About the Book

Does a woman neglected by her husband have the right to seek happiness elsewhere? Uski Panchvati is a novel which not only questions conventions sanctioned by society such as marriage but also compels us to ponder over them. Vikram Khanna, Delhi’s leading industrialist selects middle class Sadhvi as a bride for his younger brother Yatin. Himself married to Neera, who is neither educated nor talented, he admires Sadhvi who paints and is interested in fine arts. Yatin, however, ridicules her hobbies. For him, she is only a body to be used for pleasure. On the way to Gorakhpur, Vikram and Sadhvi stop at Basti where the guest house stands, surrounded by dense rows of mango trees. For Sadhvi, it becomes her own secluded, idyllic Panchvati where Vikram and she consummate their love for each other. Uski Panchvati questions whether anyone can experience a moment of complete and unparalleled happiness in life. If yes, is it possible to spend a whole lifetime on the basis of this.

About the Author

Dr Kusum Ansal is a novelist, short story writer, poet and travelogue narrator with 32 books to her credit. The movie Panchvati directed by late Basu Bhatacharya was based on her famous novel Uski Panchvati. The screenplay and dialogues of the movie were written by her. She is a recipient of several literary awards—‘Hindi Academy Sahityakar Samman’, Sahitya Booshan Samman and IWEC in South Africa to name a few. Kusum Ansal has a Masters degree in Psychology from Aligarh Muslim University and a Phd in Hindi literature from Punjab University.