Om Books International along with Toy
Room Club , New Delhi hosted the launch of The
Aladia Sisters Khalid Mohamed's
debut novel, on 23rd October, 2019. The novel was launched by Bollywood Actor Sonam
K Ahuja, who spoke about Khalid Mohamed's immense contribution to Hindi
cinema.
On the occasion, Sonam K Ahuja, Khalid Mohamed, Dipa Chaudhuri and
Ajay Mago shared their experiences of putting together the book with Puja
Talwar, Editor - GoodTimes
About the book
Traversing the era of the British Raj, the Partition and India’s Independence
to the here and now of the Internet millennium, the story of six sisters of a
patriarchal Muslim family, is investigated by a journalist. Before coming of
age, the sisters had run away in the deep cover of the night from a Haryana
village to define their lives and destinies. Began an undeclared game of
may-the-best-sister win. Earn money, express inchoate talents in the arts, hook
the richest husband, raise the next generation right – these were just a
scattering of their to-do list. Through confidences and vignettes, updates and
interviews, the Mumbai journalist travels between Delhi, Ajmer, Mount Abu and
London, to recreate the narrative of a confederacy of women who dared to break
the rules way before they were written. The story – blending fact and fiction –
could have been chronicled only by one journalist, the grandson of one of the
sisters.
About the Author
Khalid Mohamed started as reviewer and co-editor during his teenage years, for
Close-Up, a film society quarterly magazine. He then covered crime, politics
and the arts for The Times of India, Mumbai, from the mid-1970s, engaged in
daily reporting and film criticism. Appointed Media Editor of the paper, he
went on to serve as editor of Filmfare magazine, while continuing as the
daily’s film critic for 27 years. He reviewed television for The Economic Times
besides contributing articles to The Illustrated Weekly of India and Femina.
His writing has also been featured in India Today, The Indian Express, The
Telegraph, the international film weekly, Variety, and in the Sunday Observer,
London. He was film critic for Mid-day, Senior Editor of DNA newspaper, and
National Culture Editor and film critic for the Hindustan Times. A
post-graduate in Political Science from Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College, he has
translated eminent painter M.F. Husain’s autobiography – Where Art Thou? – from
Hindustani to English. He has written the original stories and screenplays for
three films by Shyam Benegal: Mammo, Sardari Begum and Zubeidaa. He wrote the
original stories and screenplays for the films, Fiza, Tehzeeb and Silsiilay and
also directed them. He was playwright and director of the stage play Kennedy
Bridge. His documentaries The Last Irani Chai, Little Big People on Mumbai’s
street children, and The Master: Shyam Benegal, have been widely screened at
international film festivals and on television. He has written two short story
collections – Two Mothers and Other Stories and Faction: Short Stories by 22
Film Personalities
Akshay Anand, Owner, Toy Room Club, New Delhi:
“We feel extremely honoured to be given the opportunity to host
the book launch of Mr. Mohamed's debut novel- The Aladia Sisters.
On behalf of my entire team at Toy Room Club, New Delhi, I would like to wish
all the very best for this new development and continued success for all his
future endeavours.”
Ajay Mago, Publisher, Om Books International:
The Aladia Sisters celebrates the novel as an art form. The story started germinating
years ago, and took on different art forms before transforming into a novel
spanning three generations. Destiny’s twists and turns, and the choices made by
the protagonists—six sisters—caught at the crossroad of the nation’s and their
personal histories, make it a novel reminiscent of the classics we grew up
with.
About Om Books International
One of the largest English language trade publishers in the Indian
subcontinent, Om Books International has been a name to reckon with for over
five decades in the Indian publishing and retail industry. Headquartered in
Noida, OBI has a diverse publishing list including cinema, biography, memoir,
mind-body-spirit, photo essay, art, architecture, lifestyle, fiction —
commercial and literary. OBI has an equally strong and varied children and
publishing programme under its imprint, OmKidz.
