Indian Tapestry: "Indian Tapestry" Brings to Life the Memories of the Author's Upbringing in the 1940's in Central India at the Time of the British Raj.

Born at the time of the British Raj in central India, the author's childhood memories of growing up in a Muslim community in the holy Hindu city of Ujjain have been the inspiration for Indian Tapestry. Living in harmony with their Hindu neighbors, the daily lives of the residents of Mirzawari sparkle with the excitement of weddings, arranged by go-betweens, within the constraints of war-time rationing. The transport is provided by tonga drivers, their hashish smoking sessions inducing a hazy glow to their daily activities. Next to the criminals' den lies Arithewaley, the Lawyers' Den, where the days are enlivened with charpoy chatter for the women, and the evenings with poetry readings and chess, held separately for the sexes but inexorably drawing people together. The parallel world of ghosts and genies is interwoven with normal daily routines, and Muslim and Hindu festivals are equally celebrated throughout the year. The lives and loves of four friends draw Indian Tapestry to its close at the time of the partition and founding of Pakistan.