Under Delhi

by Sorabh Pant

With his hilarious flair and blatant voice, Sorabh Pant writes about a girl’s tribulations with the issues of sexual assault and rape in Delhi. As wise politicians and holymen will soon tell you, girls who are raped are merely “asking for it”. They wear skimpy clothes and eat fast food and chow mein, all of which add to their sexual vibes. Women need to take care of how they dress in public, and to do this they may need to ask a certain president’s son for fashion advice. After all, he is only too willing to offer it for free despite his busy schedule. And, of course, there is always the failsafe. Call your would-be rapist “bhaiya” and he will be filled with brotherly remorse, letting you go free. These are all that any woman in Delhi needs to do to avoid being raped. Or, they could just ignore the words of these wise men and kick men right in the family jewels. Angry with the issues of rape, Tanya Bisht decides to do just that, over and under Delhi.

Genres: Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2014

About the author

Sorabh Pant is, "One of India's top comedians", (Times of India, Deccan Chronicle, Hindustan Times). He's also an author and 'Under Delhi', his second novel is about a girl in Delhi fighting rapists. It's angry, funny and is a testament to his love for Indian women.

It opened to many happy reviews. "Rapping the rapists. Angry, dark and funny." - The Bangalore Mirror, "Inherently funny... (without) disengaging from the issues." - The Deccan Chronicle, and, "The morbid humour is a given." - The Hindu.

His first novel, 'The Wednesday Soul', was called, 'An experiment in hilarity', by Deccan Chronicle, 'Delectably madcap', by Mayank Shekhar and, 'Funny, imaginative and gutsy', by Vir Das. Your cheques are in the mail, reviewers.

To prove his undying love for women, he even married one! He lives in Mumbai with his wife and their two egos.

You can abuse him on Twitter @hankypanty.

Reviews

[Ritwik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorabh Pant is undeniably my favourite Indian comedian. He works depict him to be a shameless, brave, original and a genuinely funny guy. I bought this book after his show and got it signed whilst I took a jab at him by pointing out that the cover had a promotional praise(blurb) by the 'biggest star of Bollywood', none other than Abhishek Bachchan himself, which must really make the book very good and promising. He quickly countered that with," I don't know of his movies but he really has a very good taste when it comes to books."
Witty.
That being said, this book disappointingly has all the following bullets which make me ignore any book written by a modern Indian writer(read Chetan Bhagat, Ravinder Singh, etcetera)-
*Linearity of the flow
*Over-the-top plot
*Inconsistency of the characters
*Predictable
Although I admit that this book is not to be taken seriously and is straightforward with it's dark, morbid humour style it just didn't hit home for me.
It also had multiple references to American TV shows especially 'Dexter' since the protagonist and the nuances of the character is heavily influenced by Dexter Morgan(the lead in Dexter). *The only difference being instead of blood slides which were collected as souvenirs by Dexter after a kill, Tanya collected fingers which can again be alluded to the fact that in the TV show Dexter's brother did the same.*
After having said all of this I would also like to point out that the book also had its pros. There were places where you could identify the genius of the author regarding his puns, wits, erudition and some really funny one liners.
In all it was an 'OK' read and according to the rating calibration as specified by Goodreads, giving two stars to the book justifies my feelings and my opinion towards it.

[Meghna Pant · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must-read.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Tanya Bisht’s world. Tanya Bisht is a girl from Delhi who works as a sales executive with a construction company. She may seem a regular girl with a regular job at first glance, but there is more to her than that. She breaks all the stereotypes that the society loves to tag girls and more particularly, Delhi girls with. But the most interesting part of her life is the night life when she scourges around Delhi streets to serve justice to the women who have been wronged by men. Instead of sitting at home and raving about rapists and molesters, Tanya has decided to actually ‘do’ something about it…

Tanya Bisht seems like a superhero right out of the pages of Marvel comics. She may not have superhuman powers, but she takes the fight to the streets and ridding the city of certain vermin. She has her job with a crappy boss at office, a family where not all is not well, and yet she manages time for her extracurricular activities. While she has some help from time to time, she mostly operates alone and her commitment to it is admirable. She curves out her own path and life on her own terms and admired her for doing what she felt needed to be done and speaking her mind. I loved the author’s narration style. He has handled serious situations with a pinch of salt. His amazing sense of humour and wit is evident throughout the book and thus helps the plot by not letting it get too heavy at any point. I also loved the way he has incorporated the comments and statements made by certain personalities in the book.

However I had certain expectations from the book after reading its blurb. While the book failed to deliver at an emotional level – that comes with discussing present day situations with safety of women, the book delivered in quality language, characterization, plot and humour.


http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/09/Und...

[Sukanto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start this review by being brutally (honestly?) honest here: I’m a huge fan of Sorabh’s work. On the screen and stage mainly as a standup comedian. And I’m aware that this is not his first book. But to be brutally (!) honest again, I could not make much out of his first book – The Wednesday Soul – though it had the similar Delhi Belle vigilante as the protagonist/theme. But maybe it was not meant for a mortal like me. Having said that, I can surely his next – Under Delhi – makes up for my experience in so many ways. And I’m also being brutally honest here! (!). I have always known that the best standups are also among the best writers. And Sorabh proves that no less with this cracker of a pre-Diwali read in Under Delhi.

Read my full review at http://slowcomo.wordpress.com/2014/10...

[Vinod Kaul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review by Vinod Kaul

Title: Under Delhi
Author: Sorabh Pant
Publisher: Hachette India
Pages: 256
Price: Rs 299

Each one of us has a devil within. Our serious law-abiding disposition is often nothing more than a social imposition. Who hasn’t once day-dreamed of giving currency to vengeful thoughts for perceived slights or, better still, trampling on what we consider our most cherished values. Would you murder or chop off an arm for this? If you are afraid to even day dream of this, then a book is a medium that will sustain your fight of fancy.

Enter the protaganist, Anita Bisht, a crusader who has taken upon herself to obtain mortal revenge for general acts of rape. The fact that she has been date-raped herself once, makes her case even stronger. But that’s where the chain of logic ends. She drives an anti-Balatkar van around the city to carry out such heinous acts as kidnapping, torture and murder. Considering that Indians in power - be it politician, god-man, khap, or even the President’s son – have put their foot in their mouths in the way they look at rape, the author’s task of giving the story a hilarious tilt is not so difficult. The average Indian stereotype – ready to rape at a moment’s notice and opportunity – is alternately pummeled, tortured and laughed at before being killed.

The author, Sorabh Pant, comes with excellent credentials for communicating with humour. At 33 years, he is rated amongst the top few Indian ‘stand-up comics’, an industry that is still in its infancy with the usually-dour Indians. Not surprisingly, he has many die-hard, belly-aching followers in the hall. Some of his wit, no doubt, has spilled onto the pages of the book.

There are as many as twenty different identified types of humour. Pant’s approach would fall into the farcical. This results in easy but superficial laughter, much like Mr Pant’s live performances likely are. However, like most farces, the story relies upon stereotypes as characters which remain relatively undeveloped.

While the author rightly rants through the pages of this book against the Indian’s cynical attitude to crimes against women (rape and acid attacks), rampant corruption, endemic sycophancy, his quick-fix solution is equally hideous – violence. This is something that the author still needs to come to terms to. As he is still young at 33, there is plenty of time for him to mature.

This is the author’s second book after ‘The Wednesday Soul’ (comic take on life after death) in the same genre. As a comedian of some repute, the author has been able to garner other entertainers, media and publishers in furtherance of his initiative in words. One wishes him all the best.

For the ordinary reader who is not necessarily looking for heavy words chasing a literary prize, this book will fill his time with quite a few laughs.

[Divya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one and only thing expected of the top comedian in India is comedy. This book is totally bereft of the concept. The sequel (which funnily was released first) introduces the character of Tanya Bisht, the non-forgiving vigilante, who prowls the streets of Delhi, to keep her beloved city from lecherous men, and punishes rapists and the likes. It was a quirky read and though it was mad, just as expected of Sorabh, it was entertaining in its own right.
This Prequel delves deeper into her character, her assignments, her sources and addresses the background of how she became what she was.

It's not a bad read, don't get me wrong, just not in the genre I was expecting it to be in. It had a more serious tone, with extensive use of every leech-y misogynist stereotype and then explanations to set them right.

I did finish the book in about 2 days, it is not too time occupying to say the least but not funny to the level of madness 'A Wednesday Soul' had.

Could be called a train read at best. I guess I'll stick to reading reviews about the book before I invest moolah in purchasing them.

[Jairam Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely offbeat black comedy with enough morbid and graphic stuff in there to make even the most strongest of readers cringe, this book is pulp fiction at its best. At the heart of it, Under Delhi is a heartwarming story of a female vigilante roaming the streets of Delhi dishing out her own brand of justice to right a wrong done to her in the past.

Peppered with slang, language and thoughts that most teenagers and twenagers can easily relate to, the author dishes out his version of pepperoni pizza topped with all that you can imagine and has also thrown in enough of garlic bread and an assortment of other sides to keep readers chewing and chomping throughout the narrative. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Naveen Verma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

I picked this book because it is written by India's top stand up comic and after finishing, i think he should know that what works on stage will not work in a novel. There are few comic narratives in his writing but that doesn't work well in books. But they would be great only on stage.

I liked the whole vigilante concept, going around in night and chopping fingers of rapists. And it does raise questions on how rape victims are treated in India. But that was the only thing which is worth pondering over.

It could have been better.

[Anuraag Bordoloi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book and started reading it with a lot of prejudice against Indian writers. The beginning of the novel did nothing to quell the mist of my pre-conceived notions. The humor was forced and the protagonist, Tanya, seemed flat, but I kept on reading and it became better, engrossing me to such an extent that I completed it in a day and half. When a book makes you turn its pages with eagerness then I judge it to be a good book and this was one.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Na

What I liked:
+ Main character and her character sketching
+ Language and narration
+ Relevance to the world, makes it a bit realistic

What I didn’t like:
- Humor felt exasperating at times
- A bit one directional, I guess

One time read for me. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either.

[Neha Mishra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Delhi prejudice is grating, offensive and annoying.
The storyline leaves behind a lot of plot holes.

The only reason I am giving two stars as opposed to one is because I like the broad concept of the book. If the author wasn't relying so much on racial prejudices and generalizations to move the story along, I think he would have come out with a much better book.

[Kayleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book desperately needed an editor for general plot, style, and dialogue. I did appreciate that the main character wasn't a complete caricature, but that was about it. Way too much of the book referenced the Dexter series, as well. This was not a female Dexter. Better luck next time.

[Twinkle Sibomana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Under Delhi is an average read, however main character and her character sketching is good. Some witty one liners make it readable but humor felt exasperating at times. I liked the whole vigilante concept, going around in night and chopping fingers of rapist. It could have been better.

[Samarpita Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

http://sankshvet.blogspot.in/2014/08/...

[Asha Gopalakrishnan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It almost feels like I cheated, when the book that got me to the finish line on the Goodreads challenge is so so bad... I honestly did not know, is all I can say in my defence.

[Viju · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some witty one liners make it readable.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, violent and angry. sadly the zeal for vengeance overwhelms the sparks of intelligence, reducing this to a gripping thriller but, ultimately, a superficial reaction to India's rape crisis.

[Arun John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not a must read.

[Akshat Garg · Rating 2 out of 5]

bleh!!!!

[Harshith Bangera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible and desperately 'wanting to get into Bollywodish' book. The lead character is a woman written by a man who talks about how the man's world is bad but makes the woman a horny and desperate for sex character. The author tries to show how he is a better male author but falls way short into the category of Chetan Bhagat.

Half the book is about this woman who acts like Shahid Afridi, quitting her job, then going back again to her workplace and then repeating the same. Illogical, not a moment of fun, badly written, no reasoning nor backgrounds for almost every character. This is a book written by a frustrated man who probably thinks he is a woman.

The cover page says a lot about how bad the book is with Abhishek Bachchan saying how hilarious this book is. I could have 5 simple veg thalis or 2 non-veg thalis at decent restaurants instead of spending Rs. 299 on this book. My condolences on the trees that gave up their life for this 'takla' of an author. What a shame.

[Karan Darwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know any other contemporary Indian writer who is more hilariously imaginative than Sorabh Pant

[shreya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman is like a forbidden fruit. you can not touch her unless she wants you to. but that's not true with the recent cases on rapes, the gang of drunk boys just pick up any girl from the road, do whatever they want to do and then throw her out of the car to die thousands lives in one life.

our religion taught us to worship kanya and goddess who are obviously in a form of woman. we respect our mother and sister and will not tolerate such things with them so why we tolerate or do this heinous act against others.

recently i read this book Under Delhi written by sourbh Pant.

the book has quotes from some bollywood actors in praise for the author, but this book stirred my thoughts.

This book might be admired by many but it awakens me.

With an interesting plot writer had taken account various incident happened in recent past.
I am a woman more appropriately a Delhi Woman and i am not Tanya Bisht (the protagonist).

after reading this piece of work many questions flooded my mind.

1. Am i safe in Delhi?
2. am i prepared to face this kind of act
3. at that point will i able to fight back?

so i put myself on auto-suggestive mode and told ,my brain everyday.

gear up and get yourself ready to hit back hard.

every girl must read this book.

[Amit Rawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to the world of Tanya Bisht a loner and a rebel. She lives a somewhat docile life during the day but transforms into something entirely different at night. Written with the backdrop of the Nirbhaya incident it tries to show a girl's response to the same almost going to an extreme. But all this in a style which reflects morbid dark humor. Script has a mix of predictability & unpredictability but the funny one liners keep the interest of the reader intact.

Clearly Sorabh apart from being a engaging stand up artist only possees some good writing skills.

[Kritarth Jha · Rating 3 out of 5]

So i'm coming back here to give this book the review it deserves.

Sorabh Pant isn't the funniest writer. This isn't the best of narratives. But there's something about a Dexteresque female vigilante meting out justice to Rapists going scot-free that is terribly satisfying.

It's the kind of justice, that the basest, darkest part of you wants, when you feel helpless at what's happening around you. To that end, and to that part of you, this book has a story to tell. Its also funny at times.

[Bulbul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had expected this book to be a chick flick but that is not the case. It is a book about Tanya Bisht who metes out punishment to the rapists in the dead of the night in Delhi. The book is fast paced and you never know what is going to happen next. Also, Sorabh does not linger on emotions or sad moments which I like. You may even laugh during some sad moments because that is how the book has been written.
I enjoyed the book. It is good fun.

[Shraddha Chormale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope I don't sound that harsh but expected more sanity in this writing rather than subtle hints of dark comedy. I was expecting more of "EIC rant" like writing would have felt more empowered as a woman rather than a victim of a series of consequences against women :( I am still excited about the next 2 books from Sourabh Pant because very very very few public figures like him hold the sanity and the power to influence the youth today on the right path.l

[Vanathi Parthasarathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a fleeting flavour of dark humour, unimaginable and extremely dubious plot, this book is a one time read.

[Pratiksha Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

full of Dark humour, sarcasm. It is very good for a breezy read.

[Saurav Prakash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set hopes high in the beginning but turns out later as an average read.

[Ankit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morbid, dark satire on delhi nights.