In Search of Heer - Paperback

by Manjul Bajaj (Author)

'This beautifully narrated book is a shining example of how an author's imagination can make a reader look at an age-old and seemingly inviolable rendition in a new way.'- Huffington Post

LISTED FOR MULTIPLE LITERARY PRIZES IN INDIA, INCLUDING THE JCB PRIZE 2020, THE MATRUBHUMI BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020, AND THE TIMES OF INDIA WOMEN AUTHOR AWARD 2020.

In the village of Takht Hazara, the musically gifted Deedho Ranjha struggles against family and society. He rejects the pursuit of wealth and power as the measure of a man's worth. In distant Jhang, the spirited Heer Syal is an accomplished warrior who fearlessly challenges the norms of her community. Heer and Ranjha are destined to meet and fall in love-the former chastised for her 'manly' pursuits and the latter ridiculed for his lack thereof. Told from multiple perspectives, set against the lush riverbanks, and rugged countryside of West Punjab, this is a wise, passionate, and lyrical retelling of one of the Indian subcontinent's most beloved epics.

What Readers Are Saying:

"It is a magnificent piece of work - written beautifully and there is something deeply humane about the ideas in the book. So contemporary in its relevance, so full of themes that give meaning and joy to life. Written with a unique modern sensibility, Manjul Bajaj reworks an epic love story in such a fine way. She makes the love between men and women such a beautiful experience."
Amazon Reader Review
"...such a refreshing, empowered and empowering love-story. After years, here is a book that I have fully delighted in... The landscape of western Punjab itself is a strong presence in this very rooted in the land story, and I love writing which is so much about setting and its various shades, the language is beautiful, and the style very earthy, wise and fable like."
Amazon Reader Review
"Manjul Bajaj's re-imagination of the Heer Ranjha story is lush in ts lyrical beauty, deeply philosophical in it's questioning of love and society's restraints, almost spiritual in its quest of a harmonious social order and a strong call for female agency, friendships and solidarity. Every single character - human, animal, bird plays an integral part in the overall story that unfolds bit by bit taking the narrative to both a reader's heart and mind."
Review on Goodreads
"It was astonishing for me how the book could be both so rustic and true to its context and modern at the same time."
Review on Goodreads
"The original Heer Ranjha story is a ballad and Bajaj has successfully managed to infuse the music in her lyrical writing as well. She invokes music everywhere in the book, be it in the description of the landscapes, the way she describes nature and emotions."
Review on Goodreads
"Stories packed into one story, flowing seamlessly, relentlessly on. Referencing mainly Waris Shah s poetic rendition of Heer s story, Bajaj layers it with contemporary pertinence. Heer is undoubtedly a feminist, a fiery feminist at that. Ranjha is no foolhardy desperate lover here, he s a sensitive, deeply caring one. Heer s paedophile uncle is an unforgettable character in this book; the reader winces and keeps wincing but cannot stop reading."
Review on Goodreads
"This isn't just a mythical tale. It is contemporary with a ferocious feminist protagonist Heer."
Amazon Reader Review
It's a story of love and longing, of sexual freedom and identity, of the constraints of class and gender, of abuse and exploitation, of good and evil. Manjul Bajaj's writing is lyrical, poetic and entertaining.
Amazon Reader Review
"Thanks to JCB Prize for literature that I discovered this brilliant book and devoured it in one night."
Review on Goodreads