"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
Some encounters, relationships and friendships go beyond definition.
In ‘The Food Server’, Rashmi seeks to find closure at an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, finding redemption in an unexpected source. Nine years after losing his son, government employee Abdul in ‘Photocopy’ begins to confront his grief when faced with another bereft soul. A luxury Dubai hotel is the setting for a jaded PR Manager’s conversation with ‘The Guest’. Meanwhile, octogenarian Ramaiah and 20-something Shahzadi swap perspectives about the Hyderabadi haveli they work in under ‘This Old Mango Tree’. In ’Body Mind Index’, two gym-mates find that there’s more to magnetism than meets the eye. Amidst a swarm of engineering aspirants, Venkatesh learns to like the career path his parents pick for him in ‘Future Perfect’. A retired adman can’t sleep till he encounters ’Strangers Every Night’. Touring Edinburgh and London, a successful theatre couple try to go ‘Back to the Beginning’. An unnamed street urchin finds God in her own way in 'Grace is She'. And finally, during self-isolation, film actress Asha takes an inward journey into what it means to be ‘Alone’.
‘A-Quaint-Essences’ is a short collection of stories about these connections, forged over years or over instants, twisting, upturning, or simply adding a brushstroke of meaning to our lives, leaving us different from the people we were before.
Noor Baig
‘A-Quaint-Essences’ is actress-playwright Noor Baig’s debut book, a collection of short stories. Her plays ‘Quli: Prince of Hearts’/‘Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada’, ‘Savaan-e-Hayat’, ‘Spaces’, ‘Under an Oak Tree’ and ‘My Father – His Exalted Highness’ have featured in numerous prestigious theatre and arts festivals in India and around the globe, including a week-long run at Edinburgh and the University of Oxford. Born and raised in Chennai, she is a gold medallist in Visual Communications and International Relations and is married into Hyderabad’s first family of theatre. She has travelled as part of her husband actor-director Padma Shri Mohammad Ali Baig’s theatre repertory, performing in several countries. Their plays have received both high critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. Having started her career with the Australian Consulate, she is now part of the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation, and is on the core committee of the annual Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival.
