The Haveli - Kay S - Bog

"Haveli" is Ranajai Singh's ancestral house in Udaipur which his weak and alcoholic father gambles away in a drunken moment. Ranajai is forced to leave with his family and immigrate to London. Before going twelve year old Ranajai promises the new owner Vinod Doshi: "I'll be back."As he leaves the shores of India he has only one thought in mind. To reclaim his heritage. In London the family has to struggle to orient themselves to a completely new way of life. Ranajai's father, Digvijai Singh fails miserably in the attempt to start anew and becomes a chronic alcoholic to blot out reality. The responsibility of maintaining the family falls on Ranajai's young shoulders. Ranajai is unable to forget the past. After his father's death he becomes apprentice to his uncle in his shop and finally rises to become the owner of five branches. Ranajai's sister Laji continually urges him to let go of the past but Ranajai cannot bring himself to forget the haveli and his Indian roots. Fate takes a hand and brings Vinod Doshi and his son Ujwal to his shop one day. From there the story takes a new turn as Ranajai meets Karuna -Vinod Doshi's ugly and lonely daughter. He plots to get his haveli by marrying Karuna. He marries her and leaves for India. But in India Ranajai is rapidly disillusioned. Nothing seems to be what he thought......Haveli is a story of cross cultural identity, of love, hope, hatred and a consuming obsession which finally destroys Ranajai.