The Heart of India

Born in Calcutta, educated in England, for more than twenty years Mark Tully was the BBC Chief of Bureau in Delhi and his name and his voice became synonymous with the country he had made his home. For years he sent back dispatches interpreting that subcontinent to the outside world, but the 'truth' of India is remarkably resistant to reportage.Imbued with his love for India and informed by his vast experience of India, Mark Tully has woven together a series of stories of extraordinary depth and eloquence. All the stories are set in Uttar Pradesh and tell of very different lives. Of a barren wife who visits a holy man and subsequently conceivesbut is it a miracle or something more worldly? Of a son's carefully laid plot to take revenge against his father's murderer, with a surprising twist when his case comes to court. Of a daughter, persuaded by her friends to spurn an arranged marriage, whose romance ends in blackmail. Of a man's inability to overcome the conventions of caste and go into business, which leads to his wife breaking purdah and taking control of the family.