Kinra’s literary prowess and her intensely compelling prose, embellished with poems and songs, promise to make history.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2013
About the author
Vinita Kinra
2books26followersMy name is Vinita Kinra. I was born in Milton, Canada in the mid-seventies to a Punjabi family who decided to re-unite me to my roots by taking me back to India when I was a little over two years old. The foundation of Pavitra in Paris, Live and Let Us Live, and my other books began to be laid subconsciously in my mind when I attended the prestigious Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls� School in Jaipur, better known as MGD Girls� Public School. “Dolly� was probably a character I met here during my twelve years, and came alive in “The Pied Piper of Jaipur�.
I completed my Bachelor's degree from Rajasthan University, until which time I was acquainted with uncountable Rajasthanis, one of whom fitted to perfection the character of “Makhan Singh�. Hence, “The Camel Trader� was born.
I went to New Delhi to pursue my Master’s in French from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where girls in my circle craved to go abroad for a better life. “Lovely� was one such friend who inspired “The Perfect Match�.
The over two decades I lived and travelled in India introduced me to the innocent “Chanda", the seductive “Kamini", the jaded “Sita" and the carefree “Choti�.
But what took my stories aboard an Air France plane, flight number 359? Who is “Pavitra", and why is Pavitra in Paris my title story? The answers come from the time I won a scholarship from the French government for excelling in my MA French program at JNU to go and teach English at an international high school in France. I had gone for 1 year, but ended up staying for 3, after I accepted offers to teach English at Grenoble and Orléans universities in France.
I immersed myself in the French culture: soaking in its fine wines, old cheeses and dark coffee; revelled in its street life of open-air cafés and Montmartre; and awed at its architectural wonders of the Eiffel tower and Notre Dame de Paris.
“The compromise� took shape after I came to Canada in the fall of 2004 to live in Vancouver for almost eight years, and completed a full circle of my life by returning to my birth country. The Pacific Ocean became my swimming pool—barely a few blocks from my apartment—and the seawall running along the English Bay beach was akin to my personal trail, for I frequented it with the regularity of a devotee. The hotdog vendors became my friends, the geese my pets, and the aboriginal artists my inspiration. Tourists could never go wrong if they asked me a question about the seawall. I could guide them on everything, whether it be where to get the Aquabus to go to Granville Island, or which restaurant sold the best fish & chips, or something more detailed like what trees comprised the forest belt, or how deep the waters ran during high tide.
The tide of my life changed in the spring of 2012 when I decided to settle in Toronto with my husband and daughter. When the crashing waves of the Pacific and the wilderness of the mountains surrounding it beckoned me night and day, I decided to move adjacent to the picturesque lake Ontario after a brief stay in Brampton. I have since made the scenic Lake Shore area of Toronto MY HOME.
I completed my Bachelor's degree from Rajasthan University, until which time I was acquainted with uncountable Rajasthanis, one of whom fitted to perfection the character of “Makhan Singh�. Hence, “The Camel Trader� was born.
I went to New Delhi to pursue my Master’s in French from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where girls in my circle craved to go abroad for a better life. “Lovely� was one such friend who inspired “The Perfect Match�.
The over two decades I lived and travelled in India introduced me to the innocent “Chanda", the seductive “Kamini", the jaded “Sita" and the carefree “Choti�.
But what took my stories aboard an Air France plane, flight number 359? Who is “Pavitra", and why is Pavitra in Paris my title story? The answers come from the time I won a scholarship from the French government for excelling in my MA French program at JNU to go and teach English at an international high school in France. I had gone for 1 year, but ended up staying for 3, after I accepted offers to teach English at Grenoble and Orléans universities in France.
I immersed myself in the French culture: soaking in its fine wines, old cheeses and dark coffee; revelled in its street life of open-air cafés and Montmartre; and awed at its architectural wonders of the Eiffel tower and Notre Dame de Paris.
“The compromise� took shape after I came to Canada in the fall of 2004 to live in Vancouver for almost eight years, and completed a full circle of my life by returning to my birth country. The Pacific Ocean became my swimming pool—barely a few blocks from my apartment—and the seawall running along the English Bay beach was akin to my personal trail, for I frequented it with the regularity of a devotee. The hotdog vendors became my friends, the geese my pets, and the aboriginal artists my inspiration. Tourists could never go wrong if they asked me a question about the seawall. I could guide them on everything, whether it be where to get the Aquabus to go to Granville Island, or which restaurant sold the best fish & chips, or something more detailed like what trees comprised the forest belt, or how deep the waters ran during high tide.
The tide of my life changed in the spring of 2012 when I decided to settle in Toronto with my husband and daughter. When the crashing waves of the Pacific and the wilderness of the mountains surrounding it beckoned me night and day, I decided to move adjacent to the picturesque lake Ontario after a brief stay in Brampton. I have since made the scenic Lake Shore area of Toronto MY HOME.
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October 3, 2014
This is a beautifully written collection of short stories which really touch the heart. They are stories written from a South Asian perspective but they talk about the feelings every culture has about their marriages and their families.
The Curse Of A Nightingale is terrifying in the force of its truth as a young girl is attacked with acid for daring to seek an education. The prose is tight and heartbreaking.
Groom Bazaar sees the groom’s mother reveal intimate details of her earlier life at a dinner to meet her son’s prospective in-laws. Nobody was prepared for her romantic story of how she met her husband to end with such a surprising confession.
The Inseparables brings joy and heartache when a young girl makes a friend in the form of a parrot just before she gets sent away with her new husband to live with her in-laws. The parrot goes with her and is witness to her appalling treatment as she is used and abused by all the family members whilst her husband encourages it all.
Pavitra In Paris is the story of a South Asian servant who leaves his village and goes abroad to Paris with his master, his master’s wife and their children. He has never before left his village and here he is overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of a very different world than he is used to.
Splash The story of a South Asian man who has to commit suicide to test his family and their values and morals. If they are to find his body in the well, they must first find someone who can swim!
The above is just a selection of these very fine short stories. This is one of those books which I find hard to believe hasn’t got more reviews on Amazon UK or US. These stories are a real eye opener into another world and culture that few of us have experience of. I can thoroughly recommend this intelligent, thought provoking collection of little gems.
The Curse Of A Nightingale is terrifying in the force of its truth as a young girl is attacked with acid for daring to seek an education. The prose is tight and heartbreaking.
Groom Bazaar sees the groom’s mother reveal intimate details of her earlier life at a dinner to meet her son’s prospective in-laws. Nobody was prepared for her romantic story of how she met her husband to end with such a surprising confession.
The Inseparables brings joy and heartache when a young girl makes a friend in the form of a parrot just before she gets sent away with her new husband to live with her in-laws. The parrot goes with her and is witness to her appalling treatment as she is used and abused by all the family members whilst her husband encourages it all.
Pavitra In Paris is the story of a South Asian servant who leaves his village and goes abroad to Paris with his master, his master’s wife and their children. He has never before left his village and here he is overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of a very different world than he is used to.
Splash The story of a South Asian man who has to commit suicide to test his family and their values and morals. If they are to find his body in the well, they must first find someone who can swim!
The above is just a selection of these very fine short stories. This is one of those books which I find hard to believe hasn’t got more reviews on Amazon UK or US. These stories are a real eye opener into another world and culture that few of us have experience of. I can thoroughly recommend this intelligent, thought provoking collection of little gems.
Displaying 1 of 1 review
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