The 10 stories in this collection are a passionate philosophical exploration of life in contemporary India. They are set against the country's fast changing social fabric by the valorization of issues of caste, community, religion and gender that flowed in to take the place of and to fill the gap left the 'big cause' - nationalism and colonization - of an earlier era. They lay an ear to the pulse of change and excitement as it crisscrosses and enmeshes with intimate and personal lives of ordinary people, men and women engrossed in the business of living. They are about a new morality and more that in spite of ourselves has taken over and brought new life to a generation and a race. The leitmotif is aptly captured in the title. At once it invokes the romance of modern life in India and also expresses the intense search for rapport and rhythm in the personal relations. The themes range from psychic adventure that attempts to put a name to those intangible strengths in human character to exploration of relation between women, the tug and pressure of parental and filial love that one feels and the demands of a personality. They present the heroism of women at those instances in life when intimate personal relations fail to keep their romantic promise and the perfect dream of passion. The stories are thus arch stories, which have folkloric quality in the flow of events and actions. Told from the viewpoint of the restless female picaro heroine discovering the world, they are written with dash and humour. They are funny even when sad, serious but with a light touch. For the women in these stories, Ahana, Maya, Meena, Priya, Sindhu. life is funny but sad, they live intensely, give much and sue for more. | Waiting for Mr. Bond and Other Stories by Namratha Mogaral, Paperback | Indigo Chapters