A Monsoon of Music

Four musicians, whose lives intersect in the small mofussil town on the banks of the Brahmaputra. Against the backdrop of a magnificent musical heritage and the haunting and timeless ragas that sweep through the pages, Mitra Phukan presents the ambitious sitarist Kaushik Kashyap, already a ‘name’, who tours the world with his beautiful Italian student; Nomita the shy, small- town vocalist, whom Kaushik’s parents have chosen for him; Nomita’s Guruma, the beautiful, calm Sandhya Senapati and her handsome husband, who seem to be hiding deep, dark secrets. As the eventful monsoon months give way to autumn, the characters come to a deeper understanding of themselves as their lives change dramatically and forever. By turns serious, deeply moving and utterly irreverent, Mitra Phukan’s eye for detail, her immense knowledge of Hindustani music and her profound understanding of human nature come together in this wonderfully evocative novel. “The duality between spirituality and materialism... old-world images and modern performers, a gentle satire on the ambitions of today’s youngsters... all find a place in the novel.”—The Hindu “A gentle and leisurely novel, with a minimalist but detailed plot, and an atmosphere of unhurried musicality.” —Seven Sisters Post “... an insightful peek into the multifacted lives of Hindustani classical music singers.” —Anjana Basu, Women’s Web