About the Book: The Salt Doll
In the two bold and gripping novellas brought together in this volume, the
inimitable Ismat Chughtai writes of subversive women—subversive in unexpected
ways—as they experience romantic and sexual desire, defy societal restrictions,
struggle, scheme and sometimes court tragedy. Obsession (Saudai) deals with one
of Chughtais favourite themes, the 'master-servant romance—in this case, two
brothers, sons of a feudal household, in love with the same orphan girl. And
Wild Pigeons (Jungli Kabutar)—based on the experiences of a famous Bollywood
personality—probes the theme of infidelity, dissecting the emotions not only of
the partner who is betrayed but also the one who betrays. In Chandni