Book Excerpt: Ambapali by Tanushree Podder

An exclusive excerpt from Tanushree Podder’s latest book, Ambapali- A Novel (Penguin India, 2023)

It was now four years since the day of the Vasant Utsav when Ambapali had been declared as the raj nartaki. In the very first year, realized the reality of the world she now inhabited. This was a world very different from the one she

had left behind. It was a world besieged by greed, lust and selfishness. This was a make-believe world, not a real one. It had no place for virtue and vulnerability. She had stepped out of the protective cocoon spun by her father and friends. She now had to take control of her life and protect her interests.