HYDERABAD: Coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown is inspiring people in different ways, just as it has done for author and luxury commentator Mahul Brahma, who has written a book in flat 10 days! Inspired from these tough and uncertain times, he has written an e-book called ‘Quarantined: Love in the time of Corona’. The book is an anthology of six short stories of people locked down during this crisis.
Brahma started writing on March 17 and says, “usually, I take a year on an average to write a book, but this took just 10 days. The idea was that people can read the book while they are still locked down.” He explains, “I was bored at home with nothing much to do. I wanted to write about the lives of people stuck in similar situations.” These quick read stories are a “sweet peek into others’ lives”.The stories are of dark love and how these times recalibrate the human mind towards survival, ending up heightening instincts and emotions.
“These heightened emotions force you to relook at existing relationships and life,” says the 38-year-old author, adding, “sometimes unfamiliar situations makes even known people unfamiliar to us” . The book narrates stories of people from various segments of the society – a CEO, a doctor, a college girl, a male escort, a call centre executive and a filmstar. Every story has the same premise – the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown and then quarantine. The plot thickens as the crisis deepens. The stories deal with how this extraordinary situation plays out in their minds, and ends up changing the course of their lives and relationships forever. It tells the stories of how familiar faces become unfamiliar in these tough times.
The first story is about an affair between two office colleagues, the second explores the story of a struggling model who indulges in multiple affairs. The third is about two people hooking up in an airport, while the fourth is a narrative about a couple-both who indulge in an illicit affair. The fifth showcases a doctor’s paternal love to a girl who reminds him of his daughter, and the last explores the complexity of the relationship between three people.
“I am getting a good response for the book from all over the world,” says an ecstatic Brahma. His earlier works include The Luxe Trilogy — Luxe Inferno, Dark Luxe and Decoding Luxe.
Launched on April 12 at an eLitFest, the book is available on Kindle.
tamanna@newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi