THE most striking aspect of Dalip Kaur Tiwana, after her little-girl laughter that reaches her eyes and lights up her being, is her utter lack of any pretensions or airs that signify her "writerly" status. Born on May 4, 1935, in Rabbon village in Ludhiana district to a wealthy land-owning family, this eminent novelist has published 27 novels, seven collections of short stories, the first part of her autobiography and a literary biography. The eldest of five sisters and a brother, she was adopted by her paternal aunt who had the apprehension that her husband would marry again because they didn’t have a child.