Here is another delightful book by Bulbul Sharma but this time it is not stories specifically about nature, though nature is there in the background. In fact, the blurb at the back of the book sums it up very beautifully. ‘As the seasons change, Bulbul Sharma’s quirky fictional families invite readers into their homes and the gardens of their hearts to celebrate life and relationships with generous helpings of traditional foods.’
There are ten different stories set against the backdrop of ten festivals widely celebrated all over India. Not only that, the book also features recipes of the dishes associated with each festival! This may sound rather contrived, but in actual fact the recipes follow the stories quite seamlessly and add a lip-smacking celebratory finish to each tale! These simple-to-follow recipes—I haven’t tried them yet, I must admit—are by Shonali Shukla and come from the different States of India. The illustrations are also done by her.
Bulbul Sharma has a fluent, flowing style and given her sharp insights into human relationships and behaviour, the book makes for a very entertaining read. The stories are varied with a wide variety of characters. Some stories like ‘A Windfall in Christmas’ are funny but with an underlying pathos, while others like ‘Ma’s Mahasankranti’ fill one with nostalgia for lost parents and places, and above all, one’s lost childhood…
On the other hand, you have ‘Card Tricks at Diwali’ which is all about women who regularly play cards and the depths their competitiveness can make them stoop to. ‘Poojo Feuds’ is somewhat on the same lines but ends with an unusual twist.
In fact, most of Bulbul Sharma’s stories have a ‘twist in the tale’ which is difficult to predict. This keeps the reader’s interest right till the end. The title story, ‘Gardens of the Heart’ is a good example of the unexpected ending. It is about an ambitious self-made millionaire who takes up gardening as a hobby after his emergency bypass.
In a totally different vein is ‘A Chador for the Dargah’—a sweet story about the innocent friendship between a Muslim girl and her Hindu classmate. This story is set in Old Delhi and captures the atmosphere to perfection. In fact, the stories have varied settings. ‘Playing with Memory’ is about a woman based in New York who comes home to Chennai for Pongal. Another story is set in London while ‘A Windfall at Christmas’ has Goa for its locale. The characters too are very varied. Some are very young, some middle-aged and some very old, but they are all so realistically created, and the descriptions and conversations so deftly done that one is pulled into the story with a total suspension of disbelief! Even the ghost story, ‘A Life Recalled’ gives one the goosebumps and seems totally believable while one is reading it!
There are a couple of really weird stories like ‘Colour the Sky’—about a cop who likes to dress up like a woman—and ‘This Land is Mine’. The latter is a highly imaginative tale about the Hindu god Mahabali who comes to Earth for ten days during Onam and meets an English tourist in Kerala!
Well produced by Women Unlimited Ink, the new trade imprint of Women Unlimited, the book has an attractive cover, good paper and printing. All in all, Gardens of the Heart is an extremely entertaining and readable collection of stories with a cookbook thrown in for good measure!