Filmmaker Parvati Menon has framed her career as an author also with her writings in her fist story book ‘Deolali Days’, published in 2019. It is a fictional story, and the book was published by Notion Press. The book gives a glimpse of a bygone era, when the country was undergoing an immense socio-political change in 1940s.
The story took place in Deolali, a Britiah Army camp near Bombay in 1940s. The people in the town were fascinated by two handsome young men, fresh recruits who were to be trained by the rival’s father. But like most Brits at that time, their aim was to shift back to London. After all, it was a time of change and migration. India was about to get Independence from the British Raj bringing the Empire’s rule to an end and so, the Brits were heading back leaving their luxurious life in India behind.
A new country was being made for the muslims to move to, and refugees were coming to India in hope of starting a new life from scratch. In the middle of these circumstances, the young men don’t rule out the possibility of matrimony with Col Brown’s blissful daughters. Adding to all this is the exceptionally right prediction by a parrot named Poppat baba, who drives the heroes out of their wits. The chaos and drama that follow is what keep the readers hooked to know more.
The book Deolali Days takes the readers back in time to a pre-independent India, and gives a rare glimpse of an era. The finely sophisticated characters from diverse backgrounds make it all the more thought-provoking.