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Ramblings: Of a Bandra Boy
Ramblings of a Bandra Boy is a delightful compilation of Joy Bimal Roy’s articulate Facebook posts that recall episodes from his daily life, both recent and past. Each incident is a vivid description of an everyday event that blends the extraordinary and the mundane in a manner that entertains.
Joy brings to life a cast of characters from celebrities to household staff, who scheme and hatch plots, trying to present a particular version of themselves to the world but eventually revealing their true natures. Joy is very much part of these happenings, sometimes playing the main character who extricates himself and flees the scene and at other times an extra who gets roped into the action.
The book promises to amuse you with its moments of happiness and causes you to reflect about life through narratives of despair.
One of the popular characters is Joy’s Man Friday, J. Joy and J. engage in a battle of wits as Joy wants something done his way but J. wants to do it in his. Joy produces a recipe and asks J. to follow it. J. completely ignores Joy, finding a similar recipe online which is an improvisation on the original. Joy admits defeat but another round of jousting ensues.
There is a streak of sadness too in the stories, as Joy recalls his childhood and his love for his mother and the house in which he and his siblings had a joyful childhood. Joy mentions his struggles with mental health and his dislike of studying and the world of business.
As an insider in the film industry, being the only son of one of India’s greatest film makers – Bimal Roy, Joy has witnessed and interacted with many legends of the film world. He recounts juicy stories using discreet codes and it is fun to puzzle out who some of the key figures are.
Ramblings of a Bandra Boy is Joy’s ‘Kheror Khata’ – a traditional cloth-bound notebook with notes on a segment of India’s upper middle-class society. It’s to be savoured when sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and Bengali ‘jol khabar’ and ‘mishti’.
Joy brings to life a cast of characters from celebrities to household staff, who scheme and hatch plots, trying to present a particular version of themselves to the world but eventually revealing their true natures. Joy is very much part of these happenings, sometimes playing the main character who extricates himself and flees the scene and at other times an extra who gets roped into the action.
The book promises to amuse you with its moments of happiness and causes you to reflect about life through narratives of despair.
One of the popular characters is Joy’s Man Friday, J. Joy and J. engage in a battle of wits as Joy wants something done his way but J. wants to do it in his. Joy produces a recipe and asks J. to follow it. J. completely ignores Joy, finding a similar recipe online which is an improvisation on the original. Joy admits defeat but another round of jousting ensues.
There is a streak of sadness too in the stories, as Joy recalls his childhood and his love for his mother and the house in which he and his siblings had a joyful childhood. Joy mentions his struggles with mental health and his dislike of studying and the world of business.
As an insider in the film industry, being the only son of one of India’s greatest film makers – Bimal Roy, Joy has witnessed and interacted with many legends of the film world. He recounts juicy stories using discreet codes and it is fun to puzzle out who some of the key figures are.
Ramblings of a Bandra Boy is Joy’s ‘Kheror Khata’ – a traditional cloth-bound notebook with notes on a segment of India’s upper middle-class society. It’s to be savoured when sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and Bengali ‘jol khabar’ and ‘mishti’.
442 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2023
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