India has always had a great history of romance. The stories are numerous, but somewhere along the line, we lost touch with our very own Anaarkali, Paro, Devdas and Heer.
India has always had a great history of romance. Be it the tragic love story of the farmers son Ranjha with the wealthy Heer, or the court servant Anaarkali who sacrifices herself for the love of her Prince Salim or even the more contemporary rich landlord’s son Devdas, repenting till death for the loss of his childhood love Paro.
The stories are numerous, but somewhere along the line, we lost touch with our very own Anaarkali, Paro, Devdas and Heer. Rugged cowboys, metrosexual men and well-manicured city-slick women were neatly packaged between the pages of convenient
pocket-sized romances and their charm was difficult to resist.
Random House India is launching a series of fiction novels titled Kama Kahani which delve into the territory of powerful, seductive and forbidden love. Mistress to the Yuvraj, The Zamindar’s Forbidden Passion and Ghazal in the Moonlight are the first titles in the Kama Kahani series that will very soon hit stands. “These are tales of the desi historical romances from the 18th and 19th century,” says Milee Ashwarya, commissioning editor, Random House India. “We believe the strong Indian connect in these stories will give readers a better reason to fall in love with them,” she adds.
The three stories are set in regions such as Rajasthan, Lucknow and Bengal and with regard to detail, are true to the period in which they are set. “Although there is lots of love-making in the stories, you cannot categorise them as soft porn. There are purely passionate romances described in a beautiful language,” she remarks.
The plot thickens
Mistress to the Yuvraj: Rajput prince Shivendra of Jaigarh has a formidable reputation. He soon meets his match in Nandini, the headstrong daughter of an impoverished zamindar. She is bewitching and he is drawn to her. Although she is determined to resist his indecent proposal, he must have her as his mistress. His persistence pays off as a tempestuous love story unfolds.
The Zamindar’s Forbidden Passion: The beautiful and feisty daughter of a Bengali teacher, Madhubati has been pledged to Bidyut, the son of a family friend. Fate intervenes and brings one of her father’s students, Som, into her life. Will her love overcome barriers of class and will she fight against her family’s wishes?
Ghazal in the Moonlight: The delicate Shameena spends her days in a palace in Lucknow, surrounded by beauty and luxury. When her father, the Nawab, promises her to the arrogant Englishman Nicholas Winthrop, she rebels and flees her home. But when Asef, the handsome bodyguard of Nicholas is dispatched to bring her back, Shameena finds herself caught in a dangerous battle between East and West!
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