A reticent Mehra family, comfortably nested in obscure Kaudiyala on the lower folds of the Himalayas, is rocked by emotional unrest as their daughter Supriya provides refuge to Farooq, a Kashmiri student of temple art, a distantly related family unit of the Mehras, empowered by a new citizenship law arrives and settles down with them, and Sudarshan, forever indifferent towards Supriya’s love for him, comes in search of his love Farooq at a time of raging political crisis in India.

Where the Sky Feels Cold is a tale of disappointment and despair, but it is also an acknowledgement of the fact that the most difficult love stories are the ones which are the most appealing. Attractive in its rich symbolism, intangible in its creation of love at multiple levels and in several forms, this short novel portrays four primary characters of drastically dissimilar dispositions who respond to the changing socio-political realities of India from their respective positions. Each one of them is situated beyond binaries of black and white; yet their muted colours bring to the story their pining for all that they hold dear. From Farooq’s never-ending search for a perfectly sculpted romantic statue to Supriya’s experience of unreciprocated love, and from Sudarshan’s sceptical submission to the power of a legend about the neighbourhood mosque to impish Pooja’s yearning for a home which she is prepared to trade for her heart, this is a story of reciprocal pain and tangential empathy, of love that survives lovers, of desire that can be planted afresh on new ground to yield as strong a scent as ever.

In this novella four lonely hearts redefine love, rediscover longing and explore the strings that continue to tug at their hearts in difficult times.

Shrutidhora P Mohor

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