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A Monsoon of Music
A remarkable story of four musicians set against the backdrop of a magnificent musical heritage!
Four musicians: a bright, young, aspiring student, two highly respected gurus married to each other, and a globe-trotting star, each deeply immersed in the tradition of Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet. Their lives intersect in the small mofussil town of Tamulbari on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
Against the backdrop of a magnificent musical heritage and the haunting and timeless ragas that sweep through the pages of this wonderfully evocative novel, Mitra Phukan presents the ambitious sitarist Kaushik Kashyap, already a name , who tours the world with his beautiful Italian student; Nomita, the shy, small-town vocalist, whom Kaushik s parents have chosen for him; Nomita s Guruma, the beautiful, calm Sandhya Senapati, and her husband, the handsome Tridib Barua, who seem to be hiding deep, dark secrets; and Guruma s friendship with the well-known industrialist Deepak Rathod.
As the eventful monsoon months give way to autumn, the characters come to a deeper understanding of themselves even as their lives change dramatically and forever.
By turns serious, deeply moving and utterly irreverent, Mitra Phukan's eye for detail, her immense knowledge of Hindustani music and her profound understanding of human nature come together in this remarkable novel.
Four musicians: a bright, young, aspiring student, two highly respected gurus married to each other, and a globe-trotting star, each deeply immersed in the tradition of Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet. Their lives intersect in the small mofussil town of Tamulbari on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
Against the backdrop of a magnificent musical heritage and the haunting and timeless ragas that sweep through the pages of this wonderfully evocative novel, Mitra Phukan presents the ambitious sitarist Kaushik Kashyap, already a name , who tours the world with his beautiful Italian student; Nomita, the shy, small-town vocalist, whom Kaushik s parents have chosen for him; Nomita s Guruma, the beautiful, calm Sandhya Senapati, and her husband, the handsome Tridib Barua, who seem to be hiding deep, dark secrets; and Guruma s friendship with the well-known industrialist Deepak Rathod.
As the eventful monsoon months give way to autumn, the characters come to a deeper understanding of themselves even as their lives change dramatically and forever.
By turns serious, deeply moving and utterly irreverent, Mitra Phukan's eye for detail, her immense knowledge of Hindustani music and her profound understanding of human nature come together in this remarkable novel.
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First published September 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 8, 2025
Hmmm so I just finished this book. As someone from Tripura and who learnt classical music in her childhood, I enjoyed reading this book. There was so much to relate to, the time spent in Kolkata and migration to metropolitan cities as well, it's the first book I've read by a northeast author.
The book was atmospheric and enjoyable, with discussion about classical music that I enjoyed. The story was interesting too, but the ending??! I wish we had gotten more of a conclusion to the story. I guess we were pointed into more or less the direction it was going and it was acceptable, but I just wish there was a bit more of a conclusive ending.
All in all, I would recommend this book for the musical vibes, and description of the life of someone from a small town in the northeast!
The book was atmospheric and enjoyable, with discussion about classical music that I enjoyed. The story was interesting too, but the ending??! I wish we had gotten more of a conclusion to the story. I guess we were pointed into more or less the direction it was going and it was acceptable, but I just wish there was a bit more of a conclusive ending.
All in all, I would recommend this book for the musical vibes, and description of the life of someone from a small town in the northeast!
September 1, 2014
Mitra is an excellent writer . She is a vocalist and good one. This story revovles around a small town girl . I bought this book on a vacation And I must say , it was a good decision .
She has woven the story beautifully . I can identify with Nomita, the protagonist , her ideals , her aspirations which are very much quiet not loud but definitely strong. She is young and innocent. She thinks she knows too much but everybody does that :)
Her guru is a goddess (that's how she is actually described) but then we realise after she is also just human. Mitra's characters are very much grounded and not just for the sake of making the story run. Tridib, Rati, Deepak , Pradeep , shikha, tirna, rana, kaushik .. All of them are like woven inside the story. This book is written like a song with a very welcoming note and blazing into happiness and sadness with a abit of drama towards the end and the end note making the audience want more from mitra. If she ever reads this review . Please write a sequel to this . I want to know what happens next . And Rahul ?? Does he love her ?? Please write it
She has woven the story beautifully . I can identify with Nomita, the protagonist , her ideals , her aspirations which are very much quiet not loud but definitely strong. She is young and innocent. She thinks she knows too much but everybody does that :)
Her guru is a goddess (that's how she is actually described) but then we realise after she is also just human. Mitra's characters are very much grounded and not just for the sake of making the story run. Tridib, Rati, Deepak , Pradeep , shikha, tirna, rana, kaushik .. All of them are like woven inside the story. This book is written like a song with a very welcoming note and blazing into happiness and sadness with a abit of drama towards the end and the end note making the audience want more from mitra. If she ever reads this review . Please write a sequel to this . I want to know what happens next . And Rahul ?? Does he love her ?? Please write it
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews