<img title="The Jama Masjid and other Delhi monuments play silent spectators in the book. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2017/jan/Jama-Masjid.jpg" alt="The Jama Masjid and other Delhi monuments play silent spectators in the book. Pic/AFP" /> The Jama Masjid and other Delhi monuments play silent spectators in the book. Pic/AFP
At a time when the upcoming elections and demonetisation have swept everyone&rsquo;s collective thinking, it is a change to read a gripping novel that delves deep into the mire that is Delhi and Uttar Pradesh&rsquo;s power mafia.
Arnab Ray&rsquo;s Sultan of Delhi: Ascension (Hachette India) is a book that follows Arjun Bhatia, a refugee from Lahore, who is street smart, and uses these traits to become the most influential powerbroker in Delhi. The book covers it all &mdash; internal family conflicts, betrayal, the cost of friendship, sex, love stories, gangster feuds and violence. There&rsquo;s a fair bit of history thrown in with references to the Partition and the Emergency period.
Small exchanges liven up the book &mdash; when Arjun and his best friend (affectionately called Bangali) argue over whether Kishore Kumar or Mohammed Rafi was the better singer. Arjun is a film buff (much like the writer) so there are many references to the movie Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and KL Saigal. In fact, his story reads like a Bollywood saga from the &rsquo;80s: a partition refugee who enters India penniless, rises to power, takes revenge on his enemies, has an extramarital affair and struggles to control his family. The author&rsquo;s ability to keep you hooked, exploited so well in his book, The Mine, is what works for Sultan of Delhi. You want to know how Arjun&rsquo;s story turns out, whether his mistakes catch up with him or he goes soft with age.
The ending leaves you with more questions than answers but then again, it&rsquo;s a saga that you know will need a sequel.

Arnab Rayu00e2u0080u0099s Sultan of Delhi: Ascension (Hachette India) is a book that follows Arjun Bhatia, a refugee from Lahore, who is street smart, and uses these traits to become the most influential powerbroker in Delhi

Of sultans and power trips

Travel: Learn to survive in the wild

At a time when the upcoming elections and demonetisation have swept everyone&rsquo;s collective thinking, it is a change to read a gripping novel that delves deep into the mire that is Delhi and Uttar Pradesh&rsquo;s power mafia

Of sultans and power trips

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Of sultans and power trips

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