A breezy little novel by Randeep Wadehra

A girl named Indie by Kavita Daswani

Puffin Books. Pages: 189. Price: Rs. 200/-.

Her parents had named her Indira, with Rajkamal for middle name and Gandhi as surname – something that would make a young girl feel so un-American in the Los Angeles suburbs. And, if she is a fifteen year old brown chick yearning to be a part of the mainstream chic as a fashion journalist then it is reasonable for her to feel alienated. So she gives herself a name, Indie, which should have been cool enough to earn peer-acceptance at school. But fails in making her popular among the boys or helping her realize the dream of getting internship with the hot-shot fashion magazine Celebrity Style.

But Indie is a spirited lass. The array of glass ceilings that block her entry into the ritzy world of elegance do not daunt her. Unlike most Indian-American girls she refuses to become the stereotypical academic/techno geek (her neurosurgeon father wants her to go to Harvard) or measure up to the expectations of her community as a nice traditional Indian girl who wears traditional Indian clothes and does charity work on annual visits to India. She has set her heart on becoming a fashionista who would not just cover latest hi-fashion trends but also be in close proximity to the glamorous models and Hollywood stars. To realize her dream she desperately seeks internship at the fashion magazine. But the mag’s boss Aaralyn Taylor is convinced that Indian girls are better off as baby-sitters. Indie has Americanized her name but can’t do anything about her brown skin and typical Indian looks. Is she destined to end up as the two-year-old Kyle’s nanny – feeding and amusing him, and washing his bottom?

This breezy little novel is a regular chick-lit set in the American suburbia. The hanging out with friends, the juvenile jealousies and the all too familiar romantic heartaches and breakups are skillfully enmeshed with the Indian Diaspora’s hybrid milieu, even as the focus remains firmly on the protagonist’s desperate attempts at realizing her ambition. The story appears to be drawn from Daswani’s own experiences as a fashion correspondent for CNN, CNBC etc. Teen fiction is still in its nascent stage as far as the Indian literary scene is concerned. So any addition is welcome. And, this one certainly.