From Cukee Walia’s silken-sweet voice to Nargis’ bewitching dance; from Mahrukh the sweetest flower to the Dirt-water Scoundrels; from Satanic Times of Blue Star to Rose Symmonds’ loss; the Sweet and Sour Stew of Sonu and Samar to the Summer of 2002—these ten eclectic short stories feature subjects fixated in society’s social consciousness. Unfolded and revealed to the author from her interaction with people, who spilt forth their experiences from the rhythm of their lives, she fictionalized them to persuade, inform and entertain. Maniki Deep has been a television artiste; she has acted in plays and has done commentaries for documentary films. She worked in UNDP and later as President, Centre for Carnival Arts & Convenor, Plaza Carnival. Awarded the ‘Punjab Ratan’ by the All India Conference of Intellectuals in 2003, she has also been a Member of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy and the Governing Council of North Zone Cultural Centre, Chandigarh. Her first book, Impressions and Expressions, was published in 2016. Read more