Dopehri by Pankaj Kapur


 Wrapping up July with this short read about the musings of an ageing widow living in a Haveli all by herself. COVID has taught us that we crave human touch more than ever-- something that no amount of social media and virtual meetups can ever replace. 

The novel portrays how powerful loneliness can be and how it cripples everyone eventually. 


Amma Bi reminds me of my grandparents who would not let go of their homes even if it means being alone for the rest of their lives. With her son away in the US, Amma Bi only has the company of her servant and her memories. For her, giving up her Haveli is equivalent to give up her soul. Her loneliness has driven her to the point where she is willing to pay her servant extra just so he would spend the nights in the Haveli. 


Pankaj Kapur portrays loneliness as something tangible; something that can drown you if you are not careful. The sounds of anklets on her roof which scared Amma Bi every night was nothing but her mind playing tricks on her. With the arrival of a lodger, Sabiha, those sounds ceased on their own. Her friendship with Sabiha is the turning point of the book. In Sabiha, she saw the daughter she never had. In the days following she found herself thinking more about Sabiha than her own son. She now has a life and an identity of her own.


The book shows human emotions in its purest form. Its a meditation on life, love and everything that makes us feel alive.

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