2 Peg Ke Baad
By Nikita Lalwani
Review By Ila Garg
2 Peg Ke Baad, a collection of 14 short stories by Dr Nikita Lalwani, is published by Srishti Publishers. The cover shows a wine glass with red liquor. The black background is exactly what represents a drunk state of mind. The cover has a very simple feel to it. The title is apt keeping in mind the theme of the stories which talk about what happens in an inebriated state.
A writer/dentist/copywriter/blogger/coffee enthusiast/explorer/arithmophobic, Dr Nikita Lalwani considers herself to be married to writing and is very happy with that. Swimming, spirituality, reading, learning new languages are her other girlfriends. She authored her first non-fiction work Live Life... Stop Analysing It when she was 16. Nikita believes that dentistry happened to be destiny, but writing is where she truly finds herself.
She considers herself a workaholic and loves exploring different aspects of life that stand way away from just text books and desk jobs. Currently she is working as a copywriter with an ad agency in Mumbai.
2 Peg Ke Baad is her second book.
The blurb reads as, “2 Peg Ke Baad brings together 14 short stories that happened after 2 pegs, in an inebriated state. World’s greatest stories are created when people are high – masterpieces are painted, universal truths are realized, models on billboards are befriended, lovers are united, butts are kicked, confessions are made, and relationships are sorted.
The book started as a blog with people from across the world sharing their stories, ideas, confessions and beliefs and the elixir of the 14 best stories is here to reveal what lies beyond a conscious mind.
Though the book does not intend to encourage drinking alcohol in any sense, here’s to celebrate every emotion that kicks after a few pegs. Cheers!!”
The 14 stories are centred on the theme of drinking and the events that occur in the trance state. Intoxication has given birth to a lot of creativity. So many poets have composed their best poems in a trance state. Dr Nikita Lalwani has therefore, managed to unleash her creativity through these stories. Each story is well written.
The fourteen short stories compiled in the book are:
1. A Walk with A Call Girl
2. My Last painting
3. What Happens in Banaras... Stays for a Lifetime
4. How We Got Married
5. Apology! Sex Pays
6. Papier Blanc (The Blank Paper)
7. When All That Mattered Was a Gun
8. Drive-In-Sanity
9. Kicking the Butt
10. Rosita in the Bar
11. It's not a Love Story
12. Epilogue
13. Euphobia
14. Car no. 88
All 14 stories bring out a different aspect even after being based on one single subject.
The author has successfully portrayed deep and hidden realities. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. Readers will find the events quite interesting. I found it quite engaging. The subject is tackled beautifully by the skillful author. You don’t have to be an alcoholic to read and enjoy these stories or to connect with them.How drinking can affect you, how a drunk person reacts, what happens in an intoxicated state, some moments of fun and that of revelation are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in each of the stories in 2 Peg Ke Baad.
Further, this 168-page book is good enough to expose the double standards of society we live in, the hidden secrets that we all have. It’s a light read and overall a compelling book.
Ratings: 4/5
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