Book – Sikkim in my Love Story
Author – Narsing Nirzat
Publisher – Notion Press
First Published – 2018
Pages – 325
Suitable read for – those who want to understand the beauty of Sikkim from outside and get inspired to visit this place

Well, this book – Sikkim in my Love Story, is a beautiful collection of short stories, 9 in numbers to be precise. This wonderful collection of picturesque short stories draws the attention of the readers towards the ‘often unseen’ beauty of one of the north-eastern Indian state, Sikkim. At some points, I was truly forced to make comparisons of Narsing Nirzat’s writing to that of Thomas Hardy and his Wessex novels. I mean you can feel what he wants to make you feel. Just use this instance for example:

“Sailee used to buy fresh vegetables in bulks from villagers, and sell it to her customers in their required measures. At the far end of Lall Market, she had her trading place with a low lying wooden rack to display her vegetable items. To each of the four corners of her rack, she had erected a six-feet high bamboo pole and on top of it, she has spread a plastic sheet to serve as its roof.”

Reading these lines, you can actually visualise what might be happening beyond the text and this is the story of every story in this book by Narsing Nirzat. In all the stories, which the author claims to have been inspired by the true events and true people, and he also gives the evidence at the end of the book for the same, you will find the paintings of places, culture, customs and traditions of the Sikkim state in excess. Right from the story number one – The Perspective of Love, the beauty of Sikkim begins coming to the readers.

Another thing that I would like to bring to the light of the readers is that the author has decided to maintain a timeline in his book. You will notice that each story as an associated year besides the title and that indicates the happening time of the events in the short story. So, Narsing wants to make you understand that whatever you are reading has actually happened…

In first story, that I liked very much, a different side of brotherly love is portrayed. Sikkim’s culture comes out in vivid colours. Another story that I liked very much in the collection is the story of love and marriage of the author’s parents – Sikkim; In My Love Story. What you will like about this book is that the author tries to give you full details – political background, historical background, people’s perspective and all that which could make you understand the things mentioned in the book completely. And then there is a story like Somebody’s Private Tajmahal – an emotional journey for me! I liked it a lot! And all other stories are well-written, outpouring Sikkim’s values and traditions and ways of life and educating an outsider about Sikkim without any hassle.

Narsing Nirzat’s Sikkim in my Love Story is a book which could not become a thing of beauty without discussing Sikkim’s scenic beauty in detail and the author was obliged to this natural demand. You will not feel any trouble in reading even the longest story in this book which drags about 34 pages – I am joking… surprisingly, all the short stories are of equal length and this is another thing about this book by a well-learned author which caught my interest instantly.

To sum up, let me put the technical arguments. This is a different kind of book. You cannot expect to get thrill and crime here. You will be getting love and motivation and beauty in all the stories. You will be compelled to come closer to the place, people and their culture. You will come close to Sikkim! I will suggest reading this book to all those readers who have a little patience and an interest in reading serious fiction. You can secure your copy by clicking the link below which will take you to Amazon India.

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review by Abhishek for Active Reader book blog