The Fine Print and Other Yarns

The Fine Print and other Yarns is a collection of nine stories. The first seven are set in Paris of 1980s and 1990s when India was a poor, developing country with a closed economy, and France still considered as one of the leading world powers. Due to foreign exchange restrictions, few Indians could think of visiting Paris those days, leave apart staying there for a long period. These stories present a cross section of Indians who made it to Paris during those days, as they struggle to come to term with the life there despite numerous constraints. The last two: 'The Mobile Phone Dealer' and "Bawa and His Fiat' are set in India towards the end of the last century just after the advent of mobile phones and internet.

This collection is like a kaleidoscope, each turn of which presents an eminently interesting and unforgettable character in an intriguing situation.

'Buddy the Impressionist': Buddy has a fixation for the bohemian life of the Impressionist painters in Paris. During a rare opportunity to visit Paris for two days after attending a seminar in England, he hopes to experience it first-hand himself. He searches in vain for something that would correspond to his image of life in Paris which is based primarily on his reading of Irving Stone's novels. A remark by a waiter when he asks for a glass of absinthe in a bar provides him a clue to what he was looking for.

'The Fine Print': Krish, pursuing MBA in a Business School in Paris is aspiring to become a marketing guru. Living on a shoe string budget, he is thrilled when he is invited by a class mate for her birthday party in a restaurant in a chic quarter of Paris. That dinner in that expensive restaurant proves to be a valuable lesson in marketing that Krish ends up learning the hard way.

'The Transformation': When Amitabh and his friends arrives in Paris they are overwhelmed by how much the city has to offer, though most of it is beyond their reach given their meagre finances. His friends expect a lot from Amitabh who is known to be a generous and hospitable person. After indulging them for a few days Amitabh stops entertaining them to save money. It leads to an interesting rivalry in which each one is trying to boast about his exploits in Paris yet unwilling to provide any further details of expenses to the others.

'The Visitor': Dr Chopra, a widely travelled doctor, decides to take a short stopover in Paris during one of his foreign tours. Not knowing a word of French, the jet setting doctor finds himself driven to despair finding his way and thinks of taking a flight back to Delhi the same day but unable to do so. After a harrowing experience finding his hotel he decides not to step out till Amitabh, one of whose close friends has requested him to show Dr. Chopra the city, arrives. Nevertheless, Dr. Chopra is so smitten by Paris during his brief stay that he is already making plans for his next visit.

'Another Visitor': When Dr. Singh, a distant relative of Amitabh, who is a professor of Sanskrit, informs him about his visit to Paris as a part of his international tour. He is worried how a person like him will find his way in a place like Paris, where even a seasoned traveler like Dr. Chopra had such a harrowing experience as he could not speak French. He is however in for a great surprise when not only Dr. Singh manages to reach him at his suburban hostel on his own but narrates to him his exploits in the city.

Some reviews of the first edition:
"Parisian adventures: Stories that skirt around the bothersome issues of crossing cultures." (Literary Review, The Hindu)
"A smorgasbord of unforgettable characters." (India Today)
"A kaleidoscope, each turn of which presents an eminently interesting and unforgettable character." (The Sunday Tribune; Spectrum)
"The stories provide a keen insight into the mind of an average Indian abroad, his resilience and adaptability." (Asian Age)