Promo: Lalji's Nairobi by Nitin Nanji
Today, I'm delighted to welcome acclaimed author Nitin Nanji to Ruins & Reading. We're sharing an excerpt from his riveting new novel, Lalji's Nairobi. It's well worth checking out. Read on!
Lalji's Nairobi is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other enticing excerpts HERE!
Janki could not contain her excitement and as soon as she reached home, she opened the small package from Lalji. She gasped so loudly that her Aunt Lalbai in the next bedroom heard and rushed in.
“What happened, Janki?” she asked urgently.
Janki was overjoyed at seeing a pair of silver payals (anklets), which she held across one palm, looking at the detail of the intricate design. Lalbai’s eyes lit up and she gasped, “Waah, what beautiful payals. The silver is so beautiful. Put them on, let us see what they look like,” making space for Janki to sit on the floor.
Both struggled to fasten the soft metal, carefully placing the small hooks into their delicate clasps. As soon as they were on, Janki jumped up, held her dress shin high and stared at her ankles, taking small steps then long ones to get the tiny bells to jingle. With each step her joy multiplied and she was grinning more and more, with sounds of admiration from her aunt in the background.
Lalji had acquired the pair of payals (anklets) thanks to Mohan and his four partners. They were all in Mohan’s shop one day when Arjun Jetha called. He was a travelling soni from Surat in Gujarat who frequented Nairobi annually to sell his latest designs. Nairobi had yet to get a soni shop although Mombasa boasted four. Mohan was contemplating buying something for his sister and was looking at some gold bangles. He asked Lalji if he would like to buy something for his future wife and Lalji declined. He had never bought any jewellery in his life. The only jewellery he had ever touched was his mother’s bridal ornaments.
Lalji’s lack of interest made Nizar and Bhasker go over and take a closer look. Bhasker asked the soni if he would show them something for a young bride-to-be. Arjun Jetha opened his metal trunk and from somewhere in the depths brought out a cloth bag and loosened the strings. He put a red piece of velvet on the counter and brought out a few pairs of silver payals. None of them recognised what they were, so Arjun Jetha demonstrated how they were worn and showed the workmanship. He held up and shook them to produce the soft sounds of the tiny bells.
On everyone’s insistence Lalji had a look and was about to walk away when he noticed one pair of interest. It had its little bells hanging from three tiny spheres, arranged in a triangle. He remembered Janki’s ankle tattoo of three dots. He touched the anklet and wondered how it might look on Janki’s ankle. The others noticed and Bhasker immediately volunteered, “I think this will be an ideal gift for your future wife.”
A chorus of agreement followed from the others and Lalji bought the anklets with cheering from all.
~~~
British Gujarat, 1905.
Despairing of the social injustices and crippling taxes under the British Raj, Lalji, 19, flees to British East Africa hoping to build a better life using his natural business skills and acumen. But he soon finds unexpected dangers in his new home- turbulent politics and war with German East Africa- as well as some surprising opportunities.
A combination of luck, coincidence, and his flair for commerce lead to early success. Then, just as he is at his most vulnerable, a new threat emerges from where he least expects: from within his own family.
Can Lalji beat overwhelming odds to fulfill his hopes and ambitions?
A story about survival, faith, ability, humanity, and a deep desire to succeed.
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*Lalji's Nairobi is free to download on Kindle from February 4th – 8th, 2025!*
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
About the Author
Nitin Nanji
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