Striking debut
Reviewed by Geetu Vaid

Days of Gold and Sepia
By Yasmeen Premji.Harper Collins.
Pages 420. Rs 399

If all the world’s a stage and men mere actors, then all life is just a story. And with her debut novel, Yasmeen Premji reveals her strong story-telling DNA. She makes the reader embark on an odyssey of the central character Lalljee Lakha’s eventful life through a sea of words with a remarkable adroitness.

It is a racy read as once you enter the swirling waters of her words; the author takes you surfing over the tides of events in Lalljee’s life. Riding on the waves of emotions, one moves from one character to another, each one like a different island that the ‘master mariner’, Lalljee, explores in the great voyage of his life. Interestingly, the second most important character of this tale of memory and desire is the city of seven islands — Bombay.

In Yasmeen’s narrative, the stories of Lalljee and Bombay intertwine continuously. It is as much a story of Lalljee — the man of grit and determination, as it is of Bombay — the city that keeps pace with change and hides a million opportunities and dreams in its belly. A kaleidoscopic depiction of the man and the city is the highlight of this novel that is cast in the classic mould with its time-tested elements like the rise of a man of no means to become a wealthy ‘Cotton King’, star-crossed lovers’ tale, wily machinations, faith and betrayal.

She paints a vivid picture of Bombay straddling the late 19th and early 20th centuries, encased in old-world charm. She gives a generous peep into the lifestyle of the multi-hued social fabric of the city comprising wealthy seths, English sahibs, Maharajas, courtesans, social activists et al. While Lalljee, the pauper, metamorphoses into an influential business tycoon; Bombay, a port city of cotton mills, changes into a bustling business centre. It is the story of human grit and of the innate goodness of a man. The author never trespasses the shores of human values in her tale. Through Lalljee’s character, Yasmeen conveys that though winds of fate and dark storms of destiny can rock life’s ship temporarily, these can never make a man of worth lose his core of goodness. Even the indiscretions and dalliances of Lalljee are projected in a positive "frame."

After putting down the book, the feel is that of having flipped through a very old photo album with its monochromes with faded faces wearing unfathomable expressions — a feel of having seen a lot but not enough. Leaving readers yearning for more with one’s very first book is no mean achievement and Yasmeen achieves that for sure with her Days of Gold and Sepia.

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