Urban-Indian authors are on the rise and Aditi Kotwal is one of the recent entrants in this league. Most urban stories revolve around love-hate relationship of the lead characters. Draupadi in High Heels is no exception. But the kind of conflict in relationship addressed in this book is subtle and different from common college-love stories.
Of bonds… Deeya Panchal is the heiress of D.P. Steel, one of the biggest and richest Indian companies. Deeya and Deepak are the twin kids of Drupad Panchal, the man behind D.P Steel. While Deepak lives in the U.K., Deeya lives with her parents in Mumbai. Despite being the scion of Panchals, Deeya sets up her own fashion retail business in Mumbai and is quite successful too.
The book then gets into the main plot of Deeya’s mental dilemma in choosing the correct life partner. She is confused between the charming Arjun Kapur, national shooting champion and one of the heirs of Royal Group of industries, Karan Ravi, the founder of SunTech Chips, one of the top ten software concerns in the country.
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Initially, she rejects the prospect of dating Karan by humiliating him in public and later regrets the decision. Moving on, she starts dating Arjun Kapur only to realise that this relationship is going nowhere. Her childhood friend Krish and family guru Baba Dinanathji remind her that her life has an uncanny resemblance to the character of Draupadi from the epic, Mahabharata. Guruji reiterates the fact that right choices make all the difference in one’s life. The rest is the story of how Deeya overcomes her mental predicament and chooses the right guy.
Highs and lows The first few chapters of the book seem slow-paced with an over-dose of description about trivial things. It clearly indicates the work of a first-timer. The biggest plus of the book is its ability to break the monotony in scenes. The second half of the book progresses faster and makes a better read than the first. The climax is a typical Indian filmi ending mixed with the right spices. Despite lacking both an ingenious plot and good narration, Kotwal succeeds in choosing a topic that every urban Indian woman can relate today. The book is a decent and casual read during travel or leisure.
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Author: Aditi Kotwal
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs. 150