Cord and the Diamond Pendant

The time frame extends from the early nineteenth century to the early years of the twenty-first century. The novel deals with the themes of love and hate. The early protagonists are Jonathan and Shanti, Bridgerajh and a young British girl, and Meghi, a girl forced into prostitution. In a new land, they strive to lead a meaningful life. The enemies are descendants of thuggees and a medley of Satanists. The vendetta haunts each generation. In the second generation, we meet Ramanand and his brothers struggling to define a new life of personal choice. They struggle against injustice and oppression, which affects their love for family. Their lives are uprooted by the rapacity of the apartheid regimes legally creating a tragic Indian Diaspora within South Africa. The descendants of the thuggees have embraced organised crime. In the third generation are couples like Andries and Joyce; Vishaal and Sabita; Jayesh, who is tangled with Janice, Sharita, and Zuleka; and Pravesh and his beloved Durgha, who become political refugees and fight the enemy to a tragic finish. Intertwined are the lives of Siphiwe an African freedom fighter and his white sweetheart Victoria. Theres Spanner and his Indian girlfriend Sunita. The enemy is led by a godfather whose young pupil is Akhsay. A host of people have their lives interwoven with all these persons. The climax is a private war transcending national boundaries. There is a group of knights on a journey of disappointment and discovery. Finally, there is the fourth generation that wants answers and frees itself. The protagonist is Aditi, a young woman of the twenty-first century. The letters to Aditi are an attempt to answer her questions.