Book Review : ‘Love in Lutyens’ Delhi’ by Amitabh Pandey

‘Love in Lutyens’ Delhi’ by Amitabh Pandey is a three way love story. One is of a little girl, the second is of her mother, and bringing up the end is her aunt. How should I describe this book? Should I treat it as a love story, because it talks of love, predominantly? 

Or perhaps it could be a kind of women and their careers, with one being a doctor, her sister going the other way and choosing to be a book editor and the third one, a career in computers. It must also talk of the older ladies, loving their daughter or niece. Or the love between the two sisters?

Oh, I must also mention the fourth one, though quite the opposite. The boy is a Civil Services aspirant, who might have to choose abandoning his dreams of writing.

Which to choose?

Okay, let us begin with my favourite. The book editor’s story. Abha, who happen to leads quite the life. In between, worrying about her sister, and trying to set her up, and also her niece, who has found love at an early age. Abha has to find time, between all this to find her own love. But with her own commitment issues, does she manage to find him? Does she manage to keep Mo?

The second person is the niece, Akriti. The child was off to kindergarten with her, aunt, when she spots a young boy, who was busy crying, not to be at school. This was Akriti’s introduction to the young Sanjay, where she had been busy chasing her aunt home, asking her to leave, since she seemed quite comfortable. The two of them Akriti and Sanjay meet and begin their love rather early in life. Both are smart, intelligent beings.

Until their time comes, when they have to decide to be together forever. The two of them are put in a difficult situation. Will he choose to give up his dreams and choose something; he was always made to do? Take up Civil Services and do what his parents thought would make a meaningful career? And give his dreams up, not just civil services, but even writing? Akriti is left in a mess. Will she end up going off to the US and pursue her career?

Gayatri is a successful doctor and she stays busy with her career. Being widowed very young, she ends up being the single mother to Akriti. She, with her sister’s help manages to bring up Akriti. As years pass on, so does her life, and the doctor is posed with another question.

As she was growing up, to medical school she had gone, with two friends. One of them ended up being her husband, and the other Vishy remained a good friend. Now, after all these years, Vishy is back and ready to begin dating Gayatri. Will it happen? Will she date him and settle down with him? Will her daughter agree to the whole situation?

Amitabh Pandey (from Pan Macmillan)

Well, that is how I saw it. Starting off with the book editor to the computer geek to the doctor. Of course, I could have taken another route too, but this is how my mind works right now… :)

You can Buy the Book, right here.