About the Book

What befalls the most middle class, ordinary of dreams and loves caught on the cusp of the most cursed, extraordinary of times?

Lollita, a fortyish writer and Saree-a-holic single mom, chases her small-town big dream of making it to the B-Lists. With Lit Agent Lamba ji in tow, she collides into not only speed-breakers like ageism, but also the choppy timelines of Before Corona, Lockdown, and Unlock. Straddling culture-scapes of Dilli Haat to Lockdown-shadowed litfests around City Beautiful and Himachal Pradesh, Lollita also finds herself drawn to a younger artist, Ruhaan.

Will Lollita’s summer-spring romance survive Quarantine’s clash of cultures? What fate awaits her Wannabe Bestseller?
Giddha On My Gulmohar is a racy, literary satire mapping the ‘oops’ and downs of Pandemic’s people, like you and me. A poignant portrait pulsating with the heartbeat of incorrigible Hope.

“Chetna Keer’s writing is elegant and expressive, packed with satire and sharp wit. She mirrors life’s fragilities and foibles through fictional characters, such as Lollita and Lamba ji, who drive home the point with a generous dose of humour.” 

-       RAMESH VINAYAK, Executive Editor, Hindustan Times

“What P. G. Wodehouse does for polite Brit society, Chetna's pen does light-heartedly for our Litscapes. A raconteur with an inimitably original voice and vivid vocabulary, her multi-layered narrative paints book-scapes and culture-scapes, around City Beautiful and beyond, with brush-strokes dripping wit and a wacky eye that colour bold ‘n’ breathless!”

-       SUMITA MISRA, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Literary Society and Bureaucrat-Poet

“A riotous parade of quirky, bejewelled publishers, cantankerous book editors and bombastic litfest luminaries lace Chetna Keer’s rollicking narrative. Beware! Best not to dip into the misadventures of Lollita and Lamba ji in public spaces, for uncontrolled guffaws could invite startled stares!”  

-       INDU BALACHANDRAN, Author