About the Book

A sardonic and irreverent wit is trained on the advertising world of the '80s as the hero - for want of a better word - fumblingly adapts to its wacky, hedonistic lifestyle. In this battle of 'body versus bawdy', he encounters a whole host of distinctive characters, each more colourful than the next. Leading the side to which he belongs - the First International Advertising Company (FIAC) - is Mono Mitter, who, in a different lifetime, would have been a fighter pilot battling the Luftwaffe, if he wasn't going 'screechers' - getting pie-eyed drunk, that is. Then, there is God with a capital 'G'. In a grand gesture, he renounces his throne to spend his quasi-retirement pitting his wits against the daily crossword and cadging free drinks off erstwhile colleagues. In the process, he acquires the moniker 'Old Man'. Enter Jymmie Hafesjee, the Great Pretender – or God as he prefers to be called among his minions in High Advertising (HA, if you want to be complimentary and HA! HA! if you don't). He has led his agency to within sniffing distance of FIAC by sheer perseverance, personal flamboyance and sustained self-publicity and senses an opportunity to finally outshine his long-standing rivals. For all the ensuing madness Calcutta takes centre stage, simply because, 'Everything else about the city might change - not necessarily for the better - except its inherent ability to spawn the most wonderful stories'.