Vidya Balan Launches a Great Kahani
The
Wrong Turn: Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji
By Sanjay Chopra and Namita Roy Ghose
Published by
Om Books International
At The Junkyard Café
Om Books International along with The Junkyard
Café, Mumbai, celebrated the launch of The
Wrong Turn: Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji by co-authors, Sanjay
Chopra and Namita Roy Ghose, on 28thFebruary 2017.
Vidya Balan, Rajat Kapoor and Simone Singh
read from the book. This was followed by an interesting discussion on the book
by Sanjay Chopra, Namita Roy Ghose, Tigmangshu Dhulia, Arshad Warsi, Anil
Dharker and Tisca Chopra. Other notable
people present on the occasion were Maria Goretti, Sayani Gupta, Kavita
Kaushik, Ranvir Shorey and Mushtaq Sheikh.
About the book
1944,
Kohima — a small, sleepy town in northeast India. Subhash Chandra Bose and his
Indian National Army (INA) along with the Japanese, are on the brink of
bringing the Empire to its knees and forcing the British out of India. But,
inexplicably, the tables turn. The INA’s advance is thwarted and the victory
march to Delhi is halted. Seventy years later, the British admit that the
Battle of Kohima was the greatest battle they had ever fought. Even more so
than the battles of Waterloo and Dunkirk. Was it then that old Indian curse —
betrayal? Someone from within Netaji’s own ranks? Were there forces other than
the British, waiting in the shadows closer to home, who stood to gain even more
from the INA’s defeat? Or was it just love that irrevocably altered the course
of India’s destiny? The Wrong Turn: Love
and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji, is a sweeping tale of passion set
against the freedom struggle. Debraj, the rakish playboy and scion of a
distinguished Calcutta family, and Nishonko, the fiery revolutionary sworn to
the cause of the INA, must not only fight their common enemy, but also for the
love of Aditi, the rebel with the healing touch. A haunting tale of love,
friendship and betrayal of an entire nation, The Wrong Turn veers inexorably
towards a poignant redemption.
About the co-authors
Sanjay Chopra,
co-author
“The Wrong Turn is a story that traverses
the cities of Calcutta, Singapore, Rangoon and Kohima caught up in the blaze of
the Second World War. It is about the clash of four desperate forces as they
come together in Kohima to vie for the brightest jewel in the crown -- India.
Victory will come to those who possess not just the coldest steel but even
colder hearts.”
SANJAY CHOPRA is an airline pilot and author of two
collections of short stories, Said and Done and Tailspin stories. He believes
that his office forty thousand feet in the sky and his travels provide him with
a view that fuels his vivid storytelling that cuts a wide arc through time and
space.
His stories have won the Invisible Ink,
the Millennium writers and Southport awards in the UK and USA. In the words of
his readers, ‘He is a storyteller like those of the old days, yet his stories
are as modern as tomorrow.’
He lives in Mumbai with his wife Tisca
Chopra, an actress and he is currently working on a film script and a web
series.
Namita Roy Ghose, co-author
“This
was a story waiting to be told. So much about Netaji was smoke and mirrors,
partial views foisted on us by the British and other vested interests. Here was
a man who was a personal hero, who was part of the lore of my childhood. And
here was a chance to set the narrative straight - through the lens of a very
human yet universal story of love.”
During
a school project on ‘The most memorable day of my life’, NAMITA ROY GHOSE wrote about a Russian girl on the day WW2 ended.
She got her first rejection slip from the teacher for making things up. Ever
since, Namita has established her storytelling skills through her
scriptwriting, screenplays poetry, fiction, legendary advertising campaigns,
and as a renowned advertising film director. A Creative Director with HTA, she
left after 13 years to start her own film company, White Light, one of India’s
top ad film outfits. A social activist, she is the founder of Vanashakti, an
NGO that works to protect the environment. Namita has done pro bono work on
issues like domestic violence, child welfare, sexual harassment and forest
preservation. She is an avid traveller, a photographer, foodie and teacher
Ajay Mago, Publisher, Om Books
International
“A Tale of Two
Cities, Dr Zhivago, Gone with the Wind are
some of my favourite historical fiction. Even today, I enjoy a well-written
historical fiction. So when The Wrong Turn came my way, I was
clearly excited about this critical piece of Indian history couched in a
fictional narrative. A great story told marvellously. Clearly one of the best
books Om Books International has published.”
Umang Tewari, Proprietor, Big Fish Ventures
I am blessed to
receive much love and acceptance for The Junkyard Café in Mumbai. It’s
overwhelming to see that in less than a span of 3 months, The Junkyard Café has
become the favorite hangout spot for Bolly and Telly world. The Junkyard Café is
a luxurious concept that derives its inspiration from Junkyard, a yard used to
store junk. How junk can be utilized in the most beautiful way, is something
that the café chain has mastered very well. The magnum place which stands true to
its concept, welcomes you to a world that has best of interiors with
minimalistic approach. The Mumbai units have been designed by deriving
inspiration from vintage garage or old spacious industrial locations. With
tires on the wall, scooters as seats, parking graphics on the wall etc., The
Junkyard Café is an extremely unique concept and first of its kind in Mumbai.
Lifelike images of Elvis Presley & Marilyn Monroe will adorn the walls of
Mumbai café and take the guest into the classic Hollywood era.
About Om Books International
One of the largest English trade
publishers in the Indian subcontinent, Om Books International is a force to
reckon with. It has been a leading enterprise for more than five decades in the
Indian publishing and retail industry. Headquartered in
Noida, OBI has a diverse publishing list: cinema, biography, memoir,
mind-body-spirit, photo essay, art, architecture, lifestyle, fiction -
commercial and literary, to name just a few categories. It counts amongst its notable
authors Khalid Mohamed, Mushtaq Shiekh, Bharathi S Pradhan, Nasreen Munni
Kabir, Rauf Ahmed, Kamala Das, William Dalrymple, Christopher C Doyle and
Suhail Mathur.
Om Books International has a stellar lineup of
Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winners: Saransh Goila, Maria Goretti, Michael
Swamy, Mugdha Savkar, Shazia Khan, Aditya Mehendale and Vikas Khanna.
Some of its forthcoming titles include: The
Bachchans by SMM Ausaja, Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl by
Asha Parekh and Khalid Mohamed, and Taj Mahal: Multiple Narratives,
by Amita Baig and Rahul Mehrotra. OBI has an
equally strong and varied children's publishing
programme under its imprint, OmKidz.
