The Immortals

Author  Amit Chaudhuri Introduction by  Pankaj Mishra
The Immortals

Two families in 1980s Bombay—one making ends meet in the old world of Indian classical music, the other thriving in a booming new world of corporate luxury—intersect in this lyrical novel of art and commerce, capturing a city (and country) in a state of change.

Bombay in the 1980s: Shyam Lal is a highly regarded voice teacher, trained in the classical idiom but happily teaching more popular songs to well-to-do women, whose modern way of life he covets. Sixteen-year-old Nirmalya Sengupta is the rebellious scion of an affluent family who wants only to study Indian classical music. With a little push from her mother, Shyam agrees to accept Nirmalya as his student, entering into a relationship that will have unexpected and…