New Delhi July 2 (IANS) Actor Naseeruddin Shah on Monday released novel "The Glass House: A Year of Our Days" recounting a couple s search for a house in Delhi and also read some of its excerpts.
Advertising professional Chanchal Sanyal s debut novel about the "thriving bustling modern megapolis" of Delhi the book (184 pages/Rs 295/Rupa Publications) has the tale of Delhi running parallel to the account of a yuppie couple s pursuit of a home they could call their own.
Written from the perspective of Monojit Bhaduri (abbreviated as MB in the book) a Bengali college professor in his 30s it is a story that is a dark comical take on the city.
"The book looks into the makaan part of roti kapda makaan and how we equate a house with achievement and happiness " Sanyal said at the launch.
The book traces the downhill journey of MB s life as unable to afford a house in the capital he zeroes on one in Gurugram but is construction screeches to a halt.
The fragility of his dream and its unshielded truth creates a house of glass for the protagonist -- utterly transparent and threatening to break at the drop of a hat.
The Gurugram-based Sanyal described the housing situation in the adjoining Haryana city as "a stage that has been set; but while it s halfway done the curtains have been raised."
Shah who was a resident of Delhi in his student days recounted his experience of the city while reading his favourite excerpts from the book.
The book meanwhile looks into the ideals of middle-class urban happiness and leaves the reader with the question: Has Delhi had enough?

--IANS sj/vd