Set in the backdrop of 1984 Riots in
Delhi, The Gunshots in Lodhi Garden is a thriller full
of suspense, love, romance and violence. Once you enter this novel's
world of characters and its racy sequence of events you do not rest
content till you reach its very end. This is the second work of
fiction by the Delhi based Chartered Accountant and Educationist
turned writer, Pramod Grover. His first novel, The Wedding Gift,
was published some twenty years back, in 1992.
The main plot of the story is woven
around the novel's chief protagonist, Sonali Chand, and the events
related to her marriage, love and her close encounters with Death.
The conflict between the other two characters, Shaukat Ram; a
powerful Delhi based politician and Jaggu, a riot victim turned
terrorist forms an important sub-plot that runs parallel to the main
plot. The 1984 anti Sikh Riots loom large over the canvas of
the novel.
Like any other novelist Pramod Grover
also uses story, plot, character and technique as the building blocks
for The Gunshots in Lodhi Garden.
However his strong preference for the element of character in the
novel seems quite apparent. He creates his characters with such
sensitivity and detail that they remain etched in the memory
of the reader. One cannot forget the names of
Sonali, Shaukat Ram, Andy, Jaggu so easily.