Bloodline Bandra
David Cabral is a journalist, and also one of the original peepils: an East Indian from Pali Village. The village is a world unto itself, and the villagers such notables as Salt Peter, Freddy Fakir, Basco Big Stomach, Carla Four Eyes, Lorna Leg Spread, Spunkless Joe and Small Tree Big Fruit. It is a world relatively untroubled by the rapid changes around it, mostly because its inhabitants just ask themselves, 'My fadder wot going?' David, spurred by the sight of childhood friends who have made it big abroad, manages to shake off the stupor of his comfortable life and heads to New York for his piece of the American Dream pie. There, he finds himself a slave: unable to scrape together enough money to return to India, nor able to quit because it would render his stay illegal. There also, he meets and falls in love with Japanese cello student Hatsumi Nakamura - a difficult love, bound by culture and circumstances. All the while, Pali Village beckons David home. Bloodline Bandra captures with flair and wit the flavourful language of the East Indians, life in the tight-knit community of Pali Village and a way of life that's dying out. It is a riveting tale of love and loss, of home and homelessness that will linger on long after the book is read and put away.
