Who Killed the Kaneez? — by Vijay Kakwani
Pages:22
Price: Rs. 49 INR(Kindle edition)
ASIN: B08249WHMS
Buy here: https://amzn.to/37WWEpy
Set in the times of Zamindars and kothas, ‘Who Killed the Kaneez’ is a story , within a story.
Farzana is one of the prostitutes at Begum’s kotha and Ramakant Bannerjee, the writer, loves her deeply. He’s promised to marry her once he has enough money. He’s currently writing his most ambitious novel, the story of Kaneez.
As the story of Kaneez unfolds, so does the intriguing life of Farzana.
What fate does she meet? Read on to find out.
About the author:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19779698.Vijay_Kakwani
The author can be reached at
Facebook: Vijay Kaks
Twitter: Vijay_Kaks
Instagram: @VijayKaks
My take on the book:
Set in a forgotten and forgone era, Who Killed the Kaneez? is the story of Farzana, one of the prostitutes at Begum’s Kotha, also the most privileged among all the girls in that Kotha. Unlike the other girls, Farzana had only two but constant visitors — Ramakanth Banerjee, who struggled to even make ends meet, came every Thursday and the richest man in the city Thakur Surajit Sen, who came every Friday. Ramakanth the writer who dreamt of making enough money one day to marry Farzana and give a new life to her, whereas the very rich Thakur who visited Farzana with all loyalty much to the ire of her rivals in the Kotha. Farzana was content even with her limited happiness with lover Ramakanth and Begum is happy with the constant money coming from Thakur.
Ramakanth starts narrating a suspense story he was writing at that point — involving Mallika, Kaneez and the King. What happens further in this story that Ramakanth was writing, will he be able to succeed as a writer and fulfill his dream of marrying Farzana? Why is the story named after Kaneez and not Farzana or her visitors forms the rest of the story.
At 22 pages, this is a quick and short read which stays true to its theme, without once deviating. The language is simple, the narration is perfect; the story overall is just flawless. Within the few pages, the author majorly succeeds in giving the right background of the characters, establishing their intended traits, while maintaining the suspense till the end. The twist at the end is interesting, and smartly answers all the questions that may be going on in the reader’s mind till then. There is right amount of humor and entertainment, amidst the serious topic at hand with the heart-wrenching situations women who are into prostitution face daily. This story is the package of all elements that make a perfect short story and is a must read!
My rating:
5/5.