About the Book

A man close to death is discovered somewhere in strife-torn Kashmir, alone but for the company of birds, in a decrepit room that is silent but for their agitated songs. Where does ‘The Birdman’—as he is named by his perplexed rescuers—belong? In which soil is his misery rooted?

Roots are in fact the leitmotif of Heena Singhal’s Song of the Reed, inspired by Rumi’s poem of the same name, which talks of the lament emerging from the flute, and the longing to unite with its source: the stem from which it is cut and fashioned for the satisfaction of others.

The narrative stretches itself over countries and continents, beginning with the experience of Noor, a disillusioned girl of mixed heritage in contemporary Spain, who embarks on a quest for her real home.

Meanwhile, bright and beautiful Reva, from an orphanage in New Delhi, also resolves on an energetic hunt for her lost family, reminding herself every step of the way that grieving is a luxury only for the privileged.

Somehow, their disparate paths cross, united by their common compulsions. Separately and together, they search for a meaning to the love and hate in their private lives and in the world, coming to realise that in Kashmir, at least, the war between the two is never truly over.

 

About the author:

Heena Singhal lives her life in the world of imagination, having faith in the magnificent power of stories. While she is a chartered accountant by education, Singhal dons many hats: a visual artist, children’s book writer and illustrator, poet, novelist, and most of all, as it defines her the best—a storyteller.

Her first novel, Songs of the Reed, has won the coveted Crowns of Delhi Award for Best Debutant Novelist. The story is inspired by the poem of the same name by Rumi, the very legendary Persian poet of all time.

Finding beauty in pain, optimism in melancholy, and grace in agony is the quest of this Delhi-based chartered accountant-turned-writer. Her paintings and illustrations are available for sale on her website, heenasinghaldotcom

She loves to connect with her readers through her Instagram handle pages_pen_heena.