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The story is set in Japan in the 80s. It focuses on a family where Namiko the protagonist, an only child of Anand and his Japanese wife Yuvi, is brought up in Ninenzaka, a suburb of Kyoto.
Takeshisan a Zen monk enters their life and deeply influences the family. His presence is always calming because of his philosophy of ‘Uketamo’ which is acceptance of life with its ups and downs. A visit to his monastery with her father helps Namiko to understand the Buddhist way of life.
Listening to her father’s tales of his upbringing, Namiko is curious about India and joins him on a trip to Calcutta, visiting several places on the way, including Lumbini the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.
Namiko, in the meanwhile, gets a scholarship to study in the US, close to her childhood friend Takano from Ninenzaka. Their bonding in a new land is remarkable.
A meeting with Anand’s childhood friend Rushuda and his son Biswajit, who is soon moving to Tokyo to complete his doctoral thesis, leads to a possible betrothal.
The story takes Namiko through a few countries, cultures and flavours that make the script absorbing. Will Namiko marry Biswajit and settle down to a normal housewife’s life in Tokyo? What about her childhood friend Takano? Will he and his sister Kimiko play a crucial role in her life? Surely, there is more to it than meets the eye! Read to find out.
Maya Kalyanpur
After attaining her Masters in English Literature and a lectureship at Delhi University, Maya honed her skills as a journalist and became a regular columnist in newspapers like The Japan Times, Khaleej Times, TOI, Deccan Herald, Independent, Free Press Journal, The Sunday Observer and magazines like Femina, Eves Weekly and Care.
In Namiko No Unmei, her third novel, she has delved into the aesthetic and esoteric side of the Japanese, having had first-hand experience living among them and traveling extensively while in Japan. Her travels in India and abroad have given her a broader perspective on life. A keen observer, she injects certain unique qualities in her characters to bring them alive while capturing the cultures and flavours of the places she has visited.
