GemArts Masala Festival

Award-winning short story writer Gurnaik Johal reads from his debut novel Saraswati, in conversation with Preti Taneja.

Centuries ago, the myths say, the holy river Saraswati flowed through Northern India. When Satnam returns to his ancestral village for his grandmother’s funeral, he’s astonished to find water in the long-dry well behind her house. This discovery sparks a contentious plan to unearth the lost river and build a gleaming new city on its banks. Adrift from his job, girlfriend, and flat in London, Satnam is drawn into the upheaval unfolding around him.

Brimming with love, lust, violence and loss, Saraswati reveals buried ties between six relatives across the globe. Johal’s magisterial debut explores the passions that bind us to our histories, our lands, and each other.