Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Sunday, September 26, 2021

On the bright side


My next short story 'On the bright side' is dedicated to my twin boys Atin and Amish. It will be released on Kindle on their birthday (29th October).

 

Friday, September 24, 2021

You're stuck with me for life! - Dhaba on a highway

 



These are some photographs I have taken of dhabas (eateries) on highways during my road-trips across Central India. These remind me of a few lines from my novel 'You're stuck with me for life!'


Neeti:


"Look out for decent dhabas" Ronit instructs me, "We need to stop somewhere for lunch."

"I see one coming up on the left." I inform him.

"Seems too basic." He says, narrowing his eyes in disapproval, "And there are no cars parked there. Try to spot one where a lot of cars are parked. Cars, not trucks, mind you."

His comment brings back memories from a long time ago. Papa used to joke that some dhaba-walas probably park old cars in front of their establishments to convince people about the quality of their wares. It seems people are more likely to stop at an unknown eatery if they find it somewhat crowded. Of course, people of a similar social strata are the ones that count in this equation, hence Ronit's comments about avoiding the dhabas with too many trucks. 

Sunday, September 19, 2021

'Why not?' now available on Kindle


 Just as Preeti was about to walk out into the rain in the interest of reaching home at a sane hour and saving herself from the endless admonishments of her parents, she heard a deep male voice, definitely not that of the watchman, call out to her, “Excuse me. Ummm… Preeti, right?” She turned around and found herself facing Arjun. A few strands of his thick, wavy medium-length hair had fallen on his forehead and the clear skin of his clean shaven face had an ethereal glow about it. Technically, he wasn’t her colleague. They didn’t work for the same company, that is. It’s just that the offices of both their companies happened to be in the same building. But there was no way anyone in the neighbourhood hadn’t heard about Arjun. He looked too good to be ignored.

'Why not?'

now available on Kindle

Saturday, September 18, 2021

'You're stuck with me for life!'


As I cooked pav bhaji for dinner tonight I was reminded of these lines from my novel 'You're stuck with me for life!'

Neeti:

Raj is a sweet kid, always ready to help his bhabhi. But he can be really cheeky too.

"Wow! It's like I have two mothers now." Raj said to me one Sunday, peering over my shoulder as I was making his favorite pav-bhaji.

"What?" I said as I turned around to look at him.

"Arre! Haven't you heard that dialogue? Bhabhi maa saman hoti hai!" He said, acting all serious and making sweeping hand gestures.

"Stop with the dialogues and go get pav from the bakery. I'm sure your bhaiyya is still sleeping." I said to him.

He flashed me a grin and said, "Did you keep bhaiyya awake all night or what?", before he vanished from the kitchen.

"Bhaiyya! Bhabhi is calling you to the kitchen to lift the oil canister! I'm off to get pav for lunch!" I could hear Raj yelling at the top of his lungs after a few minutes.

When had I ever said anything about oil? 

When Ronit walked-in a few minutes later he was so annoyed that the oil canister was almost empty and I wouldn't have needed his help with it anyway. 

Friday, September 17, 2021

You're stuck with me for life!

 

Here are a few lines from the novel:

I am standing on the highway, practically in the middle of nowhere, with potato chips in one hand and a bottle of water in the other hand. My car doesn’t work and this woman has suddenly decided to sprout a temper! What a way to celebrate my wedding anniversary! 

‘You’re stuck with me for life’ by Venuka Goyal.   

The story of a modern couple in Central India, stuck in an arranged marriage.    

Now available on Kindle, Amazon and Flipkart


Thursday, September 16, 2021

'You're stuck with me for life!'



Some events on my trip to Ranthambore National Park many years ago inspired me to write my first novel ‘You’re stuck with me for life!’

Here are a few lines from the novel:
The canter, an open truck that can carry a little over a dozen tourists into the wildlife reserve, picks us up from the lobby of the hotel at around 6:30 am. There are a few tourists sitting in the vehicle already. As the canter leaves the hotel premises and picks up a bit of speed, I am truly thankful for the beanie-caps Amma made me pack for the trip. The winter morning wind is actually quite chilly. I put my hands inside the pockets of my jacket and take a deep breath.  Today is going to be better than yesterday. All is not lost. I can still go back to hiding behind my work back home. Ronit will forget about this trip soon enough.




 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

'You're stuck with me for life!' by Venuka Goyal


Thank you Mr. Kabir Bedi for being so kind as to promote my book 'You're stuck with me for life!' while you were promoting your book 'Stories I must tell'

 

The Unexpected Gulab jamun

 Check out my latest novel 'The unexpected gulab jamun' on Amazon/Kindle