Scent of the Soil: A Civil Servant Returns to His Roots

Shubhojit Singh is at the pinnacle of his career as a civil servant, having won the Prime Minister’ s Award twice; however, his personalife is in a shambles. His wife haseft him and he has become a stranger to his own children. When a sudden health crisis brings the whole family together, Shubhojit iseft reminiscing about his younger days in the village— of the times spent with friends, splashing in the village pond and climbing trees and of meaningful relationships. Just four years short of his retirement, Shubhojit decides to go back to his roots, toive with nature, to aife which is not dictated by structures— aife where he is free and unencumbered.Will he succeed? Will his family approve? Or, will it prove to be an impulsive and hasty decision?

Suchita Malik, an alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, has earned her PhD from Panjab University, Chandigarh. A keen academic, she has taught English Literature for more than three decades. Besides contributing middles, feature articles and travelogues to national newspapers, she has authored three novels, titled Indian Memsahib, Memsahib’ s Chronicles and Women Extraordinaire. She can be reached at dr.suchitamalik@gmail.com.